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_Welp, the Saints took the Panthers to church on Sunday, and I think it's time for what my father would call a "come-to-Jesus meeting."_
_The Panthers are improving, but Bryce Young is not. He hasn't thrown for more than 200 yards this season with the exception of Week 2 at Arizona. In that game, they were forced to air it out late against a prevent defense after falling into a deficit precisely because of early turnovers by the Young quarterback. Speaking of turnovers, opposing teams have 51 combined points this year from Bryce-caused turnovers alone (68 total, most in the NFL). With seven interceptions and six fumbles (four lost) on his stat sheet in 2025, the only thing we can expect Bryce to do reliably at this point is turn the ball over at least once per outing on average. He did that again on Sunday (1 fumble, 1 Int), and would've had another pick if it weren't for a facemask call that came well after a terribly forced pass across the middle._
_It is no longer an aberration; it has become the standard. I'm a believer that we are who we continually show up to be, and so far in his 2.5 years quarterbacking the Panthers, Bryce has shown up as a guy I love to have in the locker room, but hate to have on the field. His play this season has hurt this team, period. When they win, it is in spite of Bryce's performance, not because of it. That is, unless they scheme specifically to keep the ball out of his hands. Canales himself effectively said this week that more shot plays will be called when they are completed. Even he doesn't trust what he is seeing. And Bryce doesn't get credit for comeback wins if he is the reason they are down to begin with. The "nine game-winning drives" metric I've seen recently that supposedly puts him in rarefied air means nothing if you actually watch the games. His stats are some of the worst in the league, his measurables are some of the worst in the league, and the eye test on him is one of the worst in the league._
_I'm sure you are getting a lot of this in the 'Bag, and I apologize for belaboring the point in back-to-back weeks, but too often Bryce's play is excused because of his pedigree or likability or the lack of talent around him or the organization he was drafted by. Enough. I hate to single any one player out in what is a team sport, but in this instance, one player is the greatest detractor from the team's chances. I won't ask about the draft (because it is too early) or call for Young's benching (because we don't have a better option), but I will call him out. Bryce, quit rolling out to take 10-yard sack-fumbles. Quit telegraphing. Quit collectively overthrowing one of the tallest receiving corps in the league. Take some of that piss-and-vinegar, helmet-slamming fire and buck up. Protect the dang football, climb the dang pocket, and put it on the dang numbers._
_On the point of competitive fire, Dan Morgan's rookie edge duo seems to be legit. [Nic Scourton](/team/players-roster/nic-scourton/) had himself a day against the Saints' o-line, but it is the Fresh [Princely Umanmielen](/team/players-roster/princely-umanmielen/) that had my attention on Sunday. One moment, he was down for the count, and the next, he was on his feet, helmet off, hollering at his head coach. Has anyone asked him what he was so fired up about?_ **— Jake, Candler, NC**
Jake certainly came to preach, and he had a full choir behind him, and everything short of a love offering, a potluck, and a bake sale for the youth group. I'm the only one that gets paid by the word around here, Jake.
As it pertains to Bryce, it's kind of like I say to my skinny pants after Thanksgiving dinner — there's a lot that goes into that.
For starters, I'm not dinging anyone for anything that happened in 2023. Once avalanches start downhill, they very rarely turn around and go back up, and they are never the fault of one individual flake of snow.
And to make the problems of the passing game lately the responsibility of one person in particular also seems unfair. Dave Canales said as much on Monday, when he said he has to call better plays, receivers have to run better routes, and catch it when it comes to them, etc. This is a collective problem.
Did Bryce just play his best game of football last week? He did not. Again, he'd be the first to tell you that (and he did, Sunday). And when they're running for two bills and his passing numbers are diminished, that's a good thing, not a bad thing. When the Panthers went to the NFC Championship Game in 1996, Kerry Collins threw for over 250 yards twice, and over 200 just five times. He went 9-3 in his 12 starts (and 3-2 in the games with more than 200 yards, ergo 6-1 when he threw for under 200). That's a long way of saying, arbitrary statistical barriers aren't always the most reliable indicator of whether a guy is playing well or poorly.
As for the rookie pass-rushers, yes, they are on a roll, each in their own ways. Scourton is beginning to put up numbers commensurate with his work ethic and effort. Umanmielen's frustration largely stems from the fact that he keeps picking up dings. He had just come back from an ankle injury that had him on crutches two weeks ago, and then to be forced out of the game in his first week back was a lot to process, and it takes a toll on you. He cares about it a lot, and you get the sense he's going to be a sack-producer sooner rather than later.