← Bussin' With The Boys
Bussin' With The Boys
Best of the Bus: Hall Of Famer Luke Kuechly Opens Up About Why He Walked Away From Football
02:02:17
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- [00:00]
Host 1
The postseason is upon us and there's really nothing like it. But the postseason can be stressful. Crushing losses, wild upsets, your unhinged six game parlay falling apart at the literal last second. Things can get rough and it can leave you feeling a little sour. But you got to look at the bright side. Once your team is out and headed to decompress, you can finally relax. Now you can actually enjoy the postseason with all of the heart palpitations. That's why we're partnering with Jim Beam. We want to help you turn that lemon of a loss into delicious, tasty Jim Beam and lemonade because it's really the perfect bevy for the offseason. It's refreshing, it's got the perfect sweetness and a little bit of tang on your tongue. Best paired with stress free watching when your team is out. So gather the boys and grab some Jim Beam and lemonade to make the rest of the postseason just a little bit sweeter. Refresh your season with Jim Beam and lemonade best enjoyed together. Please drink responsibly. Jim Beam Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey 40% alcohol by volume 2025 James B. Beam Distilling Company Clermont, Kentucky RingCentral's AI receptionist.
- [01:01]
Luke Kuechly
Uses Voice AI to answer on the first ring so you'll never miss a call again. In just a few minutes, you can personalize your own AI receptionist to answer questions, route calls, schedule appointments, and even send texts in multiple languages.
- [01:15]
Host 2
Plus, it's easy to scale. Create unlimited AI receptionists across any phone system.
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Luke Kuechly
It's all powered by one reliable platform for effortless AI communications. See for yourself@ringcentral.com Ring Voice of your business at Charmin we heard you shouldn't.
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Host 1
Talk about going to the bathroom in.
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Luke Kuechly
Public, so we decided to sing about it.
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Host 1
Charmin Ultra Strong you can use less better than the rest. Charmin Ultra Strong Booty Pass the clean.
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Host 2
Text salmon weave texture it's the best.
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Luke Kuechly
Study up.
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Host 2
Teach a lesson on fresh your booty.
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Luke Kuechly
Pass the clean test.
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Host 2
Charmin Ultra Strong Charmin Ultra Strong with.
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Luke Kuechly
Diamond weave texture Cleans better than the.
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Host 1
Leading one Plaid brand so you can use less. Enjoy the go with charming.
- [02:00]
Luke Kuechly
It's so weird. This app shows that my credit score.
- [02:03]
Host 2
Is pretty good, but I couldn't get the car loan.
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Luke Kuechly
Are you using myfico.com?
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Host 2
No, it's some other company.
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Luke Kuechly
Oh, you should get a Myfico account instead. FICO scores are the ones used by 90% of lenders and other credit scores can vary up to 100 points.
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Host 2
That would have been helpful Yesterday.
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Luke Kuechly
Get the scores lenders use. Get the right FICO credit score for your credit goal, including your FICO scores used for mortgages, auto loans and credit cards. Visit myfico.com or download the MyFico app.
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Host 1
To get started today.
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Host 2
Our guest today, quite possibly the greatest white athlete to ever be on this earth. A man who has been said, got an apartment his rookie year, had a bed, no tv, just for his iPad so he could be the greatest somehow went to Boston College, should have gone to the University of Michigan or Nebraska. Ladies and gentlemen, give your. Give a round of applause for Luke Kuechley. Also Paul Swanis.
- [02:59]
Host 1
When it drops one day. Hall of Fame all white team streamer.
- [03:01]
Luke Kuechly
There we go.
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Host 1
Gotta be starting backer, bro. Welcome to the bus.
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Luke Kuechly
I appreciate it. It's good to be on here.
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Host 2
Yeah, dude. So how do you want to start? How do you want to do this?
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Host 1
The heart's pounding.
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Luke Kuechly
Hey.
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Host 2
Yes.
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Luke Kuechly
A lot going on, right?
- [03:12]
Host 2
Okay, I'll take this.
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Host 1
Go ahead, because I'm just looking at it.
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Host 2
That's. That's him.
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Host 1
That's. That's Luke Keakley.
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Host 2
Yeah.
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Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
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Host 2
Do you want to start early in his life, or do you think he's.
- [03:22]
Host 1
Younger than the middle, too? That's what's even crazier.
- [03:24]
Host 2
I know.
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Host 1
Like, that's.
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Host 2
Did you tell Luke that you actually played two more years in the NFL than him?
- [03:29]
Host 1
No, I figured we'd get to that point.
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Host 2
It's a fact behind that. I can't run from that situation.
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Host 1
We get to that point.
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Host 2
You get to that point eventually.
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Host 1
But, yeah, you can go ahead and start it off. You can go ahead and kick it while I start to gather my thoughts.
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Host 2
Luke, how's it feel to be the best wide linebacker to ever live?
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Luke Kuechly
Oh, my gosh. I don't know. So Brian Erlacher was the guy that I grew up watching. Him and Zach Thomas are pretty dag on good. And then Chicago guy, Dick Buckus, I feel like he kind of. Kind of got it all rolling a little bit. Can you hear me?
- [03:54]
Host 1
Yeah.
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Luke Kuechly
Get it close.
- [03:55]
Host 2
Yeah, get that.
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Luke Kuechly
Yeah. But no, it was fun, man. The game of football is special. And the guys that I grew up watching lack Zach Thomas, Derek Brooks, Ray Lewis. Those are the dudes that, when I was growing up, I wanted. I want to be like those guys.
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Host 2
When did the bug hit you? Because everything I know, I. This is obviously the first time we've met, but playing against you, practicing against you one time when you lost.
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Host 1
Caveat.
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Luke Kuechly
How hot was that?
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Host 1
Brutal.
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Luke Kuechly
It's terrible.
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Host 2
Practices we went and we did joint practice. And I was always told this guy, Luke Keakley, like, he is a football guy. He's a machine, the way he operates. He calls out plays. You have so many clips of guys saying, oh, we would be sitting there, we checked you a play, and then you would call out the play. It was no difference when we were in practice. I actually don't know if you remember this. I walked up to you in the middle of practice between plays and said something to you. You were like a goddamn robot. Like, you were so dialed in.
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Luke Kuechly
I was hot and trying to get off the field what you were.
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Host 2
So when did the bug hit? When did you realize, okay, football is what I want to do with my life?
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Luke Kuechly
I think growing up, I wanted to play football. Probably start in, like, second or third grade, you know. You grew up in the Midwest. I grew up in Ohio. The first game that. That pops on is at noon. So you wake up on Saturday. We always would us have football practice on, I don't know, Saturday mornings. We play on Sundays. And then you'd watch college football all day. So I think for me, it was started as a young age. That's the one game that I wanted to play. And we didn't have an opportunity to play until I was in fourth grade because just how the school was set up. My dad didn't play football. We. We weren't really a football family growing up. So by the time I got involved with it, I was in fourth grade and my brother was in fifth grade, and we just played on the local school team. It was a group of. I think it was St. Mike's Our lady the Sacred Heart is where I went to school, and then St. Xavier. Those are the three team. Three schools that made up the team. So it was really like third grade that I want. I knew I wanted to play. And then fourth grade is the first year that actually played.
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Host 2
Yeah.
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Host 1
Why Boston College? Like, how many were you? Were you an offer guy coming out of high school?
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Luke Kuechly
Yeah. So I knew, you know, when you're. When you're coming up, you never expect you're gonna play in the NFL. I think for me, it was always, what's the next logical step for me? So when you're in grade school, you want to play on. So it was third and fourth, fifth and sixth, seventh and eighth. So when you move up to fifth grade, you're on the fifth and sixth team. You want to play on that team. And then as a sixth grader, you play. And then on seventh grade, you Go back in the same situation and then you get to high school. We had a freshman team, a JV team and a varsity team. So my goal in high school was to play on the varsity. On the varsity team as a junior.
- [06:17]
Host 2
Which is a crazy.
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Luke Kuechly
It's crazy. We just had. We had so many. We had. I went to a private all or a Catholic Jesuit all boys school in Cincinnati. That's kind of one of the reasons I went to BC. But there's 1600 boys and we probably had, you know, three to 400 kids in the football program.
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Host 2
Oh, yeah.
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Luke Kuechly
Huge.
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Host 1
Three to 400.
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Host 2
So your school is one of the reasons why Ohio is looked at as such a big.
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Luke Kuechly
Yeah, we were southwest Ohio, so we had like 135, 140 kids on the freshman team. The JV team was just sophomores. And then that was probably 70, 80 kids. And then on the varsity team was like 140 kids again. So those numbers get big quick. I went to BC because academically was really strong. That was one thing that my parents talked to me a lot about, was go somewhere that you wouldn't be able to get into without football. So I wasn't getting into Boston College. I looked at Stanford, wasn't getting anything in there. Duke and then Virginia were the schools that I was looking at. And I was like, I can't get in to any of these schools without football. And I'm like, if I can get a scholarship to one of these schools, I got an opportunity to get a five year education, a master's for free and go play football. So that's kind of what you're thinking coming out. And Tom O' Brien was a St. Xavier guy that's going to high school. He, he went to St. Xavier and then he ended up coaching at Boston College and started pulling kids out of the high school to go play football at Boston College. So we probably had a kid there for, I don't know, 20, 20 years in a row from the high school, just overlapping. And the guys that went to school up there had a ton of success. A lot of them were team captains, a lot of them played really well. And it was a really. How that program was run was very similar to how the program was run in Cincinnati at St. Xavier High School of just toughness, playing hard, doing the right thing. We didn't always have the best athletes, but we played really well as a team. And when I was being recruited, Matt Ryan was there, so they were, they got as high as number two. They beat Virginia Tech and Blacksburg on that pass across the field from Matt, I think. I think Andre Calendar caught that ball. And there was just ton of hype around them when I was being recruited. And it was good. Academically is outside of Boston. I knew guys that were there as a Jesuit school, just like my high school, and they were playing really, really good football at the time.
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Host 1
So were you an overachiever? Like, were you a beast in high school as well? Like, do. Are any guys in that school that three to 400, are there any freshmen or guys playing varsity?
- [08:36]
Luke Kuechly
No. So, I mean, you know, my. My freshman year, I didn't play a whole lot. We. We had. We had. Since the team was so big, we had an A team and a B team. So the A team would play like on a Wednesday and the B team would play on a Thursday. So we'd play the other.
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Host 2
This is freshman.
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Luke Kuechly
Freshman team. Yeah.
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Host 2
So when did the JV team play then?
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Luke Kuechly
They played on. On, I think on Saturdays. No varsity team played Friday nights and then we played Saturdays. Typically, I think is what happened. So freshmen don't play on varsity? Typically, I don't think. I don't time it's happened. Occasionally you'll get like two or three sophomores play varsity, but they got to be dudes.
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Host 1
Yeah.
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Luke Kuechly
But I would say that 85% of guys don't. Aren't on the varsity team until they're juniors, so.
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Host 2
Yeah. So that's why your goal was varsity as a junior.
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Luke Kuechly
Yeah, I mean, I just thinking you.
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Host 2
Like, if you had the bug, if you had this kind of drive, the way everyone sees and talks about this kid must have been a freshman on varsity. But this school you're at seems like an absolute powerhouse.
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Luke Kuechly
Yeah. And I loved. I loved the game of football. I was small, so my freshman year, I played outside linebacker. My sophomore year, they moved me to tight end because the backers that we had, they were bigger than me. They're. They're just better. So my sophomore year, those guys all played backer, and then I played tight end. And then my junior year catching teddies, I was a good blocker.
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Host 1
Yeah.
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Luke Kuechly
I'll tell you what, I'm so glad I didn't have to play offense because all formations and trades and shifts. You play mike backer, you just line up in the middle of the field.
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Host 1
Yeah.
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Luke Kuechly
You don't got to go anywhere. Yeah.
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Host 2
But you're also calling out all those trades, formations and shifts.
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Luke Kuechly
Yeah, it's, it's. But offensive formation, there was a guy named Ryan Long. He played right tackle, and he played tight End in the year before, and then I think in like training camp. And then they moved me to tight end and they moved him to tackle. So he knew all the formation. So I'd line up next to him in the huddle. They call the play like, hey, where do I. Like, where do I line up? No. So I. Ryan Long was like my. My life support playing tight end, and then I switched back to linebacker as a junior, and then I played like a hybrid safety as a senior, so.
- [10:37]
Host 2
So as a junior on varsity, were you starting at that point?
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Luke Kuechly
I did, yeah.
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Host 2
Okay. That's when it was.
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Luke Kuechly
So I started to grow. I started to grow a little bit. I got a little bigger.
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Host 1
How big were you going into bc?
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Luke Kuechly
Oh, man. So I played my senior year at like 212 and then I got to BC, I was probably like 218. So I played, I don't know, 218, 220 as a freshman, and then like 228 as a sophomore. And then as a junior I played at like 231. 232.
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Host 2
Just a thick.
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Host 1
When did you know in college that, hey, I might have something. I might have a future in the NFL.
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Luke Kuechly
So I think, you know, you. So in college it was interesting because Mark Herzlick, you guys remember him.
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Host 1
Monster.
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Luke Kuechly
Yeah. So Mark Herzlich was a junior. I went to spring game. He was a. No, he was going into his. What was it?
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Host 1
Because he got done with his junior year. Right. He was like a first round potential pick. The cancer thing happened.
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Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
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Host 1
He fought his way, sat out a year. So, yes, way back.
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Luke Kuechly
I go to. I go to spring ball going as. When I'm a senior, Mark's gonna be a. He's. He's gonna be a senior in college. So it's his spring ball before his senior year. And they'd been telling me, like, Mark's got like a low back hamstring thing. He's probably not going to play a lot in the spring. Ammo's bummed because I wanted to watch him play. So he goes and plays a couple snaps, comes out, and then like a couple weeks later, it's. He's got Ewing sarcoma, bone cancer. So. Oh, I get there, I get to school. Mark's out the whole year. Essentially, he red shirted as he was dealing with cancer. I don't know how the guy did it. He was there all the time, worked out every day, was still big and strong, was in all the meetings. He was fantastic as a young guy.
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Host 2
To kill these guys fighting Cancer?
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Luke Kuechly
Yeah, he had gone through chemo, radiation, everything. But he was a great older guy to have at bc. As a freshman, he wasn't playing, so there was like no stress of. I mean, he was dealing with cancer, obviously, but.
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Host 2
That is a, that is a football thing to say.
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Luke Kuechly
Yes.
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Host 2
Like the stress of playing is crazy.
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Luke Kuechly
So, so then mark's out. Mike McLaughlin was our Mike linebacker. He's like the prototype from Massachusetts. He had the, he had the cowboy collar neck roll. He had the little bull ring.
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Host 1
Yeah.
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Luke Kuechly
He wore the diaper chin strap. No, he didn't. He had a diaper chin strap. Then he switched over to the padded one. But he was like the prototype. Yeah, he was coming back from Achilles, so he was going to miss the first couple games of the season. And then, I don't know, a week or two in the training camp, our starting mic backer, Will Thompson gets like a shoulder stinger. So I'm over with the freshman doing inside run, get my teeth kicked in and they just needed a mic backer so they called me over and I had to go over as like little skinny 220 pound Luke and play against the older guys and just get my teeth kicked in. I was like, this is awful. And my coach came up to me after the, after that period and he's like, I was pretty terrible. You got to figure it out because you're going to play week one because we don't have anybody else. I was like, what about this guy? And he's like, well, that guy, that guy got popped for a drug test, so he can't play either. So I go to, you're looking at.
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Host 2
The coach saying, hey, you're being told you're going to play week one, but you're like, hey, what about that guy?
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Luke Kuechly
I'm like, yeah, that's where your confidence level is. I'm like, my confidence is zero. So Herzlick's out, max out. Will Thompson gets hurt. Guy gets popped for a drug test and then before you know it, your top four guys are out and so there's really no one left. So like, hey, week one, you're just gonna have to figure it out. So the first couple games of season are disaster. Go down to Clemson. We play in Death Valley against C.J. spiller and that.
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Host 1
Yeah, yeah, at the time they had.
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Luke Kuechly
Daquan Bowers and they had another, they had an, I forget, another cat. They had another cat.
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Host 2
He's back there gritting his teeth. JP's a South Carolina guy, he hates Clemson.
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Host 1
Yeah.
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Host 2
Every time they're mentioned they have to. They have to be trashed off.
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Luke Kuechly
Yeah. So. But then you make a couple plays in those games, you're like, ah, you know, I got a chance. And then I remember my sophomore year was when I was like, okay, you played against. In Clemson, against, you know, C.J. spiller. And then you just start going through the guys that you play against. You're like, these guys are all getting drafted in the NFL. Like, this might actually be an opportunity for me. So it's. It's just interesting how you go from high school, you want to play on the varsity team to as a freshman. Like, you're. You don't. I don't really have a choice. You get in there and play, and then you're like, man, I'm. This is fun. I'm starting to have some success. And then you fast forward, you kind of. The next thing you look forward to is like, I love the game of football. I've had a ton of fun. I'd love to keep playing this as long as I can. So you kind of look back as probably. Probably three quarters of the way through my sophomore year, you look back and you're like, these are the guys that I played against. This has been their career in the NFL. Like, maybe I got a chance.
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Host 2
So there wasn't, like, a specific play in mind that you made a big play, and you're like, oh, shit, okay, I can do this. It was a reflection period for you.
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Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
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Host 2
You're to look back and kind of be like, all right, all these guys are playing in the NFL. This means I can do X, Y, and Z as well.
- [15:21]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. I just think you, you know, you look at it and you're like, I've played in, like, big games. We played at Clemson, we played at Florida State, we played at Notre Dame. And you're like, these are the. These are the teams and the situations that you grew up watching, and now you get a chance to be in them. And it's something I always tell guys, like, you need to enjoy the game, because when it's gone, it's gone. So I was. So when I was playing so laser focused on football in the process that you don't ever take a second to really look back and say, damn. Like, that was. That was pretty cool, you know?
- [15:53]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [15:53]
Host 1
Because your sophomore junior year, correct me if I'm wrong, but you led the NCAA and tackles. Yeah.
- [15:58]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. We just. We were on the field a lot. We were on the field a lot. We didn't. You kind of. We kind of really didn't have a choice. You know, you played 80, 90 snaps, like you got more opportunities. Especially, you know, the other thing, too, is, like, we weren't ahead a lot late. So you know what happens at the end of the game? Their team's running four minutes, they're going to run the ball, and they got right at you. They got five or six run plays, and they're going to run power, they're going to lead, and they're going to run stretch. It's like, perfect. All right, here we go, buddy.
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Host 1
Every time he, like, you'd see a stat sheet on, like, league leaders, and he's sitting there every week averaging like 15 tackles a game.
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Host 2
That is.
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Host 1
I'm thinking, who is this Luke Keakley guy from balls?
- [16:39]
Luke Kuechly
He must be on the field a lot.
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Host 1
You must have, like, the excuse the competitor makes, like, oh, they got to fucking be.
- [16:44]
Luke Kuechly
Well, you know what's funny is you look at all those things and, like, people are lying if they don't look at that stuff, right? So then I went and looked at it one time, and I had number of snaps played, and it was like we had a gazillion. And you go look at, like, Alabama. The guy like, Dante Hightower is at Alabama. He had, like, half the amount of snaps played that we did.
- [17:02]
Host 1
And I was like, Borland at Wisconsin.
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Luke Kuechly
Chris Borland had a million a dog.
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Host 2
Your Rookie year is 2013?
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Luke Kuechly
2012. 20. That linebacker class was strong.
- [17:11]
Host 1
Yeah, you guys had. Because I was 2013. Well, I was undrafted, but 23rd, 2012, you guys had. It was you.
- [17:18]
Luke Kuechly
So it was Dante Hightower, High Tower, and then Bobby got drafted in the second round. Wagner, Levante, David, Demario Davis. Yeah, there were some. I'm sure I'm. And I'm probably missing some guys, but those.
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Host 1
But those top four that you just said, Demario Davis, Levante, David, yourself, and Bobby Wagner.
- [17:35]
Luke Kuechly
Three of those guys. I mean, Demario is still playing with the Saints, and I don't know that dude. He. He's a. You look at his stats and it's like, oh, my gosh, like what he's been able to do. Yeah, same thing with Bobby. The guy that I never feel like gets enough credit is Levante.
- [17:49]
Host 2
You're on the right podcast for that.
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Luke Kuechly
I love Levante. Look at. Go look at his. His sacks, his force fumbles and his fumble recoveries. It's unbelievable.
- [17:57]
Host 1
Dude, he is always around the football.
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Luke Kuechly
He's a great dude.
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Host 1
Yeah, he's phenomenal.
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Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
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Host 1
Yesterday, the Bucks, their profile posted, like, his stats. He has 1600 tackles right now. There's only eight guys in the history of game to have over 1600 tackles. Him and Bobby Wagner are both still doing it. Guys who have those numbers.
- [18:15]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. And they're not slowing down. Bobby had over 100 last year. He. I think he just resigned. And then Levante signed another deal with Tampa, which is cool because, you know, as great of career as he's had, he's been on the same team the whole time.
- [18:27]
Host 1
Yeah.
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Host 2
Yeah. There's something to be said about that.
- [18:29]
Luke Kuechly
It's cool, man.
- [18:30]
Host 2
The longevity that he said.
- [18:31]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [18:32]
Host 2
And not get jaded over kind of being overlooked by so many guys yourself at points.
- [18:36]
Host 1
Bobby Wagner, I was telling JP he has one Pro Bowl, I believe, and it was as an alternate, but it's such bullshit because he's like one of the most underrated players of all time.
- [18:45]
Luke Kuechly
Well, the thing that hurts him is that he. He's classified because they were 4, 3. He was an outside linebacker.
- [18:51]
Host 1
Yeah.
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Luke Kuechly
So like the prototype outside linebacker is like, you know, the. The Russian. The guy's got 15 sacks and.
- [18:59]
Host 2
Right. That's where. Yeah, those. Those salmon wills kind of get screwed over in the Pro bowl because. Yeah, the guys with their hand in the dirt when.
- [19:05]
Luke Kuechly
The funniest part about the Pro bowl is that they. Those off the ball backers, they're listed as outside linebackers. The only rush, it's only a four down look. So those guys have to play off the ball.
- [19:13]
Host 1
Yeah, they're playing a four, three. Yes.
- [19:15]
Luke Kuechly
Like Justin. Justin Houston is playing off the ball at five yards. Like, what are you doing?
- [19:20]
Host 2
Yeah, you know, they. At the fourth quarter of the game. If it's tight though, I'm gonna have to take this.
- [19:26]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, exactly.
- [19:27]
Host 2
Because it is. It is a little bit of a war.
- [19:29]
Host 1
We interrupt this episode to bring you neutral. Have you tried neutral before? If not, you are missing out. And let me tell you why. Real vodka, real juice. It is the tastiest seltzer on the market right now. A couple of my popular. A couple of my favorites. Couple of my trends right now, Watermelon and black cherry. They also have some new flavors that I will read to you right here. Lime and strawberry. It is the perfect drink to bring when hanging out with your friends. Because, guys, right now, March Madness is happening. Baseball is getting in full effect. Torpedo bats, home runs, all of it. You're hanging with your friends, you're at a tailgate. You're in there, you're in their backyard, you're in the house, you're at a bar. No matter where you are neutral is the drink you want to have in your hand when you walk through that door. Neutral. Keep it tasty.
- [20:13]
Host 2
Were you you at IMG training for the combine?
- [20:15]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. Is that where you were?
- [20:16]
Host 2
Yeah, that's where I went as well. And that was like, I think, my first introduction to the Luke Kikley. You had, like, yourself a little mural.
- [20:21]
Luke Kuechly
Oh, gosh.
- [20:21]
Host 2
On the wall. And they're like, you know that guy?
- [20:24]
Luke Kuechly
That was so fun. Dude.
- [20:26]
Host 2
IMG really is an awesome place because there's no, like, I was a big time partier in college and then, you know, got a little straight As I got into the league. But, like, when you're in Bradenton, Florida, there's like, newlyweds and nearly deads. There's no in between. There's no nightlife or nothing. So it was me and, like, the 30 other guys that were training.
- [20:41]
Luke Kuechly
Awesome.
- [20:41]
Host 2
That's all we had. We had like a small little shitty. Those little apartments are just off of the img.
- [20:46]
Luke Kuechly
You had the golf cart.
- [20:47]
Host 2
Yeah, the golf cart you're ripping around.
- [20:49]
Luke Kuechly
Use the first time you had a little freedom. Yeah, it's got a golf cart in your own place.
- [20:53]
Host 2
But it's also well regimented. I. I loved it. There was that. Were you thinking about the tune there and exos?
- [20:58]
Luke Kuechly
No, because the guys. So Mark hers, like. And then Anthony Costanzo's a gangster, so.
- [21:04]
Host 2
A Boston College guy, too.
- [21:05]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. So he. They were the year. Year ahead of me in the draft. So Anthony got drafted first round by the Colts, and then Mark. Mark was. Went to the Giants, and those guys trained at img and. And I went to school with them and I was like, guys, EXOs or IMG? And they're like, just go to IMG. We went there. It was sick. We enjoyed it. It was awesome. It was sick.
- [21:24]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [21:24]
Host 1
Their entire spa, jp.
- [21:26]
Host 2
Yeah, because img, I feel like they do it better than anybody else as far as, like, getting guys ready for the combine because they don't just do the weightlifting and the running, but they're also. They have a. Classrooms to go over. Media stuff.
- [21:38]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [21:39]
Host 2
Almost Improv improvisation classes. Okay. You're thrown off with this. What do you do now? What do you say to X, Y and Z? They bring up maybe some things that aren't so great about you, like, how are you going to attack this situation? So I think IMG was such a great experience.
- [21:51]
Luke Kuechly
It's so funny. You do all that work. And then when I worked with the team the first year I got done playing, I worked a team in the scouting department and you can pull up all your profiles of, you know, combine and, you know, every, every, you know, report written on you and height, weight, speed, and all your tape. And so I was like, got bored one day and looked at it and I looked at my combine interview with the Panthers. It's a disaster. Really? Yeah. I was like sitting, had my glasses on. I was, I was nervous, I was price sweating and I was super like, they'd ask me a question like, yes, that's cover four. And I'm like, gosh, you suck. You sound so bad right now.
- [22:30]
Host 2
That's how obviously getting drafted like you. I met with the Titans and I was probably the same way, but a year removed. Seeing those same familiar faces now in that room. How timid you are.
- [22:39]
Luke Kuechly
Oh, you're so scared, man.
- [22:41]
Host 2
Because the train station is no joke.
- [22:42]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [22:42]
Host 2
Like that combine experience was your. Did you have a good combine experience?
- [22:46]
Luke Kuechly
I really. Yeah, I really enjoyed it.
- [22:49]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [22:49]
Luke Kuechly
I think that first night of those interviews, because they have the train station which is like they can just come and grab you, obviously. And then the one on ones where they put you in the room where it's only 15 minutes and half the first two minutes, three minutes of them introducing themselves in the last two or three minutes of them leaving you leaving.
- [23:06]
Host 2
Right.
- [23:06]
Luke Kuechly
So it's only like a 10 minute window. And then they're peppering you with questions and I'm nervous. You're. It's your job interview and you're trying to. Right. Put your best foot forward. And I was just nervous and I was sitting in there just. And I was like, I would not draft that guy.
- [23:23]
Host 2
Yeah, well, at the combine is so crazy, is everyone sees what happens when you're running and benching and jumping, all that. But really all the scary shit happens.
- [23:30]
Luke Kuechly
Oh, that's three, four days prior the runnings.
- [23:32]
Host 2
When you get to go run, you're finally like, thank God it's over.
- [23:35]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [23:35]
Host 2
Because you get there the first day and it's like kind of introductions. Hey, this is how it's going to happen. This is your landlord. This is how the train station works, is how your Official meetings work. 4am you have a piss test.
- [23:44]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [23:45]
Host 2
So it's like the number one rule is like, just do not miss it.
- [23:47]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [23:48]
Host 2
And make sure you don't pee. So you. I remember I was roommates with Zach Martin.
- [23:51]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [23:52]
Host 2
And we took shoes and we put it on top of the toilet seat just in case you wake up in the middle of night and try to go pee. And we would like like little accountability buddies. Make sure we're all up together.
- [23:59]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. Which is nice, though.
- [24:01]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [24:01]
Luke Kuechly
It's what you need because you're nervous.
- [24:02]
Host 2
Because you're up at 4am for a drug test, and then it's meetings all day. MRIs, the middle of the day, and then back to the train station, everything else.
- [24:10]
Luke Kuechly
Were you a weight guy? Did you have to keep weight on?
- [24:12]
Host 2
I was always a guy that had to gain weight.
- [24:14]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. So, you know, they get you there, and then you can't eat as much as you typically do. There's no scale. So then when you get to go way in, you don't know how much you weigh.
- [24:22]
Host 1
Right.
- [24:22]
Luke Kuechly
And they're like, luke, you need to be over £240. So you're just in there chugging.
- [24:27]
Host 2
And they had the worst snacks. Like, it's all, like, Reese's cups and Skittles, and I guess this is what I'm doing.
- [24:33]
Luke Kuechly
I got to do it. I got to drink. I got to eat something.
- [24:35]
Host 2
Yeah. I did a great job having, like, food waiting for you. They have themselves a little area. You go.
- [24:39]
Luke Kuechly
They had a backpack, and they just stuffed it with everything. I'll tell you what the combine was. I loved it. It was so cool. Because you grow up watching it. You don't really grow up watching training at img. Like, you don't really understand that, but you grow up and you watch these guys run the 40 and jump and bench and do all that stuff, and then you get there and you're like, this is sweet. I get to do. It's like your first step to the.
- [25:01]
Host 1
NFL load of MRIs.
- [25:03]
Luke Kuechly
I had to do it. I had to do them on my knees, and I had something on my elbow, but, like, not a. Not a ton. I was pretty lucky.
- [25:10]
Host 1
It's funny, too, how much everybody. Because I know Levante, him being, like, an undersized guy, guys just obsessing over hitting a certain weight.
- [25:16]
Host 2
Got to.
- [25:17]
Host 1
To weigh in just so you hit the metric. Like, Levante always played, like, in the. Like, like, 220 to 225. But he's like, I have to be, like, 233 pounds.
- [25:27]
Luke Kuechly
Isn't that crazy? I never weighed 240 ever again in my life.
- [25:30]
Host 2
Yeah. But on that little stat sheet, says 240, 242.
- [25:34]
Luke Kuechly
And you're like, every.
- [25:36]
Host 2
Don't.
- [25:36]
Luke Kuechly
Don't skip me a pound right there.
- [25:37]
Host 2
Yeah. When you step on the scale, too, and you saw 242, how juice.
- [25:40]
Luke Kuechly
That thing kept ticking up.
- [25:41]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [25:42]
Luke Kuechly
And I was like, yes, dude.
- [25:43]
Host 2
You Know what? Another thing that's kind of a sleeper. Did they have the little egg pods?
- [25:47]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. You do that afterwards?
- [25:48]
Host 2
Yeah. So we would do those img, like, every couple of weeks, like, as if anything's gonna change. But my body fat would be, like, I don't know, like, 20 or 19 or something like that.
- [25:56]
Host 1
Okay.
- [25:56]
Host 2
But it had to be in those rooms. They had to have a certain pressure for those that read correctly.
- [26:01]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [26:02]
Host 2
So when I got to the combine, they had, like, this open room where it was, like, being opened and closed a bunch of. So my body fat was right at, like, 15.
- [26:08]
Luke Kuechly
Like. Yes.
- [26:09]
Host 2
I'm like, oh, my. I made a 4% jump in a week.
- [26:12]
Luke Kuechly
That's crazy.
- [26:13]
Host 2
I thought I was killing you.
- [26:14]
Host 1
I've been on my.
- [26:15]
Host 2
Yeah, I've been on it. What was the most nerve wracking part for you at the combine from. From the, like, athletic standpoint?
- [26:21]
Luke Kuechly
Oh, man, the. Probably the 40.
- [26:23]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [26:24]
Luke Kuechly
Because that was. The question was, how. How much are you going to weigh and what are you going to run? So I actually had to run it. I ran. I ran the 43 times.
- [26:32]
Host 2
You mess up on one.
- [26:33]
Luke Kuechly
So the first one I run, it goes really well. Second one, because, you know, you can't see it. You got to find ways to, like, get it. You know, you look at your phone and somebody texts you.
- [26:43]
Host 1
Right.
- [26:43]
Luke Kuechly
But it's not.
- [26:43]
Host 2
They don't do that anymore. Do you watch it now?
- [26:45]
Luke Kuechly
No.
- [26:46]
Host 2
Now they have people in the stands, and they show your 40.
- [26:48]
Host 1
Show it on the board.
- [26:49]
Luke Kuechly
Oh, that's kind of nice, because it.
- [26:51]
Host 2
Was the same way for me, too, where you'd go up and like, a couple of the guys are like, hey, what? I run like they're saying X, Y, and Z. Yeah.
- [26:57]
Luke Kuechly
So then second one comes up, and, you know, when you get in that 40 start, there's holes because everybody's been there. So everybody takes, like, the same, like, first two steps. So there's kind of an indentation in the ground. And I was off just a half step to the left. And I took my first step out, and I stepped kind of in the hole sideways, and I turned right real fast and almost ran into the. The laser reader. And then straighten it out. And I ran like. It was. I ran, like, four, nine. And I was like, oh, gosh, that was terrible.
- [27:27]
Host 1
You said that was the second one. That was the second one was the first one.
- [27:29]
Luke Kuechly
The first one was, like, 45. And then I go 49. And this guy comes up to me.
- [27:33]
Host 2
Y' all are the same.
- [27:33]
Luke Kuechly
And he's like, yeah. He's like, hey, you're going to probably have to run another one. We got a bad reading on either the first or the second one. And I was like, oh, no.
- [27:42]
Host 1
Did you know at the point too that you had ran a four or five in the first one?
- [27:45]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, I knew I ran well. And then the second one, I knew I stepped in the hole. And I'm like, okay, this kind of makes sense. So then everybody had to go run their second one. So I was the last guy after the last guy in the, in the, in the line to go run again. And I ran it again. I looked at a guy, I was like, how was that? He's like, you'll be good. I was like, all right, perfect.
- [28:00]
Host 2
You'll be good. So you're in the 4 or 5 range.
- [28:02]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. He's like, he's like the middle one must have gotten messed up. But it was. I stepped in. I stepped in a hole. I stepped. My step was bad or something. But, you know, it's so nerve wracking. That's like the only thing that matters either. What's that?
- [28:15]
Host 2
You didn't want to focus on getting a tan before the combine?
- [28:17]
Host 1
Of course not.
- [28:18]
Luke Kuechly
You look faster.
- [28:19]
Host 1
Did you ever test, did you ever test in the four fours?
- [28:23]
Luke Kuechly
No. At img, I don't think we ever really ran. I think we ran a 40 the like the first week we were there.
- [28:28]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [28:29]
Luke Kuechly
And then everything was just segmented out.
- [28:30]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [28:31]
Luke Kuechly
So you work on starts flying 20s, you know, flying 40s. So you never really get a true number for what you're gonna run. But you have an idea. Like, I felt good. I felt strong. I felt my starts were good. And then it's like just go. I look so stiff running it.
- [28:46]
Host 2
But I know because they. Well, at. I am.
- [28:47]
Luke Kuechly
You're trying to do everything when you're training.
- [28:49]
Host 2
Like, you're like elbows and this and that and relax your face. I remember we. I ran a, a 40 when we first did the 40 IMG and I was like, a 51?
- [28:55]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [28:56]
Host 2
I was like, there's no way I'm a. I'm like, I'm a sub 5 guy. No doubt. But I was like trying to, like, mechanically do exactly what they were saying the whole time to where it was just awful.
- [29:05]
Luke Kuechly
Part of me thinks that they click it a little bit slower.
- [29:07]
Host 2
I thought the same.
- [29:08]
Luke Kuechly
So they're like, oh, you ran. You ran 5, 4. So then when you run 49, they're like, look what we did.
- [29:13]
Host 2
Half second faster. We're. We're the greatest thing.
- [29:15]
Luke Kuechly
They were unbelievable. Lauren Seagrave was. Was he there? He was unbelievable.
- [29:21]
Host 2
Older. Older guy, right?
- [29:22]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, he was. Always wore orange.
- [29:24]
Host 2
Always orange. He had the really shiny shoes. And then. Who was the chick from London? Did you have the girl?
- [29:28]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, she was a. Yeah, she was a gangster. Awesome.
- [29:31]
Host 2
Yeah, she was a great running coach. I can't remember her name right now, which kind of sucks.
- [29:34]
Luke Kuechly
It was. I had a ton of, like, everything that they did, there was a reason why they did it. It's not like we just showed up and they're like, all right, you're gonna do this.
- [29:40]
Host 2
And Right.
- [29:41]
Luke Kuechly
And I remember running, like, the short shuttle. It was footwork. It was like seven or eight steps.
- [29:46]
Host 1
Yeah. It's all down to.
- [29:47]
Host 2
You're talking about the 5, 10, 5, or the.
- [29:49]
Luke Kuechly
And the 510 5.
- [29:50]
Host 2
Yeah, because the 5105 was like, 2, 3, 2 or something like that. They had, like, numbers to it. You're like, okay, you're somebody who could.
- [29:56]
Host 1
Like, skip over to the first five and just get in, like, two steps. You're, like, dialed in.
- [29:59]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [30:00]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [30:00]
Luke Kuechly
This was amazing. Like, all that stuff that you put in for, you know, there's Lawrence Seagrave right there.
- [30:06]
Host 2
That. Yeah, he is awesome.
- [30:08]
Luke Kuechly
He was great.
- [30:09]
Host 2
Dude. So I don't know if you felt this way, but after I ran the 40 and I got the time that I wanted, it felt like everything else was just cake after that.
- [30:15]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. Yeah.
- [30:16]
Host 2
Because it's so stressful when you're standing up, because we had. What number were you. Do you remember for the combine?
- [30:21]
Luke Kuechly
Oh, I don't.
- [30:25]
Host 2
So What?
- [30:26]
Luke Kuechly
I was 13, maybe. I don't know, 19. 19.
- [30:29]
Host 2
I was 23.
- [30:30]
Luke Kuechly
Okay.
- [30:30]
Host 2
And my whole thing was like, I just want to go first.
- [30:32]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [30:33]
Host 2
So I was like, oh, I'm 23. Last names Lawan. I'll be. I'll be solid. Well, they broke it up. Groups.
- [30:38]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [30:39]
Host 2
It was 1 through 22, so I was the first guy to go in the second group. And they're like, we're all kind of warming up. Everyone's so stressed out. Yeah, that's my Beyonce walk. And you see that tan?
- [30:49]
Luke Kuechly
You look. Yeah, you look like. You look like you're about 15 right there.
- [30:53]
Host 2
Yeah, yeah. That's what the body comp said. But that chick that. I can't remember her name, the one from London, she's like, hey, when you run, go to the back of the platform and have your Beyonce walk. Like, every. Like, the whole combine.
- [31:05]
Host 1
Everyone.
- [31:06]
Host 2
You're waiting on everybody.
- [31:07]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [31:07]
Host 2
But once you do that. It's now your time. You take as long as you need, whatever. And so I took all the time in the world because I was. My heart's racing right there. My little gazelle leg.
- [31:17]
Host 1
How good did you think?
- [31:18]
Host 2
You see step on the back, too.
- [31:19]
Luke Kuechly
How'd you think your walk was? You give it a thumbs up.
- [31:21]
Host 2
I was. So I was thinking about, okay steps. You're moving your little feet back, and you're just thinking, please don't get called back on this start. Yes, that was. I was most nervous about. Because learning from img, they basically tell you, like, your first starts can be your best one or your first two. After that, you kind of like, your brain fucks up your CNS or something. So it was once I ran that and I got back to the boys and, hey, they're saying, four, nine right now. I'm like, all right, I know I'm solid. Yeah, I feel. I feel good about it.
- [31:47]
Host 1
Is there a team you felt like you knocked it out of the park with in the interview process?
- [31:52]
Luke Kuechly
Oh, man. You know what? Not really. I don't really. That was. I don't remember that. I thought the stuff with the Panthers went really good because. So Ron Rivera, obviously with the Bears. My high school road roommate was Mike Morrissey. He was two years older than I am. I was. And he was a great older guy. So when we. When we went on trips on the road, he was my roommate for away games. His dad played with the 85. On the 85 Bears. He played with the Bears, like, 10 years, and he played linebacker with. With Rivera. So I remember going to the combine and be like, I don't know any of these guys, but I know that Jim Morrissey and Mike Morrissey have said really good things about Coach Rivera and his experience with them and their friendship and playing together in Chicago. So I'm like, at least I have one guy that I kind of have a connection to. So that one was out of all of them. It was probably the easiest one after I said how bad my interview was on that video. But, yeah, I felt probably the most comfortable with them because I feel like there's a little bit of a connection there.
- [32:52]
Host 1
Did you know. Did you feel really confident that it was going to be the Panthers that grabbed you in the first round?
- [32:57]
Luke Kuechly
I thought there was a chance. So you kind of looked at, like, teams that. I took a visit to Carolina, so I met with them at the combine. I took a visit down there pre draft, and I kind of knew, like, 9 to 15 to 20 because 15 was Seattle and they drafted Bruce Irving. Bruce Irving. And then they ended up with Bobby in the second round. So they were going to draft a linebacker. I thought Buffalo was at 10. I think they drafted Stefan Gilmore from SC and so I thought it was going to be one of those teams. I also took a visit to Tennessee, so I think it was.
- [33:34]
Host 1
Oh, man, that was. Yeah, but they did draft a linebacker and it was Zach Brown.
- [33:41]
Luke Kuechly
Zach Brown. He was.
- [33:43]
Host 1
Yeah, he gets the second run, dude.
- [33:46]
Host 2
Trent Richardson.
- [33:47]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, I don't. I don't know where they drafted what point.
- [33:52]
Host 2
Yeah, scroll down a little bit. I want to see who they took.
- [33:55]
Host 1
Who are you talking about? The Titans.
- [33:57]
Luke Kuechly
Kendall, right?
- [33:57]
Host 2
Kendall Wright.
- [33:59]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [34:00]
Host 2
Damn.
- [34:02]
Host 1
They would have got him anyway.
- [34:04]
Luke Kuechly
You knew who was.
- [34:05]
Host 2
Yeah, true. Should have traded up.
- [34:06]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [34:08]
Host 2
But yeah, so you. Do you. Did you have any. Did you have a place you wanted to go? Like you looked at?
- [34:13]
Luke Kuechly
I thought Carolina would have been cool. I had some family that was down there. I was familiar. I liked it because Iran. Okay, that was the biggest thing that was cool was that I knew him. And they spoke.
- [34:24]
Host 1
The postseason is upon us and there's really nothing like it. But the postseason can be stressful. Crushing losses, wild upsets, your unhinged six game parlay falling apart at the literal last second. Things can get rough and it can leave you feeling a little sour. But you got to look at the bright side. Once your team is out and headed to decompress, you can finally relax. Now you can actually enjoy the postseason or with all of the heart palpitations. That's why we're partnering with Jim Beam. We want to help you turn that lemon of a loss into delicious, tasty Jim Beam and lemonade. Because it's really the perfect bevy for the offseason. It's refreshing, it's got the perfect sweetness and a little bit of tang on your tongue. Best paired with stress free watching when your team is out. So gather the boys and grab some Jim Beem and lemonade to make the rest of the postseason just a little bit sweeter. Refresh your season with Jim Beam and lemonade. Best enjoyed together. Please drink responsibly. Jim Beam Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. 40% alcohol by volume 2025 James B. Beam Distilling Co. Clermont, Kentucky.
- [35:25]
Luke Kuechly
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- [36:20]
Host 1
Start the year right.
- [36:21]
Luke Kuechly
Join the Zero Proof Resolution at rkbeverages.com so highly of him. And he was a linebacker and he coached like Erlacher and Briggs. Yeah, he's with San Diego and he's with the Bears. It just, it felt, I was like, that'd be a cool place.
- [36:34]
Host 1
How was it when you first got there? How, how was he as a, as a coach? Because I'm sure he's probably hard on you since he was, since you were a backer.
- [36:41]
Luke Kuechly
He was phenomenal. He was like, he did a really good job of separating being the head coach, but also like, he wanted to be a player again. So he'd be in the locker room, he'd talk to guys. He was, he'd have you over to the house. He just made you feel very comfortable. So I always felt like, you know, he was obviously the head coach, but he felt like a guy that he just wanted, he wanted to help you. He wanted to put you in a position to be successful. It was awesome. I couldn't have been in a better spot as far as just the people that were there. Sean McDermott was a defensive coordinator. I don't think that I could have ended up in a better system for. To play linebacker with that four down look, I played Mike, which was. If I was playing Will, I'd have struggled because in space you're matched up on receivers. It's just bad news.
- [37:29]
Host 1
Yeah, but you can run.
- [37:31]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, you can run straight.
- [37:32]
Host 1
But, you know, Julio Jones did, you know, he did what he did.
- [37:35]
Luke Kuechly
But that's.
- [37:36]
Host 1
Everybody's getting.
- [37:36]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, I'm sure they can pull a picture of that up. Yeah.
- [37:42]
Host 1
Yeah, sure.
- [37:42]
Luke Kuechly
Won't be back there working. There it is. It's. Yeah, the right. You know, that's, that's not even the best one. There's one that's like two pictures, three pictures. To the right on that search. That one looks better. That one looks.
- [37:56]
Host 1
Matter of fact.
- [37:57]
Luke Kuechly
Look how much higher he is there.
- [37:58]
Host 1
Take me.
- [37:59]
Luke Kuechly
I'm not even off the ground.
- [38:00]
Host 2
He's not even. He just pointed it. He just high pointed.
- [38:03]
Host 1
So you got to play because you're running with them.
- [38:05]
Luke Kuechly
So it's quarters.
- [38:06]
Host 1
And you're competitive on the ball.
- [38:07]
Luke Kuechly
Three by one. So it's quarters. And if you have speed at number three, which Julio definitely accounts for that, you get a backside. The backside quarters defender on the hash.
- [38:16]
Host 1
Helps you out, get you a three.
- [38:18]
Luke Kuechly
To X. Yeah, we called it. We called it a fax call, but yeah, same thing. I was like, great.
- [38:22]
Host 2
Two bonding right now.
- [38:23]
Luke Kuechly
I said, great. You. You understand my struggle. And they motion the empty. And I'm like, oh, oh, man.
- [38:30]
Host 2
Oh, sorry for the people listening when they motion empty.
- [38:33]
Luke Kuechly
So now there's no more facts or.
- [38:35]
Host 2
There'S no more help from that.
- [38:37]
Host 1
They motion to. They motion. Two weeks.
- [38:39]
Luke Kuechly
This looks so.
- [38:40]
Host 1
This look.
- [38:41]
Luke Kuechly
You know what Matt Ryan's saying right here is, my guy's just better than all of you because he looks like he's covered right now.
- [38:46]
Host 1
Yeah, you're. You are covering who?
- [38:47]
Luke Kuechly
So I'm running down the field. I'm like, man, I am in good shape. They throw that ball, and I'm like, I am in great shape. I can't see him, but I know he's behind me. I reach up, and all I hear is. And it's the ball hitting his hands and me falling down and my face hitting the ground, and I just hear the crowd explode.
- [39:06]
Host 2
Oh.
- [39:07]
Luke Kuechly
And I. And I run and I. And I remember I picked my head up. And the only thing I remember him seeing is like, you know, when these guys used to score and they. They go like this as they run through the end zone. I just saw him do that. Look at me. Just face. Face, face down. And I'm trying to. I'm hearing the crowd scream right now. And then I pick my head up. Did you. And they. Right at the end, they show them kind of right there. That's what I see when I look up. I see that. I see. It says. I can't even see the name Jones because he's tilted forward like that. And then I get to the sideline, and my coach is like, hey, you know you're supposed to be on him, right?
- [39:43]
Host 1
I was like, yeah, I was on here.
- [39:45]
Luke Kuechly
I know. I was.
- [39:46]
Host 2
That is the craziest comment a coach can make. You're a Mike linebacker.
- [39:51]
Host 1
You're coaching Keakley and Julio. Jones and scores on a competitive ball. And you're like, right?
- [39:55]
Luke Kuechly
I mean, a competitive. Competitive. Competitive is a nice way to say it. I mean, it looked competitive. And then when the ball got thrown that the. The competition kind of went out the window a little bit.
- [40:06]
Host 2
Let this play a little bit.
- [40:07]
Luke Kuechly
I'm running. He's running like three quarter speed. I'm running literally as fast as I can, and he's still running away from me.
- [40:13]
Host 1
Your safety over top was trying to get in on the action.
- [40:15]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, I was just.
- [40:17]
Host 2
I mean, he looks covered right there.
- [40:18]
Luke Kuechly
It's. He's. He's covered in.
- [40:20]
Host 1
Yeah. I mean, Matt, right? He just throws the ball up for him.
- [40:23]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [40:24]
Luke Kuechly
Look, I'm trying to pull through the. I'm trying to pull through the pocket.
- [40:27]
Host 2
Stab the pocket.
- [40:28]
Luke Kuechly
I'm trying to pull through the pocket. He just kind of big boyed me there a little bit.
- [40:32]
Host 2
God. I mean, you see a guy like Julio Jones.
- [40:35]
Luke Kuechly
You don't have to give me. You don't have to give me excuse. You just say that you got, you got, you got that we all get. That was on Randy Moss's. You got Moss the next week. So you always want to be on. You got Moss as a little kid, but not for that reason.
- [40:47]
Host 2
Not that way at all. Was that what is like the. Your toughest play? Like the worst moment you've had? The worst, mom. Was that it?
- [40:55]
Luke Kuechly
No, that wasn't it. Because I kind of felt like it the best I could have done.
- [40:59]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [41:00]
Luke Kuechly
You know, I give 100 effort.
- [41:02]
Host 2
The results. My effort was strong.
- [41:04]
Luke Kuechly
It's just kind of like, hey, hey, man.
- [41:05]
Host 1
Like, she made a play too.
- [41:07]
Luke Kuechly
Just better than you.
- [41:07]
Host 2
He was better for that moment.
- [41:08]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. So he's. Yeah, he's just better. I remember my rookie year, we were playing Seattle and it was Russ. Russ was a quarterback. Russ and I trained together at the combine. For the combine. Remember, he breaks contain. He's running to his right. He breaks contain. Obviously, he's running down the field. I'm in coverage. So he crossed the line of scrimmage. I'm. I was like, I'm gonna crush him. And he's running and he's running like almost straight at me. I've got a great angle and he's running like this, and I'm running like that. I'm like, I'm gonna crush him. The last second, right before I'm about to hit me. Puts his left foot, left foot in the ground and cuts back this way. And I'm getting ready to just like fall into the Tackle. And I turn and look. Guess who was running Mach 5 at my face that Russ set up? Mike Robinson. Remember him? Yeah, Penn State guy. He. He hit me. He hit me so hard that I don't really. I didn't even feel it. It wasn't a dirty hit. He didn't mean the head. He just hit me, and I just crumpled to the ground. And I remember, like, looking up and he just smiled at me. And I was like, you got me. He's like, I know, I know. So it was. That was. That was. You talk about, like, welcome to the NFL. Your rookie moment. Yeah, that was one of them. And then we played. Played Tampa my rookie year at home. It was an. It was. We were up at the end of the game. We were probably up six or seven points. They ran a vertical ball, three verticals in cover four, and I was matched up on Vincent Jackson. And Josh Freeman throws this great back shoulder ball to him. And I thought I had him covered. In college, you. He. You're close to him. He's covered.
- [42:52]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [42:53]
Luke Kuechly
I didn't know. I didn't know what a back shoulder ball was. And so I'm running with him, and then all of a sudden he spins, he opens up and he puts his hands backside, and he catches this football. I was like, how'd that happen? Like, some of that stuff, you score a touchdown, they tied it up. They go to overtime. We lose in overtime.
- [43:13]
Host 2
Oh.
- [43:13]
Luke Kuechly
So it was just like one of those things where you don't. You're just naive, and then something happens in a game and you're like, oh, that's what they were. Yeah, that's what a back shoulder ball is. In that ball. I was. I mean, I felt like I was in great position, but the ball was literally perfect. My awareness was zero. And he just put it on his back shoulder. Vincent Jackson opened up and caught that ball, and I was like, damn, that sucks.
- [43:41]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [43:42]
Host 1
So did you really not have a TV in your apartment, your rookie?
- [43:45]
Luke Kuechly
That's so. No, I. I had. I had everything. I had.
- [43:49]
Host 2
Oh, no.
- [43:51]
Host 1
The lure of.
- [43:54]
Luke Kuechly
So what happened? So what happened was you lied, so. No, it happened. Going into my. The. The rumor was, going into my second year, I moved apartments, like in end. End of July. So then, you know, going into July, I. You're going in the training camp for the first, like, three or four weeks of the season. And I just. It was on the back burner for. To set up cable. I had my Internet set up, but I was like, I don't need cable for this first like six, eight weeks because I'm never going to be here.
- [44:22]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [44:23]
Luke Kuechly
So I didn't have it set up and somehow one of my buddies got wind of it and it just turned in this. It just turned into this whole thing where.
- [44:32]
Host 1
So that came from one of your.
- [44:33]
Host 2
Buddies somehow in the locker room?
- [44:34]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, it came in the locker room. Like, hey, did you watch like, somebody's like, hey, you've been watching whatever. I was like, no, I don't have. I don't have the cable set up in my TV in my, in my apartment yet. They're like, why not? I was like, I just moved. I didn't have time to set it up. Like we just went to training camp. Like, not here very much. Anyways, so when I get back from after training camp, I'll get it set up. So that was like what had happened. Everyone's like, you didn't have tv. I'm like, I'm not a psychopath.
- [44:59]
Host 2
It was very much framed like that.
- [45:01]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [45:02]
Host 2
I just pictured you in a carpeted room with a blow up mattress.
- [45:05]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [45:06]
Host 2
Maybe a hyperbaric chamber.
- [45:07]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. Just paper plates in a microwave and macaroni and cheese and ramen.
- [45:10]
Host 2
Never microwave. It takes out too much nutrients for you.
- [45:13]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, there it is right there.
- [45:15]
Host 1
God.
- [45:16]
Host 2
Yeah, that is. That is one of the things that like, look at that.
- [45:19]
Luke Kuechly
Just.
- [45:20]
Host 1
I mean, that's an insane throwing catch.
- [45:22]
Luke Kuechly
And then they went for two. They're down, they're down. They're down eight. So then they got two point conversion afterwards.
- [45:27]
Host 2
God.
- [45:27]
Luke Kuechly
And I ran into the goalposts and that was like insult the injury. Like, I just got. I just got worked and I just got crushed by the post. Watch this. Oh, look at. My leg sucks. And then you turn around and then you turn. Then you look up and you're like, he definitely caught it. And look at the official. Yeah, it's like he was waiting to do that.
- [45:48]
Host 1
I want to make sure you're taking a peek first.
- [45:50]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, yeah, yeah. He scored.
- [45:51]
Host 1
I was like, nobody touched that ball.
- [45:53]
Luke Kuechly
Oh, dang. Look at me. I'm like, gosh, I suck.
- [45:56]
Host 2
Good hip flexibility though.
- [45:58]
Luke Kuechly
21, so it didn't really matter.
- [45:59]
Host 1
Dude. Defensive player, rookie of the year, though.
- [46:02]
Luke Kuechly
Luckily they didn't see that play.
- [46:03]
Host 1
Yeah, but how awesome is that?
- [46:06]
Luke Kuechly
It was cool. It was fun. I mean, it was. You just to have the opportunity to play like that as much as I did as a rookie was so cool.
- [46:17]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [46:17]
Luke Kuechly
In a great system, it was. That system was set up for linebackers to just run around. It was cover three, Cover Four, a little bit of man. We had really good guys in front of us. Our defensive line was sick and they called plays that highlighted the linebacker. So it was Thomas and I. So John Beeson talk about who's a thumper, who I talk about like, so go back to college with herzlich and Mike McLaughlin, like great older veteran guys that had no. Their pride, never got in the way. They were just there to help you. Mike Morrissey, the guy I talked about, that new Ron. And those guys were so helpful. And then when I got to Carolina, it was the same way. So when I got there, it was James Anderson was coming off her career year. Beast was coming back from an Achilles, All Pro Pro Bowler, like the dude in the middle, like stud. And then Thomas was coming back from his 30 ACL. Thomas at full speed was what Thomas was for 16 years in the NFL. And then me. So there was four of us. I was the rookie. Beast and TD were coming back from substantial injuries and Achilles and an acl. And then James, excuse me, was going to play obviously healthy, had a great year coming off a good year. So I remember I showed up, my rookie, one of my first days there, TD comes in and he's like, hey, I'm Thomas, here's my number. Lock me in. You need anything, let me know. And I was like, that's just an older guy coming in and like checking a box and doing all this stuff. But it was, he was the best helpful, talked you through things, taught you stuff, where did. Who to talk to, to, you know, chiropractors, where to just where to do everything. In Charlotte. He was fantastic. How to practice, how to be tough, how to play, hurt, like all that stuff. And then Beast was. Beast got hurt. Beast got put on ir, I think after the Atlanta game, my rookie year, which was like week or week two or three. And so then I slid from outside linebacker to inside linebacker at Mike Bisa spot. And all Beast ever did was help me, sat next to me in meetings, talk to me, watch tape with me. Hey, this is how I. This is how I played cover two. And this is why. This is where my eyes looked like. There was never, There was never any sense of like, you're playing Mike, you're a first round pick. Like, I'm hurt. I've been hurt two years in a row. Maybe I. There was never like, I'm worried about my job. It was, how can I help you? So I think, you know, I was always very fortunate to have guys like that through my football career, high school, college and Then Beeson, Thomas and James and a guy named Jordan Sen who was played with us for a long time. He was like a. Could play all three spots, big time teamer, but was very in smart, very intelligent, great with his body. He sat right next to me in the locker room and he would just, all he ever did was just help me. So I was just great coach with Ron and McD was a D coordinator. And then those guys around me was like a perfect situation.
- [49:10]
Host 1
Dude, TD had a hell of a career. I mean three ACLs and able to.
- [49:14]
Host 2
Come back and play the way.
- [49:15]
Host 1
Yeah. And I, I met him out at one of the NFL, one of the NFLPA meetings and this dude's just eating like burger and fries and.
- [49:22]
Luke Kuechly
Oh, that's how he was.
- [49:23]
Host 1
Whatever. And he sits there, he sits there. I'm like, hey, are you eating like this throughout the season? He's like, oh, I eat whatever I want all the time. Which is like, buddy, how in the do you do that?
- [49:30]
Luke Kuechly
I think some of those guys, like that's just, they're more, that's just what they're, they're best at.
- [49:35]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [49:36]
Luke Kuechly
Like this is what he plays, this is what he's. How his body reacts the best and that's what he's gonna do. But his like 6 inch snap was unbelievable. He was so fast.
- [49:48]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [49:48]
Luke Kuechly
So explosive snap, ultra physical and just a great guy to watch as far as how to do things.
- [49:56]
Host 2
Just a dangerous linebacker room.
- [49:58]
Luke Kuechly
Just tough, high effort, ultra competitive. You know, like all those things that require no athletic ability. It's all like decisions like, you know, you are what you are athletically, you are, how height, weight, speed, whatever. You make a decision how tough you are, how physical you are, how hard you play and how much it matters to you. Like those are things that you control. And he was, it was great to see that from an older guy as a young guy. Like these are non negotiables that you make the decision when you walk on the field, you're going to do it a certain way.
- [50:30]
Host 2
Yeah, yeah. It sounds like you get great leadership.
- [50:32]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [50:32]
Host 2
Walking and helping you out on that defense immediately.
- [50:35]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [50:35]
Host 2
That's unreal. When you, you obviously there's such a conversation revolved around you about like calling out plays. Did you already have that capability to down film or did those guys, were they a big part of teaching you that stuff?
- [50:46]
Luke Kuechly
So I was fortunate. In high school, our high school coach would bring us down to his office during lunch and he'd put on a VHS tape and we'd eat lunch down There. And he'd put the tape on. The tape would just run, and we could, like, rewind it if we wanted to.
- [50:58]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [50:58]
Luke Kuechly
But then you don't really understand why you're doing that until you know you're in the game and you're like, oh, I saw that in. And when we were watching tape with coach, and usually it's after the fact, so it's like very like. Like retrospective. But you start to figure out, like, oh, I can get a real advantage by watching tape. So we kind of did that in high school. And then I got to college, and there's a guy, another guy, Wes Davis. He was a safety, California guy, Super smart, intelligent, big tape guy. So when you get to college, you know, it's like, you can. You can watch whatever you want. You can sort it however you want to watch it. Personnel formation, down a distance. You know how it is. Whatever you want.
- [51:38]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [51:38]
Luke Kuechly
So I go in there and I'm like, this is too much for me to handle. I got to figure out how to do this. So I would go watch tape with Wes. This is as. As a freshman. And, you know, Wes would be in there, and he'd be like, all right, hey, imagine we're playing cover four. And you get this, like, how you playing it? So you start to figure out, all right, I can match my call up with the place. So when I watch. When I watch tape, I can envision myself in that situation. So that was kind of like the first step. And then the second step would be Wes would be in meetings and say, all right. He's like, like, this. This gives us problems in cover three. And in my head, I'm like, I don't really know what that means, but like, sure. So he'd be like, this is why it gives us problems. He's like, if I see this look in a game, I'm gonna let you know. And then we'll just kind of play it like this. You know, you kind of play the play a little bit. And he's like, all right, I'm gonna give you a heads up in the game when we're gonna get it. He's like, I'm gonna tell you when I played a certain way, and we'll be in good shape. I was like, all right, great. So then comes up in a game, west gives me, like, a nod, and I'm like, hey, this is what he's done. No, I give him a nod back. Hey, what's up? Like, and the play would happen, and I would just be aloof and Be like, I gave you a nod. I was like, I gave you one back. He's like, no, that was the plan.
- [52:51]
Host 2
That was it.
- [52:51]
Luke Kuechly
So then just slowly, over time, you're like, okay, now I understand why he's watching tape. So you watch tape, you understand situations, and you pick stuff up and you accumulate knowledge. And over time, you just understand, like, this is how teams really want to run the football. This is how it matches up against our defense. These are the top formations. I mean, you know how it is. It's like if it's two by two and the tight ends on the line of scrimmage, their top wrong concepts are probably this, this, and this, right? And once you know that, then it's like, all right, so if we're in an overfront and they run that first run play and we're in this defense, who's going to block me? Okay, this guy's going to block me. All right, say they run the other play in the same defense, same front, boom. This. Now this guy's going to block me. And you go through that. And then when practice rolls around, you get it. And then when the game rolls around, it's like, all right, here's my formation. Here's my, my, my, my call on defense. This is how we're lined up. The ball gets snapped, I get my one read from whoever I'm reading. Boom. Now I know who's going to block me. I know where the ball is going to go. I have to beat that guy in the run game, whoever's going to block me. And then I'm clean to the football. You know, one guy's blocking you on each play. So if I know top run concepts, I know how it fits within our defense. I know where I line, I know where my stressors are. The ball gets snapped, I read, Boom. Now I know who's going to block me. Now, I have. Now, I already have a plan of attack on how I'm going to get after him before the ball gets snapped. So then you're playing the game before the ball gets snapped, and then everything just slows down as the ball gets snapped. So I love it. It was just because you got like, you know how it is. You gotta. This is a bad play right here. So I remember exactly this play.
- [54:26]
Host 2
I like to see this one.
- [54:27]
Luke Kuechly
So Andy Gallic's center, you guys ran. It was like a split zone. Look, split zone. Hang on. We're in man coverage, and we're. We're in. And it's an in and out.
- [54:36]
Host 1
So safety down Here.
- [54:38]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. So TD and I are like the in and out guys. So my guy goes back across formation, the tight end. I got to fall back in a pass in pass game.
- [54:46]
Host 1
Right.
- [54:46]
Luke Kuechly
But if it's a run, I got to stay frontside. So it was a run. I see the guy go back across the formation, I fall back and this ball stays front side and look where it hits. I get blocked by I think Andy Galax. The center is a BC guy looks where it gets hit. Probably right where I should be. Kind of a disaster. Who's. Yeah, yeah.
- [55:05]
Host 1
So probably disaster.
- [55:06]
Luke Kuechly
This was a touchdown.
- [55:07]
Host 2
I mean, there's a lot of holes.
- [55:08]
Luke Kuechly
Dexter McCluster on this touchdown here.
- [55:10]
Host 2
So what is this, 2015? Yeah, we were bad then too. How would you 3 and 13 year for us?
- [55:16]
Host 1
How did your prep develop, like in the league?
- [55:19]
Luke Kuechly
Like, yeah, are you.
- [55:19]
Host 1
Or how are you breaking second down each day? Like on Monday, are you first, second down?
- [55:23]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. So like Monday was. So, you know, Monday you come in, you get a workout flush, watch the. Watch the game from the night before and kind of day before, whatever, make your corrections. And then I'd always watch two first halves of the team that we were playing and just get like general feel. And I always feel like first halfs are better because you got to. You got to feel for who they were, right? So I think about falling or like think about like, say we're watching. We're watching the Titans and I watched the whole game. Maybe in the second half you guys are up big and so now you guys are running the ball a little bit more. Maybe the past game's not as aggressive. They're different than what they want to be coming out, right. Versus in the first half, like your first 15, your first probably 25 plays or things that you guys have really thought about your top concept, stuff like that. So I'd watch two first halves and just get a feel for like, you know, what do they look like up front? You know, are they like. For example, we play the Falcons, right? Alex Mack, like, big, athletic, smart, rangy, really good player. I'm like, damn, I got my work cut out for this guy. And then you go, you know, in the backfield it was Tevin Coleman. He's like big, kind of a slasher, like one cut, wide zone type guy. Devonte Freeman is like a little bit of shake, good burst, could run physical, not a real big guy, but gets lost and like is a firm. Really good. I thought he was really good. And if he could speed you up, slow you down, run through You. And then you look on the outside. Austin Hooper was the. The tight end. And then it was like Roddy White and Julio Jones. You're like, all right, boom. So, like, this is how they look up front. This is what they look like in the backfield. Like, you know, we play the Falcons. You don't really need to watch Matt a whole lot because you got a really good feel for. We played him twice a year.
- [57:07]
Host 2
He's.
- [57:08]
Luke Kuechly
He's Matt Ryan, you know, like, I don't. You don't need to take a ton of notes on that, but you get a feel for. All right, Kyle Shanahan, wide zone shifts and motions. They're going to try to get you in a compromised position. They want to run the ball to the bubble. So that's Monday. And just. It's like, click through. Like, click through stuff real quick. Tuesday.
- [57:24]
Host 1
Now, are you a big notes guy.
- [57:25]
Luke Kuechly
Or are you just notes? Because that helps me if I write it, then it helps me remember.
- [57:28]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [57:28]
Host 2
And this Monday, you're not necessarily taking notes. You're just feeling the game, you know, in the process of the game.
- [57:33]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. And feel them. And, like, I'll write down some notes. Like, if they've got a dude that I'm not used to playing against or I haven't seen a lot of, I'm like, this is like, offensive line moves really well. Center 51 is a really good player. Running backs, this is how these guys feel. Because I always felt like with running backs, if you don't play against them a lot, you don't know how they, like, feel on contact. And I didn't like that. Like, I want to know early in the game, how do you feel? Are you firm? Like, stuff like that. And I felt like that was one thing I always wanted to watch during the week is how do they run? How do they take contact? Do they like contact? Like, are they a stiff arm guy? Are they. What do they like doing? Because then in the game, you got to have a plan. I mean, you'll play Marshawn Lynch. You can't just, like, run in there and hope you're going to get him on the ground. So then I would take light notes on that, just get a feel. Because mentally, I was like, Monday was a day where I'm like, I need to kind of break it up a little bit. So if I took a ton of notes, I'm like, this is just too much mentally. So then Tuesday, you come in, hit a little workout, and then I'd watch run game. So our coaches did A good job of breaking down run game based on like formation down in distance. Excuse me, top concepts. And then I would go and highlight like four games. And then, you know, you can sort everything. So I'd sort it by like personnel. So like, all right, I wanna, I wanna see all their 12 personnel runs. And like, how do they run the ball to 12 personnel? So three by one, is it two by two? Do they like running 12 personnel and putting the tight, the tight end in the backfield? Because if so now it turns into like two back run versus like if they're in a wing or double, like ace, both on the line of scrimmage. Now it's like one back run.
- [59:12]
Host 2
It's like 21 instead of 12.
- [59:13]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. So it's like a completely different concept. So I want to know what they do. And then I would break it down by like personnel group, then formation, and then top concepts inside the formation. I take notes on all those and just chart it because, like, it took a lot of time, but I felt like if I could write it down then I would remember it better. So then. And by Tuesday, I usually had, I usually had the game plan, like first, second down game plan. So then I'd watch all that, chart everything, watch those games. And then I'd watch a full game after that and then see how it fits. So like, when do they run it? Like, when are they 11, when are they 12, what are they like doing out of 13? When do they do it in a game? And like, what's the game flow? And then you could call, I could call defenses within that, within that, watching that game. So, you know, first and 10, the first quarter, like, all right, I'm just playing cover three. So line up and cover three. See my overfront, see where I got a line, see where rotation is. And then kind of go through it that way and then, you know, just kind of buzz through it like that. So then you get a feel for how they want to run the ball out of formations. You get a good feel for what they are. And then you see how it applies to the game and how they get to stuff. And then I can apply our first and second down game plan to that and just run through that. And then Wednesday after practice I do the same thing, but with first and second down pass. So break it down the same way and see how the run game matches with pass game, what conflicts you could potentially what conflicts. And then like you start to figure out, like, are they a formation based team in the sense of do they run plays? Run Plays and pass plays out of formations. So regardless what the personnel is like, if it's three by one wing, they could run that at 11, they could run it at 12, they could run it at 13, they could run it at 10 if they wanted. But it's the same run concept and they're just looking for the best matchup within personnel groupings that run that run play. Right. Or are they a personnel group team where in 11 these are their top five run concepts. And then in 12 they want to run this and in 13 they start getting heavy. It's like short yardage. They're going to play too heavy a wing and a backside tight end and it's going to be like load, power, counter, o y three poolers going somewhere. Or they just, like I said, a formation based team. So then as the week goes on, you get a feel for what this team wants to do, why they want to do it, how they get to it. Are they a shift motion team? Do they build sets? Because the only thing that matters in football is what's the final formation. So are they stagnant or do they line up in three by one and then shift to two by two and then motion this guy across to three by one? I don't care about any of that. I just want to know the final result. What's the final result of the formation is what I want to get to and how do they do it? So when the game comes around, you're not like, oh, well, it's three by one. But I didn't anticipate them getting to it. Like, no, I already knew that they're gonna be a heavy shift, heavy motion. My brain's already turned on to it. So when they get to, when they start to move, guys, it's like, I've already prepared myself for this. And then third down, you just watch it by, you know, down the distance.
- [62:15]
Host 1
Right, right.
- [62:16]
Luke Kuechly
And then watch, I watch another game and see kind of how it all ties together. And then Friday was red zone and specials. Like if we were playing, you know, Cal or Alvin Camara, like can get a lot of matchups one on one with him. If we play man coverage, like, I don't, I don't like that matchup.
- [62:33]
Host 1
Are we able to get the rat in this situation or like stay in.
- [62:36]
Luke Kuechly
The box and if I get put in a bad situation, I need to have a plan of attack of like, right. Does he like moving off a certain foot? How does he stem where does he get uncomfortable? Where? Just move area out of the backfield. Where does he like going? And then. So when you get in that situation, if it's, man, you're like, all right, like, he's better athlete than me. He's gonna probably make me miss a bunch. But, like, here's my plan of attack that I've already thought about on Friday. So when it comes around in the game, you're like, all right, I'm good. Like, yeah, this is my plan of attack. And, like, I feel good about it, and I'm gonna go attack him. And if it works, great. If not, like, I feel good about what I did going into the game.
- [63:14]
Host 1
Yeah. How big of a role did you. The TV copy.
- [63:17]
Luke Kuechly
Love TV copy.
- [63:18]
Host 2
Yeah, the TV copy. Is that where you found getting on the checks?
- [63:21]
Luke Kuechly
Oh, yes.
- [63:21]
Host 2
Stuff like that.
- [63:22]
Luke Kuechly
So you just. I would just watch, like, the all 22. And then anytime the quarterback comes in line of scrimmage, you turn on the TV copy and see what you got. Everything that he says, you gotta listen to it and write it down, and then you gotta check it a few times, you know?
- [63:39]
Host 1
Do you remember any teams that were changing their verbiage because they essentially knew that they were playing against you?
- [63:44]
Luke Kuechly
No, if I didn't. If I didn't. If I didn't know a word, I never guessed, but, like, you always have to. It's always just like a.
- [63:53]
Host 1
It's like ENTD was probably like, salt. Pepper.
- [63:55]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [63:56]
Host 1
Did I tell you Lacquer, Briggs.
- [63:58]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, Salt and pepper. So that was. Was using the super bowl, and I thought salt was left and pepper was right. Because salt is an L and pepper was right.
- [64:07]
Host 1
No, because they had white, black. You got back out there and a black line. Background. Salt, salt, salt. Hey, you're white. Hey, they're gonna be blocking my ass. Luke's like, hey, left, left, left.
- [64:18]
Luke Kuechly
They're going left and td.
- [64:21]
Host 2
I'm on the same page with you because inside.
- [64:24]
Luke Kuechly
Inside that game. So inside the game, they said, like, tiger and Paradis. Matt Paradis was his center. And he. And he said, tiger, Tiger. And one of the offensive linemen was like, huh? And he said, tiger.
- [64:38]
Host 2
Er.
- [64:39]
Luke Kuechly
I was like, ah, you're going to the right. So I took that forward to salt and pepper. And I remember having an argument with TD about it. And we get in the sideline, and I'm like, I don't know why they call pepper. And they. And they went to you. I was on the right side or whatever. The left side, they're right. And he's like, no, you missed the whole thing. Salt. You're White pepper. I was like, oh, it makes sense now.
- [65:05]
Host 2
Even the crafty of craftiest of minds get caught.
- [65:07]
Luke Kuechly
Oh, my gosh. It was so funny, man. Dude.
- [65:10]
Host 2
I mean, yeah, there's definitely, like, a crazy amount of you calling out those plays. Like, what do you think your batting percentage was on those?
- [65:18]
Luke Kuechly
I think if you feel good about it, Like, I remember we played Tampa in 2015, and they had a toss play. It was Tulsa. And I remember we were. It was a check they talked about. We were. It was like, on a third down, maybe, and we were all mugged up. So Thomas and I were both mugged up. We had a safety mugged up, so we were, you know, if they had. And they had a. They had a front side bunch. And so if they. If you just down, block pin and pull the. Off the ball, defenders that are supposed to make the play are never going to get there. It's like throwing a screen out of a mug. Look like a wide receiver screen. And I remember he gets there, and James comes up and looks around and he's like, all right, we got double mug. All these guys in line of scrimmage, safety's down, showing off the backside, the rotational guy and the nickel showing up because it's a bunch, because he's got to press the point, and he checks Tulsa. And I'm like, oh, my gosh. Perfect.
- [66:14]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [66:15]
Luke Kuechly
And so we pull. We pull everybody out and bump everyone. Plus everyone front side, just totally get out of the blitz. We were supposed to be dropping defensive tackles. It was like a sim pressure. And we just told all the defense, I'm in, like, go. Don't drop. It's a run, it's a toss. Go. And one of the guys, I think Jared Allen, made the tackle. And I just. I was so happy. It was like, it all worked. You know, you get that one play. Get that one play you make based on film, and you just like, it's all worth it.
- [66:46]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [66:47]
Host 2
All the preparation was worth it for. For sure.
- [66:48]
Luke Kuechly
And TD was great at that. TD Watched a ton of tape, too, so we had a good little combo.
- [66:53]
Host 2
When you get to those games, the amount of preparation you put in knowing, like, Alvin Kamara, when you're like this, I'm gonna attack him. So I know, regardless, like, my process has been correct.
- [67:01]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [67:02]
Host 2
Did you have nerves before the games, or was it, like, haze in the barn?
- [67:05]
Luke Kuechly
Like, oh, I was always nervous.
- [67:09]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [67:09]
Luke Kuechly
Like, you want to. You always want to get in the flow as fast as you can of the game, and the longer you're out of the flow of the game, the less you feel like you're a part of the game.
- [67:19]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [67:19]
Luke Kuechly
So you can prepare all you want, but you. You want to get into the flow of the game as quickly as you can. And if you're not in the flow, you feel like you're floating, and I hate that. So you're always nervous to go in the game because you don't know. Each game feels different. Like, it feels different from, you know, the surface is different, how the team you play is different. The coordinators are different. How they want to attack you is different. The players are different. The run game's different. The. The re. Like, everything feels different each game. And you were always like. I don't know about nervous or you're anxious.
- [67:55]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [67:56]
Luke Kuechly
To, like, feel. Feel the game and be. And feel like you're a part of the game. And until you do that, you're kind of like, damn, like, I need to. Need to get in there.
- [68:03]
Host 2
I need to get in there. Need to feel something.
- [68:04]
Luke Kuechly
I need, like, a little action early in the game with.
- [68:06]
Host 2
With that thought process. Was it better for you in your mind to go three and out, your first defensive. Oh, boys, we got them. Three and out. Or like, a nine, eight, nine play, gritty drive where maybe they come up points, but, like, you know, okay, this next drive, I'm. I feel like I'm immersed in this game now, so I feel a whole lot better.
- [68:22]
Luke Kuechly
I think it depends on if you get. If you get a piece of something early. Yeah, yeah, you got to get a piece.
- [68:26]
Host 2
Explain to me the piece of something.
- [68:27]
Luke Kuechly
Like, if. If you make a good tackle, like, on first or second or third down or like, first or second down, you make a. You make a good play. Like, around the line of scrimmage in the run game, you're like, all right, I got, like, kind of first hits.
- [68:38]
Host 2
Out of the way.
- [68:39]
Luke Kuechly
I'm good. Or like, you get a. Like, you make a good play on third down, you get a stop or off the field in like, a three and out or, you know, you just. You're in the mix. Or, like, you feel. Say they run power and you, like. You, like, stick a guard and you force a guard, you're like, all right, I'm in good shape. But if it's like, pass, toss, run away, incomplete on third down, you're still, like, itching a little bit. Yeah, you need to get, like, you need to get up. You need to get a piece of something. Yeah.
- [69:05]
Host 2
You need to feel somebody.
- [69:06]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [69:06]
Host 1
Talk about the pain from. From the super Bowl.
- [69:09]
Host 2
Yeah. And have you forgiven Cam Newton for not jumping on that phone?
- [69:12]
Luke Kuechly
Oh, my gosh. It was it. The further you get away from it, the more you appreciate it. Like, how special that year was, how much fun we had, how good our locker room was. Like, all the games that we played in that were so fun. The. The city of Charlotte was awesome. Like, the media coverage of that season in the locker room, it was like anybody that was. Anybody reporter wise was in the locker room every week. We didn't lose a game until Christmas. We played on Thursday. We played. Yeah, here we go. Played on Thursday night in Jerry World down in Dallas on Thanksgiving.
- [69:47]
Host 1
Oh, buddy, I'm sorry to interrupt you. Yeah, that was my favorite game to watch of you.
- [69:54]
Luke Kuechly
I'm like. I'm like. You're like a proud father and I'm your son. It's like you just got, like, super.
- [69:59]
Host 2
Comfortable in that chair because we'll talk to the Cowboys. He usually has a dim light on it, so it's nice to see him light up with the Cowboys just as.
- [70:06]
Host 1
A backer and appreciating and respecting the game that we played. Like, watching. Getting to watch that Thursday night football game because again, you're not like, watching everybody else, like, when you're playing on Sundays, but knowing that you had. There was dedicated time, like on holidays to where it's like, oh, these teams are playing today. And watching you against the Cowboys, those two ploy, those two picks you had back to back. I've sat there and I was trying to get everybody in the room enthralled. Like, do you guys understand what just happened? You being a Tampa 2 player and them trying to run you out, clear you out for that deep dagger by one, and you coming down to pick it off after you already have your responsibility taken care of. That is art. Oh, you're coming back. Kind coming back the next series and knowing you're in a cover for responsibility with Wit as the tight end and they're trying you over the top without any safety help. And you picking that ball off, getting your head around, that's art. And I just want you to know.
- [71:00]
Luke Kuechly
That I need you to hang around me and talk me up a little more.
- [71:02]
Host 1
I. Obviously you have all the accomplishments in the world, but just like some of those plays and you just talking through Tulsa, knowing you're mugged up and everything else. I appreciate the art that you put on display.
- [71:12]
Luke Kuechly
It was. It was. I appreciate that this.
- [71:14]
Host 1
Yeah, yeah. Sorry. I'm getting really juiced up right now, but these plays right here Boys, like, you guys need to lock in.
- [71:19]
Luke Kuechly
The guy that made the play was Thomas. So we were in a sim pressure. So basically what was supposed to happen is TD Was supposed to blitz, and we were supposed to drop the defensive end to the field. So Romo saw the pressure, so he's like, all right, the hook player. It was just simp pressure. Cover 3. The hook player is a defensive end, so I'm gonna throw this dig right behind the defensive end. So Romo. Romo checks protection, swings, everything. And so Thomas is like, do we need to get out of this? They just push protection. To me, it's a bad matchup. So he checked. Thomas looks at me. Hey, we need to check cover two. I was like, all right, cool. Let's do it.
- [71:59]
Host 2
So who's at the green dot?
- [72:01]
Luke Kuechly
I did, but Thomas and I and, like, Roman and Kurt Coleman, it was like, it's just a discussion. It's a discussion.
- [72:08]
Host 2
Crazy that you guys have enough time to have a discussion as well. That's wild to me.
- [72:11]
Luke Kuechly
TD And I had had, like a. Hey. He's like. He just. Mike, did you want to go to cover two? And I was like, you want to. He's like, yeah. I was like, all right, cool. Check cover two. So, like, you've got time. And then this plays, like, one of those plays that you talked about. Like, you always want to get this play in cover two, and it never works out that way, right? Like, either you're a backside hook player or you're blitzing, or it's man coverage, and it's just one of those plays where it's just right place, right time.
- [72:39]
Host 1
Like it happened, and you're taking a shot.
- [72:41]
Luke Kuechly
Oh, yeah. You're like. You're trusting Whitten. Look at Whitney's.
- [72:44]
Host 1
Yeah, he's wide open. Yeah, but again, you're trusting. You're. You're trusting. Can you go back to the top of the play?
- [72:50]
Luke Kuechly
And a lot of it starts, too.
- [72:52]
Host 1
With it's like you starting high and trusting that. All right, Romos went through this progression to where now I'm going to take a shot and leave the middle of the field to go pick off and then stagger.
- [73:01]
Luke Kuechly
The other thing is, so Bennett Benwickery is playing. He's one of our corners. He's playing at the. I think this him at the bottom of the screen. If you don't get a good jam on that guy, then I can't see the release. So the release by one. If he inside releases and you get a clear out and then a sit look at the jam. Do you see the jam by Benet?
- [73:18]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [73:18]
Luke Kuechly
So the jam slows it down.
- [73:19]
Host 2
This is what we're talking about.
- [73:20]
Host 1
Yeah. Down low, at the bottom. Yeah.
- [73:21]
Luke Kuechly
He. He gets the good jam, pushes him inside and. And puts those two guys on levels and slows him down. So the progression for Romo is slower.
- [73:29]
Host 1
Right.
- [73:30]
Luke Kuechly
So he doesn't get to dot that ball when he wants to. But I get to see inside release by 1. I can see the sit by 2. And then once he puts his foot in the ground, I'm like, all right, I'm clean. Like, I'm good. Because I know that once his inside release is coming, he's probably going to run an in cut, and that's going to push Roman to that over.
- [73:46]
Host 1
Right.
- [73:46]
Luke Kuechly
So then you're like, all right. But then you. Like you said, you're kind of. You're kind of taking, like a calculated chance.
- [73:52]
Host 1
Yeah, yeah. So that's the mic backer. You have the middle of the field. I mean.
- [73:57]
Host 2
Yeah. Tampa, too. You bet. You see how to bail out and you're deep.
- [74:00]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [74:00]
Host 1
And his backs to the quarterback. So again, he's taking, like, a calculated risk just coming out of the middle of the field.
- [74:05]
Host 2
And so what's so funny?
- [74:07]
Host 1
The hook player, you know, he's. It's like you're jumping the fat lady when the pretty ones behind you.
- [74:12]
Host 2
Why at that point are you like, okay, I'm safe? Because, you know, your safety is now coming back over the top to help you out.
- [74:17]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. And you kind of know. You kind of know where that ball is meant to be thrown. The ball is meant to be thrown to the dig.
- [74:22]
Host 2
Got you. So because Romo, in his mind is still thinking, you guys are in a simulated pressure where the end's going to drop and that guy's covering him, I.
- [74:27]
Luke Kuechly
Think he probably knows it. Point that we're not. I just think he probably is like, all right, I got. I got Tampa. The. The hook player jumped the. The little in and out route, the whip route. So I'm just going to throw it behind.
- [74:39]
Host 2
Right.
- [74:39]
Luke Kuechly
So I had a little bit more time to kind of feel it out because Benet got such a good jam, he slowed the progress, so that guy really got him inside. So, like, it's. It's one of those things, like, you don't just make the play by yourself. Really good jam.
- [74:52]
Host 1
Right.
- [74:52]
Luke Kuechly
We had really good pressure that whole. That whole game. We hit him a bunch of. So, like, that clock gets sped up and then Thomas, great awareness by him of, like, getting out of that.
- [75:02]
Host 1
Yeah. You have incredible quarterback answers of. Of shouting out the team throughout the entire course.
- [75:07]
Luke Kuechly
I mean, he's right.
- [75:08]
Host 1
It's like when what Romo's seen is like, he knows as the hook player sitting there, he's like, oh, this is 100 out of 100. I'm going to hit this clear right. Hit this dig over time.
- [75:15]
Host 2
Because you can see right here, even with you covering the standby, like, that almost seems a little open to me. But he's on right here.
- [75:20]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [75:21]
Host 2
And that where him. He's like, oh, there's no one. Because he's expecting you to still go up because.
- [75:24]
Host 1
Right, yeah. Because avoid in the middle of the.
- [75:26]
Luke Kuechly
Field, nickel is moving out towards that whip. So that ball is supposed to get thrown between the numbers in the hash. Right. That dig. That's the dig window. So he's like, I'm in good shape, you know?
- [75:36]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [75:37]
Host 1
And I'm sure we're not able to show the screen, like, during the YouTube. So anybody that's curious, it's Tony Romo throws an interception to Luke Kikley. Look that play up.
- [75:46]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [75:47]
Luke Kuechly
Like, stills of it.
- [75:48]
Host 1
You'll be able to show stills. Yeah.
- [75:50]
Host 2
Because that is. That is art. Like, that's the beauty. That's the game within the game. That kind of, like, people see and like, wow, Luke Keighley is amazing. But for you to, like, give us what TD was saying. The. The jam, all of that, like, that is. That's good football. That's a good 11 guys getting JP.
- [76:06]
Host 1
Say, it's so funny how he's like.
- [76:08]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, you know, we had time.
- [76:09]
Host 1
He bumped him and put him inside.
- [76:10]
Luke Kuechly
And gave me more time. It's like, this is happening in four seconds.
- [76:14]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [76:14]
Host 2
Yes. Which is just so crazy because you're not supposed to be anywhere near that ball when it's thrown.
- [76:20]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. It just. It just all.
- [76:21]
Host 1
It's cool.
- [76:22]
Luke Kuechly
It just all fits. It, like, all fits together, you know, was there.
- [76:26]
Host 2
And I hate to bring this up again, any chatter about Cam Newton not jumping on that fumble?
- [76:31]
Luke Kuechly
Honestly, no.
- [76:32]
Host 2
No one ever. No one ever whispered.
- [76:34]
Luke Kuechly
No. His. His toughness. We never questioned it. The guy never, never complained. It's the first guy in every day. He worked so hard. Never, never yelled at guys, never threw guys under the bus. Like, you talk about a dude that just. All he wants to do is play football and it's just a. That was just a bad game for us. We just didn't play. We didn't play our best game that, bro.
- [76:57]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [76:58]
Host 1
Seeing Cam Newton on the field there's, like. There's, like, a few guys. Calvin Johnson comes to mind, but seeing Cam Newton dressing on the field, he.
- [77:07]
Host 2
Looks like a creative player.
- [77:07]
Host 1
Yeah, he's like an action figure out.
- [77:09]
Luke Kuechly
He's like all of six five, everybody.
- [77:12]
Host 2
Well, he's taller than six five. We saw him at Power Slap, and he was eye to eye with me. I felt like he was taller. Must have that hat.
- [77:19]
Luke Kuechly
He's got the hat. He's got the hair. He's like. He's like. He's like 7ft tall with all that.
- [77:24]
Host 2
Yeah, no doubt. He's not getting any rides. But that's interesting you say that, because the way he's portrayed in the media is that, like, he's a cat. That seems like a very much an eye guy. Well, that, like, when he's. When he's on espn, he's saying, I would rather have my MVP trophy than a Super bowl trophy. I'm not getting that same vibe as I'm getting from you. We're like, oh, he's a team dude.
- [77:43]
Host 1
Would you give up your defensive player of the years for that Super Bowl?
- [77:45]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, the super bowl is like the Mecca, man.
- [77:48]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [77:50]
Luke Kuechly
You know, that's all you want.
- [77:51]
Host 2
It's not even a question.
- [77:52]
Luke Kuechly
You just want to win a Super Bowl.
- [77:53]
Host 2
But he looked at you like you were dumb right there. He's like, what are we talking?
- [77:55]
Luke Kuechly
I'll tell you what. Toughness, competitiveness, love of the game, of football. Love of the Carolina Panthers. Like, can't time. Just tough. You never questioned, is he gonna play hard? Like, you never question that. You might question, like, what is he gonna wear? But the dude competed. He played so hard, loves football. Just tough and competitive.
- [78:22]
Host 1
And it just. It also. Clearly, he knew what was going on. But it's like that. What is it? That clip of that play where somebody's trying to call out something. Somebody's trying to call something. I see what you're trying to do.
- [78:31]
Host 2
Yeah. Oh, you like that? Watch this.
- [78:33]
Host 1
Oh, that was Clay Matthews.
- [78:35]
Host 2
Because Clay's like, watch that wheel route. Watch that wheel. Oh, you watch film. Me, too. Watch this.
- [78:40]
Luke Kuechly
And he threw that ball to McCaffrey. But, yeah, it's interesting. So, Cam. It's like he. He can. He remembers, like, everything. So they had a signal. Him and Greg had a signal for, like. It was like a route that he ran.
- [78:55]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [78:55]
Luke Kuechly
And Cam's like, hey, dude, like. Like, we gotta switch it up. We've run this too many times. Like, everybody knows what it is. And Greg's like, all right, what do you want it to be. And Cam's like, ah, I don't know. We. We did this like four years ago against Atlanta. And it was like the third quarter and, you know, it was like 10 minutes ago in the game and third. 10 minutes ago in third quarter. And I gave you like this signal. Like, I don't know.
- [79:15]
Host 2
That's cool.
- [79:15]
Luke Kuechly
We just want to do that. Greg's like, whatever. Yeah. And like, I like went and looked it up and I was like, whoa.
- [79:23]
Host 1
Like, he was spot on.
- [79:25]
Luke Kuechly
He was like, pretty daggone close. Yeah. So. But him and Greg had a really good connection. Like, Greg has such a great feel for, you know, space and timing and windows and just. He had. He was really good at a lot of things. Great. He was big. He'd catch everything, could run. Block never came off the field. But he had such a good feel for, like, where to be, how to get there. Had a stem. Guys, like, he was so good at that. And Cam and him had such a great connection that they could just kind of look at each other and they both knew what was going on. They'd line up in this set. It was a three by one set. So Greg, they called it one by three. Greg was backside. And you could line up and cover three, cover four, it didn't matter. It was basically, man. Because it was just Greg in a corner or a safety by themselves. And they just look at each other and figure it out. And it was really cool to watch. But a lot of it was just. Cam's super smart, remembers everything, tough, competitive, and it was fun to watch him and Greg play with each other.
- [80:23]
Host 1
How was it being in the mix of the Odell Beckham and Josh Norman?
- [80:27]
Luke Kuechly
Oh, my gosh. That was like peak Josh Norman.
- [80:30]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [80:30]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. And that was part of Josh's game. I remember when we played Dallas, him and Des are going at it the whole game. And that was part of Josh's game. And you know, it was. We were in it and they let. And I'll tell you what, they let those guys play a little bit until there was a cup. There was like one or two instances where, like, they had to separate them.
- [80:52]
Host 2
Yeah. Odell went head to head, missile shot after a play.
- [80:55]
Luke Kuechly
That one. That one was.
- [80:56]
Host 2
That was.
- [80:57]
Luke Kuechly
That one wasn't great, but that Josh was another guy. Josh, great feel, Great feel smart. Unbelievable ball skills in ultra competitive, ultra competitive. So that was a great matchup for them. Josh played fantastic that year. Josh was exactly what we needed in our defense. Like, long, rangy, great ball skills, could compete, competitive he was really good, and that. That was a interesting game. We were up a million points, and they came all the way back. Odell actually caught a ball there at the end of the game to tie it up, and then Cam went down and gonna kick the field go to win it. But it was like we were there. Josh and I have a good chat here.
- [81:40]
Host 1
You try to tell him to keep his cool.
- [81:42]
Luke Kuechly
I said, hey, keep doing you, man.
- [81:43]
Host 1
Yeah, we had him at Washington. He's. His ability to punch the ball out. The Peanut punch.
- [81:48]
Luke Kuechly
He learned it from Peanut.
- [81:49]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [81:50]
Luke Kuechly
So Josh. Josh was always around the ball. Then Peanut came in 2015, and Josh was like, his Josh, I think, saw that, and he's like, huh? Like, I can do that. And he just had. It's a timing thing, you know, it's a timing thing. It's an opportunity thing. He was just really good at it. So.
- [82:10]
Host 1
Yeah, he was a stud at it.
- [82:12]
Luke Kuechly
Peanut was awesome. He. Would you talk about a teammate? Oh, my gosh. Great teammate.
- [82:17]
Host 1
Peanut Tillman.
- [82:18]
Luke Kuechly
Oh, my gosh. I love that guy.
- [82:19]
Host 1
You guys had some dogs.
- [82:22]
Luke Kuechly
That's super bowl year, so it's cool. I mean, you. You always.
- [82:25]
Host 2
Jared Allen, too.
- [82:25]
Host 1
I'm like, oh, just like, we had.
- [82:28]
Luke Kuechly
Jared Allen and Peanut that in that 20. And then Roman Harper. So Pep came in. I remember the first time I met Pep, I was like, oh, my gosh, it's Julius.
- [82:37]
Host 2
He is a monster.
- [82:38]
Luke Kuechly
He's big, but he's very. He's proportional.
- [82:41]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [82:42]
Luke Kuechly
So, like, when you see him from a distance, you're like, oh, he's big because he's so proportional. And the closer you get to him, you're like, oh, yeah.
- [82:51]
Host 2
I was so happy when we played y'. All. And he was. He. I think he went back, right? He played, and then he went to the Packers. So when he was.
- [82:57]
Luke Kuechly
Played us in 15, he was in. He was in Green Bay. So he went Carolina, Chicago, and then Green Bay, and then at the end, he came back to us.
- [83:06]
Host 2
Because when he. That was like, his last year, right?
- [83:08]
Luke Kuechly
His last two years.
- [83:09]
Host 2
His last two years. So when we played, I mean, he put his hand in the dirt. I'm looking at my form and his form. I'm like, this is not something. We're not playing the same game. But he was in that. He was in that mode of I'm gonna pick and choose my shots to kind of window really go hard. But he was, like, playing the game, and it was love. Just so happy about.
- [83:28]
Luke Kuechly
So talented, man.
- [83:29]
Host 2
Him. And guys like Suggs, too, Like, just Kind of, like, understood the game at a level where, like, they knew when it was time to turn it on and not, like, on that older age was just so cool to see.
- [83:40]
Host 1
And then another guy that was a freak athlete, Shaq Thompson.
- [83:42]
Luke Kuechly
Shaq.
- [83:43]
Host 1
So you're mentioning all those vets and. Yeah, Shaq Thompson had the ability to. He had a lot of range.
- [83:48]
Luke Kuechly
Oh, my gosh. So it was interesting. They bring Shaq in, and he played running back, linebacker, safety at Washington, and we bring him in, and Thomas was playing Will, I was playing Mike. So, like, there's not a ton of room, but we're like, we need to get this guy on the field because he's so talented. He does everything well. And he was super smart from the day he got there. Like, you tell him at one time he got it. And there's guys that can, like, memorize, and there's guys that just have great feel for the game of football and how to play and competitive and. And effort. Shaq showed up in the day that he got there, he had all of that. And so, like, we need to find a way to get him on the field. So we would play him at nickel, right? And we called it Buffalo. And it was just like a. It was just a package we had. It was like a big nickel. So we could play all of our nickel calls but have a bigger body in there. So we could, like, blitz him. We could play five down with him on the line of scrimmage. We could play zone coverage. So then there was really no matchup issues, but we were able to get him on the field and highlight what he was able to do, and it was just awesome. Yeah, he's a great. He's a great. He took so much pride in being the. Because our room was good, so it was like Thomas, AJ Klein was a.
- [85:05]
Host 1
Really good player because he was a fourth rounder that.
- [85:08]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, he was Iowa State kid.
- [85:09]
Host 1
Was he 20? 13?
- [85:10]
Luke Kuechly
13. Yeah.
- [85:11]
Host 1
Yeah, he was my year. Because he sat behind you. But anytime, like, you would be down and he'd come in, he'd light it up. Like, he got to go on and take a contract to get bigger money. Yeah, with New Orleans, right? Yeah, with New Orleans.
- [85:22]
Luke Kuechly
So AJ Would play, Shaq would play, but our room was like established older guys. And he came in and it was like his mission. Like, I'm not gonna let any of you guys down. So, like, that's how he prepared. That's how he practiced.
- [85:34]
Host 2
That's so awesome.
- [85:35]
Luke Kuechly
He plays special teams. Never complained, ever. Just a good guy. That like, got it.
- [85:41]
Host 1
So that's.
- [85:42]
Luke Kuechly
He's got a great career.
- [85:43]
Host 2
Yeah, it fires me up.
- [85:44]
Host 1
You guys did have just a hell of a room.
- [85:46]
Host 2
Yeah, I'm sure.
- [85:47]
Host 1
Like, aj, you know, you just got to be itching to get on the field at times, like playing behind somebody like yourself or just knowing you're not going to be seeing the field unless an injury or something like that happens. Because AJ was a stud at Iowa State. And again, anytime he came in during a stint that you'd be out, like, he'd light it up like he was a hell of a middle linebacker.
- [86:03]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [86:04]
Luke Kuechly
I tell you what, you give those guys a lot of credit, too, because he was, like, the. The first guy in wherever. So if his need to be Will, he could play Will. If he needed to play Mike, he could play Mike. If we were playing, you know, three backers in, like, a bass, look, he could play Sam. And, you know you don't get reps at practice, right? Like, you don't get any. So he had to show up in. Lock in. In meetings and go to practice and, you know, do his thing there and then go run down on teams and then, oh, hey, somebody he play. Luke's out. Like, go play Mike Backer. All right, well, that next week. TDs out, Luke's back, and all right, now you gotta go play Will Backer. And it's like, it never. He never lost a step or, like, had a mental blip. He's just. It's impressive. Like, those guys that are able to do that at a high level.
- [86:48]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [86:48]
Host 2
Dude. What was so fascinating to me is watching your career and, like, when you. When you started, like, four, five, six, started to sustain a couple of injuries, your ability to kind of take your head out of it but still be so productive. How did it. How is that, like, transition for you? Because it seemed, at least for me, on film, obviously, okay, this guy's not putting his face in as much, but he's still finding ways to manipulate blocks and be just as productive, which you.
- [87:12]
Luke Kuechly
Kind of nailed it. Like, you. The older you get, like, you physically, you slow down. Right. But it's like. Like, physically you slow down, but, like, mentally you. You learn more.
- [87:21]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [87:22]
Host 2
You surpass your physical ability with mental ability.
- [87:24]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. So then you're like, all right, well, I don't need to. I don't need to go smash that guy. Like, I know where his point of attack angle is. I know where mine is. Can I speed him up? Can I slow him down? Can I get him playing at my speed? Like, my advantages are I'm quicker, I'm faster. I might be a little bit. I might have a little bit more, like, quick pop than he does. If I get a dog fight with him, he's bigger, he's stronger, he's more powerful. I'm gonna lose, like, nine out of 10 times. So it's like, how can I manipulate a block in the sense of, like, if I need to get there and I can get you to slow your feet down or stop your feet now, I can speed up faster than you. I can slow down faster than you. I can speed up faster than you. So instead of, like, trying to run through your chest, if I can get you to stop your feet doing boom, I can just get past you that way. So it's like, how can I. You don't. You don't want to hit a million guys in the game. I just wears you down.
- [88:12]
Host 2
Yeah, but there's an ego element to it. Like, yeah, Mike linebacker being a thumper, like, you could hit. Like, was there ever a point where, like, I don't want to give up this part of me, but I know it's the best for my longevity.
- [88:21]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, you just, like, you gotta. You love the game of football. Like, you better figure how to play it as long as you can. And that's just kind of part of the. Like, just kind of part of the game.
- [88:29]
Host 1
You know, Talk to us about how when you were first starting to sustain the concussions, like, if I'm a teammate of yours and you get ding the first time, oh, Luke, he's got a concussion. Second time, Luke's got a concussion. Third time, when a pattern starts creeping up and then you're coming into the cafeteria or something, and it's like, hey, what are you learning? Like, talk about that time as. As a pattern starts to show itself.
- [88:50]
Host 2
With your head injury, because there's always a point of feeling, like, vulnerable, like, almost like mortal.
- [88:54]
Host 1
And too, like, when you're getting stuff like concussions, you know, there's a part. Anytime you have an injury and you're coming in the room, you're. You're. You feel like you've let everybody down. Or, like, if you have an ankle, right. Or a high ankle sprain, and guys might be like, you know, they're not questioning, can you go? But in your mind, you're. You're insecure enough to where you're like, I hope these guys know that I am facing something pretty bad right now. I'm just not able to be on the field. But, yeah, talk about Your. The head injuries.
- [89:20]
Luke Kuechly
I think a lot of it is what you learn. And, you know, like you said you're 25 years old. You're like, I'm, I'm fine. I think a lot of it is with the concussion stuff, it's like you need to be as honest with. You can't with. As you can with yourself and with everyone taking care of you, because if they don't know how you feel, they can't help you. So, like, the more honest you are with them, the better and the quicker you can come back from whatever you have going on, concussion wise. And that's what I learned, you know, probably the hard way is like, our doctors are phenomenal. They took great care of me. They did everything they needed to do. And I just wish I would have learned from an earlier age to be more honest with them because you got to get all the way back before you can go play again, right?
- [90:05]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [90:05]
Luke Kuechly
Like, there's no, like, say you have like a wrist that's bugging you. You can like, tape it and like, like, okay.
- [90:11]
Host 2
It's kind of like a badge of honor when you're like, you just like.
- [90:13]
Luke Kuechly
Figure it out, like, or you do something to your finger, like, all right. But like, you don't really. You'll be fine.
- [90:18]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [90:18]
Luke Kuechly
Versus your head. It's like, you can't really tough it out. And the more you try to tough it out, the worse it gets. And then you start to realize, like, why do I like, like you said, you want to play and like, you want to bring value to your team. Right. And then you start to realize, like, all right, if I'm not honest and I go back out before I should, I get dinged again, I'm providing less value to my team because now I'm going to be out for longer. So it's like, all right, maybe it takes me, you know, two weeks to come back. I'd rather be honest and take those full two weeks and come back. Then after we be like, I'm good and like, and you're not, and then you get dinged again. Now it's five weeks. So instead of it being a two week injury, it's a six week injury. And it's all because you didn't take care of yourself. Like, that's really. I think what I learned, you know, probably not as quickly as I should have, but what I learned was the more honest you are with yourself and the more honest you are with the, the guys that are. Their job is to take care of you. Then the Better it is for you, for them, for the team, for your. You know, I just want to play football.
- [91:23]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [91:23]
Luke Kuechly
The faster I can get back to playing football, so it's like, everything gets better the more honest you are.
- [91:29]
Host 1
Now, when you had the first one, like, how many do you would. Do you think that you had before that first?
- [91:34]
Luke Kuechly
I don't think I had zero. Zero. Like, for sure. Like 100. Because you always wonder, like, well, I know if I get one. And then the first one I got was in 2015, and I was like, yeah, that's. That's one.
- [91:49]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [91:50]
Luke Kuechly
So.
- [91:50]
Host 1
And did that one you come back earlier from, like, when you're saying, I wish I would have learned it sooner, so. Because if you did, if you feel like you didn't have any before that first one, was there some of those early ones that you're, like, trying to in your brain, toughen?
- [92:00]
Luke Kuechly
No. So that one was the first one, and I was like. I was like, I need to, like, get my. I need to get better. And it worked out literally perfectly. So that was week one. And then I think we played. Yeah, we played three games, and we had a buy. So, you know, you got to two weeks into it, and our trainer's like, dude, he's like, you need to relax, first of all, because you're putting all this stress on yourself, so. Which just. You're not gonna play next week. How about that? And I wasn't. I wasn't going to be back anyways. But he, like. I'd give him a lot of credit. Ryan Vermilion. He took all the. The pressure off me and was like, we're just. You're not gonna play next week. And then the following week's a bye week. So, like, you have two weeks, so just like, kind of relax. And that happened. And I was like, like, okay. So then I remember I went home for the bye week, and I. I knew how to aggravate it. Like, I knew how to give myself. A lot of it was, oh, exercise based. Like, heart rate base. Like, if I got my heart rate up, then I'd start getting, like, headaches. And I was like, all right, I feel really good. It was like, Thursday of the bye week. Thursday or Friday, I was back in Cincinnati, and I wrote up, like, a really hard workout, and I was like, all right, this is, like, it. Like, either I'm gonna be good or I'm not gonna be good. And there's, like, no in between. Either I'm gonna feel like crap or I'm gonna feel really good.
- [93:18]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [93:18]
Luke Kuechly
And I hit that work, and I was like, all right, I'm good. And then. And then I had a full other. A full. Another week of practice. So essentially, you had, like, five weeks. You know, you're not really hitting anybody in practice.
- [93:31]
Host 1
Right.
- [93:31]
Host 2
Especially at that point.
- [93:32]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [93:32]
Host 2
So you did that third week of the mark.
- [93:34]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. That was probably the best I could have handled it. And then moving forward, you just have a couple and you want to play, and so maybe you don't. Like, you just. I didn't handle it as probably well as I could have. And, like. Like, it just. It was a. It was unfortunate, but, like, now it's like, you go talk to guys. You're like, dude, if you get one, like, you have to be smart, and you got to be honest with yourself.
- [93:55]
Host 2
Yeah. It's such a difficult game you're talking about, though, because you have the hindsight of, like, looking back, like, when these guys, like, Will and I talk about all the time. Like, when you're in it, there's, like, these blinders that are on your eyes, and you're solely focused on this thing, and this is the main storyline of your life. But everything else, like, the next 40 years of your life, you're not even concerned about.
- [94:12]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. And you're also like, like, the only thing I want to do is play football.
- [94:16]
Host 2
Right?
- [94:16]
Luke Kuechly
Like, that's it. Like, I just want to play football. I want to be on the field with the guys. Like, I love playing football on Sundays. And then this prevents you from doing it. So you're like, I just want to play football. Like, I just want to play. I just want to play. I just want to play. And that clouds your judgment more than, like, really anything else is like, I just miss wake up on Sunday during football season. And, like, just, like, watching from your. My house.
- [94:42]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [94:42]
Luke Kuechly
Like, we played Tampa then 2015, and I remember sitting in my apartment, like, the team went down there, and I was just watching it at my house. I'm like, this freaking sucks.
- [94:52]
Host 2
There's no. There's no lonelier feeling than when a team. You're injured and the team goes on an away game.
- [94:57]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [94:57]
Host 2
And you watch the buses leave, and you're like. You feel. You feel so isolated from everybody in your life.
- [95:02]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [95:03]
Host 2
It's terrible.
- [95:04]
Luke Kuechly
But then it's like, it's good perspective. It's like, what do you take from it? And it's like, like, all right, well, when other guys are missing games, like, you gotta have, like. Like, you gotta check on those guys. Like, dude, how you doing?
- [95:14]
Host 2
Right.
- [95:14]
Luke Kuechly
Because you know, it's eating them up. Yeah. He's like, dude, I feel you, man. Like, just get better.
- [95:19]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [95:20]
Luke Kuechly
Like, get better.
- [95:21]
Host 1
So how many did you end up getting throughout your career?
- [95:23]
Luke Kuechly
I don't. I don't know. I mean, I missed some time, and obviously, 15, 16. I missed a game in 17, and then, like, nothing. That was, like, really nothing, like, big after that.
- [95:36]
Host 1
When was retirement starting to come into.
- [95:38]
Luke Kuechly
The fold into that 2019 season? Because you just, like, clip a guy and you're like, dang. Like, Like, I don't. It wasn't like, you know, I used to just go smack dudes.
- [95:47]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [95:47]
Luke Kuechly
And have no issues. I would go hit a guy, and I'm like, yeah, didn't really feel great. And so then once you make the decision in your mind, like, you know, I'm not all the way in it once, like, mentally.
- [96:02]
Host 1
Were you starting to think about it a lot in 2019?
- [96:04]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, like. Like the last. Like, the last game of the year, I was like, I'm done. I'm done.
- [96:10]
Host 1
So that's when you made your decisions.
- [96:11]
Luke Kuechly
That last year after. So it was week. It's week 16. So obviously week 17 is last week. Week 16. I remember being like, man, probably done.
- [96:22]
Host 2
So really, was there a process of, like, talking to anybody, or was it, like. It was just feeling.
- [96:26]
Luke Kuechly
I just remember after that game, like, I was like, yeah, you don't. You don't got it anymore. Like, you just. You don't. You don't have, like, you don't have it.
- [96:34]
Host 1
What's your. You don't have it because, like, like.
- [96:37]
Host 2
You would still be playing right now.
- [96:39]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. Like, you know, you can't play. I would have been fine if, like, I physically slowed down. Like, can't run as well. Like, not as fast. Maybe I'm not as physical. Maybe, like, I don't have the same, like, fire. I would have been fine with that, and I would have, like, kind of just probably milked it out a little bit more. Like, man, I love playing, but once I knew it was my head and I'm like, like, mentally, I'm like, dude, it's either yes or no. Like, if you slow down, you can, like, physically, you can still play football hard and, like, play it fast and play with great effort. But once I knew in my head, mentally, like, it's not any of that. It's, like, your head stuff now. You can't. You can't. In your brain. In my brain, I couldn't rationalize. Like, I can't play as hard As I want to. My effort's not going to be there. I can't be as physical. And once I knew that, I'm like, man, it's not fair to the guys in the team, and it's not fair to the coaches, and it's not fair to, like, the fans and myself and my family. For me to go out there at, like, mentally 75%, like, if I gotta thump a guard and push a guy back to Shaq to make a play, and I'm like, yeah. And like, I get widened and then. And then the sha. The tackle's really hard on Shaq. Like, that's not fair to Shaq. For me to, like, know, especially mentally, I know the reason why I'm not stuffing that guy. Once I knew that, I was like, okay, versus, like, I'm, you know, Sam's still playing right now, and I'm 33 years old, and. And I go to stuff a guard and like, that dude's 25 years old, and he just mauls me. Like, I'm like, I mean, I did everything right. I tried hard. I prepared in the off season. Like, I gave it everything I had. That guy's just a young dude, and he just beat me versus, like, in my head, I'm like, I didn't take him on as, like, I didn't hit him how I should have. Like, I'm not with that. Like, I couldn't. I couldn't do that.
- [98:36]
Host 2
Yeah, it's knowing that your effort wasn't 100.
- [98:38]
Luke Kuechly
My effort wasn't there. And, like, that's not fair to, like, like, the guys on the team. So I was like, all right.
- [98:44]
Host 1
And yourself too. Like, you have the stand in your head of how you play the game and how you want to play the game. And, you know, like, not that you're half assing, but if you're thinking about that, trying to smash a guard and you're like, I didn't do this because of X, Y, and Z.
- [98:56]
Luke Kuechly
In my mind, it's just not fair to anyone. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, so I love that you're.
- [99:00]
Host 1
Sweating on the bus with the boys, right?
- [99:01]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. This is like, we need to have this outside.
- [99:05]
Host 2
Yeah. Yeah. Well, we've had it as we actually started in gravel parking lot in the middle of May. Yeah, dude, it's. It's. It's so impressive to me because, like, when I talk to you, when I listen to you talk, I'm like, this loves ball. You could just tell he's not just about himself. He's about the Team. He's about everybody. Everybody else's job. And I can. I can feel that from you. And then you sit there and say, week 16, I knew I was done, and that was it. Yeah, it's. What was that transition like for you? Because now you're going from a guy that I have no doubt was 100 in on football his entire life.
- [99:35]
Luke Kuechly
Oh, yeah.
- [99:36]
Host 2
To now.
- [99:37]
Luke Kuechly
Your service, White glove service, bus brand.
- [99:41]
Host 2
Right now you're 100 in. And now you're waking up in the fall.
- [99:44]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [99:45]
Host 2
And it's like, okay. You wake up in August, and I know you're feeling. We've done it for a few years now. It's like, you wake up in August and you're like, it's great. Like, there's a place of. It's like, all right. Like, I know all them boys 15 minutes down the road from my house are dying right now. And I. I just woke up with my kids. You know, I might grab a little breakfast with them. There's so many positives, but then there's those Sundays where you sit there and it's like 2:30 and the noon slate's ending and you see your team catching a big win.
- [100:10]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [100:11]
Host 2
And it's like, fuck, I miss what that locker room is going to feel like when they go back in there.
- [100:15]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. So my first year out, I worked with a team in the scouting department, so that was cool. And then on game days, I was in the booth with the offense and I was the personnel guy. So, like, the. They'd come out and I'd. And I'd be in charge of like, are they in nickel? Are they in base? What kind of base are they in? All that kind of stuff. So that was. Hell, yeah.
- [100:34]
Host 1
Look at that.
- [100:35]
Luke Kuechly
We upgrade and we go from paper towels to pre towels. It's great. I thought. I felt like a little air come in, too.
- [100:42]
Host 1
Yeah. Talk about your concussions.
- [100:44]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. Sweat my ass off. So it was cool. I got to be at the games on Sundays. And the first year was. The first year was like, damn, man. Like. Like, I still think I can play. And so that part was hard. And then the further away you get from it, you're like. Like, I do the radio with the team now. I do the radio broadcast and I go on the field before the game, and you see these guys run by you and you're like, I'm good.
- [101:08]
Host 2
All set.
- [101:08]
Luke Kuechly
I'm good, man.
- [101:09]
Host 1
Appreciate you.
- [101:10]
Luke Kuechly
Like Tristan Wurfs, he comes running by and you're like, I'm all good.
- [101:17]
Host 2
There was a Video two days ago on Instagram of him squatting five plates for like three or four reps with ease.
- [101:22]
Luke Kuechly
He's like the nicest guy in the world.
- [101:23]
Host 2
Yeah, he's a great human, the Iowa cat. Like, he's just a great dude. And you just. He is an athletic ability of a linebacker. Yeah. But can squat 700 pounds.
- [101:32]
Host 1
I mean, we were filming that a couple years ago when we were at the. That Arizona bowl. And you're just seeing the guys kind of warm up and practice and pop the pads a little bit beforehand. And you're just sitting there thinking, like, what the.
- [101:42]
Host 2
We were like, yo, what psychopath would do this?
- [101:44]
Host 1
Yeah, yeah.
- [101:45]
Host 2
Because once you get out of it, like, like, you get soft quick.
- [101:48]
Luke Kuechly
You want to be the guy that's like on the team, but they put you on season ending ir, so you're like, you get to show up. Like, you kind of have a job, but, like, you don't have to play. You can still travel.
- [101:59]
Host 2
You're stress.
- [102:00]
Luke Kuechly
You're stress. You, like, walk out to practice, you drink some coffee, but you're on the team. So, like, your way of life is like socially acceptable, you know what I mean? Versus, like, if you get done, you're like, I can't just like go hang out in the locker room and like lift. Like, you can't do that.
- [102:15]
Host 1
Yeah. Like, here comes this pro scout, Luke.
- [102:17]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [102:18]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [102:18]
Luke Kuechly
You just want. Yeah.
- [102:18]
Host 1
You're like trying to replace us right now.
- [102:20]
Luke Kuechly
You gotta go bring a guy upstairs to get cut.
- [102:22]
Host 1
Like, yeah.
- [102:22]
Host 2
That year.
- [102:23]
Host 1
Did you ever have to do that?
- [102:24]
Luke Kuechly
Brought one guy up. No, it was the worst. Talk.
- [102:27]
Host 1
Yeah. Talking about the year, being in the pro scouting department.
- [102:29]
Luke Kuechly
I'll tell you what, you learn a lot about the NFL. Like what plays types of guys in the NFL. Like, you learn a ton. And it was super cool. Like, I learned a lot and it was super beneficial, but it wasn't something I wanted to do long term. But, like, you really get to see, like, what play. Like the difference between personnel and a 3, 4 versus personnel and a 4, 3. Like body types, like length, what guys are looking for, what plays, what doesn't play, types of running backs. Like, you don't have a feel for that while you're playing because all you do is studying an opponent you're not studying. Like, you know, height, weight, speed, size, how they play, what kind of football player they are. And you learn like the whole league by doing that. Because we did. We had to watch all the free agents for that season going into the next year. So Then, like, now moving forward, like, you watch a guy and you're like, man, like, we watched that guy for 25 minutes and graded him and wrote a report on him. And, like, it's. It was really cool.
- [103:26]
Host 1
What was it, like, cutting or bringing him up?
- [103:28]
Luke Kuechly
I just remember going up there.
- [103:29]
Host 2
What was his name? It probably was a linebacker.
- [103:35]
Luke Kuechly
I remember it was a corner. And I remember just walking up there, and I remember I walked into the GM's office, and I'm like, hey, look, like, I'm down to do a lot of things. Like, kind of don't want to do that.
- [103:46]
Host 1
Like, after. After the fact that.
- [103:48]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. I was like, guys, like, I'd rather just, like, not do that. I feel bad because I'm like, I know how hard it is to play and, like. And make the roster and feel like you're on the roster and then get cut. Like, you see all your buddies do that throughout your whole career, and you're like, man, like, I'd rather not be that guy that has to do that. And they're like. They're like, yeah, sorry, we don't have to do that anymore. I was like, all right, cool.
- [104:08]
Host 1
They're like, damn.
- [104:09]
Host 2
You know, you got pulling. The gym apologizes to you.
- [104:12]
Host 1
Luke's a grim reaper.
- [104:13]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, you're that guy. You don't want to be that guy. No, because, you know, you're. You're standing at the door waiting for them to come in from practice, and everyone's like, luke, what's up, man? You're like, hey, can I talk to you? And they're like, dang.
- [104:25]
Host 2
Yeah. And one year removed.
- [104:26]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [104:27]
Host 2
Like, 80 of that roster knows you as a teammate.
- [104:31]
Luke Kuechly
So I got up. I got up there, and they're like, yeah, we're sorry. Like, it's cool. I just rather not do that again.
- [104:36]
Host 1
Yeah. Was this a guy that was on the team the year before?
- [104:38]
Luke Kuechly
No, but he was a dude that's like. He's. He was like, a dude. Like, a dude in the league for a while.
- [104:43]
Host 2
Oh.
- [104:44]
Luke Kuechly
So.
- [104:44]
Host 2
And when you. When you said something to him, was there any, like, comment like, man, you're the grim reaper?
- [104:49]
Luke Kuechly
No, I think he. I think he probably knew it was coming.
- [104:52]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [104:52]
Luke Kuechly
But it doesn't make it any easier.
- [104:53]
Host 2
Yeah, but he's a. He was a vet. He understood the game.
- [104:55]
Luke Kuechly
He's been a. In the league for a long time and, like, was a dude. So I think he's probably like, yeah, yeah, I get it.
- [105:00]
Host 1
Luke's trying to study on how to cut guys. He's Just throwing on money ball.
- [105:05]
Host 2
Yeah. I mean, dude, that's. At any point during that season of you being a scout or doing whatever you were doing, did they ever approach you and be like, hey, could you play a couple more games for us?
- [105:16]
Luke Kuechly
They always joked about it, but I was like, guys like, you know how quickly you tighten up, like hamstrings, quads.
- [105:25]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [105:25]
Host 1
Low back, crazy.
- [105:27]
Luke Kuechly
You know those videos the guys like running and looks like they get shot. Yeah, that would have been me. Like, first time they run, you know, a scene ball, I gotta chase a guy down the middle of the field.
- [105:37]
Host 2
Yeah, but you know, the first game, the first game that Michael linebacker didn't have a great one and someone made a joke to you, if you would have been like, yeah, I'd give it a go. They'd be like, are you for real?
- [105:45]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. My injury waiver would have been like. Like this long.
- [105:49]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [105:50]
Luke Kuechly
Be huge.
- [105:51]
Host 2
I mean, that paycheck, though, it would.
- [105:53]
Luke Kuechly
Have been a league minimum.
- [105:54]
Host 2
No, no, no, no, no. You would have got yourself a little bag. Pull that hamstring IR the rest of the season. That's per week.
- [106:01]
Luke Kuechly
Ir.
- [106:01]
Host 2
Hey, that would have been nice, bro.
- [106:04]
Host 1
Thinks he's on the team still that guy, dude.
- [106:08]
Host 2
Yeah, that is. That would suck to be.
- [106:10]
Host 1
Now, did you. Were you in a point too mentally to where you're. You're juggling or trying to figure out what you're wanting to do long term? Like, how's everything shaking up now? You mentioned your youth football coach with. With Gregory Shout out the Boy. Greg, you do radio stuff, but was there a moment to where you're like, man, I kind of don't. I have no clue what I want to do and I'm kind of chasing some dead ends.
- [106:30]
Luke Kuechly
I think you. Yeah, I think there's. You don't know what you want to do. Obviously, like, you get done and like, I like. Perfect word. I would. I would have loved to have kept playing. So, like, I probably happened earlier than I wanted it to. And so then the process becomes like. Like, you have to just continually try stuff until you find stuff that you like. And then once you like it, then just keep doing it. And then if you don't like it, then you stop doing it. But, like, you have to. There needs to be a concerted effort to. If you're gonna go do something. Like, you got to go all the way in. Because if you tiptoe around it, you're not going to get the full experience. You're going to waste your time. More importantly, you're. You're using somebody else's time, too. Like, if somebody's going to help you try to dive into something and you. And you don't go all the way in, you're wasting their time. So it's like, all right, I'm gonna go all the way in on a couple things. I'm gonna try certain things out. I tried scouting. Just wasn't my thing. It was fun. It's just like, I'm not doing this long term. And then the hours are crazy, too. Yeah, it's just busy. Then the next year, I did the radio with the Panthers radio broadcast. Like, that's awesome. Like, I really like that. So that's pretty much the whole season. And then the. The youth football stuff with Greg. So his son Tate's in that picture and that's his dad, Chris. His dad, Chris coached high school football in Jersey. And just look him up. They didn't lose a game for like five years in a row.
- [107:48]
Host 1
Look them up.
- [107:49]
Host 2
Google them.
- [107:49]
Luke Kuechly
Look them up. Just look them up. So we've been doing that for. This will be our fourth year. So it's been awesome. Like, we have a ton of fun with it. We coach at a. A school in Charlotte, but Charlotte Christian is a school. Check us out.
- [108:04]
Host 1
Okay.
- [108:05]
Luke Kuechly
And this our first year coaching at Charlotte Christian was last year because Tate, Greg's oldest, was in seventh grade. So we did coach Pop Warner for two years, and then Tate got in the seventh grade. So then we coach at the grade school, which is attached to the high school, and then we'll coach again at the high school this year.
- [108:20]
Host 1
So what happens to the current staff?
- [108:22]
Luke Kuechly
That's like, you know, so they kind of bounce back.
- [108:24]
Host 1
They're kind of like, hey, Greg Olson, Luke Keakley, they're coming in.
- [108:26]
Luke Kuechly
So it's awesome. So it's really.
- [108:28]
Host 1
We got a new staff.
- [108:29]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, yeah, right. The two guys that like, make it run it are Greg and his dad. Like, they're phenomenal. And then the other. We've got two or two or three other guys. Three other guys. So it's Stu. Jonathan Stewart.
- [108:41]
Host 1
Okay.
- [108:42]
Luke Kuechly
Coaches are running backs, which has been phenomenal.
- [108:44]
Host 2
It's just a crazy.
- [108:45]
Luke Kuechly
And then Todd Blacklidge. So Todd Black is a quarterback at Penn State national championship. Won a. Was a first round pick. Now does NBC. I think it's NBC College with Noah. Eagle eyeing Eagle son. So that he does. He does college football on Saturday. Big, big, big game. So he did Ohio State, Oregon last year. He's like a. He's legit and he lives in and he lives in Charlotte, so it's so much fun because, I mean, Greg and Stu were, like, some of my best buds when we were playing, so I get to hang out with them. Greg's dad's awesome, Todd's great, and we just have a ton of fun with it.
- [109:19]
Host 2
Would you ever want to call games like Greg does or rap like Greg does rap, Right?
- [109:24]
Host 1
The.
- [109:25]
Luke Kuechly
I think so. The radio. The interesting thing about radio and tv, so radio, you really just talk about, like, what's happening in the game and, like, why it's happening. What I think's cool about TV is you, like, Greg does a phenomenal job of he crushed, like, setting games up. And, like, what I mean by setting it up is like, talking about what he anticipates going to happen in the game, why it's going to happen, what. But, you know, say it'd be like if, say, Tristan Wurfs has missed the last couple weeks and he's back in the lineup. Greg will talk about, you know, Tristan Wurfs is back in the lineup. This is how it affects them in the run game, in the past game. This is where Tristan Wurfs is really good on the run game. So maybe they're gonna blah, blah, blah. Like, Greg does it way better than that. But you can really lay out a game doing TV because you don't have to explain what's happening every play because the viewer can watch the game, and Greg is able to set it up up early in the game and then really talk through situational stuff and get into, you know, really why things are happening and why it. Why it worked, why it didn't. He does a great job with that. I think that part would be really cool. But I just have a ton of fun with the radio stuff. And, like, I told you guys, like, I just try to do things that I enjoy, and I enjoy the radio. I think the TV would be really. Would be really fun as well. So we'll just kind of see what happens.
- [110:41]
Host 1
Do you ever. You got out to Buffalo? Yeah, for some. For some. Coaching. Do you ever see yourself coaching in the league one day or trying to coach at a high level?
- [110:50]
Luke Kuechly
Like, I think it'd be a ton of fun.
- [110:51]
Host 1
It's just those hours, bro, they're nuts.
- [110:53]
Luke Kuechly
It's. It's.
- [110:54]
Host 1
It's like, take what players do when they're studying all week long and, yeah, coaches, man, it's. It's like around the clock.
- [111:00]
Luke Kuechly
It's just all the time. And, like, I'm just not ready to give up that Much time. So it mean the answer. Probably not.
- [111:07]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [111:08]
Host 2
Yeah. The hours are crazy. I don't. I mean, you the boy. Might I.
- [111:12]
Host 1
There's like an itch. There's an itch in there.
- [111:14]
Host 2
It's somewhere.
- [111:14]
Host 1
I don't know if it'll ever be scrapped.
- [111:16]
Luke Kuechly
I thought a lot about doing. Is doing it during OTAs.
- [111:19]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [111:19]
Luke Kuechly
So get out there in OTAS and like. And be like, hey, these next six weeks, like, I'm in, like, every day I'm in whenever you guys are and just do it. And then you'll know by the end of that of, like, yes or no.
- [111:32]
Host 2
Yeah. But OTAS is such a different vibe than camping season.
- [111:35]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [111:35]
Host 2
OTAS is so light. The coaches are feel good. Everyone's kind of joking around the minute you walk into the building. July 25th or whenever that, you know, everyone goes into camp. Buttholes are tight.
- [111:45]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [111:45]
Host 1
Not only that, but if you get behind the eight ball in the season.
- [111:48]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [111:48]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [111:49]
Host 1
You start off, you know, 2 and.
- [111:50]
Host 2
2, 1 and 3, people just pissed off. You're trying to navigate bad attitudes everywhere. It's difficult.
- [111:56]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [111:56]
Host 2
That's like, one thing you don't miss is, like, the bipolarness of coaches and teammates.
- [112:01]
Luke Kuechly
You miss, like, you miss like, that. Like. Like, not stress, but, like, that pressure of, like, we gotta go. Like, we gotta go.
- [112:09]
Host 2
Yeah. It's a big one right here.
- [112:10]
Luke Kuechly
Like, we gotta go make this. Like, this a big game. This is for a lot of reasons. Like, you miss that.
- [112:14]
Host 1
Like, the urgency.
- [112:16]
Luke Kuechly
That urgency. That pressure.
- [112:17]
Host 2
Those week. Like week 14 on when your team's, like, on the bubble. Like, are we gonna make the playoffs? Are we not? What do we control in our destiny? What teams have to lose? And it's like you're kind of with your little. Whether it's a linebacker group or me with the offensive lineman's, like, we gotta do X, Y, and Z to make a wild card game happen for us.
- [112:32]
Luke Kuechly
That's why you play the Band of Brothers December. Like, like, you want to be. You want to. You want your season to matter in December.
- [112:39]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [112:40]
Luke Kuechly
I mean, you obviously want it to matter in, like, September, October, November. But, like, if it comes December and you're like, hey, like, you're in the hunt. We're in the mix.
- [112:48]
Host 2
And then anything can happen in January.
- [112:50]
Luke Kuechly
It doesn't even matter. Like, you're in the mix. Like, you're in the mix. That's all that matters. And now you got to just go play your best ball. It's. That's the best part about it.
- [112:57]
Host 2
That is the worst feeling in the world is December and nothing matters.
- [113:00]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [113:01]
Host 2
And you're like, you hear the older guys. In my first two years, we won five games my first two years. And I'm hearing older guys talk about Cabo and all these things are going to go on, and you're just still so involved, like, you think every game still matters. Yeah. What's going on here, guys? That's the nice feeling. Yeah. Have somebody. Exactly.
- [113:17]
Host 1
Play for the name on your back now.
- [113:19]
Host 2
Yeah, anything.
- [113:20]
Luke Kuechly
Just find it. You gotta find it somewhere.
- [113:22]
Host 1
Yeah, you gotta find it somewhere.
- [113:23]
Host 2
Yeah, dude, it's.
- [113:24]
Host 1
It's a. You get those coaches to where. Hey, you know, my. They might be on the outskirts where they just start giving the play for the name on your back. Whatever you play for, whether it's your.
- [113:32]
Luke Kuechly
Family, just find it.
- [113:33]
Host 1
And you just know, hey, we're all in December. We're no. Ain't nobody making the playoffs. Yeah.
- [113:38]
Host 2
We're done with this.
- [113:39]
Host 1
Name on your front, your family at home. Maybe the cash of the bank account name on your back. Let that hard turn black when you walk out there.
- [113:48]
Luke Kuechly
Oh, man. You just gotta find it, though.
- [113:50]
Host 1
Yeah. Yeah. This has been awesome.
- [113:53]
Host 2
Yeah, it has. I was just gonna ask if you have any hobbies outside of, like, the football world.
- [113:56]
Luke Kuechly
I love. So. I love to bow hunt.
- [113:58]
Host 2
Really?
- [113:59]
Luke Kuechly
That's my favorite thing. I get a little jealous you guys are out there catching some real hunters with. With vanilla.
- [114:04]
Host 1
Yeah, dude.
- [114:05]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [114:05]
Host 2
He's a real man, too, bro.
- [114:06]
Host 1
They'd have you out there.
- [114:08]
Luke Kuechly
I love. That's. That's another reason I want coach. I love to bow hunt.
- [114:11]
Host 1
Like.
- [114:11]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. Whitetail, elk, anything with the bow. That's like my jam.
- [114:16]
Host 1
You. I'm assuming you go out there to Montana, so.
- [114:19]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, I love to hunt elk in Montana. And then New Mexico is a really good state too. Do.
- [114:23]
Host 1
I'm just saying, since we're on the airwaves right now. Garrett, Cal Rinella, whoever's listening from Meat Eater.
- [114:28]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. Get your boy.
- [114:29]
Host 1
Get your boy.
- [114:30]
Luke Kuechly
I got a great concept. There's. I hope you guys had fun.
- [114:34]
Host 2
There's so much fun.
- [114:35]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [114:35]
Host 1
Because they're missed, but it was a blast. Yeah.
- [114:38]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [114:38]
Luke Kuechly
But she's part of it.
- [114:39]
Host 2
But you. You pulled the trigger.
- [114:40]
Host 1
I did.
- [114:40]
Host 2
A lot of guys would stiffen up, and I even pulled that trigger. So you did something like that moment.
- [114:44]
Luke Kuechly
The moment you showed up.
- [114:46]
Host 2
Yeah, I know. And it's fun, too, because Will and I, we're like. We don't. I look in your eyes and you talk about bow hunting. I just don't. I don't have that. But to go out with them and then, like, work us through, like, long range rifle shooting. Like, I went sat down and I went 1 for 5 on my first five shots, and I was like, this is going to be the longest couple of days of my life. But then Gary starts sitting there working with me, and he's like, try this, this, and this. He's lining me up. They're great coaches. They don't make you feel stupid. Even though they're like such bigger, better men than you are. It's just awesome, man.
- [115:13]
Luke Kuechly
When it's like they're those. These animals live in beautiful, beautiful areas.
- [115:16]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [115:18]
Luke Kuechly
You go hunt elk, you're gonna be somewhere sweet. Yeah, the mountains, the weather's beautiful. It's in the fall and it's just. That's like my favorite time of year. And they go do that stuff. It's just sweet.
- [115:27]
Host 1
What's been your longest, like, elk hunt to where you're. You're tracking it down?
- [115:31]
Luke Kuechly
We did so.
- [115:32]
Host 1
Climbing mountains?
- [115:33]
Luke Kuechly
No, I usually hunt out of like a. An outfitter and it's usually. I haven't done like the full like 9 miles, 10 miles in on a horse. And then you. Oh, set up spike camp. I haven't done that. I like, that's what they got. I'm wake up. I'm gonna wake up early in the morning. I'm gonna be out all day, and then.
- [115:48]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [115:49]
Luke Kuechly
And then I'll probably come home.
- [115:52]
Host 1
Yes.
- [115:53]
Host 2
Is there one more.
- [115:54]
Host 1
Do we. Do we have that? You don't have to read that.
- [115:57]
Luke Kuechly
You can just read the question.
- [115:58]
Host 1
Okay, perfect. We do have a Bud Light question for you.
- [116:00]
Luke Kuechly
Okay.
- [116:02]
Host 1
People would do anything for a Bud Light. What would you do anything for?
- [116:06]
Luke Kuechly
Oh, my. Probably my parents. I think.
- [116:09]
Host 1
Probably my parents.
- [116:10]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [116:10]
Host 1
I mean, that's a wholesome answer.
- [116:12]
Luke Kuechly
Dude. It's an like, you think about your parents and like, what your parents have done for you. Everything from growing up to high school to college. At all my games in college, it came to down to Carolina. It's like your parents. My parents were fantastic. They set you up for everything. Everything was about my brothers and I and so, yeah, you do anything for them, they do anything for you. You do anything for them. I love the short answer.
- [116:33]
Host 1
You got such a good heart also.
- [116:35]
Luke Kuechly
Awesome.
- [116:35]
Host 2
Beautiful.
- [116:36]
Host 1
So my parents. Yeah. How many brothers you have?
- [116:39]
Luke Kuechly
I got two brothers. So there's a picture, older brothers on the right. That's John. He lives in Cincinnati. There's my dad, my mom, and then my younger brother. Henry.
- [116:48]
Host 1
Were they some dogs?
- [116:50]
Luke Kuechly
John played football in lacrosse through high school, and then Henry was a basketball player.
- [116:55]
Host 1
Okay.
- [116:56]
Luke Kuechly
So. Yeah.
- [116:56]
Host 2
Nice.
- [116:57]
Host 1
I love that.
- [116:57]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [116:58]
Host 1
Do you. I'm sure you have stuff. Who's that? That profile that has the Luke Keakley video? Where he's going, where he's going.
- [117:06]
Host 2
Who's next?
- [117:07]
Luke Kuechly
Oh, that. Somebody sent me that video.
- [117:09]
Host 2
That is awesome. That guy.
- [117:10]
Luke Kuechly
That guy's.
- [117:12]
Host 1
Who's next?
- [117:12]
Host 2
Danny or something like that. He's all time.
- [117:15]
Luke Kuechly
That guy's hilarious.
- [117:16]
Host 1
Yeah, he is. Paul, anything that we've missed, we do have Paul Swan sitting in the back with the boys right now, grinding it out. Paul was very pivotal in getting the boys in a creatine and intangibles group chat with Luke Kuechley and myself.
- [117:27]
Host 2
Creatine and intangibles.
- [117:29]
Luke Kuechly
Do we got creatine on the bus right now? Can we.
- [117:31]
Host 1
Can we take a close. But I don't know if I have some.
- [117:34]
Luke Kuechly
I actually have some of my suitcase. We can take some later on when we get done here.
- [117:37]
Host 1
Just put some of the pipes.
- [117:39]
Luke Kuechly
Get some going, boys. Not the real creatine. Yeah.
- [117:43]
Host 1
Anything that I've missed with Luke, I mean, this.
- [117:46]
Luke Kuechly
This is the all American man right here. And that answer right there, I mean, that's just. That's gold.
- [117:51]
Host 1
The parents one.
- [117:52]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. Yeah. Wow. So, yeah, I actually just got done hearing him talk about most of this when we were talking to Coach Lee over at Vanderbilt. So he's been talking about it a lot.
- [118:02]
Host 2
Oh, yeah. Just diving in.
- [118:04]
Host 1
Yeah. He was breaking down all the players, too. How to watch film. How to break down film.
- [118:08]
Luke Kuechly
I tell you what, that Diego Pavia, he's dog. Got it.
- [118:13]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [118:14]
Luke Kuechly
Like it.
- [118:15]
Host 2
He's a savage.
- [118:16]
Host 1
What do you love about him?
- [118:18]
Luke Kuechly
He's like. He walks into a room and he's the dude without trying to be the dude. And he can talk to everybody. He can talk to offensive coaches, defensive coaches. He understand. He's got great. His football IQ is great. Ultra competitive. He's just. He's that dude. Like, he's got it.
- [118:34]
Host 1
I love it.
- [118:35]
Luke Kuechly
You know what I'm saying?
- [118:35]
Host 1
You can tell Luke's got his. His pro scouting background, too, so he can, like, talk about these kids. Snap his sin snap.
- [118:43]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. If guys come talk to him, they'll be like, we need to find a way to get this guy around us.
- [118:49]
Host 2
Yeah. Because he is. He is electric.
- [118:51]
Luke Kuechly
He's a football dude.
- [118:52]
Host 2
Football guy. He just loves ball.
- [118:54]
Luke Kuechly
He loves the game. He embraces it. It's. That's all he, you know, he's all about football. And you know, those guys, those are. They're hard to come by, you know, you still. I was gonna say, did CMC have it when he first came? Oh, my gosh. That dude was born with it. That he is. Talk about a guy that loves football and all he wants to do is just be a good teammate, play hard. Christian, the og.
- [119:16]
Host 2
Incredible white.
- [119:17]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, he's the og.
- [119:19]
Host 1
Another hall of Fame.
- [119:21]
Luke Kuechly
First ballot hall of Fame. You talk about a guy.
- [119:23]
Host 2
That's a tough photo for cmc, though. I mean, CMC is a built cat. That is a tough angle.
- [119:31]
Luke Kuechly
But yeah, I'm so excited for him this year. Come back, Rip. Gonna be a daddy too.
- [119:36]
Host 1
Yes. Shout out cmc.
- [119:38]
Luke Kuechly
Let's go have a great year. So, hey, I'd be. I'd be remiss to say, you know, listening to Luke is art. Listening to his football knowledge. But your ball knowledge is. It's phenomenal.
- [119:50]
Host 1
I appreciate it. I gotta say, I do pride myself on some iq.
- [119:53]
Luke Kuechly
Some good linebacker.
- [119:54]
Host 1
You might not think I played in the league a long time, but from I was a neck up.
- [119:57]
Luke Kuechly
You are. I mean, you are. You are looking thin.
- [119:59]
Host 1
Nine years.
- [120:01]
Luke Kuechly
What are you wearing right now?
- [120:02]
Host 1
I was there for the 10th year, but, you know, the league should get a credited season. No, because I had a gambling show so they wouldn't let me play.
- [120:10]
Host 2
Look, did you ever come across Will Compton film at linebacker and ever take anything from his game?
- [120:15]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, absolutely. Effort, toughness, instincts. Try hard.
- [120:18]
Host 2
Try hard.
- [120:19]
Luke Kuechly
Blue collar guy.
- [120:20]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [120:21]
Host 1
See what it's. It's those plays you break down.
- [120:23]
Luke Kuechly
I don't like that shirt. I don't like that shirt you have on.
- [120:26]
Host 1
But yeah, it's like hearing you two talk about plays happening that you don't necessarily make. Like being mugged up in the eight gaps. They got you in the bunch. They're checking Tulsa, putting you in a toss situation, Any type of situational ball awareness, it's. It's music to my ears.
- [120:43]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [120:43]
Host 1
Hey, I do appreciate that.
- [120:44]
Luke Kuechly
We'll get you that year 10 if you want to come pit some race cars.
- [120:48]
Host 1
That seems like a different life too.
- [120:49]
Luke Kuechly
That's.
- [120:50]
Host 1
Do I have to be just a gambling show? Yeah, you can do it.
- [120:52]
Luke Kuechly
I think you can do it.
- [120:53]
Host 1
Will they let me play?
- [120:54]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, they'll let you play.
- [120:55]
Host 1
I was down there to sign and rip there to sign and contract wouldn't go through because they're like, let's hold up the NFL.
- [121:02]
Host 2
Goodell, shut it down.
- [121:03]
Host 1
Yeah, Goodell, shut it down.
- [121:04]
Luke Kuechly
Dang, when's good When's Goodell gonna come on the bus?
- [121:10]
Host 1
I don't know. He's got an open invite.
- [121:12]
Host 2
Does he?
- [121:12]
Host 1
He can come kick. Yeah.
- [121:14]
Luke Kuechly
Apologize to Will for.
- [121:15]
Host 1
Yeah. Scrapping your 10.
- [121:17]
Luke Kuechly
You had a good. You had a good number, too.
- [121:19]
Host 1
5:1.
- [121:20]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. It's a great white linebacker. That's Sam Mills number. That number wasn't available.
- [121:24]
Host 1
You see that pick right there, Kelly More Week 17.
- [121:29]
Luke Kuechly
What covered you in?
- [121:30]
Host 1
We were in Tampa there and we had somebody dropping low hole. Nice because we knew he was going to try to work Whitten over the middle. Kellamore air mails it right off the bread basket.
- [121:38]
Luke Kuechly
But hey, you know what you had the hardest thing about doing interception is.
- [121:41]
Host 1
You got to catch it, buddy. That was. That was my first one. And when that ball was in the air, something I could make the play on it. I was like, you better catch this. I kind of just put the hands out there too and was just so, so hype. Praying to God, I hope these gloves.
- [121:58]
Host 2
You got sticky gloves or those offensive line gloves.
- [122:00]
Host 1
What's up?
- [122:01]
Host 2
Those gloves you're wearing right there, Those stickies?
- [122:03]
Host 1
Yeah.
- [122:04]
Luke Kuechly
We don't wear offensive line gloves.
- [122:06]
Host 2
You never know.
- [122:07]
Host 1
I'm rocking the stickies. I can never get on board with the Keakley wrist. With the wrist braces, though.
- [122:12]
Host 2
Wrist guards were money.
- [122:13]
Luke Kuechly
Were you a wrist taper?
- [122:14]
Host 2
Oh, way back.
- [122:16]
Luke Kuechly
It's a little swaggier. Yeah, it's a little better.
- [122:18]
Host 1
You brought up Jonathan Stewart earlier, too. I did put him on skates in our game. Just FYI, it was late game. We were getting.
- [122:25]
Luke Kuechly
You put him on skates.
- [122:26]
Host 1
Oh, I murdered him coming through the A gap.
- [122:28]
Luke Kuechly
Oh, gotcha.
- [122:29]
Host 1
Yeah. Not put him on skates. Juked him out. Put him on skates. Like put him in the air. Oh, put his ass. He put his ass to the ground. We're late in the game. We were getting our backs blown out by the Panthers. But your boy, we're still playing for pride at the end of the day.
- [122:40]
Luke Kuechly
Was that black heart when you go out there?
- [122:42]
Host 1
Yeah, yeah. The heart was black in that play. Ran right through the B gap, right through the A gap and just murdered. Want a rematch. After listening to this, I know he's going to want line up. I don't got it anymore. But if you find that clip, I will show you guys and you know.
- [122:57]
Luke Kuechly
I'm sure we can find it.
- [123:00]
Host 1
But this. Hey, Luke, this has been awesome.
- [123:01]
Luke Kuechly
Thanks for having me on.
- [123:02]
Host 2
Thanks for coming on a long time coming. This is big for W comp. It's big. For myself as well. But to see you two together, it's.
- [123:08]
Host 1
Great to get a hall of fame white linebacker. Just. We've had our lacquer on.
- [123:12]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [123:13]
Host 1
Dude would love to get Ray.
- [123:15]
Luke Kuechly
He's got to get. Gotta get.
- [123:17]
Host 1
You gotta get.
- [123:18]
Host 2
You started this process out of a hall of fame white linebacker.
- [123:20]
Host 1
I'm just saying, like. Like just the linebacker appreciation that we have on this bus. You got to get Ray Lucas on here.
- [123:27]
Luke Kuechly
There's no better position.
- [123:28]
Host 1
Yeah, we've had Fred Warner on that dude.
- [123:30]
Luke Kuechly
That dude is a monster.
- [123:31]
Host 1
Yes.
- [123:32]
Luke Kuechly
You should get Roquan pro.
- [123:33]
Host 1
Roquan is a monster.
- [123:35]
Luke Kuechly
Monster.
- [123:36]
Host 1
Who are some of the guys right now? You just named a couple Roquan Fred Warner.
- [123:40]
Luke Kuechly
Oh, man, you got.
- [123:43]
Host 1
Levante's still doing it.
- [123:45]
Luke Kuechly
Now you put me on spot here.
- [123:46]
Host 1
And I got demario.
- [123:49]
Luke Kuechly
Demario Davis has been doing it a long time.
- [123:51]
Host 1
Yeah. Zach Bond had a great year and him going too, from transition from on the ball to off the ball. I feel like is a. Is a heady transition for. For Zach Bond.
- [124:02]
Luke Kuechly
You know who I like? Nick Bolton.
- [124:03]
Host 1
Yes, bro. He just resigned with the Chiefs.
- [124:06]
Luke Kuechly
The Chiefs. I like Spillane. Just tough.
- [124:09]
Host 1
Bobby fit the A gap. He just signed with the bad power.
- [124:15]
Luke Kuechly
Come on, baby guy.
- [124:18]
Host 1
That's a Braves guy.
- [124:19]
Luke Kuechly
We should get him in here.
- [124:20]
Host 1
Would love Bobby.
- [124:21]
Host 2
Yeah, we can explain for sure. He had his. His third and one stop on Derek Henry. 2020 on the goal line. Put him on the map.
- [124:29]
Luke Kuechly
How about Cooper De Jean stick on Henry. Wow.
- [124:32]
Host 1
Yeah. Great form tackle.
- [124:34]
Host 2
I mean, it was. It was a nice textbook Iowa guy.
- [124:39]
Host 1
I would just produce some corners.
- [124:42]
Host 2
If you could go anywhere else besides Boston College, if you. If this is all going to end the same exact way. You couldn't go to Boston College. Where would you go?
- [124:48]
Luke Kuechly
Go? Probably. Probably Big Ten school.
- [124:49]
Host 2
Yeah. Which one would that be?
- [124:51]
Luke Kuechly
Oh, I don't know. Wisconsin guy, you know, would have been fun team up north. I mean, I'm not. I'm not gonna say Michigan. I'm not gonna say Ohio State. Those are the two easy ones.
- [124:59]
Host 2
Okay.
- [125:00]
Luke Kuechly
I feel like playing. Love that. Playing linebacker at Penn State. Oh, yeah. With like a. Like a sick. One of those sick, like cowboy collars. Paul plus Leslie Butterfly collar sticking out. Puzzlesney. Lavar Arrington. Michael Parsons. They got the kid now. Abdul Carter.
- [125:20]
Host 1
Yeah. They had some freaks there. Yeah. You could have wore a black shirt.
- [125:24]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. Is that. How is that helmet the game used back there?
- [125:28]
Host 1
No.
- [125:29]
Luke Kuechly
Is that Nebraska? Nice one.
- [125:30]
Host 1
Nebraska just reps the classic. The classic. I love the cross. Luke knows we stopped a mud hole in their ass for. What was it the new.
- [125:39]
Host 2
What was the.
- [125:43]
Host 1
Pinstripe bowl?
- [125:44]
Luke Kuechly
Stripe bowl? He's waited the whole podcast to say.
- [125:47]
Host 2
Yeah, just wait. That Big Bad Mowers bowl, whatever the hell it's called. And he tried to pretend like he didn't know the name of it.
- [125:54]
Host 1
He's been.
- [125:55]
Host 2
He's been preaching for three months.
- [125:57]
Luke Kuechly
They put that on the board up there.
- [125:58]
Host 1
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Because I waited to. I waited till we were up to hit the group chat.
- [126:04]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah.
- [126:04]
Host 1
To talk.
- [126:05]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah. It's all right.
- [126:07]
Host 2
Well, you like Bill o'. Brien.
- [126:08]
Luke Kuechly
Yeah, I like him a lot.
- [126:09]
Host 2
Yeah. Big fan of him.
- [126:10]
Luke Kuechly
Should just. He. He is Boston College football. Tough, physical, run the football. He's great. Really. He did a great job last year. I'm excited for. For this year for him, so.
- [126:20]
Host 2
All right. Okay. Yeah.
- [126:24]
Host 1
I see we got a standing round of applause for.
- [126:26]
Luke Kuechly
Go.
- [126:27]
Host 1
Hats off.
- [126:28]
Luke Kuechly
Hell yeah.
- [126:32]
Host 2
Appreciate it.
- [126:33]
Host 1
Hey, this is awesome.
- [126:34]
Luke Kuechly
Thanks for turning the air condition. We were waiting for you to get up.