CHARLOTTE — Frank Reich's aware of what's happening around him, but he's not prepared to overhaul things this week, considering the Panthers' 1-9 record.

That means he's not thinking about benching quarterback Bryce Young, not thinking about staff changes or any of the other big moves that might divert attention from what's happening.

Asked specifically if he's considering letting backup Andy Dalton start to allow Young a break after he absorbed seven sacks in Sunday's loss to the Cowboys, Reich said he was not.

"No consideration to that," Reich said. "You know, looking back on this tape, he did a lot of good things.

"It's important for him and for us; he's our leader, he's our leader on offense, and he's going to help us get to where we want to go."

That was a consistent theme for Reich Monday, as he defended the people he had in place despite all the noise surrounding them at the moment. 

When asked about his coaching staff and whether he was thinking about changing anything there (from their job security to where they work from on gameday, he again shook it off.

"I've got belief in our guys," Reich said. "You know, be patient, trust your guys. I think that's the biggest thing. You hired the people that you hired for a reason; you've seen evidence of good stuff, stick with it, and be patient and believe."

That's not a satisfying answer for many, but Reich has consistently talked about the long view since taking this job. 

Obviously, this year hasn't gone the way he or they expected, but he's not prepared to shake things up in the short term.

— Reich didn't offer any specifics to possible changes on the offensive line, saying he still needed to meet with coaches and the medical staff. He said right guard Austin Corbett was getting checked on Monday. He went down briefly after getting hit in the left knee (the same as his surgically repaired ACL from last season), but he returned to the game and played every snap.

Otherwise, Reich said that despite considering some rotations last week, they ultimately decided during the game to leave Chandler Zavala in place at left guard and keep things as they were.

He was encouraged by how they run-blocked against the Cowboys (85 yards in the first half), but acknowledged they needed to improve in pass protection.

They also alternated Young between working from under center, in shotgun, and in the pistol formation as they continued to look for answers on offense. They're doing things far differently than last year when the Panthers were a run-first team out of necessity.

"I think the main thing in the evaluation, coming in when you were looking at the tape from last year, what stuck out was the run game. There's no question about that?" Reich said. "We all know that we all know what this team did in the second half of the season, playing the brand of football that they were playing. It wasn't a bunch of drop-back passes.

"So, not as much evidence for hey, you get a number one pick, you get Bryce Young and you're going to spread it out and kind of do different things, not play the same brand that we played last year here. But what I saw there was good evidence. It was just a different style, a different brand of offense."

— Asked about reports of him being on the hot seat, Reich said he hadn't met with owner David Tepper yet on Monday but that his focus was on this weekend's trip to Tennessee.

"Focused on today, getting into that film, learning from it, learning how we can coach it better, play it better," he said. "Then quickly get your ears, your eyes and ears, and everything out towards your next opponent. We talk about it in there all the time. This is a week-to-week league, and we all know what we signed up for when we get into this business. So I'm comfortable with that.

"Just keep working, put your head down, and focus on your work. So I don't think that's a distraction during the week."