LB's...

LB snaps on Defense plays per nflmedia via footballoutsiders:

Week 1
Beason 66
Anderson 55
Kuechly 46
Davis 12
Phillips 1

Week 2
Beason 76
Anderson 57
Kuechly 29
Davis 27
Phillips 0

 

Beason could do with less snaps.

 

Interesting. Luke gets roughly 3 times the snaps TD got in game one, roughly even in game two.

 

Davis has been really impressive, LK meanwhile, appears to be struggling more than he showed in preseason. So its not really a shocker to see those snap numbers. Gotta get the best guys on the field.

 

“We lost Dan Connor in free agency, and we haven’t had a high-motor, marginally-impactful white linebacker since Dan Morgan barely played for us,” said Hurney, who is below .500 in his tenure as Panthers GM. “We feel like Luke Whatshisname can become that guy.”

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I thought I had read or heard somewhere that at some point, the long term plan was to move Beason outside and keep Keuchly in the middle (Beason - Keuchley - Anderson). I don't think anyone expected TD to come back as productive (even in spots) as he has. It remains to be seen how well he can keep up the productivity. No offense, and with the utmost respect, I seriously doubt he'll come all the way back to a 3-down, 16+ game starter. I think eventually he'll be rotated in as part of a package (58 + 59 > 58 + 52, in nickel?) with 50, 52, & 59 starting.

Then again, I could be completely off. It's tough to see Charlotte from central Cali.

 

Agreed, but I think Keuchley's struggles have to do with plain old rookie stuff -- speed of the game and complexity of play. He excelled in pre-seson, but we all know that the best athletes aren't on the field for the majority of the time and the schemes are severely watered down. It'll take time to adjust from full speed at Boston College to full speed in the NFL. And while mental reps and film time is important, IMHO the bulk of that adjustment comes through playing time.

 

And learning a new position, yeah. I stated throughout the preseason that he looked great in short yardage situations where he was playing the middle, but struggled on the outside. I doubt Beason gets moved for the rook's benefit even over the long-term, but who knows. Kuechly could definitely improve at WLB and end up looking just fine out there, but I personally doubt that it will ever be a good fit. WLB is a place for athleticism and explosiveness, which isn't Luke's game. Frankly I'd rather see him on the strong side if he's not going to be in the middle.

 

One thing worth mentioning is that Thomas Davis has to be cut this off-season to prevent his contract from being a cap anchor for years to come. I'm starting to get scared that they'll use hearts over heads and refuse to do so because he's looked good so far.