{"id":6528,"date":"2016-11-21T20:39:16","date_gmt":"2016-11-22T01:39:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=6528"},"modified":"2016-11-22T06:19:14","modified_gmt":"2016-11-22T11:19:14","slug":"scary-reality-luke-kuechlys-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2016\/11\/21\/scary-reality-luke-kuechlys-future\/","title":{"rendered":"The Scary Reality of Luke Kuechly&#8217;s Future"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <strong>Panthers<\/strong> hung on to beat the <strong>Saints<\/strong> on Thursday night by a final score of 23-20. The team moved to 4-6, putting them only two games back of the <strong>Falcons<\/strong> for first place in the division. There were some great moments in the game. <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=NewtCa00,NewtCa20&amp;search=Cam+Newton&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cam Newton<\/a><\/strong> hit <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/G\/GinnTe00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ted Ginn<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0on a miraculous touchdown to end the half &#8211; one of the best throw and catch combos of the season. <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BenjKe00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kelvin Benjamin<\/a><\/strong> hauled in a hugely important 18 yard catch on third and ten in the fourth quarter. This allowed the Panthers to shave another 2:11\u00a0off the clock before punting the ball to <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BreeDr00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Drew Brees<\/a><\/strong> with only 28 seconds remaining. However, this game came at a innumerable cost.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>The Scary Reality of Luke Kuechly&#8217;s Future<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Late in the fourth quarter, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/K\/KuecLu00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luke Kuechly<\/a><\/strong> suffered one of the more\u00a0emotionally grueling injuries in the past few years. The 2013 Defensive Player of the Year\u00a0took an accidental shot to the back of the head from fellow linebacker <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/D\/DaviTh20.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Thomas Davis<\/a><\/strong> while making a tackle on <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/H\/HighTi00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tim Hightower<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">mattclapp: Luke Kuechly being evaluated for a concussion NFL Netwo\u2026 Thursday Night Football\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kLafz1HIsN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/kLafz1HIsN<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JK18yslEF0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/JK18yslEF0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; FanSportsClips (@FanSportsClips) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FanSportsClips\/status\/799475157802725376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 18, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>What really happened?<\/h3>\n<p>The play had everyone\u00a0spinning. It was truly\u00a0an emotional whirlwind. Anytime a player is down, it&#8217;s tough. The moment you realize the player down is a superstar, leader, and all around great guy by all accounts, it&#8217;s harder.\u00a0<strong>NBC<\/strong>\u00a0cut to a replay of the injury, where\u00a0<strong>Chris Collinsworth<\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/M\/MichAl20.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Al Michaels<\/a><\/strong> did their best to diagnose what had happened. They came to the conclusion most everyone did &#8211; this looked like a lower body injury at first glance. While in anguish thinking\u00a0that Kuechly had torn a ligament in his knee, video went back to a live shot of him\u00a0on the field. He stood up and got on the cart.<\/p>\n<p>The next part is what hits you. The emotion shown by Kuechly himself while being carted off the field is something we rarely see from professional athletes. <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=NewtCa00,NewtCa20&amp;search=Cam+Newton&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cam Newton<\/a><\/strong> is superman; <strong>Lebron<\/strong> is the\u00a0King. Nothing can happen to these guys, right? But <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/K\/KuecLu00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luke Kuechly<\/a>,<\/strong> probably the best inside linebacker in all of pro football, was being carted off of the field, sobbing. He was so broken down.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Oh no, Luke Kuechly <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BNR01C2Xcn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/BNR01C2Xcn<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; SB Nation NFL \ud83c\udfc8 (@SBNationNFL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SBNationNFL\/status\/799468494987218944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 18, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s no way to know what was going through Kuechly&#8217;s mind when he was being carted off. Was he simply experiencing concussion symptoms that have no rational bearings? Was he disappointed he couldn&#8217;t help the team finish the game off? Did he fear that by the time he was cleared to play the Panthers would be effectively eliminated from contention? Could it be running through his mind that\u00a0he&#8217;d never see a snap of football again? This is all speculation. Safety <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/C\/ColeKu99.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kurt Coleman<\/a><\/strong> did say to the media after the game that Kuechly\u00a0was coherent enough to be able to tell them to keep fighting and win the game while being carted off.<\/p>\n<h3>Kuechly&#8217;s Concussion History<\/h3>\n<p>This isn&#8217;t the first time we&#8217;ve seen Kuechly sidelined by a concussion. In 2015, he\u00a0left the first game of the season with concussion symptoms. He would miss the next three games recovering, not seeing the field again until week six. There&#8217;s no way to know if there was any sort of conversation that went on during this last concussion. Was he so emotional because he knew there would be serious repercussions if this happened again?<\/p>\n<p>Kuechly\u00a0has spoken out about his concussion history before. Following his concussion last season, he had this to say while speaking to SI.com&#8217;s <strong>Peter King<\/strong>.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s a game I love to play so much&#8230; I\u2019m going to play it as long as I can. Everybody at this level makes a choice, and you know what you sign up for. I have my mind right. I know what I\u2019m doing,&#8221; Kuechly said. &#8220;I know the risks. I love the game. I\u2019m going to keep playing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Future Implications<\/h3>\n<p>We&#8217;re not sure what will come next for Kuechly. At this point, there has been very little information released from the team. Fellow linebacker <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/D\/DaviTh20.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Thomas Davis<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0provided a bit of information with his Friday morning Instagram post, saying Kuechly\u00a0is &#8220;fine.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Good vibes from Luke &amp; TD! <\/p>\n<p>(via <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/VjFkkgdQyr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/VjFkkgdQyr<\/a>) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/uH2Mbejcvh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/uH2Mbejcvh<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Panthers\/status\/799656928326496256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 18, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Kuechly\u00a0is officially in the concussion protocol, but other than that, we know very little. It was recently announced that he would seek a second opinion from an independent neurologist, but no information has been released as to when this will take place. Head coach <strong>Ron Rivera<\/strong> has announced that there is no timetable on his return. Ultimately, the decisions to be made in the following days and weeks need to reflect not only what is best for the Carolina Panthers, but what is best for <strong>Luke Kuechly<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/624050964\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 62.626263% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/624050964?et=F6vt39mYQ2xGu3Qdqtfesw&amp;viewMoreLink=on&amp;sig=fgP05TVNecZPZFoqLueT87jdLgUj8-H1z3WzU_7SJlo=&amp;caption=true\" width=\"594\" height=\"372\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What does Luke Kuechly&#8217;s concussion mean for the future of the best middle linebacker in football and for the Carolina Panthers?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1766,"featured_media":6709,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[30,54,2],"tags":[329,61,340,40,1183],"class_list":["post-6528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-panthers","category-editorials","category-featured","tag-carolina-panthers","tag-football","tag-luke-kuechly","tag-nfl","tag-thomas-davis"],"modified_by":"John Bava","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1766"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6528"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6528\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}