Bryce Young gives honest opinion on "Carolina Reaper" nickname given to him by Panthers fans

Bryce Young may not be playing in the postseason yet, but he has already developed a reputation as a 'team-killer' - one that derails others' playoff hopes. But he has some reservations about his perceived reputation.

His Carolina Panthers have won just four games, but almost each of them has caused significant damage to their victims:

1. 23-22 vs. New Orleans Saints - the Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen the day after
2. 20-17 vs. New York Giants - the Giants benched, then released quarterback Daniel Jones
3. 36-30 vs. Arizona Cardinals - the Cardinals were eliminated from playoff contention

That has led fans to call him the "Carolina Reaper," but Young revealed in a Tuesday presser that he had no idea it was even happening:

"Oh dang! No, that's my first time hearing it. I definitely can't control nicknames. I don't know about, what do you think about it? Though, I don't know. Reaper is a little like, evil. I don't know. Try not to be evil, I guess? I don't know how to how to feel. But yeah, that's not really up to me."

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HC Dave Canales, Panthers legend assess Bryce Young's sophomore season"

After a disastrous rookie campaign that featured the midseason firing of erstwhile-head coach Frank Reich and a league-worst 2-15 record, Bryce Young can be relieved once the 2024 season ends, knowing that he has shown improvement.

He was poor for the first two weeks, covering just 245 yards and throwing three interceptions against zero touchdowns. But ever since he was recalled to action in the wake of Andy Dalton's thumb injury, he has been better - 1,572 yards and seven DS against as many INTs.

And speaking to Sports Illustrated's Albret Breer on Sunday, head coach Dave Canales had an explanation:

“The biggest thing I’ve learned about Bryce is he just takes it weekly. 'Who is the opponent? How are we trying to attack him? What do I need to work on?' Just attacking that with intentionality says a lot about his character."

He continued:

"We’ve been in some really close games throughout, and he’s shown an ability to go to the next drive, regardless of what the score is or the time on the clock. Those things have been really impressive to me.”

Meanwhile, former linebacker Luke Kuechly said on Monday's episode of Up & Adams that he believed that Young had become more confident in the pocket as time went on:

"His ability to stay in the pocket and deliver a great ball — drops it in the bucket and doesn't flinch. I think he trusts that offensive line a lot more than he did at the beginning of the season."

The Panthers visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next on Sunday.