Carolina Panthers: Matt Rhule open to putting Kuechly on staff
The Carolina Panthers coach is open to the idea.
Add new Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule to the list of people who think Luke Kuechly would make a good coach. According to a report from Alex Marvez of SirusXM NFL Radio, Rhule is hoping that Kuechly will join the coaching staff at some point.
This makes sense, as Kuechly was one of the smartest defensive players the Carolina Panthers had. He knew where to go on defense. He also knew how to read an offense, and his intuition as far as knowing the play call on the offensive side of the football was impressive. He’s also somebody that the Panthers had great respect for as a player, so that certainly counts for something if you’re talking about a potential coach.
It was interesting to watch him conduct the defense on the field all those years. He would look at the offense, read the play, and then point out specific mismatches. He was like the point guard of the defense. He would lead the charge, and let everybody know where to go.
There wasn’t much that offenses were able to slip by him. It was impressive to watch to say the least. Once he identified the play, he would go and attack, finding the player with the ball and making the tackle. If he didn’t get to the tackle, he disrupted the offense enough to blow up the play.
.@Panthers HC Matt Rhule told Bill Polian, @CoachNeuheisel & me on @SiriusXMNFL that he hopes Luke Kuechly at some point will rejoin the @Panthers as a coach. Luke was already in the building post-retirement watching film with Matt's staff
— Alex Marvez (@alexmarvez) January 23, 2020
I could see him coming back as a special assistant or linebackers coach. Phil Snow is currently the defensive coordinator while Mike Siravo is the linebackers coach. Those positions look to be taken for the foreseeable future, but I could see him helping both those coaches out. His presence would only be an asset, and the Carolina Panthers would be wise to at least extend the offer for him to join the staff.
I hope to see Luke Kuechly back with the organization. He may have lost some of his physical edge, but his mental edge is still very much there. Seeing him back on the Carolina Panthers sidelines in any capacity would be awesome. He meant so much to the organization, and he was such a consistent and productive player every Sunday. Even with his injuries, he continued to battle game in and game out.