cranky

I am not ready to make that call yet but, if the rest of the season goes like I think it will, then yes. Basically with 8 games I am a weak yes - maybe no - but with 9 wins, I absolutely would agree with the call.

Unlike most of you, I do not assume the FO thinks he is beyond repair. For the first time since 2017 the Panthers have a chance to be in the playoffs. One more game will tie them for the most wins since 2018, 2 more wins will put them at 8 wins - the most in 8 years. Hate all you want but a big part of that success has come from Bryce. He got them in the hole with Miami but he got them out of it as well and was a big part of that win. Against Dallas, he played very well throughout the game plus he converted on a 4th down in the final minutes putting them in FG range for the win. He may not have had a good game against the Packers but he did convert on two 3rd down conversions in the final minutes to help seal the win and of course the Falcons game was his best yet. Tepper likes him and they have a huge investment in him as well. You don't just throw that away unless you have something concrete lined up behind him - which I just don't see.

Everyone can hate all they want, but Bryce will be here next year. The draft isn't good enough to go after anyone and I don't know of any QB that will be available that will turn the Panthers in a playoff contender. Do not be surprised when they sign him to his 5th year option.

I don't know who that guy is but he was great! He not only showed the play but clearly explained everything leading up to it. Big thumbs up!

Love him or hate him, it was well earned this week.

The best part is they compliment each other. Chuba is a more patient runner, patiently waiting for gaps to form while Rico is more explosive. I wish they would use Rico more like McCaffery was used - getting him the ball in space to take advantage of his explosivness and violence. Then have Chuba pound the middle for the tough yards.

Yeaaahhh, I'll learn to just stay quite one of these days.

We all see what we want to see I guess. I've watched the video a couple of times and it looks to me like he was actually falling - not jumping off his feet. Against the Falcons, he turns his head at around the 5 YRD line and tracks the ball as it comes in. In the Saints video, he turns at the last minute and almost stumbles reaching out with one hand. The effort between the two games is different. It's almost like he knew Bryce was going to throw it with the Falcons but wasn't as ready against the Saints. Again, we all see what we are looking for I guess.

I appreciate the time you took to get this together but would like to point out that in the Cowboys game, they faced a 4th and 4 at the Cowboys 40 near the two-minute mark. Canales calls for a pass play and Bryce completes a 7 yard pass putting them at the 33 - in FG range. If they don't get that fourth down, the Cowboys get the ball back with 2 minutes remaining and only needing around 25 yrds for a FG. That play was huge - it not only put them in FG range but also allowed them to run out the clock. So yeah, I think BY should get credit for that drive. Against the Packers, he and Rico did have equal yards but Bryce converted two third down conversions. Rico picked up a first down on a 19 yrd run but he dod not convert any third downs. Yes, he had help but, again, I think he deserves credit for the drive. I know all of this is nitpicking but given how little support he has around here, I feel obliged to point out any successes he may have had lol

I'm not going to post the NFL video here for copyright reasons but you are welcome to look at both videos on youtube. The Saints occurs at around the 6:10 mark and the Falcons occurs around the 8 minute mark. Just because I like Bryce and point out how a receivers' efforts improved does mean I am trashing them to make Bryce look better. It's simply an observation. Bryce isn't perfect. If you look in this thread, you will see were I joke about him throwing behind receivers in previous games.

Two hands:

One hand:

LOL, yeah I can assure you no one around here has given me any slack with my opinions. Regardless, I appreciate the flak!

I remember him talking about was how slow Theilen was - over and over and over. Never could understand why he disliked him so much.

Panthers win a tough one. Think Cowboys type victory.

Yes, he was consistently throwing it in front of them instead of behind like he has in the past lol

I do think some of their success was from Canales putting them in position for YAC. I didn't give him enough credit in the OP but he called a really good game.

Cokers first catch was IMPRESSIVE!

No doubt Young had a great game but a big part of that success was because of his receivers (and by receiver I mean anyone who caught a pass). Young passed for a record 458 yards but 250 of those yard came after the catch so he had a lot of help. Tremble turned a 5 yard pass into a 54 yard reception putting them into FG position for the win Dowdle took a 3 yard pass and turned it into a 32 yard reception putting them in position for a TD pass from Young to TMac TMac took a 15 yard dig route and turned it into a 39 yard gain. Legette took a 5 yard pass in the flat and turned it into a 20 yard reception. More importantly, he ran a go route and unlike the previous week where he made a half hearted, feeble attempt at catching it, he extended out and grab it for a 37 yard TD reception this time. Cooker only had 5 passes his way but caught every single one averaging 13 yards/catch and he caught the 2 point conversion. Evans caught a 25 yard pass on a 3rd down. Sanders caught a 10 yard pass on a 4th - 4. Again, Bryce played a great game. He was poised, looked comfortable and more importantly, consistency made the correct read to exploit the defense. But the receiver group played just as well and I would argue made him look great. I am a Bryce Young fan and have gotten a lot of slack around here for attributing some of his struggles to the receivers youth and lack of experience. Not today - they were fantastic and I just wanted to make sure they got the recognition they deserved.

For what it's worth, Young had 3 INT's his first 2 games (1.5/game) but has only had 3 in his last 7 (.42/game). Last season, Young had 3 in his first 2 ( 1.5/game) and then only 7 in the last 11 (.63/game). Basically what I am trying to say is his numbers are skewed with his early struggles. And for whatever it is worth, he also struggles early in the games: 5 of his INTs have come in the first half of games, only 1 has occured in the second half.

I won't disagree with any of that.

I said the conservative play calling was because Canales doesn't think we can win shootouts. Yes, I did say part of that was because of the young, inexperienced receivers and that the OL is better suited for run blocking. I should have also included Young as part of the reason as well but I was responding to the post concerning "young receivers" and Thielens' absence. I am not so enamored with Young that I think all his problems are simply because of the receivers. I do think they overpaid for him and he has not lived up to the cost. He has had his struggles, as does pretty much every rookie qb thrown into a bad situation. But I have seen enough good things to have hope that he continues to get better. The OP is just pointing out how his performance late in the games when the game is on the line is one of those good things.

You are putting words in my mouth.

So do you think having inexperienced receivers and Thielen being gone affects Youngs' performance negatively?

I posted this already but: I think the short passes (conservative play calling) is more a product of Canales' knowing they are not going to win many shootouts. The receiver are too young and inexperienced and the OL is built more for run blocking than pass blocking.