When a team as talented and with as lofty of ambitions as the Carolina Panthers goes from being 6-2 and well on their way to the playoffs to being 6-5 and in abject freefall out of a playoff spot, it is imperative to question whether something has gone wrong with the team's methods and mentality. On Monday after an absolutely devastating Week 12 loss, former Panthers wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad ended up being just the person to ask those questions.

Speaking on WFNZ's Garcia & Bailey, Muhammad criticized how the Panthers seem to not be holding each other accountable, and instead are rationalizing how the wounds that they have inflicted on themselves are simply part of the game. And as a result, Muhammad stated that the Panthers are not a team worthy of making the playoffs.

"It's become okay for everybody to at least have one mistake. And if you have that mentality, that it's okay for everybody to make mistakes because people make mistakes, then you're not a playoff football team. And that's what I see with the Carolina Panthers right now," said Muhammad. "I do not see a playoff-caliber football team. Because playoff-caliber football teams don't look for excuses: They look for solutions. And I haven't seen that out of the team, the players, or the coaching staff."

That grievance was not the only one that Muhammad had, but he was also critical about how the coaching staff failed to adjust in the wake of cornerback Donte Jackson's injury (Instead throwing Corn Elder and Captain Munnerlyn to the wolves), as well as how they disturbed the momentum of their offense with questionable clock management decisions. But overall, Muhammad's central thesis was the idea that the Panthers are lacking in accountability among their ranks: A concept that was instilled in Muhammad twice in his early years with the team: When fullback William Floyd joined the team in 1998 from the winning culture of the San Francisco 49ers, and in 2000 when Pro Football Hall of Famer Reggie White was on the team and shared a message for Muhammad.

"Reggie came in the locker room and he saw how talented I was as a player, and he was like 'Man, you work harder than almost anyone on this football team when it comes to being prepared'", said Muhammad. "(Then) he said 'But you're never gonna be great until you start bringing people with you. You've got to go grab your teammates. Because greatness comes when it's not just you who's a great player on your team, but when you start leading other people to greatness.'

"So, where is that? Where are the guys that say 'You know what, he's struggling, I'm gonna teach him how to be a pro ... I'm gonna make sure that we have extra film study ... I'm gonna give them the bit of knowledge and the tutelage and all the nuances of how to be a great player at this position. ... I'm making this assumption, but I think it's true, that it's not occurring. It's just not happening. And there's more of a focus on hurry up and getting out there and having a whole bunch of fun than there is (on) doing the work. Because they're only fun when you work hard."

Being one of the best wide receivers in Panthers history, Muhammad wasn't one to simply trash his team - As a concession, he stated that he still believes in head coach Ron Rivera - But he did state that with five games left and zero margin for error left, the Panthers will have to take a good, long look at themselves in the mirror.

"You need to look in the mirror and ask yourself 'Am I doing the most that I can do, the best that I can do, and am I maximizing my time to make myself the best player that I can be so that the sum of the parts equals the whole?'", said Muhammad.