The Talented Mr Kuechly

[Delhommey]

Still, the drop in Kuechly’s tackle totals are noteworthy. With “just” 75 tackles, he is tied for 15th in the NFL, though a few of the players ahead of him have not had their bye week yet. At just 8.3 tackles per game, Kuechly is practically on vacation this year.

But that does not mean he is having an off year. Just the opposite: Kuechly is the reigning NFC Defensive Player of the Week and a worthy Defensive Player of the Year candidate. His tackle totals are down, but that’s a good thing. It means that the Panthers defense is playing better and getting off the field faster. It also means that Kuechly has the opportunity to do more with less.

http://miketanier.sportsonearthblog.com/the-talented-mr-kuechly/

Tanier's always had a soft spot for us as he used to write the Panthers section in the FO Almanac, but nice to see the (educated) love.

[the butch]

Another reason why stats can skew who is a "good" player.  Luke is the QB of our defense.  Sure, that kid in Buffalo might be tearing it up this year, but that is in part because he has had to stay out on the field more.  People grossly underestimate the cerebral part of the game that Luke "tackles."  He is as sharp mentally as he is physically.  Those two attributes, plus the studs up front, forces teams off the field more quickly.  Boom!  Go Panthers!

[BelgianPantherFan]

Gonna be a nice game of football-checkers between Brady and Kuechly on monday. C'mon Keek, in you we trust!

[Huell]

Belechick gave him and Davis praise this morning, says we're playing as good as anyone in the NFL right now.

[ItsNotGonnaBeAlright]

My favorite thing about this team this year is watching Luke before the snap. He's in everyone's ear, constantly checking assignments, reading the offense, and making adjustments. Last year he dominated physically. This year he's dominating mentally.

[PantherBrew]

I'd like to know a players tackling percentage.  As in, number of tackles he makes while on the field. 

[Darth Biscuit]

I so love watching Keek...  he's literally all over the field.  I see 59 flash on every single play.

[Guest]

I believe Keek had 11 solo tackles last week.  Solo tackles.  Solo.  Dude's a badass and my new mancrush. 

[tondi]

A bunch of three and outs on defense don't provide a whole lot of tackling opportunities but they do provide a bunch of wins.

[Delhommey]

It's nice that this year it's a pick your poison situation. Double team the line and have Kuech knife in or send your blockers to the second level and have Star stuff it at the line.

[PhillyB]

A bunch of three and outs on defense don't provide a whole lot of tackling opportunities but they do provide a bunch of wins.

 

bingo.

 

high tackle numbers are often characteristic of a terrible defense because they're constantly allowing third down conversions and getting more opportunities to rack up stats. in our case you've got the defensive line making a ridiculous amount of tackles to begin with as well as the low number of snaps allowed limiting chances for guys like luke to get in on stops.

 

i love it

[rayzor]

i've commented before that it's not that great of a thing to have your LBs leading the league in tackles.

 

sure, it shows that they are talented and capable, but it also shows that they have plenty of opportunities...which isn't really a good thing.

 

if the guys in front are doing their job the right way, it should cut down on the amount of tackles the LB has to make because those trench guys are stopping things from happening out front.

 

if the defense as a whole is getting off the field quickly, it will cut down on the amount of tackles the LBs have to make.

 

if the offense is able to sustain drives and stay on the field, it will cut down on the amount of tackles the LBs have to make.

 

all the parts are working the right way right now and everyone is doing their jobs correctly.  it's making less work for keek and davis and that is a good thing. screw # of tackles. just get the D off the field and keep the offense on. the best defense is an offense that keeps the defense off the field and a defense that doesn't stay on the field for long when it gets on the field cause they forced a three and out or a turnover quickly.

[KendrickPanther]

I would love to see TD get some credit. Aside from forcing turnovers and racking up tackles, he has made several pass defensed plays.

[RelaxImaPro]

A list of accolades that Luke has racked up so far (it's kind of ridiculous lol):

 

 

Dude is only 22.