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Who's in charge?

Mr. Scot

By Mr. Scot,
in Carolina Panthers

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Mr. Scot Grand Master

Mr. Scot

Posted
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From David Newton...

 

You might be surprised who Panthers' Ron Rivera picks as top leaders

 

Quarterback Cam Newton and middle linebacker Luke Kuechly are the first players most think of when the Carolina Panthers are mentioned. They're the ones most often seen in interviews and in commercials pushing products.

They're not the first that coach Ron Rivera mentions when it comes to the leadership that helped the Panthers win the past two NFC South titles.

"I start with Ryan Kalil and Thomas Davis," Rivera recently said at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix.

Carolina's center and outside linebacker aren't high profile, although Kalil is a four-time Pro Bowl selection and Davis is known by a few more now after being named the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2014.

But they are the players Rivera credits for keeping the team together during a 3-8-1 start and during the distraction of defensive end Greg Hardy's domestic violence case.

 

"Last year, through our entire set of circumstances we went through the whole year on the offensive side, on the offensive line, it was Kalil," Rivera said. "On the defensive side it was Thomas."

Newton and Kuechly weren't even the next two players Rivera mentioned in terms of leadership. Those were defensive end Charles Johnson and tight end Greg Olsen.

Then he brought up Newton and Kuechly, the first pick of the 2011 draft and the 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

"So the leadership and the way the hierarchy has kind of been set up, the guys that need to step up are the guys that have," Rivera said. "But for me it really does start with Kalil and Thomas. Those two guys have been tremendous, and have been a big part of what we've done over the four years.

"And what they've done, too, they've really mentored Cam and Luke."

 

And for Rivera, it all starts with Kalil and Davis.

"Two veteran guys that have been with this organization for quite some time, that have been through the good and bad times, that have been with me from the beginning, that have been guys that have been very productive," Rivera said.

"They've helped our younger guys, our younger leaders, establish who they are. Having that kind of continuity is huge. It's big for who you are as a football team."

 

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Mr. Scot Grand Master

Mr. Scot

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That pecking order is about right and don't think Cam or Luke would be against it.

 

Kalil -> Olsen -> Newton

 

Thomas->Johnson->Kuechly

 

Luke and Cam are both considered guys who don't necessarily do a whole lot of 'pep talking'.  Chatter would tell you they're both more 'lead by example' types.

 

Newton has to do pressers, of course, but I sometimes get the impression that if he didn't have to, he probably wouldn't.

 

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Mr. Scot Grand Master

Mr. Scot

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Not surprising at all, if you asked most of us who are the leaders on the team, it would have been listed in that order.

 

Maybe, but I seem to recall a whole lot of "it's Cam and Luke's team now" talk around this time last year (after Smitty's release).

 

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PntherPryd Rookie

PntherPryd

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Maybe, but I seem to recall a whole lot of "it's Cam and Luke's team now" talk around this time last year (after Smitty's release).

 

 

 

IIRC a big reason for Smitty's release was to create a void for Cam to step into.  I think Cam did, to an extent.  But team leaders never have been and never will be selected by management.  You either are or you are not.

 

Cam and Luke are leaders on the field but neither fit the personality of a locker room leader and I don't think it should be shoved down their throats.

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Mr. Scot Grand Master

Mr. Scot

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IIRC a big reason for Smitty's release was to create a void for Cam to step into.  I think Cam did, to an extent.  But team leaders never have been and never will be selected by management.  You either are or you are not.

 

Cam and Luke are leaders on the field but neither fit the personality of a locker room leader and I don't think it should be shoved down their throats.

 

I'd agree.

 

They tried that with Peppers and it didn't go so well.

 

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DelhommesTheMan Newbie

DelhommesTheMan

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Being a vocal leader has no connection to on field skill. Otherwise Byron Bell would be on an NFL Team already considering how vocal he was last year. It's when you have a guy whose both vocal and a field general that you have something special like Patrick Willis and Ray Lewis come to mind. Cam and Luke are more valuable on the field than all of those named before them, but they don't need the pep talks anymore it's for the younger guys now.

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