d-dave

Great article that makes some great points. I was hoping so hard that Bryce would finally become the dude we need to help our team be successful. He's not. I'm not afraid to admit that I've also waffled this year just because I want my team to matter in the NFL. I want to see the Panthers successful, and if that meant squinting really hard to see the good in Bryce, well sue me lol. This was the put up or shut up year for Bryce. He's shut up most of the year. There's not been enough growth. You hate the draft picks invested, but those are gone, no point in crying over spilled milk. Instead, it's time to send Bryce off else where. You know someone will want to kick the tires on him via trade. Whether it's a NFL vet retread a la a Daniel Jones type (another former 1st round pick) or 30-32 year old vet/long time back up, we're going to need some new faces in the QB room. And Dave Canales needs to stop trying to get cute. Just run the f'in ball man.

I was listening to this because I went to bed last night: And Sam made a point about Bryce is a VIBES QB. I think that works pretty well. Against Atlanta, for whatever reason, he has "the vibe" but not against ATL, you get 5.0 YPA Bryce. I understand kids now a days are so different, but Bryce just doesn't have the IT factor. Sure, he can make some clutch plays because he gets a feeling to do it. The rest of the time, he's just there. I'm just not a fan of that anymore. For me, it has much less to do with his physical limitations, but more to do with the desire. Bryce uses his faith as a shield when questions about his confidence come out. To me, that's a BIG tell. Look, I'm not going to argue with folks about the role religion should play - you do you and be happy. But when Bryce is saying "my confidence comes from the Lord" anytime someone asks him a question, what I hear is someone who really hasn't learned to face adversity on their own terms. Again, I'm not trying to say that there's no room for faith, but there has to be a strong element of personal accountability in growth. Bryce has been well coached on what to say. He's a genuinely nice kid. My main concern is that it doesn't look like Bryce has had to overcome something on his own. Almost like cleaning up ones own mess. He just doesn't have the consistent fire to be THE DUDE. As our GM could relate to: Bryce doesn't have that DAWG in him consistently. Welp, that happens. The NFL draft is a crapshoot. Sometimes you make a brilliant pick, other times you WHIFF. Bryce isn't a Jamarcus Russel mistake. I think Bryce will be a great back up QB with some limited starter potential. When that fire hits, he can be really good. We've seen that. The problem is the vibe, the fire, or the DAWG. He just lacks IT.

Honestly, probably several. But the bigger issue is can Bryce finally break his own ceiling? Last Sunday was an incredible game. We can't expect that level of incredible, but we'd like to see consistency. If Bryce can add a solid game this week, that's a good first step. I saw an interesting video from Brett Kollmann (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABoLgCdTgZc if you're interested) about the perils of pulling support to quickly on coaches, QBs and staffs in the NFL. I still think we ride the Bryce train in 2026, add legit competition from FA, and see what kind of guy he's going to be. Bryce can't be a week 10-17+ QB. He's got to be more consistent on a game to game basis. I hope we can see that soon. You can absolutely count a pretty high number of "better qbs" but you'd also have to compare their situation.

Some folks say it's because teams are playing more shell defenses preventing more longer passes. The analytics folks would rather you pass for 7 years every down. As you state, the crop of QBs is mixed as far as quality. I think when you put it all together, it's a recipe for less passing yards.

I'm also worried about the long time off of football. In his limited snaps with the team, he had some spark. I'd love for him to pan out, but I'm also not pretending it's a certainty one way or another. He'll have next spring to show that he belongs or not. He's 22, 23 in July. He's still a kid. I think you have to give him a shot this spring in camp. Maybe he makes the roster, maybe he doesn't. He's such a nice kid, I'm rooting for him.

I've been doing it too much, I have to stop. I find it funny because it reads like far too many people here...

Hard no there Crocodile Dundee! We all know the true leader, Alpha Chad, macho-macho man QBs never get YAC. They throw the ball so well that the WR has to stop and take a knee and pray to Angry Jesus the beauty of that pass while the whole stadium gives a quiet golf clap in awe. In case no one could figure it out, I'm kidding. I'm not an alpha chad, lol

Such a loser stat. Don't you know that true Alpha Chads lead their wolfpacks to 70-0 wins all the time! Real QBs never make mistakes, never had bad games or halves, and all of their perfect throws just WIN the game! That's how some people sound around here...I find it funny. Good analysis. QBs always have gotten an outsized amount of credit for wins and losses, certainly in drives.

Honestly, we have no clue. I really like what Dave Canales is building in the locker room. It looks good. But we have finally turned a real corner? Or was Sunday just "we play Falcons gud?" I don't expect Bryce to throw for 400 yards again. I'd LIKE to see the Panthers run the ball well and make plays in the passing game. Sometimes, it's going to be a short throw in an important moment. Other times, it's going to be an explosive play or scoring play. I want to see our defense minimize mistakes and try to slow down Kittle and CMC. Brock Purdy can get hot. Also, the 49s under Shanahan have been a really well coached team. They aren't going to be a pushover at all. They are going to be a very tough test to see how far our Panthers have come. I hope for a win!

To the OP, I don't think we're "stuck" with Bryce for 3-5 years. No, IF he continues to play well, then we see him back and competition brought in for 2026. If Bryce lays a BUNCH of turds out there, then you have to move on. Period. Ideally, I'd love to see aggressive, fire in his gut Bryce Young out there. If that's the guy we have, then we have a shot at being meaningful. This was always the year Bryce either proves himself worthy of the 5th year and possible extension or that he's just not the guy for the job here. Realistically, I think the Panthers are going to go with him and competition next spring. If Bryce wins, great! If competition wins, great! But they can't delude themselves thinking that Bryce has arrived. I get that the team is really behind Bryce. There's meaning there. But if he's not doing his best to win the games, playing safe, that's just not enough.

Yep, that's where it's been. "NFL QBs" should produce on bad teams. Now he's going into the thick of the playoff hunt. He can't hide. As much as I enjoyed the win Sunday, the reality is that Bryce hasn't been particularly good all year. He'll have moments, but he's not been consistent in games. I want to see Bryce come out and play with urgency. I want him to attack defenses when they stack the box. I want DC to let Bryce air it out, if that was ever a real problem. Seeing so many of these weapons get involved Sunday was great, is it sustainable? It needs to be. I'm not super convinced there's a QB answer in the 2026 NFL draft so I'm cool running it back with Young, but he needs competition. We need someone how is going to come after his job, not just be a buddy.

It was an insane watch on TV! I think the biggest question for most of us, floor, ceiling, in between is WHY today? Why in ATL? What changed today? In my own moron's opinion, Bryce has looked better than years past when he was overwhelmed and lost. He hasn't look like that at all. Instead, it looks to me more like it was just HARD. There were very few easy plays. Certainly Bryce has had some terrible games this year, but to me, most games have felt WAY harder than they needed to be by in large. I think part of that is coaching. DC has a lot of growth still to do as a play caller and coach. He's not putting his players in the best places to win. I'm wondering how they were able to switch on "intermediate passing game" when you have zero running game and Young getting pressured, hit and sacked a lot. I still have a lot of questions. I LOVE the win. I'm happy for Bryce. I'm happy for the team. How do they go from here to push hard for the division? Can they find that FIRE that Bryce played with? You can't say this team isn't at least interesting

Yep, this team has me riding an emotional rollercoaster...lol Love for them to find better consistency.

I'm super pumped by this game. Look, Bryce has not always looked like the guy. Today, Bryce was gutsy and tough as hell. You have to give him props there. That first time he got dinged and came off, when he came back in, he was pissed. I want to see Bryce with the fire in his belly. That guy is a franchise guy. The Bryce that plays almost detached, no thanks. So let's find out how to keep the fire burning in Bryce's gut for games. Cool, right? I wouldn't be anointing him anything yet. He had a GREAT game, but he's laid some real stinkers this season. Let's see consistency, and see if the coaching staff can figure out what needs to be done to keep him "angry." I'm all for a late round guy and/or a FA to replace Dalton. Who said the only one happier than Bryce Young going back after his injury was Andy Dalton not having to play. LOL

Ahh yes, Bryce's superpower: making middle aged forum dudes lose it! I'm sure I'd be lumped into the Nut Hugger category since I started the season pretty measured, and I can admit when he makes some good plays. So flame on? The reality is that Bryce has shown he's good at the subtle aspects of being a quarterback. The gamesmanship, those quick twitchy movements to get a pass off. Those are some good plays he's made, but they results in a 12 yard play. This season, when going down the field (a rarity) he's been pretty much a turd. The moment seems to big for Bryce. I'm glad he got mad yesterday, but the only person he should be mad at is the one who he sees when he brushes his teeth. Bryce isn't the guy. We're just kind of stuck right now with a middling QB class in 26. So what do we do? I think we're stuck with Bryce playing for at least next season. I think the Panthers NEED to go get a young vet QB to push him. Time and development are important, but Bryce has had plenty of time right now. He's not developing. I want Bryce to do well because that means my Panthers do well. But I think it's pretty apparent that Bryce Young is not a franchise QB. He's a back up level player. We swung hard and missed.