"The worst part of 2010, says Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, was not his team's NFL worst 2-14 record.

"What was so frustrating to me was that our supporters had lost hope," Richardson says. "I think people (now) have hope, enormous hope, in fact. That's the biggest thing to me."

Richardson talked to the Observer for about an hour Wednesday afternoon. He's happy with his team, which won four of its last six games to finish 6-10. He's happy with the talent, the coaching staff and rookie quarterback Cam Newton.

Is he happy with the defense?

"There were times when I was frustrated," says Richardson, 75. "Not with the defense. With our tackling. That's not something I've talked about with Marty (general manager Marty Hurney) and Ron (head coach Ron Rivera). Just a personal observation."

Hurney and Rivera will meet with Richardson today and Friday.

Carolina's offense was uncharacteristically unpredictable this season, in part because of the imaginative formations and play-calling of offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski. The Jacksonville Jaguars have asked the Panthers for permission to interview Chudzinski for their head coaching vacancy."