Panthers quarterback Bryce Young was pressured throughout the team’s 47-10 loss to the Saints on Sunday and Carolina head coach Dave Canales said much of that falls on coaching.
Young was sacked four times with New Orleans registering five QB hits in the contest. In his Monday news conference, Canales said that some of reading the pressures falls on Young, but as the head coach, he and the rest of the staff did not provide Young enough help.
"[H]onestly, it’s on the coaching staff. It’s on us,” Canales said. “We sat there like we were sitting ducks. We didn’t do enough to put our guys — to give them simpler solutions in some of those. This is one of the best third-down pressure packages that you’re going to go against. We saw it Week 1. We’ve been against it before. We had a plan. [Dennis Allen] had counters. We got out coached in that regard. I take that personal.
“There was one that Bryce could have seen, and he could have flipped the protection. He’s been fantastic doing that. That’s the only one I would say that he could have really fixed the problem. [The Saints] gave us issues with what they did. We need to do better than that. That’s coaching.”
What does Canales mean that he takes it personal?
“For me, I take it personal any time that I feel like I’m putting our players at a disadvantage where they don’t have simple solutions,” Canales said.
In general, Canales said he thought Young had a “solid day” with his footwork.
“As we went through the grades, looking at his footwork and the discipline of it, it was there,” Canales said. “I think he missed a couple of throws. I think that he’s learning some of his guys, and we’ve gotten all these reps and we’ve got to keep accumulating those reps. But what I saw from him was just kind of missing a few of his opportunities that he had there, and I also have to give the Saints credit for covering us really well and they made it hard and it forced accurate throws and that’s something that we have to make sure we cash in on when we have those opportunities.”
Young ended the contest 13-of-30 for 161 yards with two interceptions.
Canales, Young, and the Panthers will try to turn things around when they host the Chargers on Sunday.
The Panthers are set to be without Derrick Brown for an extended period of time and part of their plan for dealing with his absence is to add another veteran to the defensive line.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that the team plans to sign defensive end Charles Harris.
Harris spent the last three seasons with the Lions and entered the league as a Dolphins first-round pick in 2017. He set a career-high with 7.5 sacks for the Lions in 2021 and has 171 tackles, 16.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery in 90 career games.
Brown injured his meniscus in Week One and is consulting doctors about next medical steps that could include season-ending surgery.
The Panthers are preparing themselves to be without defensive tackle Derrick Brown because of a torn meniscus in his knee, but the plan for next steps is still to be determined.
Panthers head coach Dave Canales said on Monday that Brown is going for a second opinion before deciding on surgery. If he does have an operation, the type of surgery will determine whether or not Brown will be back this season.
Canales didn’t undersell what Brown’s loss will mean to a defense that had a rough day in Sunday’s 47-10 loss to the Saints.
“Definitely a huge loss,’' Canales said, via David Newton of ESPN.com. “He’s one of our best players. That’s big shoes to fill. At the same time, we encourage [other players to] go in with great technique and just do your job. We don’t need you to make the special plays that Derrick makes. Just do your job. That’s the truth of it. If you play team football with a bunch of guys you can have success.’'
Shy Tuttle, A’Shawn Robinson, LaBryan Ray, Nick Thurman, and Jayden Peevy are the other defensive linemen on Carolina’s 53-man roster.
Bryce Young and the Panthers had a rough start to the 2024 season with Sunday’s 47-10 loss to the Saints.
Young, the No. 1 pick of the 2023 draft, finished the contest 13-of-30 passing for 161 yards with two interceptions. He was also sacked four times before new head coach Dave Canales put in Andy Dalton at the end of the game.
In his postgame press conference, Young noted that the Panthers have to move forward.
“Of course, you want to come out and start on a high note. It didn’t happen today and that’s tough,” Young said. “We’re going to wear that today. We’re going to learn from it when we turn the film on tomorrow.
“But that doesn’t define us. Obviously, [it’s] a long year and we have to attack it with urgency and make sure that we’re urgent about cleaning things up and fix what we’ve got to fix. But we’ve got to turn the page. Again, it’s a tough league. Would’ve been great to win a game — obviously, the goal is to win every one. It wasn’t the case. So, that’s how it is. We’ve got to turn the page and then focus on next week.”
Young was asked if it potentially helps that it’s just Week 1 so that the team can flush what happened to start the year and improve.
“I think we don’t have a choice,” Young said. “Again, we’ve got to get ready for next week. You dwell too long or you let it affect you — obviously, that’s something we can’t do. [In] the league, you don’t have a choice. We have to let it be what it is.
“Again, it’s fresh right now, so you feel the emotions more. But you’ve got to be able to move on.”
Young and the Panthers will host Justin Herbert, Jim Harbaugh, and the Chargers in Week 2.
Coming off a blowout loss to open the season, the Panthers may be without one of their best players for the rest of 2024.
Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, defensive tackle Derrick Brown suffered a meniscus injury that will require surgery. The procedure will determine Brown’s recovery timeline, which could take the rest of the year.
A first-round pick in 2020, Brown has started every game in each of the last two seasons. He recorded 103 total tackles last year with seven tackles for loss, 15 quarterback hits, and a pair of sacks. He earned his first Pro Bowl berth in 2023.
Brown signed a four-year contract extension in April.
