Capers and Panthers Now Among Have-Nots

They sure take defeat hard in Carolina. If, as the Charlotte Observer has reported, Panther Coach Dom Capers is fired at season’s end, Capers will have gone from being the game’s top field commander to dismissed loser in two years.

Capers was the NFL’s coach of the year in 1996 when he took his expansion team to the NFC championship game. The national media wrote all kinds of glowing words about the defensive- minded Capers, known best for keeping notes of everything he had done since his 1972 start in coaching.

Capers, 48, has a 29-35 mark in charge of the four-year-old franchise, but Panther owner Jerry Richardson is known for having unreal expectations and Carolina has hit rock bottom this season at 2-12.

Among the candidates Richardson reportedly would consider are Florida Coach Steve Spurrier, Green Bay Packer Coach Mike Holmgren and ex-San Francisco 49er coach George Seifert.

Each would be considered foolish to sign on with the Panthers, who traded their No. 1 picks for the next two years to the Washington Redskins, who might also be looking for a new coach.

“I’m not going to let him take the rap,” said wide receiver Dwight Stone. “We are a team and I thought in a team surrounding, you don’t point one individual out. If you look at this whole year, from the Kerry Collins incident to everything else going on, no one else took the blame but coach Capers.”

CENTRAL / Is There Any Chance Owner Could Be Fired?

Dave Wannstedt, former defensive coordinator for Jimmy Johnson in Dallas, is 40-56 in his forgettable stint as the Bears’ coach and yet has the support of Mark Hatley, the team’s vice president of player personnel.

“I count on Dave being back,” Hatley said. “That’s how I approach it. And he should be.”

For the fifth straight year, the Bears had no one selected for the Pro Bowl.

“Maybe it’s personnel,” Hatley said. “Maybe we need better personnel, if you want to blame somebody.”

So while Hatley sounds as if he’s advocating firing the entire roster--a solid suggestion--it will be owner Michael McCaskey’s call whether Wannstedt returns.

McCaskey, while a football owner, is considered way out in left field by most who have any dealings with him. He has been unable to win a new stadium deal in Chicago because many folks don’t like him or take him seriously. If McCaskey fires Wannstedt, that means he will pick a new coach, assuring the Bears of continued failure.

EAST / Coach’s Tenure Tenuous Despite Big Turnaround

Norv Turner, former offensive coordinator for Johnson in Dallas, is 31-46-1 as coach of the Redskins, with no playoff appearances.

Turner, a goner after a 0-7 start, is now fighting back with the support of many players with five wins in seven games. Of course, the Redskins have played only one non-losing team since the end of October.

Turner’s future might be tied to negotiations now being conducted to sell the team. There are reports the team might be sold for as much as $700 million, and anyone paying that kind of money will be looking to start over, possibly with a high-profile coach such as Holmgren.

Vince Tobin might be an effective coach in Arizona, but he can’t sell tickets. The Cardinals will be in the playoffs if they win their final two games, including a Sunday home game against New Orleans, which figures to attract a crowd of fewer than 50,000.

The locals need more convincing: The Cardinals haven’t been to the playoffs in a non-strike year since 1975. This is only the fourth time in 15 years they have been at .500 or better after 14 games.

P.S. The Cardinals are 1-8 against the lowly Saints and Chargers since moving to Arizona--0-5 at home.