Bryce Young will never be mistaken for Tom Brady. The two have striking differences in size, stature, statistics, accolades, and play style, but also in leadership tactics. Brady was hailed for his fiery competitiveness. His staunch desire to be great led to seven Super Bowl rings, five MVP trophies, and a litany of other awards and achievements that could take pages to list. Young, on the other hand, is a more soft-spoken, lead by example type of quarterback. On Sunday morning in Charlotte, that had to change.
The Panthers started practice slowly. A no-go for their head coach Dave Canales who preaches maximum effort and intensity at all times. Young recognized the problem, and according to two of his teammates, rallied the troops after a team period to encourage them to lock-in.
His running mate in the backfield Miles Sanders told the story. “After that period (a slow, sloppy one) Bryce called the offense up and let us know that we’re slacking already. The difference between this year and last year is that we don’t need coaches to give us rah-rah speeches. If certain players on the team see a downfall, or see everybody not competing the way they’re supposed to, the players are the ones in charge to keep that stuff going and bring that stuff up.”
Sanders stated bluntly, “player-led teams win Super Bowls,” encouraging Young, and the rest of his teammates, to bring the juice without needing their coaches to intervene. The former Pro Bowl running back later went on to say that 2024 is “night and day from last year,” in regards to the coaching staff, doubling down on his hopes for the player-led locker room to emerge that escaped the franchise in 2023.
Sanders pointed to the one specific instance today, but Young’s personal bodyguard, left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, spoke to Bryce’s holistic growth as a leader. “His leadership qualities were there last year, but they’ve been growing even more, ever since last year. I’m definitely excited to see the player Bryce becomes.” Of the drumbeats circulating Panthers’ camp, a main one is the leap that Young has taken. As a leader, but also as a ballplayer. Ekwonu dove deeper on that leap.
“You can tell he took a big step forward. In his pocket presence, in his awareness..I’ve been talking to some of the defensive players too beacuse I like to see what they think. They said that it’s really hard to defend a guy like Bryce because he’s throwing the ball steps in advance of where the receiver is going to be. He’s letting that receiver go get that ball. It’s really been impressive seeing his jump this year.
Young’s quarterbacking ability is the pivot point for the 2024 Panthers. If he isn’t able to elevate the offense with his play, Carolina may be looking at another season with the dregs of the league. If he fails to succeed, it won’t be due to a lack of work. Long after every player had left the field on Sunday morning, Young stayed behind to put in some solo work. His daily crunches on the practice field. The sophomore quarterback is checking all of the boxes this preseason as he tried to put his disappointing rookie season behind him.
Canales orates daily on Young’s steady improvement when it comes to learning his complex offense. His teammates are praising the 2023 number one overall pick’s growth as both a leader and a player. All that’s left it to put it all together and deliver wins on Sundays to a franchise feening for them.
