Kuechly DROY?

[Marguide]

The fact that he is in consideration for the award is enough for me.

Me too.

We have our anchors on both offense and defense in Cam and Keek. Build off of those two and we'll be alright.

[JawnyBlaze]

Casey Hayward will win it. He's been one of the best corners this year metric wise and he has the the fancy INTs they love too.

Kuechly hasn't got a shot if Jones/Irvin both hit 10 sacks but he'll get some votes.

Byrd led the league in INTs his rookie year, didn't win DYOR. A LB did.

Bruce Irvin isn't going to win it with 7 sacks and 11 total tackles so far. This isn't the Pro Bowl where idiot fans decide, hopefully the AP isn't as stupid. Only 4 tackles other than his sacks is pretty pathetic.

Chandler Jones has a chance, but I've been reading and hearing a lot more praise for Kuechly than Jones in the media, and rightfully so. Jones has been ok but he hasn't exactly been Aldon Smith from last year, and his injury isn't going to help him. He's only got 6 sacks (and a decent tackle total of 34) and only 5 games to go. Kuechly has been beasting since he moved to the middle.

Suh won it in 2010, the last non-LB to win it before Suh? Peppers. Suh and Peppers were both "once in a generation" type players. DROY almost always goes to LBs unless it's one of those types. I'd be shocked if Kuechly isn't DROY this year.

[Mage]

I said if Irvin hits 10 sacks. Of course he wouldn't win it with 7.

And I love Kuechly but he isn't playing nearly as well as Cushing did that year so it isn't a fair comparison. The only thing Kuechly has to his name is a lot of tackles. It's not going to be enough to win it.

And lets be honest. Byrd wasn't even good that year (though he's gotten a LOT better since). A lot of his INTs came from being in the right spot at the right time. See, Carolina/Buffalo game from that year.

The truth why LBs typically win it more is because LB is the easiest position to transition from college to the NFL in while being a DB or DL is not an easy transition which is why you see guys like PP struggling as a rookie or Claibourne. But there comes a time a DB has an easy transition ala Hayward.

[JawnyBlaze]

If Irvin hits 10 sacks and has like 17 total tackles, I still don't think he'll win it. That's why I had the "so far" part.

Byrd was good enough to be an Pro Bowler that year. I know that's not the strongest evidence of his play, but he was pretty good. Being in the right spot at the right time is the definition of a Safety's job...

[SIGCHI222]

Kuechly will get 12 to 15 tackles against KC vaulting him into the NFL lead. He will wind up with around 160 for the year. DROY is all but his.

I also agree with Rubi's logic (even though his was a little off on his current weight). Once Keek hits about 255-265 and has a couple of NFL season's and conditioning behind him, Cam may be playing on Kuechly's team.

I believe this enough to have a $235 Kuechly jersey in route as a Christmas present to myself.

We've got both Clark Kent and Superman.

[LinvilleGorge]

I don't know if we want Kuechly at 265. That's a BIG MLB. He has a good frame, but he doesn't have Urlacher's frame. 250 is probably plenty of weight for him to carry. Ray Lewis is about the same weight as Kuechly is currently, so is Patrick Willis, Jon Beason is lighter than Kuechly, so is Jonathan Vilma.

I don't know why you guys are wanting him at 250+. As the NFL becomes more and more pass oriented, LBs are generally getting smaller, not bigger - 3-4 OLBs excluded.

[CPF4LIFE]

Kuechly will get 12 to 15 tackles against KC vaulting him into the NFL lead. He will wind up with around 160 for the year. DROY is all but his.

I also agree with Rubi's logic (even though his was a little off on his current weight). Once Keek hits about 255-265 and has a couple of NFL season's and conditioning behind him, Cam may be playing on Kuechly's team.

I believe this enough to have a $235 Kuechly jersey in route as a Christmas present to myself.

We've got both Clark Kent and Superman.

LOL!!! Hell yeah

[jayflip]

I want a alternate blue keek jersey.

[Achilles]

I have never seen a player come into the NFL and be more "pro ready." The kid hasn't missed a beat and is, dare I say, worlds better than what we would have had with Beason (even if he didn't get hurt). He has really impressed me and I've been watching NFL football for 25+ years. He might be the best rookie starter we have ever drafted. Seriously. At least as good as Peppers and Gross when they came into the league. He might not win ROTY, but he is the rookie of the decade in Carolina.

It is astounding to think that Hurney could have drafted the offensive and defensive ROTY in consecutive seasons. Dude got the sack in week 5! Not that I disagree with the firing...but that just goes to show how F'ed up the NFL is when it comes to politics and power. Hurney was a good GM, but he needed to go. Kuechly was as solid a draft pick as this team has ever seen. Cam is the icing on the cake. Too bad the only thing Hurney did super well was pick early and late in the draft. He was horrible in rounds 2 and 3 and ridiculous in free agency. He liked to overpay aging players and sign them to huge contracts. Still, that 2008 draft where we got Stewart and Otah (if only for a year) was also a highlight.