Comments from Carolina Panthers Owner/Founder Jerry Richardson with several writers on Wednesday with some answers edited for brevity.

On head coach John Fox and general manager Marty Hurney: This past season was difficult for John and Marty. It was difficult for the football team. It was difficult for the organization. It was difficult for our fans. But it was particularly for them, because it was the first time they had really been under real scrutiny and speculation. They hadn't really faced that before.

When you lose, the morale on your team goes way beyond the head coach and the personnel people and the coaches and the players. We've got 183 people who work for the Panthers, and they've got hard work to do. So I randomly visited people at the stadium (the week before the San Francisco game) and talked to them about how fortunate it is that we are in the NFL and how people would love to have their jobs. I did that all week up until Friday.

To put Marty and John's minds at ease, I said, "It seems grim now, but the sky is not falling. We have jobs and we've got problems and issues." We really didn't talk football. I said we had to make it through the year and when the year was over, I thought it would be better if we'd go away somewhere, which we did. They came up to our lake house, and we visited. I let them talk first and I had told them to be prepared to talk about how they saw where we were and whatever they had to say. Normally when we do that, I talk first but this time I asked them to talk first. Obviously, they both put a lot of work into it. There was no anger from me. I would listen to whatever they had to say. Then at six o'clock we would stop. But after six, we weren't going to talk about football anymore. I said we can sleep on this and think overnight on the things we had said the day before.

We started (again) at about 7:15 the next morning and talked until about 10:30, reviewing thoughts we'd had the day before. Some of them had changed a little, but mostly they were reinforced as opposed to changed. It wasn't a debate. It was really a reinforcement. As an example, I asked them to tell me what we wanted our football team to look like, and they told me. I said it's real important that we all agree on what we want that to be. And we agreed. That's what we did, and we came back to Charlotte and that's where we are.

On if he told Fox and Hurney that their jobs were safe during their retreat: I didn't talk about that. In my mind, I'd covered that back before we played the 49ers. I never really talked about their jobs in that way. I didn't go through some exercise about changing coaches.

On why he never addressed Fox and Hurney's job status during the season: That would be inconsistent with the way I do things. I haven't ever talked in the past about people that have a contract. If I get on that treadmill, then I'm on it from that point every year. It wasn't a deviation from anything I've ever done before.

On if he is concerned that a win or else perception exists in the public for Fox and Hurney: I can see how some could perceive it that way. But the important thing is I don't perceive it that way. I was (at a restaurant in New York) with (former NFL Commissioner) Pete Rozelle one time and there were some business people at a table having a discussion about the Giants and the Jets. In their minds, they were experts and they had different points of view. That's our business. The more different points of view, the better for us. So I would say that's just part of NFL and sports in general.

On what he wants the team to be: We want to be a physical team. We want to be able to run the ball and stop the run. If you do those two things, you're likely going to be able to have opportunities to exploit the passing game, specifically with Steve (Smith). We always want to be very good on special teams. That's different than saying we want to be a West Coast type offense. There are different kinds of philosophies. I would like for the Carolina Panthers, our team and the way we operate our team, to emulate the Pittsburgh Steelers. That's the best example I can give. That applies to even how we conduct operating our stadium. We try to make the outside of the stadium as pristine as it can be. We try to make the restrooms as clean as they can be. We want a family environment.

On if regrets telling Julius Peppers publicly to be a leader: I don't know that I regret it. The fact that it turned in to be such an issue I do regret because I didn't intend for it to become an issue. It just seemed like a natural thing to say. One leader (Mike Minter) was leaving the team. Somebody's got to be the leader, and I chose Julius. I don't apologize for it but I regret it was one of those things that built up.

On if he expects this to be a busy offseason: Yes, I do. I think it will be. John and Marty are prepared. They've got a lot to do.

On if fans may be surprised by some of the moves the team makes: There are going to be changes. I don't know if you can put them in the category of surprise or whatever. I couldn't quantify that.

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