I received a wide-ranging set of questions from all of you heading into Week 4 of the NFL regular season. Let’s dive in …
From Adam Pietrzak (@theadogg99): Do you think Andy Dalton changes the way experts look at the Panthers for the rest of the season?
Adam, maybe? I don’t know. It’s only been one game. Dalton was outstanding, for sure—319 yards, three touchdowns, nearly 70% completions and an 87.1 QBR. The line play was a catalyst for Bryce Young’s downturn, yet Dalton was sacked just twice and, excluding kneel-downs, the Carolina Panthers rushed for 133 yards on 29 carries. A so-so skill group had eight players with multiple catches. And the offense possessing the ball for 36 minutes buoyed the defense.
As for conclusions, I have two. First, more responsibility for Young’s middling performance through the first two weeks has to fall on his shoulders. Yes, the Panthers were a mess around him. But he should’ve been better. And maybe this illustrates the damage already done to Young (with his reluctance to go downfield, inability to see the middle of the field and tendency to drop his eyes and look at the rush). Second, as long as Dalton can leverage more from that roster, first-year coach Dave Canales can’t return to Young.
This is why teams are usually very hesitant to sit a highly drafted quarterback such as Young. Putting that toothpaste back in the tube—like the Miami Dolphins did with Tua Tagovailoa, or the Pittsburgh Steelers failed to do with Kenny Pickett—is never easy. But for now, Canales has to give his players the best chance to win, and Dalton gives them that. The move will also provide the rest of us with a more clear-eyed view of where the Panthers are right now.
From Lesko (@lastcalllesko): Any chance of the Bears firing Shane Waldron and Matt Eberflus early this season if the absolute offensive nonsense continues? Fans are obviously tired after decades of the same story when it comes to offensive production out of Halas Hall regardless of who is in charge or on the field.
Lesko, I think it’s time to take a breath. The Chicago Bears are 1–2, with a rookie quarterback and new offensive scheme. The number one way to mess up the former is to give him a lot of the latter. History shows a strong correlation between quarterbacks busting and offensive coordinator upheaval (though that can become a bit of a chicken-and-egg argument).
I’d advise a status check at the bye. Chicago has the Los Angeles Rams this week, then the Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars, so this is a good little get-right stretch ahead of their Week 7 weekend off.
Plus, the way that game in Indianapolis ended wasn’t exactly an indictment on Waldron. Chicago drove 70 yards in 12 plays, gave the ball back at the two-minute warning and a timeout to burn, and proceeded to give up runs of four and 13 yards to Jonathan Taylor that effectively ended it. Are things great right now? No. Is it time to press the panic button? Also, no.
Get back to me in three weeks.
From Jay Quintana (@jayquintana_jr): Who’ll have the better career, Joe Burrow or Trevor Lawrence?
Jay, I’m still a big-time Joe Burrow believer (he went to two AFC title games and a Super Bowl in his first three years, and got hurt last year), and I think grouping these two together because they lost on Monday night is silly. Burrow threw for 324 yards, three touchdowns and a 73.0 QBR in a loss to the Washington Commanders. Lawrence’s QBR was only 19.8. He threw for 178 yards, and his team was never really in it.
I’d take Burrow in the long term, too, because I’ve seen it from him. He’s played well almost regardless of circumstance. If he loses a step as a runner or a couple of miles off his fastball, the cerebral style he employs carries him through. The Bengals are going to be really good at the position for a long time.
Lawrence is fascinating to me because I don’t know what he’ll be in five years, and this is three years into his career. He could be the best quarterback in the league. He might be in the middle of the pack. He has good receivers, a good line and a solid coaching staff. Is it what Patrick Mahomes has had in Kansas City or what Burrow’s had in Cincinnati? No. But it’s fine, and it feels like he should be better.
He’s still young. It’s just that, for now, he hasn’t shown nearly enough for any sane person to pick him over Burrow.
From Aaron Wiles (@AaronWiles7): Is Doug Pederson’s seat getting hot?
Aaron, I think it is. The Jaguars are going in the wrong direction. The historic wild-card round comeback against the Los Angeles Chargers and competitive game against the eventual champion Chiefs in Pederson’s first season seemed to signal something. Last year’s 8–3 start appeared to affirm it. And then it all came crashing down.
Since a dramatic road win just after Thanksgiving, the Jaguars are 1–8. At this point, it looks like Pederson’s program has stagnated, and the team didn’t show much life in Buffalo on Monday. So, I think the next four weeks are critical for Pederson and his staff. They’re at the Houston Texans, then home against the Colts and then get the Bears and New England Patriots in London. If they go to London at 0–5 and return at 0–7? Considering how he’s invested in the UK, that’d be pretty embarrassing for owner Shad Khan.
It could get worse after that with games against the Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions in succession before their bye. To be clear, I’m not saying the Jaguars will start 0–11. But that stretch certainly doesn’t set up for a bounceback—if the next month doesn’t go well.
I also think the job is an attractive one. It’s in Florida. It comes with Lawrence under contract. And Khan should be motivated to spend to find the right answer, with a massive stadium renovation on the horizon. The Khan family has also built relationships—including one with Bill Belichick—to have a good pool of candidates.
I’m not saying it’s win-or-else for Pederson, but we’re getting closer to that.
From KTA (@keiteay): When are we going to have a Shad Khan conversation vis-a-vis the perpetually sorry state of the Jaguars franchise? It’s easy to pin it all on Trevor or the coaches or the front office or even the city/fanbase—but the through line for the decade-plus of embarrassments has been the owner.
It’s fair to point the finger at Khan. He inherited Jack Del Rio. His first hire, Mike Mularkey, was one-and-done. He showed patience with Gus Bradley and Dave Caldwell, who didn’t make the playoffs in four years together. Then, he promoted Doug Marrone, hired Tom Coughlin and reset Caldwell’s role. They made the AFC title game in 2017, then collapsed, and went 12–36 the next three years. Then, they had Urban Meyer for a year, who inherited Trent Baalke, who survived as GM to be paired with Pederson.
That’s a lot of half measures and hanging on, and, to paraphrase an old saying, this brand of hope hasn’t proven to be much of a plan. So you can’t pin every last thing on him. But he’s pretty consistently struck out on the big decisions that are directly his own.
From Inferno Anthony (@edgewalker81): Please, what does the rest of the NFL ownership think of Arthur Blank inducting himself into the Falcons ring of honor?
Anthony, some were probably thinking … Great idea!
Honestly, I think some of this stuff is just a little different. I might be wrong, but I don’t think there’s another sport where owners are constantly on game broadcasts, nor have I seen the neediness for adulation that’s apparent in the NFL elsewhere. I get that if you spend billions on a team, you’d be antsy to get involved—and not just want to be the financier of the business. But that’s different than wanting credit for everything.
So, again, the Blank thing on Sunday night was a little surprising, for sure, even if it wasn’t his idea (and the Falcons will tell you it wasn’t). But even if that’s true, I don’t remember even the most flamboyant of owners in other sports, like George Steinbrenner in baseball or Jerry Buss in basketball, doing this. Some self-awareness should be in play.
From Matt (@CommandersCov): Anything Commanders related?
Yes, Matt, you should feel good about your quarterback, and how hard your team plays.
Jayden Daniels and Dan Quinn are off to a heck of a start.
From Ronnie (@Tray4o): Thoughts on Antonio Pierce’s comments on some players making “business decisions” and what’s your view on the Raiders QB situation?
Ronnie, I think it’s the kind of thing that only a former player in that role could get away with saying.
And the quote, by the way, was absolutely fantastic: “As the game went on, I think there was definitely some individuals that made business decisions. And we’ll make business decisions going forward, as well.” But I think this was more than Pierce blowing off steam after a tough loss. It’s setting a standard for how he wants the team to play.
After a conversation with Pierce this summer, I remember thinking that he had such a clear vision of the type of team he wanted, one that reflected the physicality, toughness and relentlessness he was as a player. He worked with former NFL head coaches Tom Coughlin, Marvin Lewis and Joe Philbin to cultivate a plan to carry that vision out. And if he sees guys dogging it? That flies in the face of everything.
I can understand why Pierce would do this publicly. Draw a line in the sand. Let everyone know the standard hasn’t been met. Give the message the megaphone it needs by delivering it with a viral quote. Now, how the team responds, obviously, will be key. But being a respected former player gives him the latitude to do this without a ton of risk.
From michael christopher (@Bigdogz1318): After watching the last three weeks, how would the top 10 of the NFL draft go this past year in your eyes?
Michael, it’s super early for that. But I don’t think any of the teams in the top eight would handle their picks any differently. The first one that comes into doubt for me is the Bears taking Rome Odunze with the ninth pick. And it’s not because Odunze hasn’t been really good—he has been. But with the line hitting some bumps, it’s fair to ask whether Olu Fashanu or Taliese Fuaga, both of whom have impressed, would’ve been better picks.
From zeigs (@zeigs): Will Ben Johnson and Kliff Kingsbury be the hottest HC candidates in the offseason, and which one will replace Eberflus in Chicago?
Both are really good. If the Lions wind up where we think they will, Johnson will be sought after again. Kingsbury is interesting in that both college and pro programs could be after him—Florida, Florida State, North Carolina and Baylor could be among the schools that make a run. My sense is that Kingsbury would like to stay in the pros, but maybe someone in that group will entice him.
Like we said earlier, let’s show some patience with Eberflus and the Bears.
From Jesse (@JesseReed78): How does the NFL currently view Alabama QB Jalen Milroe? Is he seen as a fringe first-round guy, or a mid-round pick?
Jesse, since the Tide plays Georgia on Saturday, I figured I’d ask around a little.
“He’s a talented athlete,” texted one AFC college scouting director. “It reminds me of Malik Willis. He’ll be polarizing, and he needs to go to the right system. Big, freak athlete. But untraditional, obviously. Not a drop-back, scan-the-field type. … He needs to show he can play within the scheme, operate on time, etc.”
“He’s tough, because ultimately I don’t think he sees or throws it well enough,” said another AFC exec. “It’s like Anthony Richardson all over again. [Because] he’s so freaky talented.”
The feedback I’ve gotten is that talent alone might make Milroe a Day 2 pick. Could he sneak into the first round? As another exec said to me when I asked Wednesday morning, everyone is very disciplined about these things in September, but it’ll only take one team getting excited in April to make that happen.
From Steve B (@nevetS_71): Can the Patriots’ offensive coaches learn anything from how the Commanders set up Daniels to be successful last night with an eye toward Drake Maye?
From Kevin (@BostAngeles): When will Drake Maye start?
Let’s finish with these two questions rolled into one. I think comparing Daniels and Maye isn’t exactly fair. Daniels played five years in college, started 55 games and played in two conferences. He played a lot. He saw a lot. There’s a schematic path, because of his athletic traits, to get him going early, which Kingsbury has effectively tapped into. And, mechanically, he needed a lot less fixing than Maye did.
When Maye plays, and my belief is it will be this year, you’ll see elements of what he did at North Carolina cooked into the offense. In fact, that stuff is already in. That segues into the second question, of when the coach will go to him. The answer I’ll give on that is it’ll come as soon as Maye proves to be fundamentally in a place where his progress (footwork and delivery) won’t be undone by getting knocked around and as soon as the Patriots offense shows itself ready to put him in a spot to benefit from playing. And not before then.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Panthers Have to Stick With Andy Dalton Over Bryce Young.
