CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When Derrick Brown joined the Panthers as a first-round pick in 2020, he arrived in Charlotte in the midst of a global pandemic. Brown was subject to daily COVID-19 testing, virtual meetings and empty stadiums — a far cry from the filled-to-the brim SEC behemoths he played in at Auburn.

It was a tough time to move to a new city. Brown said he and his wife didn’t meet many people outside of their neighbors. His work situation wasn’t great, either. While the COVID restrictions eased and the world returned to normal, key members of the organization kept leaving.

Brown played for four defensive line coaches in four years and watched as the Panthers traded the three first-round picks who preceded him — Christian McCaffrey, DJ Moore and, most recently, edge rusher Brian Burns. No one would have blamed Brown if he’d kept a spare suitcase in his locker at Bank of America Stadium.

Instead, the son of a former Army man who was part of an Airborne Division kept his head down and did his job. “It happened. It is what it is at this point,” Brown said of all the turnover. “But I’m excited to hold my place here and just keep working.”

Derrick Brown’s first splurge purchase after new contract: A pool in the backyard. pic.twitter.com/khL7UeIppx

— Joe…

NFL team owners collect millions in revenue. They wield outsized power over their organizations and in their communities. They point to the bottom line, wins and losses, when firing coaches and executives, sometimes without giving them much time. But their own won-lost records appear nowhere.

Even people who follow the NFL closely might not know whether Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross owns a better record than New York Giants owner John Mara (he does).

They might not know whether female owners account for two of the five highest winning percentages since taking over their teams (they do).

They might not know that the only team without a traditional owner could lose 200 games overnight without dipping below .500 (the Green Bay Packers could).

They might not know that five of the last six owners to buy (rather than inherit) a team make up the bottom five in win percentage (they do — the lone exception is the Buffalo Bills’ Terry Pegula).

Some of these ownership situations are difficult to evaluate for reasons such as owners allowing their offspring to operate their teams. I’ve used simple criteria in ranking owners from worst to best win rates below. For our purposes, wins and losses are counted for owners after the NFL has approved their purchases; after an owner…

Professional football players have long declared that in addition to National Football League, NFL also stands for “Not For Long.”

Thanks to devastating injuries, the short leashes of impatient coaches and general managers or mere numbers games, playing careers can end in the blink of an eye.

That “Not For Long” moniker should also apply to head coaching careers, especially given some recent firings.

Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper on Monday fired Frank Reich after just 11 games and less than 24 hours after his team fell to 1-10 with a 17-10 loss to the Titans. The Panthers also fired quarterbacks coach Josh McCown and running backs coach Duce Staley.

But Reich, a former successful head coach (with the Colts) and offensive coordinator (with the Chargers and Eagles), shouldn’t feel lonely. He’s just the latest casualty in a league run by wealthy men and women who can be strong in ego but weak in patience.

GO DEEPER

Panthers’ anemic offense and 1-10 record led to only choice — firing Frank Reich

Reich became the third head coach in three years who failed to make it through a full season in his first year with a team. Last year, the Broncos fired Nathaniel Hackett after just 15 games. In 2021, the Jaguars let Urban Meyer go after 13 games.

Josh McDaniels, whom the