Young getting more first-team reps than Dalton
Mike Florio and Chris Simms unpack Frank Reich’s comments about dividing practice reps between Bryce Young and Andy Dalton and discuss why they’re confident the rookie QB will start.
Video Transcript
MIKE FLORIO: Carolina Panthers-- Frank Reich, head coach, Bryce Young, first overall pick, Mother's Day weekend, rookie minicamp. Here is Frank Reich on the practice reps taken by Bryce Young in his first set of NFL practices.
FRANK REICH: Yeah, Bryce will get a lot of reps, you know, as we've said. You know, hey, when he's ready, when it's best for the team, that's when we'll look to make a transition. Right now, when we come back out Monday, Andy will be taking reps with the ones. Bryce will be with the twos.
But Bryce is gonna get a lot of reps, you know, likely even get a few more than Andy, just as the new guy, so-- and Andy, the good thing with Andy is he's logged a lot in the last couple of weeks. And as a savvy veteran, you know, he still needs the work. But we'll focus on getting Bryce, as the younger player, you know, focusing on getting him as many reps as we can.
MIKE FLORIO: That tells me he's starting week 1. That tells me--
CHRIS SIMMS: That's what they want. That's where they want it to go.
MIKE FLORIO: If they're giving him-- more first-team reps than Andy Dalton-- because Andy Dalton's new there. I don't care how long he's been in the NFL.
CHRIS SIMMS: Sure.
MIKE FLORIO: He's new there.
CHRIS SIMMS: Right.
MIKE FLORIO: The guy that's getting the bulk of the first-team reps is the guy that's starting week 1. And as time goes by, it's gonna be a little more and a little more. They're trying to avoid-- and we've talked about this before. It's a point you've made.
You don't want to create the impression that anything's being handed to--
CHRIS SIMMS: Sure, right.
MIKE FLORIO: --the young guy.
CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah.
MIKE FLORIO: He's got to earn it. And they're confident he's gonna earn it quickly.
CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah.
MIKE FLORIO: That's why they took him. It gets back to that debate. If you're gonna take the guy with the first overall pick, you better be damn sure you're gonna get him ready to go.
CHRIS SIMMS: Right.
MIKE FLORIO: And if you don't think you're gonna be able to get him ready to go, take somebody else with the first overall pick. That's one of the factors they're looking for. Who can we get ready to go week 1? And I think that's part of why they decided to draft Bryce Young.
CHRIS SIMMS: Agree.
MIKE FLORIO: They're confident they can get him ready to go week 1. And they're already beginning the process of doing it.
CHRIS SIMMS: Right? I mean, that's all we heard through the process. He is ready to go, right? He's an NFL-- he thinks like an NFL quarterback, right? He processes like an NFL quarterback.
You know, he's had, you know, parts of playbooks and things he's done on college that are, you know, of course, NFL advanced-type stuff that he's doing. So I think that is a part of the appeal of why he was so highly regarded, you know, across the league in that capacity.
And, yeah, they're-- you know, the number one pick, I look at it to go it's just yes. It's a matter of time. It's more of a, you know, how much progress can he make or when does Andy Dalton not do his best just to open the door for Frank Reich and company to go, you know what? Let's start giving him half the first-team reps.
But, yes, Andy Dalton, they're gonna play it as, hey, he's been here. He's had a lot of reps. He knows what he's doing, which is very true.
And you get to a quarterback that age, even when-- you know, Mike, even when they're not, you know, preparing a number-one pick, sometimes, those guys get lesser reps, right?
They've been around the league. The team tries to save their arm a little bit and just keep them fresh and let some of the other guys get reps. But I would think that, yes, he's gonna get some with the ones, mainly the twos. But he'll get some with the threes.
And then you'll have days where, hey, oh, hey, Andy, you were supposed to get 10 plays this period. But, hey, we're gonna give you seven. Bryce is gonna take the last three, right? And he's gonna start to infiltrate everybody's reps to where he's gonna slowly but surely start dominating practice.
MIKE FLORIO: Yeah, and it is just a matter of time--
CHRIS SIMMS: It is.
MIKE FLORIO: --before he's the guy. The moment I heard Reich say that he's gonna get a few more reps than Andy Dalton, that's it. Game over. Andy Dalton's number two. Bryce Young's number one, barring injury or a complete and total disaster--
CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah.
MIKE FLORIO: --which they will work their damnedest to avoid happening.
CHRIS SIMMS: There it is.
MIKE FLORIO: Video of Bryce Young taking his first snap-- you can actually see him over the offensive linemen. That's a plus.
CHRIS SIMMS: You're funny.
MIKE FLORIO: Well--
CHRIS SIMMS: He does look really small. It's hard not to think that when he pulls away from the center.
MIKE FLORIO: Especially under center--
CHRIS SIMMS: Right.
MIKE FLORIO: --because what are we used to seeing with small quarterbacks? Shotgun--
CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah, right.
MIKE FLORIO: --not up there where he is literally under center. I mean, you can say a quarterback is under center. With Bryce Young, when he's under center, he is under the center--
CHRIS SIMMS: Yes.
MIKE FLORIO: --but not quite.
CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah.
MIKE FLORIO: You still saw his helmet, which is good. It just reminds me of watching high school football.
CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah.
MIKE FLORIO: When-- because when you watch high school games, sometimes the quarterback looks so small--
CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah.
MIKE FLORIO: --behind the offensive line.
CHRIS SIMMS: Right.
MIKE FLORIO: It's kind of like what it is there. But--
CHRIS SIMMS: Oh, I'm sure.
MIKE FLORIO: --they're ready to go. They know, they believe, they think he's smart enough to do--
CHRIS SIMMS: Yes.
MIKE FLORIO: --what needs to be done.
CHRIS SIMMS: Right.
MIKE FLORIO: And we'll see what happens.
CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah.
MIKE FLORIO: I can't remember who they play week 1. But it becomes interesting right out of the gates. I don't know. We didn't pay much attention to the schedules of the teams that aren't getting a bunch of primetime games. Chris is looking at it while I [INAUDIBLE].
CHRIS SIMMS: Atlanta. They're at Atlanta, just so you know.
MIKE FLORIO: All right. There we go-- Bijan Robinson versus Bryce Young--
CHRIS SIMMS: Yes.
MIKE FLORIO: --right out of the gate.
CHRIS SIMMS: That's pretty good.
MIKE FLORIO: A little Desmond Ridder.
CHRIS SIMMS: Right.
MIKE FLORIO: See what you can do, wide-open division--
CHRIS SIMMS: NFC South.
MIKE FLORIO: See what happens.
CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah. They're gonna try to do their best to get him out on the field, like you said, definitely. Why? It's a young football team. The expectations are not real high, as we've talked about, you know?
They do have some young talent. So I'm excited to see what they do with Bryce Young and what the offense looks like. He's got some special things about his ability and the way he plays the position. He's a natural, you know?
But I guarantee, just them watching him come on the field yesterday, or the other day, I guarantee there was a few of them were like, man, I can't believe that that's our number one pick, that guy right there, who's 195 pounds. He's like-- there's got to be that moment.
But he's shown that he knows how to play and protect himself. And we'll see what he does with this opportunity.
MIKE FLORIO: Do you think that puts more pressure on the Texans to play CJ Stroud right out of the gate? It's not that they have a ton of great alternatives. I know there's still this argument that Davis Mills--
CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah, right.
MIKE FLORIO: --is good enough. Well, if--
CHRIS SIMMS: Right.
MIKE FLORIO: --it was, they wouldn't have drafted CJ Stroud.
CHRIS SIMMS: Right.
MIKE FLORIO: But do you think it puts pressure on the Texans and the Colts, who took Anthony Richardson at number four, if it's so clear and it's so obvious right now that Bryce Young is gonna play week 1?
CHRIS SIMMS: I think that you got to be careful about, you know, judging off of other situations. I would always say that can lead you into, you know, bad things or bad situations where you go, wait, well, let's put our guy at number one. You know, he might not be ready yet, but they're making him one. So let's us do it.
I think everybody's got their own process there. I don't know if they'll feel that pressure. Everybody in all three of those organizations knows where it's heading, right? I mean, everybody's gonna put all their focus into making those three guys the starter by week 1. It's just you got to be careful, and everybody kind of handles the new plays and the adjustment a little bit differently.
MIKE FLORIO: I delved into this issue with Jets GM Joe Douglas last week--
CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah.
MIKE FLORIO: --on Zach Wilson--
CHRIS SIMMS: Right.
MIKE FLORIO: --second overall pick in 2021.
CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah.
MIKE FLORIO: And Joe Douglas acknowledged some regret that they didn't have--
CHRIS SIMMS: I saw you write that.
MIKE FLORIO: --veteran presence--
CHRIS SIMMS: Right.
MIKE FLORIO: --that-- maybe, like, a Joe Flacco [INAUDIBLE].
CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah, they should really have.
MIKE FLORIO: --have somebody ready to go if there's any doubt whatsoever. They went all-in with the youth movement. They never bothered to stop and think, is this kid ready?
CHRIS SIMMS: Right.
MIKE FLORIO: And I look at it this way. If you're gonna use that pick that high on a quarterback, you create an expectation that he's gonna play in today's NFL.
CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah, you do.
MIKE FLORIO: There's no longer the "Carson Palmer first overall pick sit behind Jon Kitna." It just doesn't work that way. There's a presumption if you're going to use the pick on that guy that early, he's gonna play. And if not him, then pick somebody else who's gonna be ready to play.
CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah.
MIKE FLORIO: But you have to be willing to take a step back if you see anything that makes you think the kid's not ready. You have to still be monitoring because you make it worse if you go forward when he's not ready.
CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah.
MIKE FLORIO: So you need to have an alternative.
CHRIS SIMMS: Right.
MIKE FLORIO: They didn't have an alternative.
CHRIS SIMMS: No.
MIKE FLORIO: It was him or Mike freaking White.
CHRIS SIMMS: No alternative-- right. No alternative, let alone nobody to show him what to do.
MIKE FLORIO: Yeah.
CHRIS SIMMS: Right? No guy to be like, hey, it's OK. I played, you know, a shitty two games in a row in my life before, too. You know what I did to get better? He had nobody there to kind of show him the way, even as my-- I can speak to myself as a young kid.
You know, I wasn't even playing or the number one pick like that. But I know I've told you before the benefits I got to watch Brad Johnson and how he handled himself, right-- or Brian Griese and Jason Garrett was there. I learned little things about how they approached the game that I was like, whoa, wait, I'm going to infuse that into my routine.
Oh, oh, oh. Wait. He gets here before the special teams meeting and watches, you know, film in this room here, OK? I'm gonna start doing that when I become the guy.
I mean, so he had nothing like that, let alone-- yeah, now you're swimming and not mentally, and then, physically, you start to be all over the places, which happened, like we talked about with the sidearm and stepping everywhere and doing all that crap to where he had nobody to kind of calm him down and set him back straight. And that's why I still have hope for the guy.
MIKE FLORIO: Well, and through it all you've got Matt Corral, who was the third-round pick of the Panthers--
CHRIS SIMMS: It's crazy, right?
MIKE FLORIO: --last year. I can't help but wonder whether or not they're just gonna keep an eye on the phone. Is there somebody else out there that really liked him last year?
CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah.
MIKE FLORIO: Other than Scott Fitterer, the GM of the team, that's the only common link. But you have a brand-new coaching staff. If he's just kind of lost in the cracks here, maybe they can get value for him and he can get an opportunity somewhere else because what chance is he ever gonna get in Carolina?
CHRIS SIMMS: None.
MIKE FLORIO: Once Bryce Young is the guy, that's it--
CHRIS SIMMS: Right.
MIKE FLORIO: --unless next year he's the number two.
CHRIS SIMMS: Right. It's a similar skill set. That's where I would say it does make sense that way, right? But you're right. They're in a little weird spot here. And then he's coming off Lisfranc injury.
MIKE FLORIO: Right. And, I mean, they really liked him. They liked him enough last year to make him a third-round pick.
CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah.
MIKE FLORIO: He was a guy that you had rated pretty highly.
CHRIS SIMMS: I had him my number one guy.
MIKE FLORIO: So, you know--
CHRIS SIMMS: I mean, we talked to two guys at the combine, and they said the best player they played against in college football was Matt Corral. He's got-- they tried to trade him before the draft. They tried to trade him because-- you know me, what I think when I hear that stuff.
He's got a laser. He's quick as hell. The people, they're gonna go, oh, wait. This is our number one pick. His arm isn't as good as the guy we picked to the third round last year.
Here. Here's our number one pick. He's got a quick release. But it's not as quick as the guy we picked in the third round last year.
MIKE FLORIO: That was the argument you made last year with the Panthers possibly taking Kenny Pickett.
CHRIS SIMMS: Exactly.
MIKE FLORIO: Sam Darnold is there.
CHRIS SIMMS: And you're gonna go--
MIKE FLORIO: You see Sam Darnold slinging. They're like--
CHRIS SIMMS: Why did we take Kenny Pickett?
MIKE FLORIO: Yeah.
CHRIS SIMMS: Right. I would worry about that. Corral has-- we'll see what he is as a player. I didn't like the way he looked in preseason last year either. But either way, his physical ability is real. I've heard it from enough people.
And, yeah, he's kind of stuck in no-man's-land. I'm interested to see what happens there too.
MIKE FLORIO: And that's the thing. We focus so much on the guys that we know are gonna play. But there are so many other guys out there who get just kind of lost--
CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah.
MIKE FLORIO: --in the shuffle.
CHRIS SIMMS: It just doesn't work--
MIKE FLORIO: And there he is--
CHRIS SIMMS: --out that way.
MIKE FLORIO: --a guy that we talked so much--
CHRIS SIMMS: I know.
MIKE FLORIO: --about leading up to the 2022 draft--
CHRIS SIMMS: Right.
MIKE FLORIO: --who's now just in limbo.
CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah.
MIKE FLORIO: And you wonder what's going on behind the scenes, his representation. And this is another reason why it's important to have an agent, because it's difficult and it's awkward for him to go into the coaching office--
CHRIS SIMMS: And be like, where do I stand?
MIKE FLORIO: --or the GM--
CHRIS SIMMS: What am I doing?
MIKE FLORIO: --and say, hey, you know--
CHRIS SIMMS: Where is this going?
MIKE FLORIO: --what the hell?
CHRIS SIMMS: Right.
MIKE FLORIO: What the hell?
CHRIS SIMMS: Right.
MIKE FLORIO: What's going on here?
CHRIS SIMMS: Right.
MIKE FLORIO: An agent takes up that cause for you--
CHRIS SIMMS: That's right.
MIKE FLORIO: --and tries to break the log--