The Carolina Panthers saw some impressive play from their rookie quarterback Bryce Young during the Panthers’ 26-17 loss against the Detroit Lions in their preseason finale at home on Friday night.
Young said that he is ready for the regular season opener on September 10th.
Young, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner, took a lot of ribbing from teammates for the way he sat down on the artificial turf at Bank of America Stadium following his 13-yeard scramble on a third down play that ultimately set that table for Young’s first preseason touchdown.
“Never claimed for it to be one of my strong suits,” Young said, according to ESPN’s David Newton. “We currently have slide lessons already scheduled.”
“He’s definitely got to get better at it,” Panthers third-string signal caller Matt Corral said of Young’s sliding. “We’ve got to bring out the tarp and soap and water.”
Young ended the preseason on a high note, completing 7-of-12 passes for 73 yards and a touchdown while adding 21 yards on three rushes on the ground and leading two scoring drives that gave the Panthers a 10-0 lead.
It was a stark contrast from the Panthers’ prior preseason production, which saw their offense produce only a field goal in five drives during their first two games.
“That comes because of my coaches and teammates just giving me the confidence and pushing me really throughout practice,” Young said. “That prepares you a lot, and having these games under my belt, it’s great to be able to take that and translate to playing against others.”
“He was sharp and productive and made plays, and showed even more playmaking ability with his feet, the throw for the touchdown, another throw to Adam [Thielen] that Adam lost in the lights that had a decent chance to be completed,” Panthers head coach Frank Reich said.
“We’ve got to work on his sliding a little bit,” Reich added. “But he has that in him, that instinct, that make you miss [ability], even when a guy has him dead to rights. We’ve seen that in practice, little snippets of that.”
“He pretty much caught the football for me,” Thielen said. “So when you have that kind of mix of touch and precision and timing, it’s tough to stop. That’s why he’s here. That’s why he was the No. 1 pick.
“When you’re able to prove that day in and day out, it’s a good feeling.”
