Byron Bell will be the Panthers starting left tackle in 2014, heck he might just be the starter for the long-term future. Ron Rivera believes in him, Dave Gettleman believes in him and it's clear he has a rapport with the rest of the offense. There's a lot Bell has done right since arriving in Carolina, but thinking fans hate him is where he's 100 percent wrong.
Bell continues to think that fans are singling him out and hate him, saying that "people are people" and that somehow the ire at his middling performance is equated to hating him as a person.
"People hate on Jesus. ... The man walked on water and they still didn't like him. I'm not comparing myself to our Lord and savior, but I'm just telling you that's how people are."
I've been highly critical of Bell's on-field performance, but that's where the frustration ends. I don't know Byron Bell, I'll probably never meet him -- but make no mistake, I don't hate him. This is something Bell will need to learn as a long-term NFL starter. Players need incredibly thick skins and blinders to ignore what people are saying about them. We'll continue to talk and argue and criticize, but Cam Newton learned the importance of putting it all behind him and Bell needs to also.
Rivera is playing into this idea too.
"I just like his personality," he said. "He's a fun-loving guy. He's low-key. He's mellow. He's not gregarious. He's not out there. I think people mistake that."
What are we mistaking it for? We don't know much about Bell outside of the personal troubles he had in college and other than that he's been largely silent other than trying to quiet the "haters."
The NFL is a results-driven league and fans are voracious when it comes to seeing their team achieve these results. In 2013 the Panthers ascended to the playoffs in a way we didn't expect, and the expectation was that the team could take the next step this year. Those hopes were seemingly dashed when Jordan Gross retired and ripped the heart out of the offensive line. The team didn't just lose an excellent left tackle, they lost a captain.
That's not something easily replaced, which is why so many of us were hoping the team would find an early-round offensive tackle to help fill the void. It's not that Bell can't do it, or a guarantee he wont -- we just haven't seen it yet. If that makes those critical of Bell "haters," then so be it.
The only thing that will change the minds of critics is consistent reliable performances. I'm not sure he can be a reliable starting left tackle, but nobody wants him to succeed more than me or any fan. His ability is directly linked to the Panthers' success on offense this season, and hoping he fails is counter-productive to what we all want: Another playoff appearance.
No Byron Bell, we don't hate you. We just want a solid starting left tackle. Yes, people are people -- and Panthers fans are rooting for you to prove us wrong. Forget the words and just do it.