Icege

I need to take more time to look at some of the top DL prospects outside of Kris Jenkins and Leonard Taylor III. Going to target McKinnley Jackson, Maason Smith, and Nazir Stackhouse along with the former two.

ESPN called up a few NFL execs to get their thoughts on the 1st round rookie QBs. Included below are the sections pertaining to Bryce Young and the Panther. Click here for the article. Most rational (dare I say, informed?) fans are seeing the traits that wowed scouts for the last couple of seasons. Reich has outright said that they're not putting too much on Bryce's plate at this moment, so I expect things to be a lot more closed off than fans might want. Frank even used the example of a teenager learning how to drive: they've got the confidence to drive cross country but you only want them driving around the neighborhood until they've got some miles under their belt. There was clearly more freedom in the play calling when Dalton was starting, so we'll see if the success that came with it will inspire the coaches to not put the proverbial ankle weights back on Bryce. Bryce started his first game with a revolving door at RG instead of Austin Corbett who is widely considered to be one of the premiere guards in the league. Brady Christensen went out for the year with a bicep injury, and now the team has leaks at both guard positions. Ickey experiencing a sophomore slump doesn't exactly help matters either, but the receivers inability to get separation has been so effectively documented that it's simply undeniable by anybody attempting to have a discussion in good faith. With the protection and receivers not performing up to par it's going to be a long, difficult season for the rookie QB. I'm not sure if I agree with this being the most surprising. Naysayers were screaming from the hilltops that Bryce isn't an elite athlete, and supporters weren't exactly disagreeing there. If anything, to me at least, the biggest surprise has been how poorly the supporting cast on offense has played. Again, most rational/informed fans will agree without hesitation that two games is not enough of a sample size to pass any judgment on Bryce Young's pro career. He struggled in his first two outings but there's a lot of season left for him to grow (shut up!) and develop. We'll have to wait and see if he gets the start against Minnesota or if they roll Andy out for one more game. That would mean that Bryce comes back vs the Lions + the Dolphins which are going to be even bigger tests for him. I'm eager to see how it plays out!

ISA CONSPIRACY

Ugh... this poor defense just keeps losing starters. Jaycee Horn, Shaq Thompson, Frankie Luvu, Xavier Woods... Who else am I missing? That's it I hope...

Just one more game until Austin Corbett comes back... This season will still be a bumpy ride with three of the eleven offensive starters being rookies (QB, WR, LG). Combine that with the defense that looks more like a hospital ward every week that goes by and we're likely going to be seeing a lot more meltdowns here before the end of the year.

Worked with Thomas Brown, so hopefully that means we're getting closer to him calling plays.

Eagerly waiting to see if the usual suspects that get mad at folks who are tired of the negativity have that same energy for this thread.

Jared Verse, Dallas Turner, Laiatu Latu, Chop Robinson, and Braelen Trice are all likely gone before the Panthers' first selection comes up. But Jasheen Davis, Mohamed Kamara, Solomon Byrd, Zion Tupuola-Fetui, and JJ Weaver all might be available I haven't quite gotten a good read on the Ohio St pass rushers (Tuimoloau and Sawyer). I don't care for Sawyer much, but Tuimoloau is an interesting OLB option.

Y'all got this!

Ickey is in a full fledged sophomore slump, Bryce + Mingo are going to be learning how to be pros, and the defense is losing starters to injuries. And despite all of this, they were still competitive today for most of the game. It's going to be frustrating not rattling off wins this season, but so long as Frank doesn't keep getting in his own way this team has a lot to look forward to as we watch them grow.

For me, this is time to scout the team for future needs (makes college football even more interesting on Saturdays!) and to see how the team develops. Are the young guys improving on the week before? Are coaches adjusting? I'm still gonna cheer my ass off for the team and hope for them to win (even if it costs the Bears draft position in the 1st), but I'm not going to lose my poo when things fall apart. This is going to be a great season to practice compartmentalization if it's not a strong skill.

With Dalton losing tonight and the team starting off 0-3, I'd rather let Bryce get as many snaps as he can this season. The more time that he gets with Mingo, the better since their contracts + draft status mean that we're likely seeing them here for the next 2 - 3 seasons. Dalton looked much more comfortable than Young did, but that's to be expected with 160+ NFL starts under his belt to Bryce's two. If anything, this really exposed the sad truth: Frank Reich is the John Fox of offensive football. Conservative to a fault, and stubborn to boot. Hopefully though, by nature of Tepper having him go outside of his usual circle, he's encouraged to let Thomas Brown take over. Might as well let the QB + OC take their licks this season. They're playing with house money now anyways; have fun with it!

Campen is going to be cussing Ickey out all week long

Andy on the move!

Ew

ISA TOUCHDOWN

Adam Thielen diving for the end zone

Tommy Tremble sighting that isn't a penalty!!!

Ickey pls That crowd is loud af tho

Old man throwing to old man!

I'll take the help. Not like the Seahawks haven't gotten any love from the refs.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuu not looking good... a TD here could be the dagger.

Penalties bailing out the defense. Tighten it up and get the ball back!

A moment of zen