Imagine showing up to work. You’ve been there a year. The manager you had the first half of your year is fired. You don’t panic because you’re now the highest paid new employee with a bright future.
Let’s backtrack down memory lane a sec. At your previous job, you’re one of the top employees, not just at your job, but in the entire country.
The sky is the limit for you!
You went to one of this fancy dandy banquets, you know the ones for over-achieving employees where you got to get all dressed up. You know, a snazzy three-piece suit right out of J. Crew, and the whole bit.
Once you get there, you know you have a chance at that big award everyone there wants.
The emcee announces you, and at least he says your name right. Can’t say the same for the guy next to me. I feel for him!
The moment finally comes they announce the winner and you win the prestigious award.
Well back to the problem at work, a new replacement manager comes in, but you know he’s not gonna be there in the next six months.
But still you do what you’re told, because you’re a good soldier.
They throw you to the wolves with almost impossible odds, and expect Superman-like results. Any fires to put out, they expect you to not only take the heat, but put the fire out, all in one swoop.
Your shift manager even publicly says you’re not his first choice. The new manager about to come in doesn’t say that, but you know he’s thinking it with his philosophy’s and body language.
You start the year, and well things just are not going great, but you know it doesn’t matter a leader takes the heat and the blame! The next day you show up and you’re told the old guy under you is taking over and you have been demoted.
It’s a hard situation, the guy has tried to help you and is a friend. So you got to fake like you’re happy for him, but inside you’re absolutely pissed. You can’t say anything cause then you’re not a team player so you keep your mouth shut and just do enough to get by now.
We have all been there!
Especially if you have ever worked retail sales in your life, this happens.
This is absolutely what happened to Bryce Young this week. Ownership threw him to the proverbial NFL wolves, and left him out to dry for the media and fans to chew him up and spit him out.
In my opinion, Thw way and manner of how the Panthers treated Young was an absolute travesty. This so-called front office and ownership has done wrong to this young man. The Panthers absolutely set him up to fail, by not addressing the offensive line in the 2024 draft.
Carolina needs to be held accountable in trading away or letting walk most of your best defensive players. And leaving you with mid-tier weapons on offense, while over paying the new ones.
There are a couple situations I could see where Young can still succeed.
1. Ownership steps aside: Wherever Young ends up, the team has to let someone that actually knows what they are doing, take over without getting involved. Out of the three this is most likely to not happen.
2. Trade: to say a team like the rams where Sean McVay can help out this young man the way he did with Baker mayfield.
3. Release or free agency: Bryce could then pick his own situation to go into say the Cleveland Browns, where you have the weapons on offense and a shut down defense. Maybe even Miami Dolphins with all those offensive weapons.
Young needs to have a tailor-made team, with a top offensive line, and top-tier playmakers already there. What the former Alabama standout also needs is a coach who speaks his language. What I mean by that is, someone young, player-friendly, offensive-minded, preferably from the West Coast offensive system, that can take advantage of his mobility and accuracy, instead of making him a sitting duck, attempting a drop back.
Teams fitting this description are:
Cleveland (Kevin Stefanski)
New Orleans (OC Klint Kubiak)
Miami (Mike McDaniel)
Los Angeles (Sean McVay)
If Young lands in anything of these spots, he’ll have a chance to sit back and learn, or even get a new lease on life and get some snaps. But honestly, he needs a mental reset. There is a lot of untapped potential that sadly Carolina couldn’t tap out of him, and if any franchise deserves to rue the day they kicked a former top overall pick to the curb so unceremoniously, it is the Panthers.