Panthers coach looks for Bryce Young to grow on ‘MNF’

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is focused on learning from mistakes made in his NFL debut, a 24-10 loss to Atlanta in which he completed 20 of 38 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown against two interceptions.

Leon Seals was the first Buffalo Bills teammate to reach Frank Reich, who just created his version of Monday night magic.

Seals, a defensive end, reached out for an embrace, followed by linebacker Darryl Tally and wide receiver Steve Tasker.

A fourth-year backup quarterback, Reich received his first career start against the undefeated Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 16, 1989. Starter Jim Kelly was sidelined with a separated shoulder.
Under the bright lights of Monday Night Football, Reich drove the Bills 64 yards over the final 47 seconds, culminated by a game-winning touchdown pass to Andre Reed.

“Very good memories for me on Monday Night Football for me personally,” Reich recalled during a press conference Wednesday at Bank of America Stadium. “I’ve always enjoyed Monday night. That’s one of the reasons why."

The Panthers are scheduled to host the New Orleans Saints on Monday night, the franchise’s first regular season showcase event since Dec. 17, 2018, a 12-9 loss to New Orleans.
Reich said he’s ready to watch rookie Bryce Young make his first Monday night start.

His advice?

“Enjoy the moment,” Reich said. “It’s a big deal to play, so, as a team, as an organization and as a fan base, I expect there will be a lot of juice from all of us. It’ll be a good challenge for us.”

Reich: ‘Every step for him is a new step in the NFL’

Young has thrived previously on the national stage. At Alabama, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner performed in the College Football Playoff, the SEC championship game and the Iron Bowl, just to name a few internationally-broadcast events.

But, in his second career start, the No. 1 overall draft pick is preparing to play before his first Monday night audience, a universal platform.

"Every step for him is a new step in the NFL,” Reich said. “He's played on the big stage his whole life, so enjoy the moment. The biggest piece of advice you can give the rookies is when you play on Monday night, it's a long wait until Monday night. So don’t get too amped up too early. Just be patient because it’s a long wait.”

For Panthers fans, it’s been a long wait to return to the Monday night stage.

Young, who played a sub-par second half during last Sunday’s 24-10 loss to Atlanta, said his focus has been on learning from his opening-game mistakes and not getting detoured by the Monday night glitz.

“We’re playing New Orleans, so obviously, we need all of our attention to be able to do what we want to do,” Young said. “It takes us being locked in and engaged on that.

“You’ve got to push what happened on Sunday aside, and it’s been all about growing and getting ready for Monday."

Learning from Week 1 mistakes

In his debut against the NFC South rival Falcons, Young went 20 of 38 for 146 yards, with one touchdown pass and two interceptions, compiling a 48.8 rating. On 15 targets to wide receivers, Young completed eight. He finished with a meager 3.8 yards per pass attempt, third worst in the NFL during Week 1.

Game film buffs could point to the wideouts’ collective struggles to pry themselves loose from the Falcons’ defensive backs. Tight end Hayden Hurst hauled in a 16-yard reception, highlighting Young’s longest throw downfield.

“I thought we were subpar in the pass game in general as far as chunk plays,” Reich said. “(Young’s) got the maturity of someone way beyond his years. He’s a team-first person. He’ll be hard on himself. And each of us should be. We need more explosive plays.”

And fewer turnovers. The Panthers had three against Atlanta, including a fumble by running back Miles Sanders, that led to 17 points.

“Obviously we had the couple turnovers and we talked about there's multiple dynamics in that, so I don’t want to put it all on (Young),” Reich said. “We obviously have to find a way to get a few more plays downfield. We threw some, we just didn’t hit on any of them. But I thought he saw the field well (and) the way he responded to adversity; I just thought it was largely positive.”

Step two in Young’s development comes under the bright lights of Monday night. Getting receiver DJ Chark back from injury could help.

"We’ve turned the page,” Young said, referring to Week 1. “There’s stuff that we have to learn from – I have to learn from – and we’re in the process of getting it cleaned up.”

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