[The Athletic] How Bryce Young went from slumped shoulders and shaky footwork to soaring confidence

[Icege]

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Clowney had expressed concerns about Young’s energy during OTAs after arriving in Charlotte as a free agent. Young said last week his biggest takeaway from 2024 was understanding the impact his demeanor and energy have on the team.

The Athletic spoke to a dozen of Young’s teammates, coaches and team officials to get a better understanding of what changed for Young during a season in which he went from the league’s lowest-rated passer to one who was among Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded quarterbacks over the final 11 weeks of the regular season.

Like Clowney, they all pointed to Young’s improved body language and fire, which had a galvanizing effect in the locker room. But coaches also used Young’s five-week stretch as Andy Dalton’s backup to refine Young’s footwork and drill into him the importance of urgency in the huddle and pre-snap operation, which Dalton helped demonstrate.

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In a 26-3 defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2, Young completed 18 of 26 passes for 84 yards, the fourth-lowest passing total in Panthers history for a QB with at least 25 attempts. Veteran receiver Adam Thielen threw a sideline fit at Bank of America Stadium, where some fans wore bags over their heads and others were chanting for owner David Tepper to sell the team.

The mood in the locker room wasn’t much better. One team source said “it felt like the air was sucked out of the room.”

When Diontae Johnson — acquired via trade to give Young a receiver who could separate — was asked if he was surprised by the lack of downfield throws, he said: “We all are.”

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After saying initially he was sticking with Young, Canales announced the next day that Dalton would start at Las Vegas. In a 36-22 win over the Raiders, Dalton threw three first-half touchdowns, finished with 319 passing yards and showed Young what the offense could look like if he went through his reads and trusted his protection.

Young also saw how Dalton took control of the huddle and how the other offensive players responded to Dalton’s energy.

“I value my coaches. I value my teammates. I value what they say,” Young said last week. “And when they’ve talked about, ‘When you’re doing X, Y, Z or you’re running around, you’re smiling, it makes us feel good. It makes us have confidence. It gives us that.’ That’s what resonates for me.”

Dalton’s performance against the Raiders earned him another start, with Canales evaluating the quarterback position on a week-to-week basis. While Young ran the scout team, Canales and his assistants continued to work with him. The Panthers’ staff believes in syncing up a quarterback’s footwork to the concepts of specific play designs.

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And while Canales and general manager Dan Morgan have said there was a plan to go back to Young at some point, neither laid out what that plan looked like. Another team source said the Week 12 game against Kansas City — after the Panthers’ bye — would have been a logical re-entry point for Young.

Instead, fate intervened to force Canales’ hand when Dalton sprained the thumb on his throwing hand in a car accident on Oct. 22. Young would start at Denver in place of Dalton, who had lost four starts in a row after the win in Las Vegas.

Dalton believes Canales had the entire team in mind when he first sat Young down.

“I think he will look back and he’ll probably be happy he did with how it all played out — not necessarily knowing that it was gonna go back (to Young) and Bryce was going to do what he was doing,” Dalton said. “It’s a tough decision for a first-year head coach to make two games into the season. But I think for him it’s understanding the whole team and all the players that are involved in it. Sometimes it gives you a spark.”

While some in Young’s circle were upset with Canales over the benching, Young never wavered publicly, repeating that it was part of God’s plan. Teammates and coaches said Young’s approach to practices also stayed the same, which Canales believes spoke “volumes about his consistency, his character (and) his maturity.”

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Young’s numbers over his first 18 starts, including Weeks 1 and 2 this year, included a 59.3 completion percentage for 3,122 yards, with 11 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and a 70.9 passer rating. The Panthers were 2-16 in those games.

Compare those to Young’s stats from his last 10 starts: A 61.8 completion percentage for 2,104 yards, with 15 TDs, six INTs and an 88.9 passer rating. The Panthers were 4-6 after Young reclaimed the starting role.

From Week 8 when Young took back over through the end of the season, PFF scored Young with an 83.7 passing grade, sixth best in the league over that span. Young was just ahead of Mayfield (83.3) and Sam Darnold (82.3), both of whom had short stints in Carolina before the Panthers decided to go all in on Young.

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While his play improved, Young also was growing more comfortable as a leader. After the 30-27 loss to the Chiefs, Young made a rare locker room speech, telling teammates they shouldn’t be surprised by their performance against the two-time, defending Super Bowl champs and punctuating his message with some expletive-deleted language.

“He is an introvert, where he doesn’t show that emotion all the time. But when he does, people listen,” Thielen said. “That’s what I told him last year. … ‘I’m not saying you need to do that every single day. But just know that because of who you are and the way you carry yourself, the way you prepare — when you speak up, people listen.’ ”

Young’s body language also was changing. Gone were the slumped shoulders and dour countenance from the first two games, replaced by a bounce in Young’s step and a smile on his face. After big completions or third-down conversions, Young would look to the sideline with a grin, as if to say, “I got this.”

“When he started to really buy into that, like, ‘You know what, I’m just gonna be myself and I’m gonna play free and just let it rip, and have fun doing it,’ it really started to go through the team like a virus — in a good way,” Thielen said. “You felt that as an individual and as an offense and as a team. I think it’s why he had a lot of success toward the end of the year.”

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From Weeks 8 through 18, Pro Football Focus had Young with 26 “big-time throws,” which PFF describes as high-difficulty, high-value passes. Young was tied with Joe Burrow for the most in the NFL over those last 11 weeks.

Young capped his comeback season (within the same season) in a 44-38 overtime win at Atlanta, accounting for five touchdowns, finishing with a career-best passer rating (123.5) and directing the Panthers’ highest scoring output in seven years. He joined Josh Allen, Steve Grogan and David Woodley as the only players in NFL history to rack up three touchdown passes and two rushing TDs in a game before their 24th birthday.

 

[Khyber53]

Darn good read. Thanks for sharing it!

If Bryce grows as much in the off-season as a player as he did during those few weeks off after week 2 this season... wow. 

[t96]

It's encouraging. I'm still not totally convinced he can be the guy for us. There are very real limitations there that were not improved on down the final stretch. Honestly I think his absolute best case scenario for us would be Jared Goff level -- which could be fine, but Goff has had his limitations show up in the playoffs too even with his resurgence in Detroit, and Bryce still has a long way to go to get to that level. We don't really have any other options right now (maybe Cam Ward in the draft, but unlikely for many reasons) so Bryce it is for next year and then we'll have more information but I still do think we need to work to find a guy who has potential to be more of a true elite franchise QB like a Mahomes/Allen/Lamar/Burrow, not the potential to be Jared Goff. But next year will tell us a lot more.

[countryboi]

damn bro you may as well post the whole article, Im not mad though

[CarolinaRideorDie]

I agree that sitting him and having him see how Dalton operated was an eye opener for him. No matter how pro-ready or generational of a talent a rookie is, they still need to sit and watch how it's done. I watched the Raiders game and Dalton was definitely throwing in tight unopen windows and giving the receivers a chance to make a play. I think Young's apprehension to throw downfield is because he was waiting for them to get "college open," when he returned to the line up he definitely threw downfield a ton more and into tight windows too.

It's crazy what confidence can do for someone. I've seen ugly guys get the pretty girls simply because he was more confident! lol 

[jfra78]

36 minutes ago, countryboi said:

damn bro you may as well post the whole article, Im not mad though

There was a time when this wasn't allowed, it's like the wild wild west in here now

[Icege]

41 minutes ago, countryboi said:

damn bro you may as well post the whole article, Im not mad though

Gotta help the bros that can't get behind the paywall

[TheSpecialJuan]

The Athletic’s Joe Person reports an anonymous Panthers source said Bryce Young’s footwork at the end of the 2024 season was “light years” ahead of where it was at the start of the year.

Panthers coaches worked primarily on Young’s footwork and drop backs while he ran the scout team after being benched in late September for Andy Dalton. For more than a month, Carolina coaches helped “to refine Young’s footwork and drill into him the importance of urgency in the huddle and pre-snap operation, which Dalton helped demonstrate.” Coaches addressed Young’s habit of jump-passing, which had proved disastrous over the first two games of the season. The result was a far more confident second-year quarterback who showed immense improvement over the final seven games of the 2024 season. Only six quarterbacks had a higher completion rate over expected than Young From Week 11-18. He ended the year with a 251-yard, three-touchdown outing against the Falcons in an upset victory for Carolina. Young, against many odds, has positioned himself as the Panthers’ clear Week 1 starter in 2025.

[Ricky Spanish]

1 hour ago, t96 said:

It's encouraging. I'm still not totally convinced he can be the guy for us. There are very real limitations there that were not improved on down the final stretch. Honestly I think his absolute best case scenario for us would be Jared Goff level -- which could be fine, but Goff has had his limitations show up in the playoffs too even with his resurgence in Detroit, and Bryce still has a long way to go to get to that level. We don't really have any other options right now (maybe Cam Ward in the draft, but unlikely for many reasons) so Bryce it is for next year and then we'll have more information but I still do think we need to work to find a guy who has potential to be more of a true elite franchise QB like a Mahomes/Allen/Lamar/Burrow, not the potential to be Jared Goff. But next year will tell us a lot more.

Just curious - What were his very real limitations?

His arm looked stronger, he was decisive, he was throwing with anticipation, he had no trouble throwing over the middle of the field, and he even ran the ball with high efficiency. The only thing holding him back were the drops from the receivers and the defense not being able to stop anything. There were more 3 and outs than I'd like, sure, but other than the Cowboys game he played really well.

[Manna]

18 minutes ago, TheSpecialJuan said:

The Athletic’s Joe Person reports an anonymous Panthers source said Bryce Young’s footwork at the end of the 2024 season was “light years” ahead of where it was at the start of the year.

Panthers coaches worked primarily on Young’s footwork and drop backs while he ran the scout team after being benched in late September for Andy Dalton. For more than a month, Carolina coaches helped “to refine Young’s footwork and drill into him the importance of urgency in the huddle and pre-snap operation, which Dalton helped demonstrate.” Coaches addressed Young’s habit of jump-passing, which had proved disastrous over the first two games of the season. The result was a far more confident second-year quarterback who showed immense improvement over the final seven games of the 2024 season. Only six quarterbacks had a higher completion rate over expected than Young From Week 11-18. He ended the year with a 251-yard, three-touchdown outing against the Falcons in an upset victory for Carolina. Young, against many odds, has positioned himself as the Panthers’ clear Week 1 starter in 2025.

So Canales did what Reich intentionally decided not to do. Props to Canales and Bryce for making it happen. The guy definitely evolved from a metapod to a butterfree. 

The real question for me is, will Bryce come into training camp now looking like a high schooler instead of the middle schooler this past camp? 

[jfra78]

Just now, Manna said:

So Canales did what Reich intentionally decided not to do. Props to Canales and Bryce for making it happen. The guy definitely evolved from a metapod to a butterfree. 

The real question for me is, will Bryce come into training camp now looking like a high schooler instead of the middle 

I want a Charizard at QB

[Tbe]

16 minutes ago, Ricky Spanish said:

Just curious - What were his very real limitations?

His arm looked stronger, he was decisive, he was throwing with anticipation, he had no trouble throwing over the middle of the field, and he even ran the ball with high efficiency. The only thing holding him back were the drops from the receivers and the defense not being able to stop anything. There were more 3 and outs than I'd like, sure, but other than the Cowboys game he played really well.

Height. Not being able to stand in a collapsing pocket and throw over the line with linemen up against you.

Thats pretty much it.

[Ricky Spanish]

32 minutes ago, Tbe said:

Height. Not being able to stand in a collapsing pocket and throw over the line with linemen up against you.

Thats pretty much it.

you mean like this?

or this?

or this?

https://www.nfl.com/videos/bryce-young-absorbs-considerable-contact-while-throwing-12-yard-dime

[Johnstonny]

Look at shitsburgh...haven't been sht since Rothleshtsburger... they are searching for a QB too... Great coach they have  but haven't been sht since.. QB is damn important. Since we have Bryce I'm pulling for the kid but he would be the first to pull off more than a second round playoff victory....shty odds. Unless Canales can blow up analytics.... I'm going to remain reserved...