The Carolina Panthers at the moment are 1-4, crashing again to earth after back-to-back losses proved the staff’s issues have been far deeper than common play on the quarterback place. It looks like an eon in the past that Andy Dalton led to the Panthers to an enormous Week 3 win over the Raiders, together with his newest outing an abject catastrophe that noticed the veteran quarterback end 18-for-28 for 136 yards and an interception in a 36-10 blowout loss to the Bears.
Consistency has been a significant downside for the Panthers this season, and that has been compounded by vital, season-defining accidents derailing what little hope Carolina had for 2024. Star defensive deal with Derrick Brown was misplaced in Week 1, beginning receiver Adam Thielen is on injured reserve, security Jordan Fuller, proper deal with Taylor Moton, linebacker Shaq Thompson — all essential to the staff, all out.
By means of all this rookie head coach Dave Canales has preached persistence. He needs a sluggish, methodical construct that works from the bottom as much as mould this staff the precise method. Whereas we don’t know whether or not this plan will work or not, one factor is obvious: If Canales and the Panthrs are asking for belief from followers then they’ve to present extra again in relation to Bryce Younger.
It’s now been three straight video games since Younger was benched, and whereas it’s actually honest to acknowledge the offense has appeared higher with Dalton below middle, it additionally appears antithetical to the Panthers’ motivations in 2024. If this staff’s plan is to assemble info, instruct, and train, then absolutely it’s time to have Younger take the sector as soon as extra and see if this will work. Up so far questions on Younger have been met with vagueness from Canales, repeating phrases about the necessity to “train the basics” and “begin from the underside.”
The issue is that there’s been no rationalization of what this implies. What precisely is Canales in search of out of Younger that he didn’t present at Alabama, or final yr? Moreover, there’s been no rationalization of why Younger regressed in 2024 after the brand new teaching workers took over, when a main promoting level for Canales and his workers was their capacity to construct quarterbacks.
The choice to stay with Dalton is much more puzzling in gentle of Younger’s late-game play towards the Bears, when he was subbed in to get reps and shut out the sport, all of the whereas transferring the ball much more successfully than Dalton did.
It’s all the time harmful to glean an excessive amount of from rubbish time reps, however it’s unimaginable to disregard that Younger returned to the sector in Chicago trying extra assured, making higher choices within the pocket, and made some spectacular performs by ending 4-for-7 for 58 yards, with one other 8 yards speeding.
There doesn’t should be a deep conspiracy right here. Maybe that is merely a promising step in re-building Younger, and his reps in Chicago are indicative of the work that’s taking place in apply. Nonetheless, followers should know exactly what the plan is. Canales strongly asserted that Dalton is the beginning quarterback in Carolina transferring ahead, however provided nothing by way of how lengthy that will final, whether or not he plans to begin Younger in any respect this season, or whether or not he feels Younger can nonetheless be the franchise quarterback of the Panthers.
One factor is for certain, nevertheless: Individuals are beginning to take discover of the actual fact Younger remains to be profoundly proficient, however locked in a foul state of affairs.
Somebody get Bryce Younger away from Carolina.
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) October 7, 2024
Rather a lot is being made about Canales’ ham fisted reply about why Younger was performed on Sunday, when he stated he wished to get Dalton out of the sport with a beat-up offensive line. This was taken to imply that Younger was a sacrificial lamb, despatched out to the slaughter to guard Dalton. It appeared to point that Younger was expendable, and that the staff was wonderful to see Younger get floor right into a paste — as long as it stored the veteran upright. Whereas I don’t suppose that was Canales’ intention or purpose for taking part in Younger, he has created an surroundings together with his vagueness that permits hypothesis like this to fester.
At this level there should be very clear, very clear messaging on Bryce Younger that requires the staff to be proactive:
- Canales ought to supply updates on Younger’s development weekly with out being prompted with a query first
- There must be a transparent timeline on when the Panthers plan to begin Younger once more, or at the least a ballpark on when one other swap at quarterback is made
- It could be good to know exactly what coaches are engaged on with Younger week-to-week to garner a greater understanding of their imaginative and prescient on processes
This may appear extreme, however this was a No. 1 choose quarterback who the staff mortgaged a whole lot of their future to maneuver up and get. The largest difficulty for Panthers followers proper now’s having now belief in their very own staff, and the lack of understanding coming from Canales and co. is feeding these emotions.
It’s all effectively and good for the Panthers to wish to construct their groups from the bottom up once more, however in addition they must construct their relationship with followers from scratch. Providing extra details about Younger and their future would go a protracted option to obtain this.
