Nick Saban gets 100% honest on Panthers' Bryce Young benching

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When a No. 1 overall pick falls from grace for all to see, they become a punchline almost immediately. There have been jokes galore in the aftermath of Bryce Young’s benching, but many of them are at the expense of the Carolina Panthers rather than the second-year quarterback. The organization’s decision to move on from the man tapped to be the face of the franchise just 17 months ago is being used to underscore a trend of ineptitude that has befallen the franchise for much of its recent history.

After seeing Baker Mayfield enjoy a Pro Bowl campaign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023-24, and Sam Darnold succeed with the Minnesota Vikings in the first two weeks of this season, many are convinced that the Panthers are the problem. College football legend and ESPN analyst Nick Saban seems to share the same sentiment.

“I hate to see Bryce Young get benched, but I also don’t see a lot of opportunity for him to be successful based on the skill players they have around him, the offensive line they have around him,” the seven-time national champion told The Pat McAfee Show on Friday. “I think he’s the type of player that can operate well when he has good players around him.”

Saban’s analysis is going to be tinged with some bias when it comes to Young, considering he coached him at Alabama for three years, but he is also making a sound argument. Although the position is extolled unlike any other in sports, a quarterback typically needs multiple things working in his favor in order to achieve success at the highest level. Carolina’s lack of talent and organizational stability is already putting Bryce Young at a disadvantage.

"I hate to see Bryce Young get benched, but I also don't see a lot of opportunity for him to be successful based on the skill players they have around him. The offensive line they have around him."

— Nick Saban

(via @PatMcAfeeShow)pic.twitter.com/w5ZA6alHDo

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 21, 2024

Panthers have holes aplenty

Despite looking better than it did last season, the offensive line is still not meeting an acceptable standard. The team also requires a bona fide No. 1 wide receiver, as neither Diontae Johnson nor Adam Thielen are capable of serving that role at this stage of their careers. When coupling those deficiencies with a third different head coach since November, it is hard to envision Young thriving in such an environment.

But it is definitely fair to expect him to do a more effective job at navigating the obstacles around him. Most young quarterbacks face extensive adversity and are forced to make the most of the sub-optimal hands they are dealt. Young is failing to inspire an iota of optimism while on the field with the Panthers, completing 59.3 percent of his passes and throwing 11 touchdowns to 13 interceptions in 18 games.

Do his statistical shortcomings fall primarily on the Panthers’ shoulders, or is an inauspicious situation merely accentuating an NFL skill set that would underwhelm on other teams as well? Nick Saban seems to know his answer.

Bryce Young has plenty of time to flip this unfortunate narrative

Saban witnessed Young win the Heisman Trophy after throwing for 4,872 passing yards and 47 touchdowns in 2021 and believes that stardom can carry over into the NFL. In the right circumstances, that is.

It might be too late for the 23-year-old to salvage his Panthers tenure, but he will have more chances to prove them and all the doubters wrong at some point in the future. For now, he must find the strength to be a good teammate to starter Andy Dalton and the rest of the roster while doing everything in his power to get better.

Amid all the uncertainties surrounding Bryce Young, Nick Saban has no qualms about his level of perseverance.

“He’s going to be positive about trying to learn and grow from this situation,” the former face of college football said. “He’s always been a guy that sort of improved from his failings, so hopefully this will be an opportunity for him to do it again.”

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