When Bryce Young was benched just two weeks into the NFL season it was a first for him. The former number one overall draft pick and Heisman trophy winner has been has always been successful on the field. From his time in high school at national powerhouse Mater Dei High School where he was named the Los Angeles Times Player of the Year and California’s Gatorade Football Player of the Year his senior year, to leading the Alabama Crimson Tide to the National Championship game in 2021, Young has always been QB1. So, watching the game from the sidelines was unchartered territory.
Young will get the opportunity to start again, after veteran quarterback Andy Dalton sprained his thumb in a car accident Tuesday. That night, head coach Dave Canales told Bryce that he’ll be back in the drivers seat when the team travels to Denver to take on the Broncos.
Many would view this as an opportunity to prove the doubters wrong, but the even-keeled Young just wants to help the team win.
“I’m not really a huge big-picture, send a message person” Young said when I asked him if views this as an opportunity to prove himself. “I want to do everything I can to be the best I can today during meetings and practice. And then obviously do everything I can on Sunday. Whatever comes from that and how things are perceived in the building and throughout the world – that’s always stuff I can’t control. I just want to do all I can to help the team and that’s where my focus is.”
This approach isn’t new to Young. He’s always said he doesn’t stress over things he can’t control. But what he can control is his play Sunday and for him and the Panthers that needs to be good.
