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Six is the absolute ceiling I think. I could see a win against the following Atlanta this week (division games are weird and they are coming off a hard fought win against Minnesota) The saints game at home Dolphins, Last Bucs game if they are sitting starters, Seattle (if Darnold has one of those flashback Darnold games) I don’t think there’s any shot we win a road game this year (outside of a week 18 game where the Bucs aren’t playing)

Here’s the game in a nutshell. 1. Panthers are losing pretty bad. Arizona takes their foot off the gas and Bryce is able to get garbage time yards and claw back. 2. Arizona finally gets their head out of their butts and brings the heat on the last drive. 3. Bryce folds like a wetnoodle under the pressure. Game over

Ok Frank AKA Red, let’s go. I’m a fair analyst of the complete situation. It’s Lazy fandom to dump everything on the QB. Sometimes it ain’t the QB it’s the situation. And we don’t have a good one here. Stop acting like Bryce has been given this perfect situation to thrive in. His best WR last year got shipped off, right before the season. His best WR this year is a rookie. His #2 is doing nothing but taking up space. His #3 wasn’t even in the league last year and caught two TDs on Sunday. His HC is a question mark. His OC is a student. And his owner is the worst in sports. It’s true that Young needs a good situation around him to thrive. That’s a separate argument and debate on whether you should pick a high level operator at that high of a pick and give up that much. He’s not Cam Newton. For better and for worse. Cam could disguise your issues but you could also help disguise his. That’s not Bryce. Bryce needs a high level operation that he can orchestrate. He doesn’t and hasn’t had that here. There’s a reason why guys like AT can put up career numbers with Bryce. There’s a reason why Tet will have a stellar rookie season. You give Bryce NFL caliber WRs and he will cook. But he’s not a floor raiser, he’s a ceiling raiser. Once you understand that, you’ll more clearly see the why.

The one thing Scott Fowler didn't mention was that Arizona started blitzing the hell out of Bryce on that final drive daring him to throw fast and beat them with his arm. Canales and Bryce had no answer. If it weren't for penalties the drive would have been over in 4 plays with 0 positive yards gained, most likely only negative ones from sacks.

I think a lot of ppl took cam for granted. Many had no idea how great we had it.

I had us at 7 wins originally--what was I thinking??? But lol at the playoff talk before the season by some folks.

Not sure about 1 first round pick, but 2? Absolutely.

Your oline is only as good as the QB's ability to read the defense and slide protection, know who the hot route is/ call a hot route. . Ect. That's all on the QB and him reading the defense I've said this since he was drafted He had problems reading defenses at Alabama and relied on going off schedule and wide open receivers.

I wouldn't be upset if Evero left, but like Canales he get's too much blame IMHO. Only 2 of our 11 starters have to be accounted for on every play (Brown and Horn). The other 9 guys probably wouldn't start on a contending team. We traded away our best pass rusher at the start of 2024 and only this year did we draft 2 guys who could "possibly" to replace him. Our secondary picked off 9 passes in 2024. Kirby Joseph had the same total as a Safety in Detroit. We just don't have a lot of talent to work with in Carolina. That's why I think we should be playing anyone form the 24-25 drafts as much as possible to see what we have.

As much flak as he's rightfully taking for his 2024 draft, I am alright with Dan Morgan right now. He's inherited a bad QB and a bad NFL roster. That's a tough predicament, thought his 2024 FA class was great, 2025 draft too early to call (but props for taking the BPA of T-Mac), and 2025 FA too early to call. There isn't a magic wand here, this is a sad-sack organization with major holes in the roster, I like having someone here who has actually experienced some success within the franchise. He just has to keep nailing his draft picks in the first two rounds and likely find another option at QB.

Yup, our next 3 games are the most winnable out of the remaining slate with exception tho the two Saints game dotted in later on. If we go into week 6 at 0-5, then it could get REALLY ugly.

Because they are doing the same thing with XL that they did with Young. Ignore the facts and just keep forcing it. He will get sat eventually too and we will see if he can get his head out of his arse then. As for the last drive well it is harder when thr other team has to try. Pre insides kick they were just running the clock down and it was obvious to anyone not making excuses.

Measuring whether or not Bryce belongs in the nfl not by games or quarters, but by drives now.

That’s what I see. Saw it in preseason and just didn’t want to believe it but yeah, the same. There has been no growth.

I had them at 6 wins going in….but you gotta drop that down at this point. Some opponent will lose and gift us a game or two. 3 seems about right.

Bryce has to be better protecting the ball. You have to hug the football like it's your only child when you feel the tackle coming. Defense is always going to pull on your arms our peanut punch the ball. Both hands on the ball. Still needs to speed up that mental clock when the first cycle of reads is not there and scramble half a second earlier. He and the play will be better off. Waiting for long routes or receivers to scramble while in the pocket leads to more problems. It should be read 1,2,3, scramble, run, not 1,2,3,2,1,1,1,sack or pass attempt where his arm gets hit. I don't know what the issue is with protection calls or even if that is an issue but you cannot have 5 rushers and 6 blockers and still have a free Blitzer right up the gut. Bryce, online, coaching? Has to be fixed. I agree, a lot of garbage yards in between the 20s as Cards were up big and played a lot of soft zone because of the remaining time and the score. Saying that, the red zone TDs were impressive and you can't play soft zones with your back against the end zone. Loved the fight and the leadership. Last year Bryce was fantastic under pressure. That was one of the things that helped his turnaround. I've seen it this year, TD pass to Renfrow, but I've also seen regression where he tries to bail out running right. That first sack, even with the free Blitzer he had Sanders on a drag. Last year he hit that. Every play has to have a hot read. These first 2 games are not the same as last years first 2. We will be better but this year a benching is not needed at all. Lastly, this narrative on Bryce can only play well when there is no pressure is crazy. NFL doesn't have that. There's just pressure, more pressure and in the playoffs pressure. He has overcome the pressure of his rookie season which included a poo ton of actual pressure because of a poo line. That kind of pressure ruins a lot of young QBs. He's overcome the pressure of a #1 pick. The pressure of getting benched. He has had five 4th quarter game winning drives. The pressure of becoming an NFL QB and leading an NFL locker room. You expect a lot more team mate backlash but Bryce has received nothing but praise from teammates and coaches. The pressure of a fan base that is sick of losing and can't distinguish reasons from excuses and are calling for him to be cut with every mistake, even the ones he is not responsible for. Dude could be a poster child for overcoming pressure. Long season. Still a lot of football to play and a lot of reasons for optimism. Keep Pounding.

Fair

Yes, I think his ideology is still too intertwined with Fitterer's. Unless he can break away from that and become his own man, then it's time to go. I get having a mentor, but you have to make you're own legacy and stop mimicing your predecessor.

Scott Fowler from observer An excerpt from larger article gotta say, i am not sure what Canales or Young were thinking in the final 2 mins they both looked like they have never a 2 mon drill in their lives Unprepared Let’s just throw and hope was the strategy Add to it,why leggett, the most unreliable receiver, was targeted so much during that drive is beyond me With a chance to be unforgettable, Panthers’ final drive was one to forget BY SCOTT FOWLER [email protected] 4 hrs ago The Carolina Panthers lost again Sunday, 27-22 to Arizona, but let’s at least give them some credit for their heartbreaking creativity. This, at least, was not a rout like Week 1. Yes, the Panthers (0-2) did a whole lot of nothing through the beginning of the third quarter against Arizona (2-0), falling behind, 27-3. Then they did a whole lot of something, scoring 19 unanswered points under the direction of quarterback Bryce Young. Then the special teams recovered an onside kick by punter Sam Martin to, quite remarkably, get the ball back, down only 27-22 with 1:55 and 51 yards left to snag the win. And one timeout, too. After finishing three straight possessions with touchdowns, the Panthers would need to do it a fourth time to pull off what statistically would have been the largest comeback in franchise history. But while there was no quit in this team Sunday, there was no comeback either, and nothing but nonsense in that last “march,” which ended 46 yards away from the goal line. Let’s go through a little of that final drive for the Panthers, shall we? Young, who had played a horrible first quarter and then a terrific second half, reverted to first-quarter form. He was 0-for-6 on the drive. He only targeted Tetairoa McMillan, the rookie that is clearly the team’s best receiver, one time. When all else was failing, the option of throwing a jump ball to T-Mac — drafted No. 8 overall for exactly this sort of situation — should have been utilized. It wasn’t. Head coach Dave Canales suggested that the Cardinals started shifting their coverage toward McMillan. Said the rookie afterward to reporters when asked what the Cardinals did to limit him on the last drive: “I’m not too sure. It looked like regular defense to me. That last drive only lasted as long as it did because of three defensive penalties on Arizona, which kept Carolina in the game (defensive holding to negate what would have been a Young turnover; roughing the passer; offsides). Now it is true that the Panthers’ offensive line was threadbare by then, with two starters out. This made the degree of difficulty harder for Young and everyone else. But the Cardinals defense was also banged up, as their defensive backs had been going down like dominoes. So how do you solve Arizona’s suddenly fearsome pass rush? Screens. Quick hitters. Chuba Hubbard in the flat. Maybe even a shovel pass to a tight end. There was plenty of time — what there wasn’t was plenty of yardage, nor enough flexibility from Canales. One of Young’s six incompletions was a pass to Xavier Legette, who to me at that point shouldn’t have been in the game. That pass went incomplete of course, because Legette — the Panthers’ first-round draft pick in 2024 — had what was undoubtedly the worst statistical lines in Carolina history. Young targeted Legette eight times. Eight! I have no idea why. Legette caught one. One! And it went for minus-2 yards, meaning Legette entered the game with 10 yards receiving this season and left it with eight. Now to be fair, Young (35-55-328 yards, with three TDs) had gotten Carolina back into the thing. Hunter Renfrow had a breakout game at slot receiver, scoring twice. McMillan didn’t score, but had his first 100-yard receiving game. Tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders and wide receiver Brycen Tremayne were also very good. And the comeback happened after Young about lost the game for the Panthers in the first quarter, fumbling the ball away on a strip-sack that led directly to a return touchdown and then throwing an ill-advised pass under pressure that resulted in a wounded-duck interception and three more points. Said Canales after the game about Young: “Sometimes it ain’t the worst thing, if you’re in that situation, to take a sack. I also know he makes some magical plays.” We saw both on Sunday. Young held the ball too long sometimes, including on Carolina’s final offensive play (a fourth-down sack). He also made some magic, sometimes throwing between three guys at once, sometimes escaping a sack attempt and keeping his eyes downfield for a touchdown. So there were some things that were better Sunday. Carolina only scored 10 points in Week 1; this time the Panthers had 22. The run defense improved. Young, after playing the first five quarters of the season as if he didn’t belong in the NFL, finally looked like he did again for those three consecutive TD marches. But that final drive?! Listen, Arizona was ripe to be beaten at that point. NFL onside kicks didn’t succeed about 94% of the time in 2024, yet this one did after a Cardinal misplayed it. Arizona had lost 19 points of its 24-point lead at that point. The Panthers, who had never successfully come back from more than 17 points down before, were close to a signature win for both Canales and Young. And then… total letdown. Again, let’s emphasize, the clock was very little factor. Carolina didn’t have 15 seconds left to score; the Panthers had 115 seconds left. And a timeout. And only 51 yards to navigate. Momentum was firmly on the Panthers’ side. These were the moments where Drew Brees killed the Panthers, time and again, when he played for New Orleans. Three-step drops. Eight yards here. Twelve yards there. Right down the field. But for the Panthers, every play looked the same — Young on a deep drop. Scanning, scanning. The pocket breaking down. Then, either a heave, or some scurrying around and then a heave. Or a sack. All the blitz-killing plays that the Panthers have at their disposal — they didn’t run any of them, it seemed like, except a Hubbard run that netted 3 yards. The Panthers’ best plays were Arizona penalties. Other than that, it all went south. Carolina couldn’t adjust to the Arizona adjustments. Needing a touchdown, the Panthers never got closer than the Arizona 33. And so that was that. At least there was some hope. At least the game was exciting in the final two minutes. But, as has happened so often in the past eight seasons, when it was winning time for Carolina, it turned into losing time.

Ditching XL is addition by subtraction. I 100% believe Thielen would tell him where to line up every snap and explain his route. Through 2 games he has shown 0 comprehension of the play book. I’m not absolving Young at all but XL is supposed to be his second read, but dude runs the wrong routes and gets boxed out by guys who are 4” shorter. At least Coker has shown aptitude to be a real NFL receiver.

I'm trying to be as pragmatic and as un reactionary as possible. And once again multiple things can be true His draft last year was disastrously terrible. X looks like an absolute bust. Brooks hasn't played. Wallace looks like a miss. But demani needs more pt, cws is solid and Coker has shown promise This draft cannot be judged after 2 games esp with a dc who doesn't want to play them. But tmac looks legit. Princely has promise. The rest is a ? Has he made mistakes? Undoubtedly. Is the roster better than it was 2 years ago? I'd say yes. I'd say our biggest problems are still the ones we had 2 years ago - Bryce and evero. And as I've said before, at least he hasn't traded any future picks. Yet. So IMHO Morgan is a mixed bag but not a total bust. Yet.

I'd rather have a raffle to pick a random fan to start at QB than see Bryce trot out there again. That actually sounds wildly entertaining. I'd actually MUCH rather have that. LOL

I think being out on Dan is shortsighted; here are the two immediate reasons that stick out to me. 1) Inherited a grossly undersized QB with no real tangible physical traits that offset his size that the prior offensive staff did not want, who appears to be an all-time bust. Bryce isn't ''elite'' in any physical category, athleticism, arm strength, nothing, even his ''superpower'' aka his processing, does not show up. Not to mention that he is in his 3rd year and is still built like an HS senior. 2) The roster was terrible, the fact that we have halfway established some depth on both sides of the ball is commendable considering we are at the top of his 2nd year at the helm; we have not seen bad contracts handed out, and we've seen relatively smart trades. Even the Thielen one, because he's 35 and we got 4th round value for a guy who was not part of the long-term plans, did we miss him these past two games...sure. However, we were not a playoff team with him anyway.

Yeah this is it and the only reason he was excited is because he is most likely a Yes man. Dan has done so much for this organization and was a fan favorite, there's also that.

I want someone that doesnt try to build a team like its the year 2000.