Latest news with #Kuechly
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Luke Kuechly praises Panthers QB Bryce Young for his physical and mental toughness
There's more than meets the eye when it comes to Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. Former linebacker, franchise great and Panthers radio voice Luke Kuechly talked about the resilience of Young on Monday's episode of Up & Adams. And even though some within the league believed the 5-foot-10, 190-pound passer would have trouble holding up in the pros, Kuechly—one of the toughest players to ever lace them up—thinks Young has already proved he's plenty strong enough. "For me, with Bryce, he's shown that he's physically tough," Kuechly told host Kay Adams. "He's shown that when there's a little bit of adversity—he got benched. The guy didn't get hurt, nothin'. He got benched. And for him to stay locked in and come back and have the second half of the season like he did—I just think shows he's got the physical toughness he showed his rookie year and then mentally, he's tough as well. The signs are there, now we just gotta put the whole picture together." After an underwhelming rookie campaign, Young had the start of his sophomore season halted in Week 3—when he was benched for veteran Andy Dalton. The former No. 1 overall pick turned in, perhaps, the two worst performances of his brief NFL career to that point—passing for just 245 yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions between a pair of blowouts losses in Weeks 1 and 2. He'd get his second chance in Week 8, when a hand injury sidelined Dalton ahead of the team's trip to Denver. Young wouldn't look back from there, finishing the final 10 games with 2,327 yards, 20 scores and six picks while leading the Panthers to a 4-6 mark. So as Young enters his third year, the picture and his toughness—as Kuechly alluded to—continues to come together. Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
USA Today
14-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Legendary linebacker shares bold prediction for 2025 Steelers defense
The Steelers completely revamped their defense this offseason — and that isn't lost on one of the greatest linebackers of this generation. On Monday's Up & Adams, the former 2013 Defensive Player of the Year and future Hall of Fame linebacker Luke Kuechly shared why he believes the Steelers' 2025 defense will be the best in the NFL: "I'm from Cincinnati, and I hate to say it, but I think Pittsburgh's always tough,' Kuechly said. 'They've got some stuff to figure out. Everybody's looking at the T.J. Watt situation and them sending Minkah [Fitzpatrick] down to Miami. But you look at the build of that secondary, with Darius Slay, Joey Porter [Jr.], and Jalen Ramsey — and then you have [Alex] Highsmith off the edge and T.J. Watt on the other side, Cam Heyward on the inside. 'They've got some dudes in Patrick Queen — and you guys know, I love Payton Wilson at the linebacker level. They've got a little bit of everything. They've got a three-level approach that I like. … That defense, I think on all three levels, is going to have a really, really good opportunity to be a dangerous team this year in the NFL." Kuechly also admitted that there are some concerns to iron out, like whether Pittsburgh feels confident in FS Juan Thornhill replacing Fitzpatrick — but it ultimately didn't sway his opinion on how dangerous the Steelers defense could be in 2025. Fans will get an opportunity to witness the re-tooled defense in action when the Steelers have their first training camp practice on July 24 — the first glimpse at what Kuechly believes will be the best defensive unit in the NFL. For up-to-date Steelers coverage, follow us on X @TheSteelersWire and give our Facebook page a like.
USA Today
18-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
3 Panthers greats named to ESPN's All Quarter Century Team
3 Panthers greats named to ESPN's All Quarter Century Team A few Carolina Panthers greats have left their mark here in the 21st century. ESPN analytics gurus Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder have compiled their "NFL All Quarter Century Team," highlighting the league's best players over the last 25 years. Included on the 53-man squad are three very familiar names to Panthers fans, beginning with running back Christian McCaffrey. Walder writes: As the best receiving back of the past 25 years, McCaffrey needs to be included on this roster. He averages 47 receiving yards per game, which is more than anyone else with at least 500 carries during that span. But he's not only a receiving back. What makes McCaffrey special is that he has maintained 4.7 yards per carry over his career, 14th-best among running backs this quarter century. One of those years (2019) saw McCaffrey become just the third back in NFL history to amass 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards over a single season. McCaffrey, who was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in the middle of the 2022 campaign, still stands as the franchise's fourth-leading rusher (3,980 yards) and sixth-leading receiver (3,292). Joining McCaffrey are the two greatest defensive players in team history, edge rusher Julius Peppers and linebacker Luke Kuechly. Walder notes the following of the latter: Kuechly's career burned so hot over its short eight-year span. The only one of those seasons in which he did not reach the Pro Bowl and earn first- or second-team All-Pro honors was 2012 ... when he won Defensive Rookie of the Year. Kuechly's 9.2 tackles per game and 0.15 interceptions per game are the second and third most of any linebacker in this century, respectively. Unfortunately, Kuechly did not follow Peppers' path in becoming a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer earlier this year. He does, however, have a head-start for the next group—as he's already been named a finalist for the 2026 class. Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
USA Today
16-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Who did Jacksonville Jaguars pick in PFF's 2012 NFL redraft?
Who did Jacksonville Jaguars pick in PFF's 2012 NFL redraft? Who did the Jaguars select in PFF's 2012 NFL redraft? Jumping into the time machine and using hindsight and their grading system as a guide, Pro Football Focus redrafted the first round of the 2012 NFL draft. So, who did the Jacksonville Jaguars select this time around? After a 5-11 finish in 2011, the Jaguars held the seventh overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft. Originally, they traded up to pick No. 5 to take wide receiver Justin Blackmon. But in his redraft, Jacksonville stayed put at pick No. 7 and took linebacker Luke Kuechly. "Across his eight-year career, Kuechly earned an elite 94.0 PFF overall grade," wrote PFF. "That included a five-year stretch from 2014 to 2018 during which he earned at least a 90.0 PFF grade in each season. Though it was short-lived, Kuechly's NFL career should earn him an eventual spot in the Hall of Fame." Keuchly originally went ninth overall to the Panthers and put together an incredibly impressive career. He would go on to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2012, was a seven-time Pro Bowler, a five-time All-Pro, and was the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year as well. Keuchly would play all eight seasons with the Panthers, appearing in 118 games, while totaling 18 interceptions, 66 pass deflections, and just shy of 1,100 tackles during that span. Blackmon would appear in 20 games over two seasons with the Jaguars, catching 93 passes for 1,280 yards and six touchdowns.
USA Today
25-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Luke Kuechly talks about Shaq Thompson's time with Panthers
Now-former Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson had the luxury of starting his NFL career under the wings of two franchise legends. And on Monday, one of those legends had the luxury of looking back on his time with his old mentee. Advertisement This morning, the Panthers announced that they will not be re-signing the veteran defender ahead of the 2025 campaign. That decision will mark the end of a 10-year run in Carolina for Thompson, who is now headed to free agency. Later on in the evening, Nick Carboni of WCNC Charlotte caught up with Panthers great Luke Kuechly at Greg Olsen's HEARTest Yard Ungala event. Carboni asked Kuechly about Thompson . . . Just spoke with #Panthers legendary LB Luke Kuechly about Shaq Thompson @wcnc — Nick Carboni (@NickCarboniWCNC) February 24, 2025 Thompson entered the league as a first-round pick back in 2015, at the beginning of Kuechly's fourth NFL season. The two would spend five years as teammates prior to Kuechly's retirement in 2020. Kuechly ended his career with the second-most solo tackles (690) in franchise history. Oh, and that mentee did pretty well for himself, too—as he sits fourth on that list (470) after a productive decade in Carolina.
