2 weeks Ago By Mike Santa Barbara, Yardbarker
Benched ahead of Week 3 due to poor play, former No. 1 pick Bryce Young isn't blaming anyone but himself. Speaking with reporters days after the Carolina Panthers tapped veteran Andy Dalton as the starter, Young spoke candidly about the demotion.
When asked whether being forced into the starting role too early impacted his play, Young dismissed the idea, saying it wasn't "my decision to decide." "At the end of the day, we had a ton of drives, we had a ton of games and I didn't do enough during that," Young said via Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer . "So things that didn't go well during that time, that's 100 percent on me and no one else.
" Young, with little talent around him while playing for his second head coach in as many years, has gone 2-16 as the Panthers' starter, completing 59.3% of his passes for 3,122 yards with 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. However, the 23-year-old made no excuses, saying the "circumstances are what the circumstances are.
" "I gotta look in the mirror, I gotta be better," Young said. "I'm going to continue to work each and every day." Young ultimately took responsibility for his play.
Regardless, it's fair to wonder if the Panthers and others are putting too much on young quarterbacks' shoulders. In August, Tom Brady, arguably the best to ever play the position, called it " a tragedy " that teams were forcing first-year quarterbacks to play so early. Meanwhile, Matt Leinart, a former first-round pick and current analyst for FS1, agreed, stating that players " aren't developed anymore " in college, which leads to struggles at the NFL level.
From 2021-2023, 17 quarterbacks have gone in the third round or higher of the NFL Draft. Entering Week 3, only C.J.
Stroud, Anthony Richardson, Will Levis and Trevor Lawrence are bonafide starters, while seven are on their second teams and two aren't on a 53-man roster. The draft is full of cautionary tales, as sometimes a player simply isn't fit to meet expectations. However, the trend of quarterbacks who fail from the jump implies failures regarding development and preparation from the college ranks to the pros.
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