What's the biggest difference between Sean Lee & Luke Kuechly?

[PJTHEDOORS]

What? Kuechly gets more picks, plays more games, forces more fumbles, and makes WAY more tackles. He does everything better than Lee. They have played nearly the same number of games, even though Lee has been playing 2 more years.

Kuechly - 61 games, 11 int
Lee - 60 games, 12 int

 

[texbumthelife]

60 games in 6 years for Lee- 421 tackles 2.5 sacks 12 Ints (only part time Year One because of injuries)
61 games in 4 years for Kuechly- 592 tackles 7 sacks 11 Ints

Even if you give Lee 100 tackles for 2010 he is well behind.
Lee's best year is comparable to Kuechly's worst year.

He also played in a 3-4 part of the time and, has been pointed out, doesn't have nearly the talent in front of him the Panthers do. You can deny it all you want, but we both know what a significant impact that has on linebackers.

 

[Nightman]

He also played in a 3-4 part of the time and, has been pointed out, doesn't have nearly the talent in front of him the Panthers do. You can deny it all you want, but we both know what a significant impact that has on linebackers.

I'm not denying anything. Lee is my favorite player. He is a great LB. Kuechly is just better.

 

[BigStar]

Yes they built around him so much...they changed his position.

Good grief.

I meant built around as in a talented back up isn't on the team for the inevitable. So not built around in the Ray Lewis sense type of D, just semantics due to his injury history.

 

[texbumthelife]

I'm not denying anything. Lee is my favorite player. He is a great LB. Kuechly is just better.

I agree he's better. Said as much. Just don't think it's a significant margin. I also wonder how good Kuechly would look with Hayden the turn stall in front of him. It bares pondering, at least.

 

[texbumthelife]

I meant built around as in a talented back up isn't on the team for the inevitable.

Other than Hitchens, of course.

Inadequate depth, as you refer to it, is a little bit different than building around a player.

 

[BigStar]

Other than Hitchens, of course.

Inadequate depth, as you refer to it, is a little bit different than building around a player.

Not when the starter can't be considered reliable (but is not planned around with a suitable plan B option). On top of that, @ ROLB, plays are funneled toward him to make plays in this scheme as with most 4-3's. Not moving on/having plan B, is building around him...

 

[texbumthelife]

Not when the starter can't be considered reliable and @ ROLB, plays are funneled toward him to make plays in this scheme as with most 4-3's.

So, you would like the team to invest either a large contract, or a high draft pick, as depth behind Lee in case he can't play? Outside of the fact they have drafted two outside linebackers who, by most accounts, have looked good when given a shot, you want them to throw even more resources at the position?

Not having depth behind an injury prone player is about as far from building around a player as possible.

 

[jblaze2004]

question is, is there another linebacker like luke in this draft? We really need some big bodies on the front line. Crawford and hayden aren't really big dudes. Crawford playing with basically one shoulder most of the year and starting tells you about our depth smh. Shame we don't work from the front 7 out like the good teams on defense. Our DT's other the crawford are journey men.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

I meant built around as in a talented back up isn't on the team for the inevitable. So not built around in the Ray Lewis sense type of D, just semantics due to his injury history.

It's all good...You clarified it later...I just did not see it until after I posted.

 

[Nightman]

So, you would like the team to invest either a large contract, or a high draft pick, as depth behind Lee in case he can't play? Outside of the fact they have drafted two outside linebackers who, by most accounts, have looked good when given a shot, you want them to throw even more resources at the position?

Not having depth behind an injury prone player is about as far from building around a player as possible.

I would sign Ro to a vet min type deal with a few incentives.

With Hitch, Wilson and Gachkar we are fine at LB.

Draft a real SAM and we are golden.

 

[BigStar]

So, you would like the team to invest either a large contract, or a high draft pick, as depth behind Lee in case he can't play? Outside of the fact they have drafted two outside linebackers who, by most accounts, have looked good when given a shot, you want them to throw even more resources at the position?

Not having depth behind an injury prone player is about as far from building around a player as possible.

 

[Frozen700]

Sean doesn't play in a 4-3 with 4 elite DL in front of him that go after the QB on every down, allowing the linebackers to just focus on one thing (coverage). Kuechly is great but there's nothing he does better than Lee.

Here we go.

We always love to discredit another guy, when comparing to one of our own.

If Luke was on this team, we would be saying he was better than Lee, and wouldn't even compare the two.

 

[texbumthelife]

I would sign Ro to a vet min type deal with a few incentives.

With Hitch, Wilson and Gachkar we are fine at LB.

Draft a real SAM and we are golden.

I don't understand why anyone would want McClain back after how lethargic and uninterested he looked half the time this season. I don't trust that guy and I certainly don't want to depend on him in the middle.

 

[texbumthelife]

Here we go.

We always love to discredit another guy, when comparing to one of our own.

If Luke was on this team, we would be saying he was better than Lee, and wouldn't even compare the two.

I don't think anyone is discrediting Kuechly. We are all in agreement the guy is an amazing talent. He is the best linebacker in the game right now.

 

[Nightman]

I don't understand why anyone would want McClain back after how lethargic and uninterested he looked half the time this season. I don't trust that guy and I certainly don't want to depend on him in the middle.

He was playing 1/2 the year for free and the team was in a downward spiral when he returned.

He was terrible in the middle of the year, but everyone was. He did turn things around.

But he can bring the wood when motivated and the team needs a few WKGs too.

 

[texbumthelife]

He was playing 1/2 the year for free and the team was in a downward spiral when he returned.

He was terrible in the middle of the year, but everyone was. He did turn things around.

But he can bring the wood when motivated and the team needs a few WKGs too.

I definitely wouldn't say he turned things around. He was streaky the entire season. When a streaky player has a good streak, that's not turning things around. That's a good streak. He was one of the few guys on the team I saw actually give up on plays regularly, throughout the season. Like I said, I don't trust the guy enough to depend on him in the middle.

 

[YosemiteSam]

The fat people in front of them. That's the difference.

 

[RW31]

Here we go.

We always love to discredit another guy, when comparing to one of our own.

If Luke was on this team, we would be saying he was better than Lee, and wouldn't even compare the two.

I love how saying Kuechly might not be THE BEST linebacker, maybe the 2nd best linebacker, and that's "discrediting" him. Stop it. And no, it has nothing to do with our players vs the rest of the league. Just tell me what you think Kuechly does better. He is more reliable, he might have better top end speed, he might lift more weight, but that has nothing to do with football. What does he do better on the field that you can measure up with what Lee does? Lee is impeccable, a football player. He's complete. Playing the run, reading blocks, fighting through blocks, dropping back, recognizing routes, reading the QB, tackling, whatever you want to look at he's great at it. Kuechly is also good at most things but he doesn't do those things as well as Lee does, he's not as complete a football player, he's not as experienced, he's not as disruptive. Sean had almost twice as many tackles for a loss. He's reads plays faster than anyone else in the league. But since he's not blessed with the same front, since he doesn't have an offense that puts up a lot of points and lets the defense just pin their ears back and go after the QB, he doesn't get the same opportunities. In our defense he has to do everything, mostly playing the run because our offense can't score points, we fall behind quick, at which point as a LB there's just no plays to be made. He has to play the run, pass, blitz. What does Kuechly do? Every down it's drop back and wait for somebody to throw the ball to you. He doesn't have to worry about stopping the run or his team falling behind and whatnot.

One question: Swap both these guys. Lee plays for the Panthers in '15, Kuechly plays for us. Do you think Kuechly is the best LB in the game in this defense without an offense? Do you not think Lee would have easily posted better numbers than Kuechly did with THAT front 4? With THAT offense? With what he would have had to do there, basically just drop back all the time, something he does better than anyone else? Come on. Has nothing to do with our players vs the rest. We don't have a single player outside of Lee maybe and Tyron Smith that might be the best at his position. Is there proof that they are? Of course not, you can argue. You can't measure that. Would I trade Lee for Kuechly? Of course. Kuechly is younger, he's one of the best in the game, he's reliable. But I don't think he's a better player.

 

[the_h0wey]

Obiously not counting durability. Would Sean Lee be where Kuechly is if he wasn't injury prone?

Kuechly is arguably the best Defensive player in the league. Lee isn't