Buccaneers Coach Todd Bowles Sees 'A Lot of Poise' From Panthers QB Bryce Young

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young again on Sunday, and coach Todd Bowles spoke about what he remembered from the rookie in the first game.
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a future, that much is certain, but the question is who will be a part of it?

Lose against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday and the list of current Buccaneers who will survive the offseason may get significantly shorter. 

Aiding the Panthers in trying to make that theory a reality will be quarterback Bryce Young whose present isn't all that great, but knows he has at least a few years to get things right before he's at risk of losing it.

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“A lot of poise," coach Todd Bowles recalled seeing from Young the first time the two teams met. "He’s one of the best scramblers I’ve seen this year. [He has] a lot of poise. He’s going to be one of the best to ever do it once he’s done playing.”

In the Week 13 Tampa Bay victory Young had Carolina up 10-7 at one point before two touchdown catches by receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans gave their team a lead they'd hold onto for the win. 

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) is chased by Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum (27) in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) is chased by Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum (27) in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium / Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Bowles' recollection of Young's scrambling ability stems from his efforts in extending plays and from what he's seen on tape because the young quarterback didn't have any rushing yards against the Bucs while completing fewer than half his pass attempts for 178 yards and an interception.

On the flip side, running back Chubba Hubbard had 104 yards rushing on 25 carries in a losing effort for the Panthers. 

"Obviously, he’s a good [running] back and they’ve got a huge offensive line," Bowles said of Hubbard and the Carolina rushing attack. "They run the ball very well – they do a good job at that. We’ve got to make sure we read our keys and play team ball.”

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Being on their keys, play, and bringing the right amount of energy for what is essentially the Buccaneers' first playoff game of the season will be important. 

Containing a dangerous scrambler like Young and rusher like Hubbard will be critical.

Do all of those things, and Tampa Bay will have another home game to prepare for in the NFL's Wild Card Round next weekend.


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David Harrison
DAVID HARRISON

David Harrison has been in sports media since 2015 using written, audio, and video media to cover athletes, coaches, and games. In addition to covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for BucsGameday and Locked On Bucs he also covers the Washington Commanders for Commander Country and Locked On Commanders and the Washington Wizards for Inside the Wizards. David also covers the NFL as a whole as one of the Friday hosts for Locked On NFL. He is a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and previously spent 20 years as an active member of the United States Army. Contact David via email at david.w.harrison82@gmail.com or on Twitter @DHarrison82.