Are the Carolina Panthers making the right decision by waiting to put Bryce Young on the road? A former driver with some pretty pertinent experience seems to think so.
Ex-NFL quarterback and 2002 Most Valuable Player Rich Gannon recently spoke of Carolina’s immediate plans under center—ones that will see veteran Andy Dalton atop the depth chart for the time being. And Gannon, in a breakdown for The 33rd Team, stated that the No. 1 overall pick in Young should have to earn his starting spot.
“It’s kinda like a 16-year-old with a car,” he said. “Before you hand him the car keys, you better make sure he knows how to stop the car, how to start the car, how to avoid oncoming traffic. But here’s what has to happen in the next couple of months in order for Bryce Young to walk out there with the starters on offense Week 1—he has to earn the trust and respect of his new teammates. And you do that by your actions on the field.”
Young, in fact, expressed the same sentiment during his introductory press conference on April 28. The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner told reporters that he’s not entitled to anything at the pro level, even despite being this year’s top selection.
Gannon continued:
“Are you able to make all the calls in the huddle? Are you able to make all the checks at the line of scrimmage? How do you perform in competitive periods? Whether it’s a seven-on-seven period, whether it’s a team blitz period, whether a red zone period. How does a quarterback hurry up a two-minute situation? How does he perform late in those type of situations—late-in-game type situations. How does he do in the OTAs and minicamps?”
Well, we’ll find out that last part soon—as rookie minicamp is set to begin for Young and the Panthers this Friday.
