The hardest thing to do for any analyst, and this applies to a lot more than just quarterback play, is to ditch what they think they know and just observe what's happening without any preconceived notions.
If you're able to do that and watch Bryce Young's first four games this season, you'll see a quarterback playing at an elite level despite atrocious pass protection and an average-at-best supporting cast of skill players. That kind of dynamic is almost always going to bode well for the future, but not everybody is buying Young's hot start.
According to Carter Bahns at CBS Sports, Young will not finish the season as the league's passing leader. Bahns writes why he thinks Young's current hold on the top spot won't last:
Everything about Young's
track record suggests he will cool off. But maybe this is just who he is now. He has the best supporting cast of his career, a coach who clearly knows how to use his talent, loads of confidence and three full years of experience under his belt. Even if this proves to be a breakout season for Young -- and by all measures, it certainly seems like it will -- it will be difficult for him to maintain his spot at the top of the passing leaderboard. His two biggest games (361 yards against the Bears and 329 yards against the Lions) came in matchups with questionable defenses. In the case of the explosion against Detroit, Young had the benefit of torching the worst unit in the NFL.
Yes, the Lions defense on the back end was bad, but they also pressured Young at an incredibly high rate—as has every team the Carolina Panthers have faced this season. Meanwhile, the Bears are allowing the third-fewest passing yards per game in the NFL.
This seems to be more about Bahns believing that Young will regress back into the mediocre-to-bad quarterback we have seen for more of his career thus far—and that is possible. But usually when a quarterback breaks through to a new level like this, they're able to stay there for as long as the prime of their careers last.
This should be especially true in Young's case, because his greatness has nothing to do with size, speed, athleticism or any exceptional arm talent—all things that wane as a player ages. Young is playing lights out because he's making the correct decisions at an extremely high and quick rate. Smart quarterbacks can do that for a very long time and it will lead to positive results over the long run more than any physical advantages they might have.
There will be bumps along the road for certain, as we saw Week 3 in Cleveland. However, if Young winds up surrendering the passing title lead, it probably won't be because he turns back into a pumpkin.
This is who he is now.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: NFL analyst betting against Panthers QB Bryce Young winning passing title
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