Cam Newton says Panthers haven't set Bryce Young up for success in rookie season
If anybody knows what it’s like to be the first overall pick of the Carolina Panthers, it’s Cam Newton. Carolina selected the former Auburn standout quarterback No. 1 overall in 2011, and so began a near decade of success, including an MVP and Super Bowl appearance.
For Newton, getting acclimated to the NFL was instant. The same, however, can’t be said for the Panthers’ No. 1 overall selection from this year’s Draft, quarterback Bryce Young out of Alabama. Young threw for just 299 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions on 59.2% passing in his first two games, before an ankle injury sidelined him for Week 3. Veteran signal-caller Andy Dalton eclipsed Young’s production in one afternoon, throwing for 361 yards and two touchdowns on 34-of-58 passing in the 37-27 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks.
Given his struggles early on, Newton was recently asked if the Panthers had set Young up for success in his rookie season. Newton’s answer? An emphatic no.
“No,” Newton said Wednesday on “KJ ALL DAY with KJ Wright,” via Panthers Wire. “And I see the receiver skill set, yes. You see the [Adam] Thielen, you see [DJ] Chark, you see the tight end there. But from top to bottom, for him, it’s not set up for him to be successful—especially not his rookie year, in my honest opinion.
“And, like I said, everything that Carolina is building—will they get to that point? Yes. In throwing him into the wolves and expecting instant success, that’s not the quarterback position, unfortunately. What I will say—it’s gonna take a season for him to kinda see the preparation, seein’ the tempo of the game, seein’ just in-game adjustments at its finest.”
Cam Newton believes in Bryce Young
Newton, though, isn’t giving up on the 22-year-old. From one Heisman Trophy winner to another, Newton believes Young is the quarterback to carry Carolina into the future. Newton cautioned it will take some time, as it did for other No. 1 picks such as Peyton Manning.
“We all know any time you’re the first pick, that means you’re goin’ to a [expletive] team. I went through it. Peyton Manning went through it. All the No. 1 picks went through it,” Newton said. “And this day in age, it’s about who and what can you do right now. But I think when you’re dealin’ with a talent like Bryce Young, it’s the long tenure rather than right-now success.”