How Dave Canales' back to basics approach should help Bryce Young excel

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales outlined his grand plan to ensure quarterback Bryce Young meets lofty expectations.

Dave Canales left a huge impact during his introductory press conference. There is a notable energy and passion in his overall demeanor and the way he speaks. You can feel the Pete Carroll influence oozing from him. If he goes on to have half as much success with the Carolina Panthers, then team owner David Tepper finally got a hire right.

Canales is not a sure thing, not by any stretch of the imagination. That's true of every first-time head coach. It also applies to the retreads who get another opportunity despite things not going according to plan during their initial head coaching voyage.

Carolina Panthers will strip things back for Bryce Young

It seems as if Canales' success will be predicated on Bryce Young's development. The new appointment believes he's got franchise-altering capabilities despite going through some significant turmoil as a rookie. Given his proven prowess to help quarterbacks reach or in some cases far exceed expectations, there is a level of confidence he can do the same with Carolina's huge investment.

This is something Canales elaborated on during his presser comments via Sports Illustrated. It starts by building a strong bond, paying attention to the finer details, and molding the offense around the signal-caller's strengths. After that, it's a case of taking things one day at a time and rolling with the punches.

"I want him to know that I have his best interest at heart. I want him to be the best possible version of himself. That's the same approach that I've taken since I've been coaching positions in the NFL. That's really the approach I want to take with him. We are going to become what Bryce is great at in the pass game. We're going to grow to the capacity that he can handle. There's got to be a commitment and a discipline about that. Let's get into these situations and see where he looks most confident. When I see that back foot planted in the ground and that ball rips out of there without any hesitation, I know we've got something. Let's find more of those. Let's put it in three different personnels and a couple different formations and motions."

- Dave Canales via Sports Illustrated

It's common knowledge that Young had too many voices in his ear last season. Frank Reich, Thomas Brown, Parks Frazier, Duce Staley, Josh McCown, and Jim Caldwell on the coaching side. Tepper and general manager Scott Fitterer also gave their two cents. This was not the stable environment for growth many anticipated when the Panthers shelled out vast financial sums for an 'all-star' staff.

Canales should get back down to basics with Young. The head coach must treat the former Alabama star as a blank canvas. Wipe the slate clean, restore some self-esteem, and ensure there are a select few with direct influence on his progress.

The talent is there. The confidence might not be after such a difficult rookie campaign, but Young proved he's got enough resolve to overcome almost anything. He just needs proper direction and a stable situation.

Some better weapons would also help.

Anyone labeling Young as a bust after just one season - without giving their criticism the proper context or recognizing the mitigating factors involved - is just pushing their pre-draft agenda and desire for one of the other quarterback prospects. The Heisman Trophy winner will be the first to acknowledge his performance levels could have been better. It's also important to realize Carolina's decision-makers - many of whom are no longer around - have blood on their hands.

Canales is the proverbial white knight brought in to change all that. If he can get a tune out of Young, then everything else should fall into place.

After all, they don't call this a quarterback-driven league for nothing.