245 days passed since Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young declared for the draft and started his first regular season game. During that time there was the NFL combine, the NFL draft, rookie minicamp, OTA’s and training camp all leading up to September 3rd – the day Young took the field as QB1 for the first time.
The build up was great. The expectations were even greater. And with the another milestone in his rear view mirror, Young is embracing the normalcy and routine that comes with the start of week two.
“Now it’s kind of just becoming a routine and a week to week thing,” Young said when I asked him if there’s a sense of relief that comes with having his first game behind him.
“You have such a long build up for your first game. Your first real game is something that since the moment you declare is not in the forefront of your mind, but it’s another one of those milestones and boxes to check as you start. It’s the first thing that happens for four months. It’s not always what you’re thinking about, but it’s always there.”
Now it’s time to get into the daily and weekly routine that Bryce says is important to him.
“It’s back to a normal stable week to week mode,” Bryce continued. “You focus on this week and then get a quick reset. I have the amount of days I have to focus on New Orleans and it’s not months. You still have to have the hyper-focus. We play a great opponent on Monday, so we have to make sure we’re locked in and taking advantage of the time that we have, but I think it is good just to be able to have that routine.”
A quick reset is the best thing for a rookie quarterback navigating his way through his first season in the league. Week one is in the past and the only thing that matters is Monday night’s match up against the New Orleans Saints.
