While the NFL world was focused on the debut of Cleveland Browns rookie Shedur Sanders, little was said about Carolina Panthers starter Bryce Young.
Young, who played just the first quarter last night against the Browns, looked like he did at the end of last season: poise, confident, and on the mark.
For the evening, Young was 4 for 6 for 58 yards and a touchdown. Many fans were saying that Young looked like the Young of old, who played at Alabama, especially the way he moved in the pocket. Young also had a passer rating of 137.5.
"Yeah, it feels great," Young said of his play via the Panthers website. "Offseason is so long you forget how much you miss playing this game. Definitely a blessing to be able to be out here with the best fans in the NFL. Come out here, it's not a weekend anymore, I guess not a Sunday, but go out here and play football. It's always great."
Since being benched last year for backup Andy Dalton, Young has been nothing short of spectacular at times. He sees the field better, and the confidence he had shown while he was at Alabama is back.
On top of all of that, he seems to be enjoying the game again, something we hadn’t seen very often in his first few years. Losing can be hard on any player, especially when you come from a program like Alabama, where he was used to winning.
It can wear you down and test your attitude, but it appears that Young may have gotten past all of that and is ready for a breakout season for the Carolina Panthers, at least the fans and coaches think so.
If Young plays like that the rest of the season, the NFL may be in trouble.