Panthers coach Dave Canales has odd take on Bryce Young's atrocious 2024 debut

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales tried to find something positive about his quarterback's day. It didn't go well.

Tim Weaver | Sep 9, 2024

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - SEPTEMBER 08: Head coach of the Carolina Panthers Dave Canales talks with Bryce Young #9 of the Carolina Panthers against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome on September 08, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. / (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

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NFL coaches can get further with positivity than they can going full Bill Parcells on their players these days. If nothing else, Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales seems to have learned that much from his mentor Pete Carroll, who brought him up with the Seattle Seahawks with a positivity bordering on toxic. In his new role Canales has been relentlessly optimistic, and part of that is defending his players even when they don't really deserve it.

Canales did his best to follow those guidelines when speaking about second-year quarterback Bryce Young's abominable performance on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, but it came out a little weird. When asked about Young's play, Canales said that he had good footwork but missed some throws, per Joe Person at The Athletic.

Dave Canales on Bryce Young: Good footwork vs. the Saints, but missed some throws.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) September 9, 2024

They're roasting Canales in Person's replies, and for good reason. Those of us who were watching Young's feet know that it was anything but good, which was a big part of the problem. Young's decision making didn't help things, either. The core of the problem is that Young is not playing confidently right now and until that changes the results won't, either.

While several quarterbacks around the league had a lower success rate this week, heading into Monday night's game between the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Jets only the ghost of Deshaun Watson has a lower QBR (9.4) than Young (10.7).

Canales is rightfully getting blasted for his team getting dominated in all three phases by an average team at best. It may not be fair to blame him for Young, who's starting to look broken.