Cam Newton recalls hilarious story about Luke Kuechly’s hard-hitting practice

Don’t mess with Luke Kuechly.

A wise man once said that nobody messed with Luke Kuechly. Actually, that wise man used a much naughtier word than “messed,” but the sentiment is the same nonetheless.

In the latest episode of his YouTube show 4th & 1 with Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers legend Cam Newton recalled quite the story about his former teammate and good buddy—Luke August Kuechly. And of all the Luke stories we’ve heard, this one is easily amongst the Luke-iest.

Enjoy:

Poor Devin Funchess.

Funchess, Kuechly and Newton shared a sideline from 2015 to 2018. The first of those seasons saw the Panthers blast their way to Super Bowl 50, winning 17 of their 18 games leading up to their eventual loss to the Denver Broncos.

The trio was also a part of the franchise’s last trip to the playoffs in 2017, when Carolina clinched a wild card berth at 11-5. Unfortunately, that bid for the Lombardi Trophy was also cut short—as they suffered a painful 31-26 defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card Round.

But luckily for Funchess—and the rest of the league’s receivers, for that matter—Kuechly hasn’t had to hit anyone for a few years now.

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Panthers fans recall franchise’s most painful ‘what ifs’ on Twitter

Panthers fans were in their bag on Wednesday . . . if that bag was one big sorry sack of sad, sick and unsightly moments.

Carolina Panthers fans don’t root for the sorriest franchise in football, but you wouldn’t know that by their turnout on Wednesday.

The NFL on ESPN Twitter account posted a prompt for users, asking what they think is their team’s biggest “What if . . . ?” And, in what was a sad and impressive showing, the Panthers faithful responded with plenty of downers.

Here are just some of their most painful replies . . .

Former Panthers WR Devin Funchess invited to basketball combine

Ex-Panthers WR Devin Funchess may be taking another step towards his hoop dream, as he’s been invited to a basketball combine that’ll feature former NBA players.

Not even one month ago, Devin Funchess said he’d go after what many believed to be an unlikely dream. Well, the dream is still alive.

The ex-Carolina Panthers pass catcher, who recently told Brandon Robinson of Bally Sports that he was considering a move to the hardwood, has been invited to a basketball combine in Atlanta, Ga.—one that’ll feature former NBA players. Robinson was also first with this latest development for Funchess.

Here’s what Funchess said in the interview with Bally Sports from Dec. 20:

“When it comes to my love and my passion, I love the game of basketball,” he said. “As in my transition from dwindling down in the NFL, being an eight-year vet, I’m still 28 years old. I can still go through something. I know I’d have to go overseas and play, get some film. But after that, my dream growing up was to play in the NBA. That’s my main goal and that’s what I’m gonna make happen.”

The 6-foot-4, 235-pounder played in Carolina for four seasons—where he amassed 161 receptions, 2,223 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Albeit a relatively small one, this could be a step towards making that goal happen. So good luck, Devin!

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Former Panthers WR Devin Funchess considering move to basketball

In a recent interview with Bally Sports, former Panthers WR Devin Funchess said he might make a transition from football to basketball.

Devin Funchess’ switch from wide receiver to tight end hasn’t exactly panned out that well. So, maybe he needs to make an even bigger switch.

The former Carolina Panthers pass catcher recently chopped it up with Brandon Robinson of Bally Sports—tackling subjects that ranged anywhere from his potential NFL suitors to his old quarterback Cam Newton to the resurgence of NBA star John Wall. And as far as that first topic goes, Funchess said his people have been in touch with multiple teams.

“My agent, he done talked to about three of ’em,” he told Robinson. “It’s up and down just because I’m outside. I’m 6-4, 235. And you got a whole bunch of these in-between players. So I don’t play special teams, I don’t have that type of body. So it’s me just waiting on that right fit.”

But what if he doesn’t eventually find that right fit? Well, Funchess said he may make a run at his main love—basketball.

“When it comes to my love and my passion, I love the game of basketball,” said Funchess, who said he had to give up hoops for the pigskin back in high school. “As in my transition from dwindling down in the NFL, being an eight-year vet, I’m still 28 years old. I can still go through something. I know I’d have to go overseas and play, get some film. But after that, my dream growing up was to play in the NBA. That’s my main goal and that’s what I’m gonna make happen.”

Four of those years in the league came with Carolina, where Funchess began as a second-round pick from 2015. He’d go on to compile 161 receptions, 2,223 yards and 21 touchdowns as a Panther.

Funchess has not played an NFL down since 2019.

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Lions pull the plug on veteran reclamation projects Jarrad Davis and Devin Funchess

The Lions tried veteran reclamation projects with Jarrad Davis and Devin Funchess but neither worked out

The first reports of the final wave of Detroit Lions roster cuts haven’t really featured any surprises. Two names on the early list, LB Jarrad Davis and TE Devin Funchess, do raise the eyebrows a bit.

Davis and Funchess were each veterans hoping to resuscitate their fledgling NFL careers in a city where they both have some history. Alas, the reclamation projects just were not meant to be.

While the moves are not official until Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, multiple sources have reported and verified that both Davis and Funchess are no longer Lions.

It’s tough to see the Davis experiment end in failure. A perennial fan pinata in his first Lions stint (2017-2020), Davis willingly returned to Detroit determined to win over those same fans. He was an easy guy to root for, especially for those who got to see him behind the scenes. The Lions parted ways with a very good man and excellent teammate who unfortunately just wasn’t a good enough football player to help them at a position where most fans see the team’s biggest need.

Funchess had a real chance to pull off the conversion from wide receiver to tight end in Detroit, his hometown. He played well in the preseason opener, catching four passes and a touchdown. Unfortunately, Funchess could not prove the chronic durability issues–he’s been healthy for just one game since the start of the 2019 season–were behind him. He left the second practice of training camp and missed several days, also missing the second preseason game against the Colts. Availability is one ability that Funchess simply doesn’t have, unfortunately.

The Lions smartly realized that neither veteran reclamation project was going to work. Davis and Funchess were given chances to be this year’s Charles Harris, a former first-round flop who emerged as a quality starter in Detroit in 2021. It didn’t work for them or the team.

There’s no harm in trying these sorts of veteran ventures. The harm comes when sentimentality trumps football and it bumps out a player who offers more in both the short-term and long-term for the team. To the Lions credit, they didn’t let that happen.

Davis, who has battled injury issues of his own throughout his NFL career, could find another team interested in giving him one last shot. Moving him to full-time rush OLB, something the Lions toyed with this summer, just might work. In time. For Funchess, this could be the end of the NFL road. The reality of not being one of the four best TEs on a Lions team that had one established player at the position three months ago is not a positive sign.

 

Do any Lions roster bubble players have trade value?

Do any Detroit Lions roster bubble players have trade value in advance of the final roster cutdowns?

There are some tough decisions to be made in Detroit over the next few days. The Lions must cut the roster down from the current 80 players to just 53 by Tuesday afternoon.

A lot of the cuts are pretty easy to predict, but there are some legitimate bubble battles going on through Sunday’s final preseason game in Pittsburgh. But could the Lions find a trade partner for some players who are on the roster chopping block?

It’s a question worth exploring. Teams have shown a propensity to offer up late-round picks to ensure they land a player about to be cut instead of potentially losing out to other teams in the waiver claim process. Detroit did this a year ago in dealing two late-round picks to Denver for wide receiver Trinity Benson.

The Lions do have a couple of bubble players who almost certainly would be claimed on waivers if they don’t make the initial 53-man roster. But trading for a player is different than making a waiver claim. It implies a combination of positional scarcity on the market and desperation on the part of another team to fill a hole.

Enter the offensive line…

Guard Logan Stenberg is somewhere between No. 52 and 55 on the Lions roster order. He might make it, he might not. His value has never been higher, however; Stenberg had a phenomenal outing in the Lions’ second preseason game.

No. 71 will earn less than $1 million in 2022 and has another year remaining on his rookie contract. That makes him very attractive to a contending team in need of help on the interior offensive line. It’s never really worked for Stenberg in nearly three years in Detroit prior to the past 10 days or so. Stenberg is probably worth more to another team than he is to the Lions as the No. 9 OL on a team that could keep just eight.

Wide receiver is another spot where the Lions have–potentially–one more useful 2022 NFL player than roster opening. Benson is one of them, but it’s difficult to envision another team making the same trade for No. 17 that Lions GM Brad Holmes did a year ago. Quintez Cephus and/or Tom Kennedy might be a different story.

Kennedy has a viable claim to being the best wideout in the NFL in the exhibition season. The plucky former lacrosse standout has been open all summer and lit up the Falcons and Colts working with both Tim Boyle and David Blough.

Cephus has impressed when he’s been on the field, but keeping the third-year wideout healthy has proven difficult. He has strong hands and provides a wider target than his 6-foot-1 length would indicate. The lack of speed–he’d be the slowest LB on the Lions roster using GPS timing–and the ongoing durability issues keep Cephus on Detroit’s bubble. But for a WR-needy team (Cleveland? Chicago?) he could be worthy of a late-round pick to be the No. 4 wideout.

The Lions could have a surplus at tight end too, though it’s hard to see another NFL team giving up an asset for Devin Funchess when he’s proving his chronic injury issues aren’t a thing of the past. Shane Zylstra could coax back a conditional late pick, but it’s my belief he’s safely on the roster. Speedy veteran CB Mike Hughes hasn’t fit in as hoped in the secondary and offers big-game experience and special teams ability that could entrance a team to pull the trigger instead of waiting to see if the Lions release him.

There’s always the weird, unknown variable too. Two late-round rookies, DE James Houston and CB Chase Lucas, are not givens to make the final roster. Could Holmes flip one of them to recoup the draft value?

Lions stock report after the first preseason game

Breaking down Detroit Lions players who raised their stock in the preseason game against the Falcons and those whose stocks fell

We got our first look at the 2022 Detroit Lions against another opponent in the preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons. The Lions dropped an action-packed game, 27-23, when the deep reserves on both sides of the ball couldn’t come through late in the game.

Over 75 Lions saw action in the game, including most projected starters. It was a great chance to gauge where players are at in positional battles and overall roster chances.

Here are the Lions who saw their stock rise in Friday night’s game at Ford Field, and those whose stock fell in the loss to the Falcons too.

 

Lions stock report after the 1st week of training camp

 

8 quick takeaways from the Lions preseason loss to the Falcons

8 quick takeaways from the Detroit Lions preseason opener, a 27-23 loss to the visiting Atlanta Falcons

The preseason kicked off on Friday night with an entertaining matchup between the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons. The visiting Falcons prevailed, 27-23, on a late TD after the Lions couldn’t hold onto a lead with two minutes to go.

Here are some quick first impressions from the Lions in the exhibition opener.

WATCH: Michigan football players making plays in preseason

Former Wolverines are already making plays!

It may be preseason, but the former Michigan football players are out making some great plays in game one of preseason action.

Aidan Hutchinson, the second overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, made his NFL playing debut on Friday in a Detroit Lions uniform. Right away he did something that Michigan fans will remember quite well from his time in Ann Arbor, he made an offensive tackle look silly, and he got right into the backfield for a tackle-for-loss. Lions fans will have plenty of this to look forward to.

Devin Funchess, former wide receiver/tight end hybrid at Michigan, made his  Lions debut on Friday as well. Funchess was a second-round selection by the Carolina Panthers back in 2015, but the injury bug has plagued the former Wolverine. He signed with both the Packers and Colts, but never had much playing time due to injuries, but he is trying to salvage his career back home in Michigan. The, now NFL tight end, scored a one-yard touchdown on Friday, and he also made a highlight reel hurdle. Funchess is trying to earn a No. 2 tight end role with the Lions.

Lastly, former Michigan running back, Chris Evans had a 70-yard run on Friday with the Bengals. There ended up being a flag called on the play, but Evans still showed his incredible burst off the line of scrimmage and outran just about the entire Cardinals’ defense. Evans is hoping to earn more of a role with the Bengals this upcoming season behind Joe Mixon.

There are 59 former Michigan Wolverines on an NFL preseason roster this year. The maize and blue are really showing out early.

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Devin Funchess transition to tight end off to fantastic start

Devin Funchess is trying to make it as a tight and he had a nice start for the Lions

Devin Funchess is another Detroit Lion who played college football at Michigan.

The veteran’s receiver hasn’t gotten the notice of second overall pick Aidan Hutchinson.

But in trying to make the team at tight end after being drafted as a wideout by the Carolina Panthers in 2015, he opened some eyes Friday against the Atlanta Falcons.

Funchess made a nice catch in the back of the end zone on the 1-yard pass by Tim Boyle in the second quarter.

Funchess has not played in an NFL game since 2019 when he appeared in one game for the Indianapolis Colts.