Kuechly praises Poe, essentially gives nod over Star

[top dawg]

In an interview with Alex Marvez and Gil Brandt, reading between the lines, Luke Kuechly basically said that Dontari Poe is an upgrade over Star Lotulelei without expressly saying it.

 

"This offseason we lost Star and everyone was kind of like, We’re going to miss him. . . And then you plug a guy like Dontari in and you don’t miss a beat. Dontari’s big, he’s physical, he takes up space. But he’s also very athletic. He’s nimble on his feet, he moves really well. For as big as he is, it’s pretty interesting."

 

When Poe was signed, I believe that basically all of the Huddle believed that Poe was an upgrade. On paper, Poe is an upgrade, but I would think that Luke's knowledge of the game and his eyes are speaking  to what he has seen/is seeing.

I know that Luke didn't come out and say that Poe is better than Star, but he said more than what everyone else has said (and probably what everyone is thinking).

Poe is looking good, and we should feel very grateful to have him...at a pretty good bargain, at that.

 

https://pantherswire.usatoday.com/2018/08/08/luke-kuechly-comments-on-dontari-poe-replacing-star-lotulelei/

 

[Cam's New Arm]

In Poe, we trust.

[t96]

Poe is Star PLUS pass rushing ability. Definitely an upgrade, and for less money than Star while stealing Poe from a rival...

[hepcat]

Poe might also be an upgrade in that he might want to play for Carolina more than Star did. Star never seemed to like playing for the Panthers although I guess we'll never really know.

[WarHeel]

Not sure he’s saying that Poe is an upgrade here or that we can simply move along without regressing. Either way Luke has always been a classy, well spoken guy.

[PoundCat]

Poe might be an upgrade, but in no way did Luke say that or even imply that. The most you can get from that is Poe isn’t a downgrade since they won’t “miss a beat” with him instead of Star. 

No controversy here.

[electro's horse]

poe also has a problematic lower back.

[ladypanther]

16 minutes ago, t96 said:

Poe is Star PLUS pass rushing ability. Definitely an upgrade, and for less money than Star while stealing Poe from a rival...

So....Atlanta could not afford to keep him?  Got to thank Matt Ryan for that.

[top dawg]

Say what you want, but at the very least you have to admit that Luke is basically saying, "No, we're not going to miss Star."

I think the praise of Poe's athleticism and nimbleness of foot is saying more, but to each his own.

And BTW, it's no controversy, it is what it is.

[dpm0409]

24 minutes ago, t96 said:

Poe is Star PLUS pass rushing ability. Definitely an upgrade, and for less money than Star while stealing Poe from a rival...

 

[Moo Daeng]

22 minutes ago, electro's horse said:

poe also has a problematic lower back.

Fortunately he has been pretty durable since returning from a surgery in the Summer of 15. He missed some starts and the first several games but was active. He then missed a  game middle of 15 due to an ankle but has starred every game since. It's caused him to miss some practice and a half a game in 2016. Hopefully that trend continues and it doesn't progress past occasional nagging. 

I'd be more concerned about Lukes head.

[Chaos]

Poe and KK doing work upfront keeps Luke happy.  Let's see big Poe return to that KC form.

[raleigh-panther]

I always thought Star went through the motions for the money. 

I never saw a great love of the game from him

just my observation from watching him every Sunday 

Gettleman’s first round picks not impressive 

[micnificent28]

20 minutes ago, raleigh-panther said:

I always thought Star went through the motions for the money. 

I never saw a great love of the game from him

just my observation from watching him every Sunday 

Gettleman’s first round picks not impressive 

Can’t blame star on gman... everyone thought this was the best unanimous pick. The huddle all agreed.