Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales baffled NFL fans by benching Bryce Young from the starting position, days after expressing his vote of confidence in the QB. While most fans criticized Canales for his hypocrisy, former Miami Marlins President David Samson believes that the decision to demote Bryce wasn’t taken by the coach.
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During his appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Samson asserted that it was Panthers owner David Tepper who halted Young’s prospects as QB1.
As a former executive with deep knowledge of how a franchise operates, Samson revealed that owners closely follow the discourse surrounding their team — just like fans.
Thus, with Young struggling to translate his collegiate success to the NFL, he speculated that Tepper must have felt enough embarrassment to cut Bryce as a starter.
The former sports executive was quoted as saying:
“He’s embarrassed. Team owners, they read stuff, they watch your show, they pay attention to things that often people in the front office are not paying as much attention to. So he’s quite embarrassed as he should be.”
Nevertheless, while the former Marlins President presented a convincing argument, host Rich Eisen wasn’t sold. The veteran broadcaster couldn’t believe that Tepper could simply bench Young like that.
He speculated instead that perhaps HC Canales had a change of heart after his public vote of confidence.
Samson, however, shot this theory down. He shared that owners are highly emotional beings who don’t like “sleeping on stuff.” Therefore, he believed that the decision was “1000 percent” taken by Tepper.
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While we might never know the truth, Tepper’s micromanagement was seen in action earlier this week — after he was seen engaging in extensive discussions with his players and coaches.
Panthers owner chats with Dave Canales and Adam Thielen
A day after the Panthers announced their decision to drop Bryce Young as QB1, Tepper was seen at the Panthers facility having animated conversations with Adam Thielen and Dave Canales.
He was also observed closely watching the team’s training sessions while interacting with other players and coaches, as reported by Cam Gaskins on X.
David Tepper was pretty talkative with his players and coaches at Panthers practice today.
Saw him talking with Adam Thielen and Dave Canales for a good bit here during the media window.
Any lip readers out there want to take a stab at what was said in these convos? pic.twitter.com/dqTW2aU0lq
— Cam Gaskins (@CamGaskinsTV) September 18, 2024
While no one knows what transpired between Tepper and HC Canales, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to suggest that the owner likely shared some input on how to navigate their current situation.
After all, Canales’ team has looked utterly dreadful in the first two matches, losing 47-10 and 26-3 to the Saints and Panthers, respectively. The club will travel to Los Vegas for their Week 3 bout against the Raiders this Sunday.
