Tag: Andy Dalton

Andy Dalton on possibly starting in Week 3: I’m not here to make this a competition

Panthers QB Andy Dalton is seemingly in line to take the spot start for Bryce Young in Week 3, and he knows his assignment.

Andy Dalton knows his assignment.

The 13th-year veteran is seemingly in line to take the Week 3 spot start for the Carolina Panthers and rookie Bryce Young, who will be missing practice on Thursday with an ankle injury. And before taking his place on the field, Dalton took it at the lectern—where he was asked if this week is more fun for him.

“For me? Obviously. Absolutely. Absolutely,” he replied with a laugh. “It’s always nice because . . . I’ve had a certain way of operating, like, my whole career. And I think when you go from starting to being the backup, that’s one of the things that you miss.

“Scout team’s one thing. You’re lookin’ at a card and you’re runnin’ the other team’s offense. But when you get a chance to kinda take ownership of what you’re doing and to know how you want it to look and how you want it to feel and you actually get to execute it, that’s what makes football fun.”

Dalton signed a two-year, $10 million deal with the Panthers this spring. That pact came with the impression that the 35-year-old would be backing up whichever rookie passer the team eventually drafted.

Nonetheless, it may be time for Dalton to make an impression on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks . . . but not too much of one.

“My goal is to win,” he later added. “Especially here—this is Bryce’s thing. I’m not here to make this a competition, make this anything. I’m here to help the team.”

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Thomas Brown: Bryce Young never mentioned ankle injury during game

Despite injuring his ankle in the first half of Monday’s loss to the Saints, Panthers QB Bryce Young never brought the issue up during the game.

Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown began his pre-practice presser on Thursday preaching about the value of playing with warriors—and it seems like they have one in Bryce Young.

The rookie quarterback is set to miss Thursday’s session due to an ankle injury—one that came as a bit of a surprise to just about everyone when it popped up yesterday. Young was listed as a non-participant in Wednesday’s walk-through, just two days after sustaining the apparent setback in the Week 2 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

But Brown, like the rest of us, didn’t even know that the 22-year-old was playing through the pain on Monday night.

“There was no flinch by him at all,” Brown said. “There was no mention of any injury throughout the game, which shows his toughness overall. So that should never be in question—him or anybody else. I think our guys definitely fought ’til the end. It was great to see him compete as well.”

He went on to state that Young “never said a word” about the injury and that it occurred some time in the first half. Perhaps weirdly enough, some of his best play came in the second half—most notably on an impressive 26-yard run and the touchdown drive to finish off the game.

Brown was then asked if he was surprised by the news.

“I think any time you have a guy that completes an entire game and doesn’t complain or talk about injury, you sometimes get surprised by it,” he replied. “I’ve never questioned his toughness when it comes to—mental toughness, for sure—but physical toughness as well. So, we’ll keep it movin’.”

It feels as though, after a second straight day of inactivity for Young, that they’ll keep it moving with veteran Andy Dalton on Sunday.

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Frank Reich: We have ‘a lot of confidence’ if Andy Dalton starts

Panthers HC Frank Reich after Bryce Young’s DNP on Wednesday: If Andy [Dalton] plays, we believe he gives us a very good chance to win.

Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich has been saying it since the spring—Andy Dalton wasn’t signed just to sit on the bench and look pretty, no matter how good that hair looks. And on Wednesday, he said it again.

Starting quarterback Bryce Young, who is dealing with an ankle injury, popped up as a non-participant in this afternoon’s walk-through. While we’ll learn much more about the rookie’s status tomorrow, especially considering that Thursday will play host to an actual practice, Reich was asked about the possibility of Dalton having to start in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks.

“If Andy’s the starter, we got a lot of confidence,” he said. “This is why you bring someone like Andy in. Our goal is to put our team in position to win championships. And even despite a tough start—that’s still our vision, that’s still our goal, that’s what we’re working towards.

“And my experience personally, as a player and as a coach, is that your’e gonna need somebody for one game or two or three or somewhere along the line. And you’re gonna need to win those games. And if Andy plays, we believe he gives us a very good chance to win.”

Dalton’s last start came against the Panthers to close out the 2022 campaign. That Week 18 matchup in New Orleans saw the three-time Pro Bowler complete 15 of his 25 throws for 171 yards and a touchdown in an ugly Carolina win.

The former second-round pick finished his 12th NFL season with 2,871 passing yards, 18 scores and nine interceptions over 14 games.

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Frank Reich speaks on replacing Bryce Young in short-yardage situations

The Panthers subbed out Bryce Young for Andy Dalton on two short-yardage situations last night. Frank Reich was asked if that’ll be the plan moving forward.

The inherent risk of taking Bryce Young with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft was, of course, his size. And on Monday night, the Carolina Panthers might’ve given us a look into how they’ll try to mitigate that.

On two separate short-yardage situations from the Week 2 loss to the New Orleans Saints, head coach Frank Reich subbed veteran Andy Dalton in for the 5-foot-10, 204-pound Young. (Because if you haven’t been able to tell, the quarterback sneak may not be the strongest part of Bryce’s game.)

The first instance was essentially scrapped, as a false start on right guard Cade Mays caused the Panthers to abort what was a fourth-and-1 try for a 54-yard field goal. The second resulted in a first down off a third-and-1, when Dalton flipped the rock to running back Miles Sanders for a 5-yard gain.

Reich was asked about those decisions relative to Young’s size limitations.

“That could be part of the plan. It’s always a week-to-week plan,” he said on Tuesday afternoon. “Every opponent is a different opponent. So, that’ll be a weekly decision. Andy’s a very experienced guy. So, if we’re bringing him in there to do whatever we’re bringing him in there to do, we feel like he’ll do a good job of it.”

He then went on to (kinda) compare that approach to that of the Saints and quarterback Taysom Hill.

“Bryce can do any of it,” Reich added. “But you got an experienced veteran. There’s no golden rule that says he can’t come in and play a couple plays in the game. Look what the Saints did. I know Taysom Hill’s a different story, but why not do that to a lesser extent if it can be utilized in a positive way?”

As far as Hill’s story from last night, he was utilized in a very positive way for New Orleans. The physical passer/runner/thing-a-ma-bobber rushed for a game-high 75 yards on just nine carries in helping seal his team’s victory.

And as far as Carolina’s story moving forward, we’ll just have to take it—as Reich noted—on a week-by-week and inch-by-inch basis.

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Here’s the logical reason why the Panthers may have subbed Bryce Young for Andy Dalton on a QB sneak

Any time you have to actually play Andy Dalton, you’re losing.

In time, the Carolina Panthers could have their next franchise quarterback in Bryce Young. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick has already started to show occasional flashes of playmaking and great anticipation as a young guy but is, unfortunately, floundering on an otherwise moribund Panthers squad.

It seems Carolina can’t use Young for every important play, either. Take a quarterback sneak on a key Panthers fourth-and-short against the New Orleans Saints Monday night. While sitting in opposition territory in a 6-3 affair, the Panthers subbed out Young for Dalton. Huh, that’s a little odd, you might think. Sure, you probably want the more experienced player taking in a vital play. But there’s no real reason Young shouldn’t be able to handle all the responsibilities the Panthers ask him to.

Given the nature of a quarterback sneak — where the player must often gain a yard or less by inching over the line — it’s unsurprising. The Panthers seemingly took Young out because he’s a listed 5-foot-10 while Dalton is a listed 6-foot-2. And it almost blew up in their face: Dalton’s cadence led to a false start before kicker Eddy Pineiro had to make a 54-yard attempt.

So yes, the Panthers could have a special signal caller on their hands. And ultimately, being potentially too short for quarterback sneaks probably won’t mean anything for Young as the leader of a team. If the alternative is true — the Panthers don’t trust Young in that situation regardless of his physique — then they have a significant problem on their hands.

Still, it was a little bizarre watching a top pick apparently get substituted for his height.

Bryce Young reveals how Panthers got his 1st TD ball back

Andy Dalton was on the case as soon as Hayden Hurst hurled Bryce Young’s first TD ball into the stands this past Sunday.

One game into the regular season and Andy Dalton is already paying dividends as the big brother for Bryce Young.

The Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback spoke with reporters this afternoon, a few days following his first official NFL start. And in that start, came Young’s first official NFL touchdown pass—one that would be immediately hurled into stands by its recipient Hayden Hurst.

Both Young and Hurst have since stated that the ball was eventually retrieved from the seats of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. But on Wednesday, Young revealed exactly who led the recovery mission.

“Actually, shoutout to Andy,” Young said with a smile. “He did a great job. He tracked it down. He was on it. He had told me right when I got back to the sideline.

“I don’t remember the exact story, but he told me he went and got it right away. Yeah, super grateful for that. My mom and my dad are super grateful for that.”

Unfortunately for the Panthers, Young finished with just the one score in what turned out to be a 24-10 loss to the host Atlanta Falcons. Nonetheless, it’s likely the first of many for the 22-year-old, who will always owe a debt of gratitude to his veteran mentor.

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5 veteran QBs the Jets could consider following Aaron Rodgers’ injury

Aaron Rodgers is expected to be out for the season and the Jets could pursue one of these veteran QBs.

The scene at MetLife Stadium was palpable on Monday Night Football as fans of the New York Jets were anxious to see their new franchise quarterback in Aaron Rodgers take the field. Fans went from being animated to dejected on New York’s first drive on offense when Rodgers went down with a lower leg injury.

Rodgers made the trip to the medical tent and was carted to the tunnel before undergoing further testing while sporting a walking boot. Following an improbable win sans Rodgers, Robert Saleh shared that the Jets believe it’s an Achilles injury, which means he’s expected to be sidelined for the rest of the season.

Saleh was confident in saying that Zach Wilson will be the starter for the rest of the year, but even if that’s true, the Jets can’t rely on Wilson and Tim Boyle being their two quarterbacks on the roster. Taking that into account, here are five veteran quarterbacks the Jets could consider adding.

Saints, NFC South rivals make dubious NFL history with 4 new starting quarterbacks

The Saints are making dubious NFL history with their division rivals. The entire NFC South is starting new quarterbacks on Sunday, the first time a division has done so since 1973:

The New Orleans Saints are making dubious NFL history on Sunday. Along with their division rivals in the NFC South, they’re starting a new quarterback on Sunday, which in itself is only kind of interesting. But Elias Sports Bureau researchers found that this is the first time an entire division is trotting out new starters since 1973, when the AFC West experienced a total makeover.

So who are all of these new faces? Who are they replacing? Will they ultimately prove to be upgrades? Let’s explore each NFC South team’s situation under center:

Panthers claim former Saints guard Calvin Throckmorton off waivers

The Panthers claimed former Saints guard Calvin Throckmorton off waivers. He’ll face his old team in Week 2:

If you can’t beat them, sign them. That’s the Carolina Panthers’ motto — they claimed former New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton on waivers Wednesday, per the daily NFL transactions wire. Throckmorton was waived Tuesday at the roster cuts deadline and now he’ll be playing against his former team as soon as Week 2.

He’s joining several former teammates in Carolina. This offseason the Panthers signed longtime Saints defensive tackle Shy Tuttle, backup quarterback Andy Dalton, and former Saints safety Vonn Bell as veteran free agents. That’s a lot of familiar faces.

Throckmorton was first signed by the Saints as an undrafted free agent out of Oregon. He developed into a solid backup and played a lot of snaps at left guard in relief of Andrus Peat when the starter was injured at times during the last two seasons. It wasn’t likely he would clear waivers given his combination of age and experience, and now he’s playing for a division rival.

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