Bryce Young preps for showdown with Texans’ CJ Stroud

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Bryce Young, the top overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, is still looking for his first win as a professional. He'll have a new play caller this week in offensive coordinator Thomas Brown.

About an hour before a recent practice, the Carolina Panthers’ locker room’s doors swung open, allowing media into the players’ inner sanctum.

Immediately, warning flares from the far end of the room were released.

An unsuspecting Bryce Young wandered in from the back and received a lead block from 6-foot-3, 210-pound safety Sam Franklin Jr., who attracted Young’s attention before he ventured too deep into the void.    

“Hey, man, the press is here,” Franklin told Young, motioning for him to stay back.

Young scanned the perimeter and analyzed blitz possibilities. Instinctively, he scrambled for safety, sneaking into the trainer’s room.

Young, the No. 1 overall pick in last April’s draft, will not easily escape unavoidable comparisons to the second pick, Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud, prior to Sunday’s matchup at Bank of America Stadium.

The two, after all, have been linked since their middle school basketball days in Southern California.

Young shooting for second half rebound

Standing at the podium Wednesday, Young grinned, reflecting on past AAU and pickup games he played against Stroud, the tough defense they played when guarding the friendly foe. Except in Young’s case, the tough ‘D’ didn’t seem to matter much.

"He can hit contested shots," Young said during a video press conference. "See, y’all start asking me basketball questions; that’s when I start getting excited."

The duo found time to shoot hoops during the NFL combine last winter. For fun, Young compared Stroud’s hardcourt talents to Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. and his skill set to Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland.

Football in high school, college and now the NFL also helped bond the two since adolescence. Sunday’s game will be just the fifth time the top two quarterbacks drafted faced each other as rookies.
Coming out of the bye week and winless in five starts for the 0-6 Panthers, Young continues to study Stroud’s performances from a distance. But this week, he’s taking the personal approach.

“I try to be just internally motivated and draw from that and try to run my own race and try to be the best version I can and focus on the stuff that I can control and stuff that I can improve on,” Young said. “And there’s never going to be a time that I'm not rooting for C.J., outside of, I guess, obviously this weekend will be the exception.

“I don’t want to speak for C.J., but I think the same way; we just both want what’s best for each other. We both want each other to be successful.”

So far, Stroud has jumped out to the lead in early Rookie of the Year consideration. Leading the Texans to a 3-3 mark, Stroud has 1,660 passing yards with nine touchdowns, an interception and a QB rating of 96.4. Young has 967 yards, six TDs, four interceptions and a rating of 78.7.

More importantly, though, Young still seeks his first pro win.

Coach Frank Reich: ‘We got the guy we wanted’

To snap the Panthers’ season-long skid, the coaching staff is experimenting with new approaches, starting with offensive coordinator Thomas Brown assuming command of play calls from coach Frank Reich.
Sunday will be the 37-year-old Brown’s NFL play-calling debut, sans the second half of the preseason-opening loss to the visiting New York Jets on Aug. 12.

Reich has confidence in the rookie coordinator.

“Thomas and I had another good discussion about the transition and about philosophy and our approach this week, in general,” he said during a video press conference. “With every day, I feel great about it. Thomas is ready.  

“Thomas is going be in charge. It’s not going be micromanaged.”

To aid the process, Young also recently adopted the use of a wristband, which consists of the team’s play calls.  

Among his early struggles, Young lacked ball security and appeared overwhelmed by pre-snap reads. Shaky offensive line play also hindered his development, but so has a tendency to reply on short passes instead of maintaining poise and creating big plays of 20 yards or more.

Despite dealing with mounting defeats for the first time in his athletic existence, Young displayed more accuracy and rhythm during his past few starts, showing an ability to complete passes in tight windows. With guard Austin Corbett coming off injured reserve Tuesday, more cohesive offensive-line play should begin to straighten out Young’s learning curve.

When comparing Young and Stroud, Reich preached patience.

"We got the guy we wanted to get and couldn’t be happier about that in every way," Reich said. “And I would say this: I’m happy for C.J. He’s had six good games, and I have no doubt he’ll have many more good games. But I know this: when it comes to evaluating quarterbacks or any position, it’s years, not weeks. You can’t put a label on a guy after six weeks or even a year.  

“I’ve seen guys have Pro Bowl seasons and then a year later fighting to be a backup somewhere else. It’s a crazy league.”    

Comments