The topsy-turvy season continues for the Carolina Panthers.
Carolina will reportedly start it’s third quarterback of the season at Indianapolis Sunday, with Charlotte native and rookie Will Grier at the helm.
Grier replaces Kyle Allen, who’s started the last 12 games and has seen the team lose its last six.Allen has thrown 15 interceptions and lost three fumbles over his last games, with Carolina losing seven of them.
There’s seemingly nothing to lose by inserting Grier into the starting role.
“I think this is a position where when you find a guy that you like for the most important position on your team, you gotta get him,” Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said after drafting Grier in March. “Will has the ‘It’ factor. He’s a very talented quarterback that we had the chance to get.”
Grier spent two years at West Virginia University as the starting quarterback after transferring from Florida, after he was suspended for a year for testing positive for PEDs.
After throwing for 3,864 yards, to go along with 37 touchdowns and only eight interceptions in 11 games, the Panthers selected him in the third round, which was a round or two higher than most teams had him slotted.
“I’m here to help the Panthers win,” Grier said during training camp. “It’s a progression. Playing quarterback is different than a lot of positions. It’s harder. You need more reps. I’m not there yet, but I’m working to get there as fast as I can and be the best that I can be every day.”
This is quite a jump for Grier, who has spent the season running the scout team and simulating the opposing team’s quarterback in practice.
Carolina interim head coach Perry Fewell said there will definitely be an adjustment period for all on offense.
"The biggest thing that you have to take into account is the voice," he said. "If and when you make a change, that voice that speaks to you, his cadence command, there are a number of factors that would be different."
The decision to start Grier is just the latest move in a season that could easily be classified as a disaster.
Two weeks ago, head coach Ron Rivera, was in his ninth season, was fired. That followed starting quarterback Cam Newton not playing since Week 2 and then undergoing foot surgery.
Moreover, multiple starters players have been placed on injured reserve.
Very little has gone right this year.
Throughout Allen’s struggle, the Panthers continued to stick with the second-year quarterback saying Grier needed more time to develop.
Grier was drafted as the team was unsure of their backup quarterback spot behind Newton, but Allen ended up impressing in training camp,, leaving Grier as the third string.
Following Newton’s injury, Allen put together an impressive performance through his first four games, throwing seven touchdowns with no interceptions.
Carolina went 4-0, but things have gone downhill ever since.
"When you're losing, the quarterback is going to get the blame and when you're winning they'll get the praise," Allen said last week. "He's (Will) has supported me through all these games and everything and we understood that's how the league works."
Grier is the only quarterback that Carolina has drafted since Newton, and was the fifth quarterback taken in last year’s draft.
Grier will become the last of the top six quarterbacks taken in the draft to start this season.
If his mindset is the same as it was then, his confidence hasn’t wavered.
"I think the Panthers just got the best quarterback in this draft,” Grier said in March.