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There isn’t a more criticized position to play in sports than QB, and Bryce Young is learning that the hard way in the NFL. After being the best QB at the high school, and college level, Young’s transition to the NFL has been more steep than initially thought. Young arguably had his worst game as a pro, as he threw three interceptions in the loss to the Colts yesterday afternoon, two of which were returned for touchdowns, as he essentially gave the opponent more points, than he gave his own team.
Unfortunately, his fan base hasn’t been very forgiving of his early struggles, and as Wes & Walker learned earlier today on WFNZ, most Panther fans are out on their first-round pick, as they took to the WFNZ text line to voice their frustration. It wasn’t long ago that Panther fans celebrated the decision to trade up to the #1 pick and draft the Alabama product, but that shine has officially worn off. It doesn’t help that CJ Stroud, the second QB taken in the draft, had a career day yesterday, setting an NFL rookie record, throwing for 470 yards, and 5 touchdowns, and leed the Texans to a come-from-behind win over the Bucs.
In Young’s seven starts, he has thrown for over 1,300 yards, with 8 touchdowns, against 7 interceptions, with a 64% completion percentage. Him throwing for less than 200 yards per game which isn’t ideal in the modern NFL, but what is not being taken into consideration is that he hasn’t been fully supported by his offensive line or his supporting cast. Chuba Hubbard is Carolina’s leading rusher, and he’s averaging 41.0 yards per game. Adam Thielen is Carolina’s leading receiver, with 610 yards, and 4 touchdowns. His second leading receiver is DJ Chark, who has 229 yards, and 3 scores. Factor in his offensive line, allowing him to be sacked 27 times across his seven starts, it’s hard to imagine how he was put in the best position to be successful.
Wes & Walker both wanted Bryce Young back during the NFL Draft process, and while that hasn’t changed, they were willing to admit that things would maybe look different if Stroud was the QB here, but they aren’t willing to give up on the rookie signal caller. They both pointed out the struggles on the offensive line and the lack of production in the running game, combined with the lack of big-play potential in the wide receiver room, making that much harder for Young to be successful right away. While those sound like excuses, you look at rookie QBs that have excelled right away, they were given better line play and quality weapons, which adds pressure to Scott Fitterer to upgrade the talent on the roster, to get the most out of Bryce Young.
You can catch the Wes & Walker Show, every weekday from 12-3 PM, on Sports Radio 92.7 WFNZ, and the WFNZ app.
