Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young fighting back from supreme adversity

Bryce Young is aiming to silence some growing doubters entering his second season with the Carolina Panthers. Dwelling on the past is not an option. What's important is turning the page and reaffirming belief in his capabilities to get this franchise where they want to go under new head coach Dave Canales.

The Panthers still believe in Young despite his rookie struggles. They wouldn't have invested so heavily around him if they thought otherwise. This faith must be repaid as a matter of urgency to avoid further concerns about this monumental gamble not bringing the required rewards.

Canales is working on improving Young's technical flaws. The improved supporting cast will help, but it counts for nothing if the former Alabama star doesn't iron out some kinks in performance levels before Week 1 at the New Orleans Saints arrives.

Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young turning the page and focusing on the future

Young has firmly turned the page in his fight back from supreme adversity based on comments via Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports. The Heisman Trophy winner is also allowing himself to be a little more emotional rather than the robotic presence fans saw for large parts of 2023.

"I'm big on controlling what I can control and making sure that that's what's focusing. Whatever happened the past year -- the good, the bad, whatever. It's not something that I can control. It's not something that holds sway over what we're doing anymore. So I think the more energy you put on stuff that doesn't have any effect on what we're trying to be. You can take away from the goal in itself. I've tried just to suppress everything and stay flatline, and it was really hard. It didn't really work. And nowadays I kind of allow myself to have temporary [moments] of I'm too negative or I'll say something that I'll be super silly. And I allow myself to do that as long as I can reel myself back in. It kind of makes it easier to stabilize versus just trying to be more flatline."

- Bryce Young via CBS Sports

Young was in self-preservation mode last time around, and rightfully so. The signal-caller was let down badly by Carolina's previous coaching staff. They were at odds regarding his development and couldn't mold a scheme around his obvious gifts. Getting through the campaign relatively unscathed behind a porous offensive line was the biggest positive imaginable.

Canales' credentials with underperforming quarterbacks are well established. The head coach doesn't believe there is a big fix attached to Young. He intends to make him fundamentally sound and carve out schematic concepts that work in his favor. That's about it.

It sounds simple enough. Yet it quickly became a problem Frank Reich and his supposed all-star staff had no clue how to resolve.

There's a changed demeanor to Young this offseason. There's renewed focus, belief in Canales' teachings, and a willingness to emerge into a leadership figure within the locker room. He doesn't like talking about last season - that much is abundantly clear. However, this steep learning curve can also catalyze better production in a much more stable environment.

Nobody will be working harder than Young to shift the narrative. It's early days on his road to redemption, but everything is going according to plan so far.

Hopefully, this is a trend that will continue long into the future.