Carolina Panther fans likely are in a hurry to shed the loser label. But new coach Frank Reich still sees the team, even with Bryce Young as the starting quarterback, as a project with an extended timeline.
Yes, Reich knows what it’s like to be a Panthers quarterback. He was the first QB1 in a Panthers uniform. But in an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, he says it could take four years for Young and the Panthers to meet their full potential. He used some terrific quarterbacks, including a pair of Hall of Famers, to illustrate his point.
“Patrick Mahomes sat on the bench his rookie year,” Reich said. “Peyton Manning was 3–13. Troy Aikman was 1–15. The list goes on and on. So this is a two- to four-year project. It’s a two- to four-year project with every sense of urgency to win every game and make the most of every day. Those things can both be true.”
And Reich said to those fans who now think the Panthers aren’t concerned with winning now?
“That’s garbage,” he says. “We’re fighting and scratching to win every game, to win our division, to win playoff games. But it’s a two- to four year project.”
The Panthers last made the playoffs in 2017. For context, Frank Reich was the OC with the Eagles and Bryce Young was finally old enough for his driver’s license. In the time since then, the Panthers have changed coaches three times, going from Ron Rivera to Matt Rhule to Reich. But there is reason to hope that Carolina can start winning this season. After Rhule received his walking papers early last fall, interim coach Steve Wilks helped lead the Panthers to a 6-6 record.
If you go to the examples Reich offered, Mahomes threw for 5,000 yards in his second season as he helped the Chiefs achieve a dozen regular season wins. Manning, in his second season, did one better than Mahomes, with the Colts achieving 13 victories. It took Aikman and the Cowboys a bit longer. But that had more to do with Aikman’s late-season injury his second season.
Frank Reich, the former NFL quarterback, has worked with several elite QB prospects like Bryce Young. He was on staff with the Colts for Manning and Andrew Luck. And he also helped coach Philip Rivers.
“Bryce is our starter,” Reich said. “We’re going forward; this is how we’re rolling.”
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