Peyton Manning pleads for stability after Panthers resurrect Bryce Young

Bryce Young's resurgence is a lesson for others to learn.

Dave Canales
Dave Canales | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Bryce Young is on the right track at long last. However, that wasn't always the case.

Things looked incredibly bleak for Young just a few months ago. The Carolina Panthers made a daring move up to No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft because previous general manager Scott Fitterer believed they were ready to drop in a quarterback and take off. The appointment of head coach Frank Reich and a supposed all-star coaching staff left many convinced this was the perfect place for any fledgling signal-caller to develop.

Those notions were wide of the mark.

Carolina's coaching staff couldn't get on the same page regarding Young's development. Everyone thought they had the answer. Some even complained to team owner David Tepper when their suggested methods weren't implemented.

Reich wouldn't relinquish play-calling duties to Thomas Brown with his job status hanging by a thread. He was eventually fired but things didn't get much better. The Panthers won two games and more pessimism enveloped the organization.

Dave Canales — who developed a strong reputation for helping quarterbacks find their footing again — came into the fold. The head coach seemed encouraged during the offseason regarding Young's development. When the same problems emerged over the opening two games, he took the former Alabama star out of the firing line.

It was a controversial call that received criticism. However, Young responded well, learned away from the spotlight, and came back a different player.

Now, he looks like a potential franchise quarterback.

Peyton Manning preaches importance of stability after Bryce Young's resurgence

Perhaps more importantly from Young's perspective, he's got stability heading into the offseason. There is no coaching uncertainty, he'll be operating within the same scheme, and his status in 2025 is secure. Once additional development arrives and the supporting cast improves, things will only get better.

Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning preached the importance of familiarity when assessing the careers of Young and Caleb Williams. The legendary signal-caller isn't thrilled with the duo taking heat for the organizational failures elsewhere. He believes that teams draft quarterback prospects without a clear plan for their progress. That has to change.

"It bothers me that Bryce Young is already on his third play-caller and he’s only played two seasons. Caleb Williams is going to be on his third play-caller sometime next September. That to me is a miss. If we’re going to draft this guy, okay who is the head coach going to be, the coordinator, this is the system that we’re going to run. If the coordinator leaves and takes a head coaching job, I want the guy that’s replacing him shadowing him 24/7. I had the same system my first 14 years in Indy. There’s a reason going back to those reps. It’s an organizational plan, what is the best way to develop this guy? Don’t make him learn Latin, German, and French, all in the first two years, that’s not fair."
Peyton Manning via Clutch Points

Credit to Tepper, who saw Reich was foundering and reacted accordingly. Canales also deserves praise for the way he ignited a fire under Young.

There was no special treatment. Canales made Young earn everything and raised urgency. Not many first-year head coaches would have had the mettle to move forward in this manner. Thankfully for the Panthers, it paid off handsomely.

Young's professionalism and inner desire to silence his doubters steered him through rough waters. Canales and his staff were on hand to guide him every step of the way.

He managed to learn, grow, and find his voice in the locker room. The Heisman Trophy winner oozed confidence over the second half of 2024 and is playing with a smile on his face once again. The concerning narrative around Young took a seismic shift.

Manning is right. Teams think they have all the answers without looking at the bigger picture. They want instant success. However, very few college quarterbacks are ready to hit the ground running without the proper environment to flourish.

C.J. Stroud, Jayden Daniels, and to a lesser extent Bo Nix, all had schemes molded around their talent. They got proper coaching and weren't tasked with anything they couldn't handle. That wasn't the case with Young and countless others.

Canales changed all that. And the Panthers are in a much better place.

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