NOTE: This post has been updated by the author!

The Panthers really blew it by hiring the Baylor coach.

Okay, the deal wasn’t done, but how dumb were the Panthers for not hiring Josh McDaniels and also signing free-agent Tom Brady, who would have rebirthed the franchise.

That’s why I think that plan was far better than hiring the young Baylor coach Matt Rhule, who will take three years to get something done and it won’t be another Super Bowl team.

Think of what a perfect fit the Patriots tandem would have been in so many ways. May I list them?

The Panthers could have moved on from Cam Newton, who will remain the big controversial story with the team, and still drafted Brady’s successor in February. It could have been TB12 for a year or two or three while the Cats decided who is their next long-term quarterback.

Would Brady have come to Carolina? Easy transition to a Southern fan base far away from old rivals and fans in the NFC South. Nice climate, fewer cold-weather games and a docile media compared to the vicious press in Boston.

Pats’ offensive coordinator McDaniels, Brady’s alter-ego and good friend for years, would have been the perfect head coach and dynamic duo, with the national press coverage all over the Panthers. Tell me Rhule, with three years as an NFL assistant, will be a better head coach?

Charlotte was the great escape for Brady. Tom and Giselle could have built a mansion outside of town and put their kids in the best private school money can buy. David Tepper had to know how many season tickets Brady would have sold.

And then there is that McCaffery kid, who I know Brady loves. As a running back and slot receiver, McDaniels and Brady would have fulfilled Christian’s MVP potential by getting him into open space beyond the line of scrimmage or in the flats. And wouldn’t No. 22 have relished playing with No. 12?

Actually, it was a no-brainer. Now McDaniels probably won’t go to Cleveland, and he and Brady will be back in New England, load up on free agents and make another Super Bowl run.

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