Game overview:
Finally, Bryce Young graced us with his presence in the preseason. The holy one played one series and led a TD drive – so, all is well...Bryce’s career has turned around...he just needed Dave Canales...we (the football intelligentsia) TOLD YOU he was great...worldwide proclamation: Bryce must be on every FF sleeper article until opening day.
Shockingly, I saw things differently. We’ll get into that in a moment.
Carolina played their 1st-team for a series...Buffalo countered with their 2nd/3rd-team, and that allowed the Panthers to scuffle and stumble their way to their first preseason win.
The mainstream thinks Carolina, and Bryce, are all fixed after this...because they ‘felt’ it ahead, this just gave them a mole hill event to proclaim they discovered a mountain.
I bet a little more on the Carolina alt win total line UNDER 4.5 wins into the consensus wave.
Scouting Notes from the game:
-- So, here’s Bryce Young’s excellent adventure on his one series...
Play 1: A little pass into the flat...receiver wide-open...Young floated it like a baby instead of firing it (because he has a terrible arm) so that the receiver could get it and go for yards, the floater allowed defenders to converge to a shot gain play.
If you had Bryce Young-to-Jordan Matthews (Eagles 1st-round pick WR in 2014), who is a TE now, on your bingo card as the first target for Young in preseason 2024...congrats.
Play 2: A decent pass to Ja’Tavion Sanders, wide-open, good protection and a simple throw-and-catch...1st-down.
Plays 3-4-5: Running plays.
Play 6: A bad Bryce scramble, because he’s one of the slowest starting QBs in the league...and Young stumbles around and gets blasted in the end for no gain.
Play 7: Another lazy, soft throw safe pass for 3-yards to make it 4th & 3 at midfield.
(The Bills backup defense, playing soft, essentially held the Panthers offense here)
Play 8: But Carolina ‘goes for it’ on 4th-down...Bryce drops in the pocket...hesitates to throw, panics out of the pocket, luckily finds space to his left...he’s now being pursued...the coverage breaks down...Bryce floats a desperation 4th-down pass downfield, with nothing to lose...and it lands to Diontae Johnson.
It was so close to a 3-4-and-out against the Buffalo B/C-team, soft zone defense.
Play 9: Simple pass to wide open Adam Thielen, who takes the pass and breaks tackles for a 21-yard gain to goal-to-go.
Play 10: Bryce has to throw it away.
Play 11: Simple pass over the middle, soft zone, for a wide open Jordan Matthews TD toss.
Nothing about Bryce’s play evoked any thoughts that ‘this is a different QB’. In fact, he looks exactly like the terrible QB that we last saw last season. Nothing has changed. But Dave Canales boasted (about Bryce’s performance) ‘hell of a day’ and "Couldn't have dreamt it better.''
Wow...what are your dreams like...if this was your best dream scenario, Dave?
I don’t know if Canales is trying to Tony Robbins/manifest Bryce Young into existence with positivity...or if he’s just delusional. Either way...this is gonna end badly. It’s the same Bryce Young as 2023, just with a new cast of characters around him.
-- Panthers WR report...
The starting trio for Carolina here: Diontae-Thielen-Mingo. That will be the opening day trio...really strikes fear into the hearts of defenses. If this were 5 years ago, a different story.
Not starting, but playing here (with the 2nd-team), Xavier Legette (0-0-0/1)...who has fallen behind in camp due to missing time with injury, but I also want to note...he looked lost and disinterested here. He got one target over the middle, and it hit him in his hands and clanked off of them...Legette looking around for trouble/getting hit going over the middle. Legette is not an over-the-middle WR from his college days...he worked the outside a lot. Carolina seems to be forcing him inside – and he doesn’t look comfortable with it. A troubling red flag, potentially. QB Jack Plummer had little interest in looking for Legette at all while they worked together here...telling.
UDFA WR, we love, Jalen Coker (3-55-1/3) had a quick stutter step and go deep...big play win/36-yard TD catch. Coker is the best WR the Panthers have...for 2025+. However, he was working deep into the game. If Carolina tries to cut him and stash him...they are fools...so, 50-50 it’s gonna happen.
Terrace Marshall (3-39-1/5), who may be the Panthers most talented WR right now...he was working deeper into the rotation here...a to-be-cut or traded level deep. AND the QBs were looking for Marshall as much as they could...unlike with Legette.
Marshall is very talented, but he must be an off-field nightmare...he’s been through four coaches now that have not unlocked him in 3 years. His best time was with interim Steve Wilks – when Marshall was breaking out/working better than D.J. Moore.
Now, Moore is a 100+ million-dollar NFL contractual earner in his career...while Marshall is fighting for his NFL existence on a low level deal.
Coker or Marshall could be the 7th WR/kept on the 53-man...or Marshall ditched, and Coker cut to try to get him onto the practice squad so that Canales' friend David Moore could be kept. Whatever happens, I have big thoughts on it – because it speaks to what Carolina management is thinking. We’ll review Wednesday after cuts and claims.
-- Panthers TE report...
#1 TE Tommy Tremble has missed campo with a hamstring injury.
#2 TE Ian Thomas was put on IR
So, the Panthers 1st-team TEs for this game were Jordan Matthews (3-21-1/3) and Ja’Tavion Sanders (1-13-0/1)...and, combined, the two TEs caught 2/3rds of Bryce’s completions in this game. It’s possible Jordan Matthews is the #1 TE for them Week 1...and is a shock performer.
-- There’s really not a lot to say about the Bills from this game, they really went down the depth chart here...playing mostly guys about to get cut, especially at QB. However, one thing caught my attention...
Rookie RB Ray Davis (DNP) was held out of this game, so it looks like he’s going to be the #2 RB.
Ty Johnson did play...didn’t work on offense but returned a kick. Not sure what they are doing with Ty...if they are keeping him as the experienced utility back or if they are gonna keep Darrynton Evans (3-15-0, 3-28-1/3) instead. But I think the Ty Johnson sleeper #2 RB hope is just about dead...but let me see if they keep Ty J as the third and final back or not on Tuesday.
Frank Gore Jr. (18-101-1, 1-0-0/2) had a 100+ yard rushing day, but he’s going to get cut and attempted to be out on the practice squad.
-- IDP Report...
Bills UDA rookie Joe Andreesen (8 tackles) played a ton in this game, again...and looked good again. A late-breaking fave of mine...and for the city of Buffalo. He’s becoming a cult hero. We’ll see if he makes the team, I think he will for sure.
Bills rookie CB Daequan Hardy (2 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PD) had a nice showing here...and returned a kick. He should make the team easy...a future starting slot CB for them in 2025+.
