4 primary catalysts behind former Carolina Panthers HC Frank Reich's demise

Bryce Young's development

This was always going to be the main talking point.

After the Carolina Panthers traded up to select Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young, Frank Reich's primary judgment was how the No. 1 overall pick developed. And to say his progress has been sup-optimal would be an understatement.

The Panthers were lauded for surrounding Young with an all-star coaching staff. One could argue this worked against him as too many voices were clouding the player's thoughts.

During his tenure at Alabama, the signal-caller's poise and accuracy were evident, throwing just 12 interceptions in his collegiate career. Reich’s time at the helm saw mistakes from Young that we hadn’t seen during his footballing career to date, resulting in eight interceptions and just nine passing touchdowns.

For a so-called offensive-minded head coach, the unit deployed under Reich was one of the worst around the league. Young went over 200 yards passing just four times throughout his brief tenure.

The writing was on the wall for Reich when he took back play-calling from offensive coordinator Thomas Brown just three weeks after giving it up. One can only hope long-term damage hasn’t been done to Young from his short stint under a man who was the first Panthers quarterback almost three decades ago.