If you’re anything like me, this is what the Monday morning after NFL Sunday looks like.
You start the day by scanning the football media landscape, looking for insight to explain what we saw the day before. That means looking at different outlets for their coverage, watching film analysts break down the All-22 from every angle, and looking at stats to determine the angles on each play.
As I made those rounds on Monday after the Week 2 Sunday slate, I stumbled upon some statistical quarterly rankings.
Is Bryce Young gassing up this year?
Currently, Young is one of the NFL’s leaders. Several categories of statistics. He completed 46-of-73 passes for 648 yards, six touchdowns and one interception on the season. He ranks second in passing yards, tied for first in passing touchdowns, tied for second in first downs (29), and has a 9.1 mark in adjusted net yards per attempt.
And when you look at a quarterback’s performance, which measures both expected points added per game and completion percentage above expectations, you see Young in the upper right quadrant along with some of the others. Big names in the game:
(Data and graphic from RBSDM.com).
The young man is also good at the field passing game. According to charting information from Pro football focusYoung has connected on 8-of-12 passes for 20 yards this season for 286 yards, a touchdown and an interception. His adjusted completion percentage of 66.7% on those throws — which avoids drops by framing targeted throws — ranks second in the league behind Tyler Shaw.
Yes, we might get a Tyler Shaw vs. Brice Young matchup in the NFC South this season.
Young was close to perfect on Sunday as the Carolina Panthers defeated the Atlanta Falcons by a final score of 34-3. He completed 23-of-36 throws for 287 yards and three touchdowns as the Panthers rolled. And scanning his film against Atlanta, you’ll see reasons to believe this is permanent, from the concept of Dave Canales dialing in the passing game to Young’s play.
Take this long completion to Tet McMillan on the right side of the field.
This is a beautiful concept to attack from behind Atlanta’s cover 6 coverage. The Falcons in that coverage adjusted to the strength of the passer on the coverage 4 side — the left side of the offense — and the coverage 2 side on McMillan as a single receiver on the right side.
That gives Atlanta numbers perhaps the most passing strength with two deep linebackers and two linebackers underneath. The Falcons get a plus-one when Young fakes, which puts Chuba Hubbard back in the formation.
The youngster rolls there, but the target is going to be McMillan at the back running a deep breaking route. The route attacks the 2 side of coverage, and the run fake works to trap the cornerback near the line of scrimmage. He retreats as fast as he can, but can’t get under McMillan’s throw. The youngster has pressure on his face, but sticks the return pass to McMillan for a big gain.
Here’s a similar concept, attacking a two-deep structure, this time layer 2:
Young again uses a run fake, and McMillan on a deep outside route to the left, and Jalen Coker digs a route back. The quarterback uses a fake half roll from the run and again sticks on McMillan on the outside.
But both ways are open to him, and if he wants to get to that back hole, he can easily have it. He takes the exit again, his run action keeping the flat defender close to the line of scrimmage, helping to create a large passing window.
Now we can discuss a little more about how the young man handles other aspects of his position.
When you study quarterbacks, you can tell when the game starts to “slow down for them” when you start seeing more and more “waiting throws.” Those times when the ball comes out ahead of the receiver’s break or thought, because the quarterback is confident in reading the play, doesn’t second-guess any decisions, and knows where to go with the ball.
Those are the types of throws that convince me that a young quarterback is finally getting comfortable living in the NFL.
So take this wrap up against the Falcons on Sunday:
Once again, Yang attacks Cover 2 in a way that breaks the structure. But what stands out in this example is time and consideration. The youngster starts the movement before the break from the coker and places the pass in a position where only the receiver can catch it.
This is a good example of the “slowness” of the game for a young quarterback.
This is best from week 1:
In this game from Week 1 against the Chicago Bears, the defense brings eight behind the quarterback, and plays straight man coverage in the secondary. But Young, when the pressure was on, made a spectacular owl throw to punish the Bears defense for sparking.
To drive this point home, check out the game scene when Young let this pass fly:
McMillan is running on this play, and Young is starting to break down the current unit as he allows it. But the quarterback knows the pressure is coming, he knows the coverage and he knows he has to take advantage of the situation.
He does it, for a big profit.
Again, a sign that the game is slowing down.
So from planning to forecasting, things really seem to be looking up for the youngsters. And these two pending throws are examples to back up if you want to make a case that his start is sustainable.
But if you’re going to hit the pause button on that argument, maybe you’ll look at the context.
Especially the defenses of Chicago and Atlanta.
These units aren’t exactly Monsters of Midway, or anywhere else.
Still, this is a very good start for the youngster, and the most positive sign from the game is what he did in time and in the reserves. This is a true measure of his growth as a passer.
And even when he faces a tough defense, that serves him well.
And maybe it will help him continue his strong start for the rest of the season.