Tag: Kay Adams

Panthers great Luke Kuechly gives his thoughts on selection of Xavier Legette

Luke Kuechly believes Xavier Legette will open a fresh window for the Panthers offense.

Well before getting the chance to call Xavier Legette’s NFL games, Carolina Panthers color commentator Luke Kuechly was able to give his thoughts on this year’s 32nd overall pick.

Kuechly, who was also apparently a linebacker prior to his radio days, joined Friday’s episode of Up & Adams—where host Kay Adams asked about his team’s selection of the versatile wideout.

“I think what he does for us is we’ve got a vertical threat that can get down the field now,” Kuechly stated. “And I think last year, when you watch games and you watch the Panthers, everything was so compressed and tight to the line of scrimmage. Safeties were at 10, 11 yards. They weren’t scared of guys getting down the field. And what that does in the pass game, it closes windows.”

The windows were certainly shut for the Panthers, who ranked dead-last in total offense this past season. That primary victim of that listless attack was rookie quarterback Bryce Young, whose lack of diverse and effective weapons helped result in just 179.8 passing yards a contest and 11 touchdowns.

Fortunately for Young, Legette could bring quite a bit of versatility to his arsenal. The Mullins, S.C. native was named a second-team All-SEC member following his breakout 2023 campaign—one where he averaged 17.7 yards per reception.

So if this Luke guy knows anything about football, the offense should be in better shape moving forward.

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Former Pro Bowl safety has lofty expectations for Jim Harbaugh in Year 1 with Chargers

Jim Harbaugh has proven to be a winner everywhere he has coached, and one of his former players sees it being no different with the Chargers.

Jim Harbaugh has proven to be a winner everywhere he has coached. Now, as the Chargers’ head coach, one of Harbaugh’s former players believes it will be no different.

Former Pro Bowl safety Donte Whitner, who played under Harbaugh when he was the 49ers’ head coach, heaped high praise on him, foreseeing a lot of success for Los Angeles with Harbaugh as the leader.

“I believe that Jim Harbaugh and the LA Chargers are going to be in the AFC Championship Game this year,” Whitner said on a recent episode of Kay Adams’ show Up & Adams.

Whitner backed up his claim by mentioning Justin Herbert and calling Harbaugh the “quarterback Whisperer,” highlighting the success he had with former Niner Colin Kaepernick and Michigan’s JJ McCarthy.

“Any of the quarterbacks that were under the tutelage of Jim Harbaugh, he figures out what your strengths are, and he tailors his offense around that in the running game,” Whitner added.

Whitner then brought up the defensive side of the ball and how physical and fundamentally sound Harbaugh requires his players to play.

“And then his defense they have you know [Joey] Bosa on one side and then um of the guy Mack, Khalil Mack on the other side along with the secondary and how fundamental and physical he demands his teams to be.”

Harbaugh will have a lot of top-end talent to work with, but the depth of the roster still leaves a lot to be desired. If they can nail the draft, then we could start forecasting a successful 2024 season for the Bolts.

WATCH: Bills’ Dalton Kincaid talks Josh Allen when the play breaks down

Dalton talks Josh:

Even heading into the second year of his NFL career, it doesn’t sound like tight end Dalton Kincaid is fully ready for what Bills quarterback Josh Allen can do on the football field just yet.

Kincaid, appearing on the Up & Adams Show, said he knows the QB is always willing to give a teammate a chance to make a play… but then again, you never really know what he’s thinking, either.

“With Josh… having that in-game experience, figuring what he likes to do,” Kincaid said. “It doesn’t matter where the hell you are.”

For more from Kincaid, see the attached Up & Adams clip below:

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Panthers great Luke Kuechly gushes over 2024 draft prospect

Panthers great Luke Kuechly is a fan of one of his biggest fans, NC State LB Payton Wilson.

Someone is going to have to check on Payton Wilson today.

Carolina Panthers legend Luke Kuechly joined Wednesday’s special episode of Up & Adams, hosted by Kay Adams from Bank of America Stadium. When asked if he has any draft advice for his team this spring, the former Defensive Player of the Year and five-team first-team All-Pro singled out one prospect in particular.

“At the draft, I always look at linebackers,” Kuechly told Adams. “And there’s a guy that I loved watching for a long time up at NC State—Payton Wilson. He ran extremely well, he was in 4.4s, and he’s been super productive and he plays really hard.”

Well, that’s awfully appropriate considering who Wilson admires most. (Yep, it’s Luke.)

During his media availability at the scouting combine this past week, Wilson spoke about how Kuechly inspires his game.

“The way that he played the game, I mean obviously outside of his football IQ, knowing literally every play that was coming, playing with his hair on fire, trying to take people’s heads off — it was something that I just wanted to do,” Wilson said. “I’ve actually been in contact with him. And the person he is outside of the game never changed. Everything goes to the Lord for him. So on and off the field, I’m just trying to model my game after him.”

Like Kuechly did, Wilson heads into the pros as the reigning Butkus Award winner and ACC Defensive Player of the Year. The Hillsborough, N.C. native is also flying in with an impressive 40-yard dash time of 4.44 seconds, a tick faster than Kuechly’s 4.58 back in 2012.

So far, so good, kid.

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Panthers HC Dave Canales asked about bringing Russell Wilson to Carolina

Despite his past success with Russell Wilson, Panthers HC Dave Canales knows Carolina isn’t the right situation for the free-agent QB.

We probably didn’t need the head coach of the Carolina Panthers to tell us this, but the Queen City will not be the next landing spot for free-agent quarterback Russell Wilson. Nonetheless, Dave Canales was kind enough to make that clear on Wednesday.

Canales was a guest on today’s episode of Up & Adams, which was filmed from Bank of America Stadium in celebration of the team’s new partnership with FanDuel. Host Kay Adams brought up Canales’ history with Wilson as well as the online chatter about the nine-time Pro Bowler potentially finding a match with the Panthers.

“Well, this is not the situation for Russ,” Canales responded. “But what I will say about him is taking that chance and that opportunity to go to Denver, I really admire him for that. I really admire the courage it took to say, ‘I’m gonna branch out away from what I’m comfortable with.'”

Wilson cracked into the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks in 2012, when Canales was entering his third season as the team’s wide receivers coach. It wouldn’t be until 2018, when Canales was promoted to quarterbacks coach, that the two worked directly together.

The pairing was quite beneficial for Wilson, who threw for a then-career-high 35 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. Over their four years beside one another—which also saw Canales serve as the passing game coordinator in 2020 and 2021—Wilson averaged 3,720.8 passing yards, 32.8 touchdowns and 7.8 interceptions per season.

But with Bryce Young firmly entrenched as the team’s starter, Mr. Unlimited would be extremely limited in Carolina.

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Panthers owner Nicole Tepper: I can talk film with HC Dave Canales for hours

Panthers owner and CAO Nicole Tepper shared the moment when she knew Dave Canales was the right guy for the HC job.

If Nicole Tepper wasn’t a film buff before this offseason, she may be one now.

The Carolina Panthers owner and chief administrative officer was the first of three special guests on today’s Bank of America Stadium-based episode of Up & Adams. Host Kay Adams asked Tepper about her impressions of the team’s new head coach Dave Canales.

“He has a passion for people,” she replied. “He has an uncanny ability to make this complicated game so simple. He worked 13 years for one of the greatest coaches of all-time, Pete Carroll. I mean, that in itself is amazing.

“I mean, you have to be hidden under a rock if you haven’t seen what he did last year to Baker Mayfield. I mean, the two of them together was dynamic, and he was a big part of that, right?

“He’s a visionary. I’m excited for him, and you wanna play for him, you wanna work for him.”

Tepper’s Panthers officially hired Canales back on Jan. 25. The 42-year-old served as the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023 and worked under Carroll in Seattle—as a wide receivers coach, quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator—from 2010 to 2022.

Adams then asked Tepper if there was a moment where she knew Canales was the guy for the job.

“I think he was breaking down film in the second interview process, and I did not want it to stop,” Tepper said. “Like, I wanted him to keep going. I wanted to listen more. I would’ve sat down and talked film with him, or listen to him break down film, for hours.”

Maybe the Panthers might have themselves a high-profile guest in the film room for now on.

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49ers WR Deebo Samuel still thinks about Patrick Mahomes’ Super Bowl LVIII performance

#49ers WR Deebo Samuel told Kay Adams that he still thinks about #Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ Super Bowl LVIII performance

The Kansas City Chiefs were crowned back-to-back Super Bowl champions following last month’s Super Bowl LVIII victory over the San Francisco 49ers. The thrilling overtime win will be remembered throughout the league’s history, with joy from Kansas City and devastation from San Francisco.

The Chiefs players and staff have done various interviews celebrating the latest title, while a few members of the 49ers are beginning to open up following the tough loss. One of those players is wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who provided his reflection on the game and witnessed the Chiefs come back from the sidelines.

Samuel appeared on Tuesday’s episode of the “Up & Adams Show.” to give praise to the greatness of Patrick Mahomes while speaking with host Kay Adams.

“[I was] dealing with a shoulder [injury], and [in] the second half I pulled my hamstring, so I’m just like bro, not right now, like please not right now,” Samuel explained. “Then [I] was still able to go out there and try to help the team, but we just fell short, and they got [the] great Patrick Mahomes on the other side, so you know he’s capable [of] anything, and you know, our defense was playing well all game long. They played well all game long. It was just Pat Mahomes being Pat Mahomes, man.”

Samuel suffered a hamstring injury but fought through the pain to finish with three catches for 33 yards. Mahomes’ third Super Bowl MVP award put him in rare company, further establishing him as the NFL’s top quarterback.

Chiefs CB L’Jarius Sneed’s message to GM Brett Veach: ‘Pay me’

Kansas City #Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed sent a clear message to general manager Brett Veach: ‘Pay me’

The Kansas City Chiefs featured many star defensive players through their Super Bowl season that weren’t acknowledged by the NFL for Pro Bowl consideration.

The exceptional performance of cornerback L’Jarius Sneed surprised many that he wasn’t selected as an All-Pro or Pro Bowler. Still, it did raise his profile around the league, putting him in line for a potential top-tier contract.

The glow of winning another Super Bowl title is hard to ignore from every player from Kansas City, but probably no one is glowing more than Sneed. He took time on Thursday to share his thoughts on becoming a highly valued free agent this offseason on a recent episode of the “Up & Adams Show” with host Kay Adams.

“Pay me,” said Sneed with laughter. “Pay me, pay me. That’s what I’ve got to say — pay me. That’s all I got to say, pay me!”

Sneed finished the 2023 season with 78 tackles, a career-high 14 passes defended, and two interceptions in 16 games. He notably spent the year covering the other team’s best receiver, including two impressive outings against former Chiefs star Tyreek Hill and the Miami Dolphins.

The Chiefs have some challenging decisions to make this offseason with the free agent status of Jones, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and many other key players from the Super Bowl-winning core.

Panthers great Luke Kuechly asked about his candidacy for Pro Football Hall of Fame

Up & Adams host Kay Adams asked Panthers great Luke Kuechly about the prospect of becoming a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer in 2025.

Will the Carolina Panthers be able to boast back-to-back first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famers? Well, to be frank, it’s pretty likely.

Former linebacker Luke Kuechly joined the post-Super Bowl LVIII edition of Up & Adams—where he talked not only about the upcoming induction of fellow franchise great and ex-teammate Julius Peppers, but also about the possibility of his own. Host Kay Adams asked Kuechly, who is eligible beginning in 2025, for his thoughts on the prospect.

“I think when you think about the Hall of Fame, it’s obviously awesome,” he replied. “It’s the highest honor that you can have as a football player on an individual basis. And you look at the guys that got in there at the linebacker position, the guys I grew up watching—Derrick Brooks, Brian Urlacher, Ray Lewis, obviously Pep got in. Those three guys that I mentioned and then Patrick [Willis]. And all of ’em were a little bit different.”

As he mentions, Willis is headed in—and in his first year of eligibility. Considering all that separates the two is an AP Defensive Player of the Year award and a second-team All-Pro nod (both of which belong to Luke), Thursday’s news bodes rather well for Kuechly’s immediate chances.

Kuechly went on.

“We’ll see what happens,” he added. “I did my best when I was playing. I had a lot of really good help around me from players and coaches and people in the organization. I did everything I could, I loved every second of it and now we’ll just kinda see what happens.”

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Luke Kuechly names the 1 thing that sets Julius Peppers apart

Panthers greats Julius Peppers and Luke Kuechly sent each other a nod this week.

The love for Carolina Panthers legend and soon-to-be Pro Football Hall of Famer Julius Peppers is continuing to spread. But on Tuesday, he began giving the love right back.

Former Panthers linebacker and ex-teammate Luke Kuechly was asked about big ol’ No. 90 on Monday’s post-Super Bowl LVIII episode of Up & Adams. And of all the unique qualities Peppers possesses, Kuechly admitted he was always enamored with one in particular.

“One thing that I think sets Pep apart from people is just, you watch him and love when Pep smiles,” he told host Kay Adams. “That big smile that he has, it’s just so fun to me. There was one thing that when I was gettin’ ready to play with Pep that I was excited about. You know Pep always had that dark visor and I always wanted to be there when Pep got a sack and he had that dark visor and the only thing you could see on him was that smile.”

In turn, Peppers hit Twitter this morning to show his respect for No. 59 . . .

Kuechly, who shared a field with the Canton-bound pass rusher for 31 games, got a chance to see 16 of those smiles. Peppers played out the final two years of his immortalized career back in Carolina—where he posted 16.0 sacks, 28 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles and, obviously, a bunch of pearly whites.

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