Dave Canales had to weather a heavy storm during his first season as Carolina Panthers head coach. This centered on one monumental decision regarding star quarterback Bryce Young.
Canales had confidence in Young coming into the Panthers. He thought the player who took college football by storm at Alabama would fit into his scheme perfectly. Unfortunately for the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator, this was not the same player.
Young's confidence was beaten almost beyond repair during a disastrous rookie campaign. The signs were positive over the summer, but something was amiss when competitive action commenced. Instead of letting things decrease further, Canales took drastic action by benching Young after just two games.
It was a franchise-altering call that could have gone either way. Canales remained focused on developing Young. He just felt veteran Andy Dalton gave him a better chance to establish some early momentum.
This had the desired effect on Young. He learned away from the spotlight and built back his self-esteem. When the time came to get another shot, he seized it with both hands.
Pete Carroll belies the Carolina Panthers are in good hands with Dave Canales
Young went from a potentially historical draft bust to a future franchise presence under center. Canales deserves endless credit for having the courage to make this move — something that should benefit the Panthers for years to come if the same trend continues.
Add Pete Carroll to the list of people crediting Canales for his handling of such a challenging situation so early into his head coaching tenure. The new Las Vegas Raiders head coach was proud of his protégé for putting the Panthers first. Something he believes has put them in a much better long-term position along the way.
"But then when he came back and got Bryce [Young] going, I thought that was an obvious illustration of why he made the decisions that he made. Bryce needed to sit back a bit and learn from Andy, and he was willing to. They went through that whole process, and when Bryce came back, he got better throughout the season and finished strongly. So I would think, I can't speak for them, but I would think that they found out a tremendous amount of information to head into this year with the quarterback position. I don't know where they are and what they're going to do about it, but I think they're in a pretty darn good place right now."Pete Carroll
Canales could have kept Young in the lineup. He was the No. 1 pick whom the Panthers gave up a king's ransom to acquire. Giving him some breathing space not only helped the Heisman Trophy winner, but it also won respect in the locker room.
The improvements were obvious once Young returned. Carolina went from a bottom-feeder to a more respectable outfit. Despite having one of the worst defenses in NFL history, they were competitive against top-tier opposition and picked up five wins from the campaign. This was enough for team owner David Tepper to stand pat, bringing some long-awaited stability to the franchise at long last.
Canales will have learned and gained a lot from his first season as an NFL head coach. Panthers fans believe he's the right man for the job, so it'll be fascinating to see how the popular figure evolves in Year 2 of his journey in Carolina.