Who is the most important player on the panthers defense?

[Varking]

Just going to point out that the 24 tackle game by Luke was also the same game Hardy got 3 sacks and 2 TFL.

 

In that game, which we won 17-13, Hardy's first sack came on third down. The sacks was for 11 yards and moved the Saints out of field goal range to the Carolina 39 where they had to punt to us. Hardy then tacked on another sacks later in the game which also ended a drive for the Saints. 

 

During a must win game for seeding and trying to clinch a playoff spot, Greg Hardy along with Luke stepped up.

 

In the final week of the season we beat the Falcons by 1 point to clinch a top seed in the playoffs. Hardy had 4 sacks. The first sack came in the Panther red zone and forced a field goal instead of them going for a touchdown. Hardy's next sack came on third down again and ended a drive. 

 

Point is, its hard to say who is more important. Both of them have grown into great football players. Luke is our smarts, Greg is our attitude. But without the other guys around them they don't shine like they currently do.

[KillaCamNewton]

best player is luke, most important is star. star keeps the guards off of TD and Luke which allows them to freely roam the field for easy tackles, takes away the inside running lanes virtually by himself, and provides a push up the middle during the pass rush which keeps the QB from stepping up in the pocket and therefore makes the rush lanes way easier for hardy and CJ. point is, this defense would be in big trouble without star and i think i said this in another thread but i truly believe replacing fua with star was about 80% of the reason our defense improved as much as it did from 2012 to 2013

[Monday Night Shyamalan]

Keek, and it's not even close. He's the bonafide leader, brains, and glue. I can guarantee you every player on defense will say the same thing. The torch has been passed from Lewis/Urlacher to Superman. I may be in the minority, but I look forward to seeing seeing Luke roam the field more than Cam (and don't get me wrong, I love Cam's magic), he's just that special. 

[micnificent28]

Star. And be a pretty decent margin. Toyw see how much the defense improved with him in the middle.

[Rules&Regulations]

It's hard not to say Luke, but the difference Star has made also makes it hard not to say Star.

[MasterAwesome]

You have to consider the fact that Luke is the signal-caller on D and makes all the pre-snap adjustments.  That's pretty damn important for the entire defense.  Regardless, I don't really have a strong opinion one way or the other on who is the most important...you can make an argument for either.

[gibreezy]

hey

 

[PandaPancake]

Stop reading BR. The website sucks, their app sucks, and if you numb nuts stop going to it they will go away.

And it's Luke. Watching him work is watching a master craftsman. He's getting guys ready, moving them around, and by far my favorite move he does is distract the center after the snap slide through the hole and get the sack.

Sent from my XT1080 using CarolinaHuddle mobile app

[1989]

Who cares

You must not know how forums work. This is a place where Panthers fans talk about various random topics. If you don't care then don't post...

[All about the Benjamin]

It's gotta be Luke, but Star I felt really put us over the top last year.

[intangiblejohnny]

It takes 11 guys and a good coach. Thomas Davis is the glue that holds them together. He's the heart of the D, so he gets my vote.

[Mr Mojo Risin]

Star is good but he is not the most important piece on defense.  Especially in our defense with the depth we have.  You guys talk about how star eats up blocks and allows other lineman one on one match ups and that he also frees up our lbs to make plays in space well Colin Cole was constantly eating up 2 blockers and while he might not get the penetration that Star can get he could most definately hold down that job if Star were to go down.  Short is also a very good DT that you guys seem to be looking past.  I remember against the Pats Cole and Short were the starting DTs at the snap Cole gets double teamed and holds the point of attack in fact, he doesn't even get moved off the line which made the rb hesitate and Short completely manhandled his guy right into the RB and forced a fumble. 

 

The one guy who is irreplacable on this defense is the reigning DPOY Luke Kuechly HE is the reason this defense has improved each season by leaps and bounds

[d-dave]

For me its:

 

1.  Luke

1a. Thomas Davis

2.  CJ

3.  Star

4.  Kraken

 

Those are all very close, but it comes down to Luke being the field General, Davis is the vet leader with the knees of gold (glue was another great descriptor), CJ because he's been nothing but productive with nobodies and good players around him.  Star is going to be come a truely special play for us.  Hardy has great leadership potential, but he's also playing with some great talent around him.  

[bu13]

Charles Johnson. He frees up so much room for Greg on the other side