The Carolina Panthers are the talk of the NFL. A true nonconformist who stands out from the rest of the pack, the Panthers dominate the conversation about the league and have fans of every team keeping an eye on them. No one can take their eyes off this squad for fear of missing out on something rare happening. That’s how unbelievably bad David Tepper's team is.

Through two weeks of the season, the Panthers are dead last in points scored, points allowed and yards. They somehow managed to only be the eighth-worst in yards allowed but made up for it by being last by a mile in plays per drive. Bryce Young is being benched for Andy Dalton after two stinkers, a massive signal of their disbelief in the young quarterback they selected first overall two drafts ago.

ESPN yapper Stephen A. Smith is the latest football observer to take a shot at the Panthers.

“I want to point this out quickly about the Carolina Panthers,” Smith said. “There's 32 teams in the NFL. One can easily argue there's 31. They ain't even an NFL team. And I'm not disrespecting them, Jeff Saturday, as individual players. I'm saying collectively as a team, and I’m very serious when I say this, they’re walking onto the field looking demoralized before opening [kickoff]. They don’t seem there.

“Now, it could be ownership and what we articulated, trickling on down from there and how the entire environment has been contaminated and you just got guys there collecting the paycheck trying to get the hell up out of there 'cause they know it's a dire situation to be in. But I think it’s that bad in Carolina. Hopefully, Andy Dalton can turn it around.”

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Panthers benching Bryce Young for Andy Dalton

Honestly, things might get more complicated for the Panthers if Dalton manages to look good. It will only add to the concerns about Young, prompting the team even harder to ditch him less than two years into his career after trading a massive package to get him. He is certainly not in a position to thrive but he also isn’t doing himself any favors with what he can control.

Making matters worse is the Panthers' defense offering less resistance than wet paper. Without Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown, their defensive line is going to get bullied even more by opposing offensive lines. Tepper's mismanagement of the team is coming into full view under the NFL spotlight.

In Week 3, the Panthers will hope to look respectable against the Las Vegas Raiders.