Hello CSR fans! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your Panthers mailbag for everyone! We’re coming off an extremely tough week, as the Panthers got shredded in week 1, they lost defensive stalwart Derrick Brown to a season ending meniscus injury, and need to quickly pick up the pieces going into week 2. I posed the subject of the week to be about Bryce Young’s struggles in his first real action since 2023, and fans came in droves to ask their questions. To recap, each week this column is dedicated to letting the fans ask their questions, whether it be Panthers related, football related, or off topic. This part of the column is where we provide the answers. Without further adieu, lets dive in!
panthers2112: What week do you think we’ll get our first win? And, barring an injury, how long does Bryce stay the starting QB?
Week 2 is as good a week as any! And the Chargers at that, who have only ever beaten the Panthers ONCE in history!
I think Bryce stays the starter til at least halfway through the season. They really need to determine that he is NOT the guy, if that is the case. I’d say maybe even 75% of the way through the season, unless week 1 is the baseline for him and we see no real improvement.
KeepPounding88: I know it’s still early in the season, but assuming we end up with a top pick in the draft, what position and/or player do you see us targeting?
If Bryce Young doesn’t show us SOMETHING, anything to show he can be the guy, its QB 100%. But that’s a lazy answer right now, so I’ll say edge rusher. Sure, the Panthers need Cornerbacks, and linebackers, and likely wide receivers, but with a top 5ish pick based on what we’ve seen so far, I think you go edge rusher no question. Or defensive line if there’s another Derrick Brown-type to pair with him. But this defense is going to need a ton of work next off-season, and adding to the trenches in some capacity is where I would start.
textual heeling: While improvement from Bryce would certainly be welcomed, do you believe his ceiling is high enough to actually be our long-term solution at quarterback?
I’m going to preface this question with the following; I defended Bryce Young quite a bit last season given the situation around him. I saw things I really liked, such as his incredible anticipation at moments throwing from the pocket.
That said, given my current temperature after what I had to watch on Sunday, I’m actually going to say no. I really hope I am wrong, but at the moment I don’t see franchise QB unless they surround him with a 49ers type roster FAST in 2025. I hope to be wrong, but my hand of optimism cards is currently barren. Change my mind, Bryce.
schrodingersblackcat: Our Defense got totally embarrassed at all levels. Part of it is having a lot of new players on the roster and it needs time to gel, but there are plenty of question marks. What worries you most about our 2024 Defense? Which position group(s) (if any) do you think will end up being okay in 2024?
The run defense as a whole worries me the most, after giving up 180 yards on the ground to the Saints and losing Derrick Brown. While there’s an argument to be made that they need time to gel, I think the run defense will continue to be a big problem, just like it was last season. On the flip side, after Mike Jackson’s performance and watching how the defense looked Sunday, I actually think corner will not be the position we lament most come the end of 2024. It seems Evero’s scheme can really mask that weakness.
Bruce Guild: Please help me find a reason to sit down Sunday and turn on the Panthers game.
If you can’t ,please suggest an alternative activity to fill the time.
Yard work and honey do lists do not count.
My biggest reason to come back and watch is to see the scheme around Bryce Young. Whether the ship has sailed for you on him as a franchise quarterback or not is between you and your God, I am still excited to see what Canales deploys to try and make it work. I am also still going to be watching to see if Young can improve and make this week 1 blip an anomaly.
An alternative activity would be to go back and watch Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly highlights. Those two were so freaking good and I don’t know if we fully appreciated that tandem as much as we should have.
Im0pen: One question….what happened to the “we are gonna run” mantra. I don’t care if you are behind by 10 or 17….run the ball….BY threw 30 passes….for crying out loud.
Very simple answer; the game script. Teams that are run heavy are banking on the game not getting as out of hand as quickly as it did on Sunday. We spent a very long time with Ron Rivera and even John Fox’s run focused styles, and the ideal game script is for things to be close and within one score. It allows for little margin for error. The Panthers got punched in the mouth hard and fast on Sunday, it is as simple as that.
egon petri: Do you think we can trade Bryce for that guy they have starting in Minnesota?
I’d rather just go sign successful high school head coach Teddy Bridgewater. Then at least we aren’t trading assets away for days of Panthers Pain past.
StateAlum2010: Can we file a class action lawsuit for damages related to the 2023 draft?
The Raiders, Lions, and Browns would be bankrupt if this were the case.
TLGPanthersFan: Why does Bryce suck and, again, how did he fool so many scouts into thinking a short, barely 5’10” QB with a week arm and he isn’t that fast would be worth a 1st round pick? Let alone the first overall.
We don’t know for sure if Bryce is a bust yet, but given the current information we have, I will say this; the NFL Draft is an inexact science, and we see an example every season, especially at QB. Just goes to show how much of a coin flip a talent translating from college football to pro football really is.
JakeNCDC: suddenly today, there are some people saying Bryce was not that bad, but it was Canales fault! ? Claiming it was Canales fault there wasnt a hot route on the blitzes. Isnt it Bryce Young’s job to see the blitz and then change the play and/or protection?
Its very hard to watch a play in All-22 and figure out who exactly screwed up a pass protection call. Sometimes its on the center, sometimes its on the QB, sometimes its on the play caller as the call is getting out there and the defensive personnel is responding. Sometimes, a play call might call for a hot read/hot throw and you aren’t supposed to call out of the play as the QB. I do believe Canales when he says that the coaches are also at fault for the pass protection problems on Sunday. But I think the picture becomes clearer as the season goes on and we get to see a bit more reps for the offense as a whole.
Marsha Jackalone: What did you do when Bryce Young threw his first pass of this season?
I sighed very loudly. Then I responded to the guys in my fantasy football group chat busting my balls over it.
Panthers75: Who will have more yards next week? Chuba or Bryce?
I think Bryce, if only because the Panthers still seem committed to splitting carries and reps between Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders.
DannyLimes: What will be the excuse afforded Bryce this week, his receivers not separating or the play calling?
I know we’re all frustrated but I actually feel like a fair amount of criticism was levied at Bryce Young for this week. The offense around him wasn’t perfect by any means but it seems to be commonly acknowledged that the offensive line was a marked improvement from last season and there were receivers to throw to a lot of times. The receivers definitely got blanketed on a few occasions, but I didn’t feel that Young was shielded from criticism this week. Let’s just move on and see where things go from here.
That’s all Panthers fans! Comment down below with what you’d like to see in week 2! Join us next week for another CSR mailbag!
And, for all our sakes, KEEP POUNDING!