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The Carolina Panthers are hoping that the solid stretch of play down the stretch of last season from quarterback Bryce Young was not an anomaly but rather a sign of things to come. The former 2023 number one overall draft pick got off to a rough start to his NFL career, ultimately finding himself benched for Andy Dalton at one point last season, but still remains a talented young prospect for Carolina.
Recently, Frank Reich, who coached Young during his rookie year with Carolina, got 100% real on why things were so tough on the young QB to begin his career, citing differences in systems between himself and offensive coordinator Thomas Brown.
“I don’t know if that ultimately ended up being fair to Bryce,” Reich said, per Jeremy Fowler and Turron Davenport of ESPN. “It wasn’t because of Thomas. He brought an ‘A’ game every day. Myself and the other guys that were with me, we were doing the same thing. In many respects, we brought it together the best we could. It probably made it a little more difficult for Bryce.”
He also spoke on other shortcomings the Panthers had that could have contributed to his lackluster start.
“Learning the pro game … defenses are a lot better. There are no easy games,” Reich said. “You have to earn every completion, every first down, every touchdown, every win. The ultimate formula for success is great quarterback play and a great defense. But I also do think if you have a legit No. 1 guy who is special, I think early on you want a couple of weapons [that] can show how he’s special. And obviously you have to protect him.”
As previously mentioned, Young rebounded down the stretch of last season, showing some of the talent that allowed him to be the number one overall pick to begin with.
The Panthers will hope to see more of that ascension moving forward into 2025, or else they may be looking to draft a quarterback again at some point in the near future.
In any case, the Panthers are slated to kick off their 2025 season on September 7 on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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