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Let's also not forget how bad of a situation his rookie year was. Some of the worst interior OL play with no weapons while being tugged in different directions by a staff that had no clue what they were doing. Reich and Brown back and forth on play calling followed by Reich getting fired. Throw in the following year struggles and the benching for a reset. IF and it's still a pretty big "if" Bryce can turn into a franchise QB after this start it will be pretty impressive. It's tough when these badly managed franchises just toss a rookie QB out there to save them. Titans are doing the same thing to Cam Ward...

if we counting rushinf also sanders also scored 1 rushing td. so byoung had one more rushing td same passing tds sanders had the int and around 120 more total yards than young in his 3rd ever game. young year 2 end of the year at that time but in 3 years he has arguably had only 1 better game than sanders had in his 3rd ever game even having this convo shows how bad most of youngs 3 years in the league have been. no way browns trade sanders and he may still suck just crazy to think how littlr production panthers have had from young and everyone craps on sanders when he did this his 3rd ever game on a total crap team

I LOVE threads like this with different opinions and a topic we can actually discuss other than "The QB/HC/OC sux" so thank you! I do agree with your premise. The NFL is always changing, and defenses are having to find ways to adjust to these incredible offenses. I think talent on both sides of the ball is at an all time high, and the rules favor the offense more than ever. I think you're seeing multiple things. 1) QB has never been harder. The things QBs are now asked to do presnap are nothing like what they used to be. Offensive coordinators have gotten so good, and so creative. The best ones are the guys that can convey that to their QB and players better than the others. There's nobody in the NFL calling plays that doesn't understand offensive football, you just have guys that don't teach it well. Sean McVay really changed the way a lot of offenses run, and it's a copycat league, so most orgs have taken a lot of the nuance he brought to the game. Small things like intentionally sending the WR to the wrong side of the formation, and then running him back across presnap are now all over the league, nearly ever snap. It's motion without the motion. 2) Defenses have gotten so much more creative. It's insane to watch the things defenses do to disguise coverage now. If you don't disguise your coverages consistently now, you're going to get ripped apart. Almost every snap is reminiscent of the old "Radar" defense to me now. It's fascinating to watch. I also think you're seeing a lot of blown coverage as a result of this stuff, but we've always had blown coverage. 3) The WR and Corner talent is ridiculous. I don't think we've ever seen guys this big, this fast, or this strong playing WR or Corner ever. and some of them are all three! There are corners that you shouldn't throw the ball to their guy, period. There are WR that can win every matchup. There have always been some dominant guys, but I do think what we are seeing is special. Finally, the best QBs are always going to be able to figure it out. I think that's how you see the statistical outliers that we see sometimes in this data. Furthermore, I think it explains the mid career resurgence we see in so many guys this day and time. It takes a while to figure this stuff out. They do not run stuff this complicated on offense for sure in college, and most defenses don't do anything like we are seeing either.

He isn't the last QB in YPG. There are a few actually below him.

The variance back to 1990 was only 2.4. If anything, the rushing attempts have been one of the most stable aspects over that span. Output had some significant variance and efficiency. It was the passing offense that was far more volatile.

They have been the same per game the past decade

Needs to be a run heavy game. They have allowed 121+ on the ground in the last 3 games including 180 to Tampa yesterday. If they do the whole crowd the box deal like they did against us, push the ball downfield. If we can do it to the Rams and Falcons we can do it to them.

Rushing attempts PG are actually the 5th lowest since 1990.

team are playing lots of 2 high shell trying to take away the big plays. But I mean, defenses being scared of QB play.....aids the run game. I mean, don't pay the QB and have the threat....the safeties aren't going to be fixated on taking away the deep pass and can play the run and cheat on pass attempts. I think what you are seeing is the most elite QBs are flat out being game planned for to take away the big play. But if you aren't an elite QB and vertical threat QB.....defenses flat out aren't going to make that league wide shift on your offense. Take a Bryce. I would imagine most of his INTs are made by opposing safties over the course of his career (who aren't taking away the vertical but cheating to make plays on the intermediate balls)

If he is healthy soon enough, it could impact our future plans at RB. We will see what happens. I think I would rather re-sign Dowdle and have a safer, surer option.

Bryce scored 5 TDs that game, not 3

I get the feeling but unfortunately that is both pro and college sports right now. i mean, In what world, with education being what, 49th or thereabouts, in the country should,LSU, a state school, supported by state taxes, be paying Kiffin the money he is getting

By Joseph Person Dec. 8, 2025Updated 3:07 am PST CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jonathon Brooks will spend Monday like he’s spent nearly every other day over the past two years: Rehabbing his twice-repaired right knee while an NFL season continues without him. Monday marks one year since the Carolina Panthers running back tore his ACL a second time on a non-contact play in the first quarter of a 22-16 loss at Philadelphia. Brooks didn’t realize a year had passed since he went down at Lincoln Financial Field on his only carry against the Eagles, but he appreciates the significance of the day. “Honestly, it just makes me see how far I’ve come,” Brooks told The Athletic during a phone interview during the Panthers’ bye week. “I feel pretty much almost 100 percent again. From the moment it happened, I knew that God had a plan. I knew that it was all gonna be OK and I was gonna be right back to where I was.” Brooks isn’t all the way back, but he’s doing straight-line running while improving his speed most weeks. He hopes to start incorporating full-speed cutting and route running soon and return to the practice field in the spring in time for OTAs. Brooks, the Panthers’ second-round pick in 2024, has endured some down days over the past year, particularly in the immediate aftermath of his re-injury. “When it first happened, he was devastated. I was, too. I just couldn’t believe it,” said Jennifer Donovan, Brooks’ mother. “I thought for sure he was healed completely. Just didn’t hear too many times that it happened again and again like that. And only just a year later, I was devastated. And I know he was, too, at first.” But he pushed through thanks to the support of his family, his Christian faith and his teammates. He received guidance from two members of the training and strength and conditioning departments and drew inspiration after hearing from players like Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry and former Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis. Davis famously became the first NFL player to return from three torn ACLs in the same knee, playing another nine seasons that included a Super Bowl appearance and three Pro Bowl berths. Davis reached out to Brooks right after the injury to express his concern, and later joined Brooks for workouts during which Davis would show him exercises that worked well for him during his recovery. The two have stayed in touch, with Brooks shooting Davis texts or an occasional picture from a training session. That’s a legend in the locker room,” Brooks said. “That’s a legend who’s played for the Panthers, so I’ve got all the utmost respect for him and a lot (of) respect for helping me when he doesn’t have to.” Brooks has watched the replay of his injury more than 20 times. He blames himself for trying to run outside rather than hitting the hole between left tackle Ikem Ekwonu and wide receiver Adam Thielen. But when Brooks spotted defensive back Avonte Maddox coming up in run support, he tried to beat him to the edge with a jump cut. “I had no business even trying to go outside. My read was there,” Brooks said. “My read was supposed to keep me inside. I chased what we call fool’s gold and I was gonna try to outrun the DB. But it was just the wrong read.” Brooks said he’d made harder cuts the previous week against Tampa Bay with no problems. He’s not sure why his knee gave out on the grass surface at Lincoln Financial Field. “I think it was just bad timing,” he said. Panthers coach Dave Canales announced the next day that Brooks had re-torn the ligament. Slavin, Brooks’ Dallas-based agent, was relieved the ACL was the only part of Brooks’ knee impacted. “It was an ACL-only, so it wasn’t like one of these devastating knee injuries that a lot of guys have. When it’s the one ligament, you think they’d be able to come back,” Slavin said. “If we could do it all over again, I’m sure they’d redshirt him last year and this year would’ve been his year. But they tried to get him out there. It’s tough to always look back. Moving forward, I think he’s gonna be an elite running back still.” After waiting a month for the swelling to subside, Brooks flew to Los Angeles for the surgery performed by renowned sports orthopedic Neal ElAttrache. Donovan said ElAttrache harvested part of the patellar tendon from Brooks’ left knee to reconstruct his ACL because the patellar from his right knee was used in the first surgery in Texas. Additionally, ElAttrache used a strip of the IT band from Brooks’ right leg as a graft to reinforce his ACL, according to Donovan. “I’m praying that is going to be the key thing in keeping him stronger. He felt very confident with it,” Donovan said of ElAttrache, who also handled Panthers guard Robert Hunt’s biceps surgery this fall. Brooks said both Dowdle and Hubbard have tried to make sure he still feels like part of the running back room while he’s recovered. Brooks also praised the training staff, especially the two staffers he’s worked most closely with — athletic trainer Harrison Grube and assistant strength and conditioning coach Thomas Barbeau. The team has said little about Brooks since last December. But any expectations the Panthers have for Brooks in 2026 naturally will be tempered by concerns of injury risk. Donovan tries not to let her mind go down that path. “Definitely the first time was worse just because he wasn’t sure what to expect. The second time it was devastating again, but at least we kind of knew,” she said. “So I’m just praying and praying and praying there surely won’t be another. I don’t even want to put it out there in existence.” Having been through all of this just last year, Brooks has a better feel for what works and what doesn’t. When he was experiencing pain in his knee after some of the strengthening exercises, the Panthers’ trainers changed his lifts. The tips from Davis have also helped. If all goes according to plan, Brooks will on the practice field in the spring. And while some might be inclined to hold their breath the first time he gets the call or makes a cut, Brooks is turning it over to a higher power. “I want to be back for OTAs so I can get back on that football field and get back to running the plays full speed, being in a team setting. Just so whenever we do hit (training) camp, I can hit the ground running and ultimately, just prove myself,” he said. “I feel like I haven’t gotten that chance in the league to prove myself. And that’s OK. It’s a part of God’s plan. And I know that when I get out there, I trust in myself, trust in my teammates, trust in God that I’ll be able to get it done.”

Sanders has the normal rookie boost before teams adjust because of them having film on them. We’ll see what happens when that happens.

I think that is a very, very. VERY small issue with them. I think they just generally aren't as good as they used to be. If you look across the board at their roster, the talent level isn't as high.

I agree with this. I've been impressed by what he's been saying all this year. Maybe it's true that he didn't do great in the pre-draft interviews, I don't know, but at this point I'm inclined to give him a chance. I do think Deion's involvement is what really killed him in the draft. I think Deion realized he made a major mistake and is clearly not going to continue to try to be involved.

Absolutely over a decade there are fewer yards thrown per game. I was mostly responding to the OP about shifting priorities for teams and how the stability in recent times and continued emphasis on QB makes that seem unlikely to me.

Rushing attempts are the same as 10 years ago. Passing attempts are down. Possibly related to less good qbs and coaches playing the clock differently

It's all just Bryce dragging the average down*. *I'm joking, but there is a little bit of truth to it. A better QB would have probably thrown for 40 more yards a game which would bump up the league avg more than a yard.

Miller was bad again last night. The rangers fan were right. This dude is a dud.

I took a look at 1990 to 2025(so far). It's an interesting look. In my eyes, I don't think there is a huge difference in the rushing output or attempts over that span. The maximum difference in the attempted rushes over that massive of a span of time was only 2.4 attempts/game. Attempts/game has been rising for the past few years but that isn't the biggest difference, it's the efficiency of those runs that is actually at historic highs over that timespan. Look at YPA averages. The same general thing happened a few years ago with the passing game. Although the range of attempted passes per game is significantly higher in this timespan(5.8 attempts/GM), it's also the efficiency of these passes that has gone up considerably over that era(but peaked a few years ago). I don't think we are reverting to a "previous era" of offense in terms of the rushing attempts vs. passing attempts. I say that because with all the rule changes, it's sort of impossible for that to happen. What you are seeing is more likely an adjustment to the defensive changes that came about to stop the explosive passing offenses that had developed. These changes haven't led to an inordinate amount of rushing versus passing(although that ratio has dropped) but it HAS led to much more explosive rushing output as evidenced by YPA ticking up since 2018.

And nobody was more coddled than Sanders. HoF dad who became a coach just to escort his kids through college to the NFL.

The Chiefs have a, I have enough rings and I don't care anymore problem.

Why would the Browns trade Shedeur?

I don’t care about him one way or another My observation of,him, at a pivotal moment in his life, goes like this 32 teams in the nfl passed on him through what, 4 plus rds, in a league in need of qbs…….and none drafted him…. Then a perennial 1. Super Bowl,contender, 2. with a dynamic qb that gets injured because of his type of play, meaning Sanders could be showcased as a backup on a team that actually has talent 3. and which has a good coaching staff that help him grow his skills 4 that isn’t a laughing stock where qbs go to die calls and says, ‘we are drafting you’ …and Sanders says to,Baltimore, ‘naw man, I’m good here’ ..got what he deserved for a poor career decision and what he got was Cleveland he made his own bed as for the Panthers franchise, no… no distractions and there are plenty of qbs that don’t have baggage, get one of those .