Luke Keuchly On Coaching Pop Warner Football, Adapting to Your Strengths and The Benefits of Watching Film

In this episode Greg is joined by his former Carolina Panthers teammate Luke Keuchly. The pair discuss the high school football experience & recruiting (13:06), his approach to watching film (28:13) and coaching Pop Warner Football together (35:38).

Greg also answers listener questions (42:38).

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
He thought I was like attacking TJ and he's got me pinned up
against the thing and I look at t.j., I'm like TJ, tell him like
tell him everything's good and he looks at me.
He's like ha ha. He starts laughing at me.
What's up everybody? Welcome back to another episode
here on. You think presented by Audio

(00:20):
Rama and sports refund? I know the last time you guys
heard me. I was talking about our trip
down to Florida for the pop warner national championships.
Super Bowl, today's guest, we'regoing to talk a lot about it so
we will have a full report of how we did.
We went down there, we had a great time.
Luke Kuechly. As you know, he's not only

(00:40):
today's guest, he's our defensive coordinator, former
teammate, good, buddy of mine. I'm really happy to have him on
the show. So really fortunate that he took
some time to join us today on. You think to talk about all the
struggles of Youth Sports coaching?
It was Luke's first time doing it.
He has no kids obviously not on the team has no kids in general.
So for him, it was really his first time around young kids

(01:02):
coaching and stuff. So, we had a blast doing it
together. We had a great time in Florida.
Got to take the kids, Universal Studios.
We won our first game against the Hollister Vikings at a
northern California. We then drew a really good team
from outside of Philly. The Raiders.
And they beat us in the semi-final, so we didn't, we
didn't quite make it to the final three, you know, to the
third game, we only played two, but the fact that we made it

(01:25):
down there. The fact that we want our region
one, our state one, our city wasa pretty impressive feat,
considering as our first year doing it.
So we've learned a lot. We are going to be better next
year. I'm on like a mission to make
our team even better and we'll see, we'll see how that works.
But we're super pumped about today's guest, Luke Kuechly.
Obviously you guys all probably know who he is former linebacker
teammate of mine. One of the All time, best

(01:47):
players, probably a first-ballothall-of-famer, but more
importantly, a youth football. Coach.
Thanks to me begging him to do it and I think I have them
hooked now. So appreciate you guys
listening. I hope you enjoy the
conversation with Luke. Thank you so much to our new
sponsor Sports. Refund when kids signed up to
play youth sports, obviously, there's a million fees.
I've talked to you guys about that between the travel, the

(02:08):
defeated be on the team. But the team's pay to register
for the tournaments Insurance. There's a million things You
know, so and parents pay those fees, their child can be on the
team and they got forbid if you miss some time, what happens to
the money, you just paid when your child is no longer able to
play. And that's why I think Sports
refund is so cool. I think parents out there which

(02:30):
kids playing Youth Sports. I think you're going to find it
really cool. It's a low-cost Sports feet, its
Insurance, its insurance against.
If your child, your son or daughter is unable to play to
pay whether they're injured or sick, it allows you to kind of
recover some of the fees that you paid up front which we all
know sometimes These are pretty extensive so it's a really cool
program. It's not only saves families

(02:51):
from wasted fees it saves injured athletes from the stress
of feeling like they're wasting their parents money or I'm not
able to get out there and play so I think it serves everyone.
That serves the athlete serves the family and allows people to
get back out there and keep Sports accessible keep Sports
you know not to be too expensiveand appropriate for everybody.
So appreciate Sports refund for being a part of our team here.
So ask your Club if they offer it.

(03:12):
If not, you guys can go visit Sports refund.com.
Tom backslash. You think you can learn more and
sign up today. Can't play don't pay with sports
refund. So now please enjoy this
conversation with my good buddy former Carolina Panther Luke
Kuechly. Defensive coordinator of the

(03:35):
South Charlotte Patriots, Luke Kuechly.
I mean that's that's all we talkabout is there?
I mean is there anything else inlife?
No, not right now. Right now, Ivan note that we
took we just had breakfast. I have a whole note of things we
need to talk about a project on,hold that back up, we're going
to capture that. What do we got on there?
Got Mason at DB end of game, situations goal, line, Vice,

(04:00):
tackle drills, 3 by 1. One, what does that Mason needs
to widen and then smoked. Ribs basins got a lot to do
today. Yeah.
And then here's our, he'll be robbed our script on our don't
show them. Don't show them, that secret
that secret hope flurry. What blur that out, will blur
that out. Aside up after the game.
Yeah, I'm just doesn't come out till next week.
So we'll already be in the championship by the time.

(04:21):
This airs. So we're good.
And if we're safe, yeah, perfect.
Well, for anyone who doesn't know, and if you don't know,
that just means you've never once.
Listen, this is your first time ever listening to an episode of
you think. We've taken our Pop Warner
football season, very, very seriously and it's paying off.
So, I just want to remind everyone, and we're going to put
them are going to table the pop warner.

(04:41):
Talking, go back to the beginning.
We'll come back to it. I first approached Luke like
last spring. So, like spring of 2021, I
approached lucre having lunch. I was like, hey, what do you
think you're going to do next fall?
Usually, I don't know. Like, at the time, he was
finished doing some stuff with the Panthers and coaching is
scouting, whatever. He's like, I'm not sure.
I said, well, hey, if you're notdoing anything else, What would

(05:02):
be your interest in doing like afifth and sixth grade tackle
football? I think Tate my oldest son is
going to play is it was like do you want to do it with me and my
dad, he was like, oh my God. Yes.
So like I didn't, I was like, okay cool.
I'll let you know. Well, like every month, I got it
call from Luke. Hey, any more info on football,
any more info on football. And here we are.
So Luke really quick. What's been the experience?

(05:25):
Like, would you do it again? Do you love it or hate it?
And and then we're going to comeback to it here in a little bit,
but I just need to just introduce Several and what's
been your experience for the first time, being a youth sports
coach on 100%, do it again. And I think what we realize is
that first game, we didn't know what to expect.
I I had a great idea of what I thought we were going to do on

(05:45):
defense, that was terrible. My whole idea of going about
coaching was wrong. So that first that first game
was tough, but it's fun. The kids are so excited and they
get so excited and they want to win, just as bad as you and win.
So it's like, I got to do everything I can to make sure
that That what whether watching tape or switching that game
plans or switching defense or writing stuff on napkins, it's

(06:08):
super fun. I think the kids have a great
time, but I would argue that youand I might have a little bit
more fun than the kids do. Oh, there's no quick Luke and I
go to lunch minimum twice a week, but we've been in the
routine, the last couple weeks where every Thursday, which is
like following our last practiceof the week.
Every Thursday, we go to like anend of the week lunch where we

(06:29):
just walk into like a restaurantin Charlotte, we have like
notebook. And scrap paper and Luke's got
his notebook. Like the same notebook that Luke
prepared to play in the Super Bowl is the same notebook.
Now, Luke is preparing to go to a 11 year old football practice
and that's not bullshit. That's like full the truth.
It's all we talk about It's obsessive and it's awesome.

(06:52):
What else would we do? No.
I mean I have assumed the back to that notebook, the notebooks
that we had in Carolina where awesome like half of it, half of
it was like formation little formations that you could draw
different things. In the other half was a
notebook. So it was perfect and I love
them so much that I just had 5 or 6 of them left over from when
I was playing and I had them allin my in my drawer here.

(07:15):
I don't know what we're going todo next year because I've used
pretty much have used probably half of them.
So I got to get back to the Panthers and go snag a few more
before. Next we are the South Shore of
Patriots, have an unlimited budget.
So we are we're going to load upon on notebooks.
All right, so we're going to come back to that in a little
bit. So I want to dive a little
deeper into into the whole experience but I want to take
everyone back to the beginning. Like everyone who has a somewhat

(07:37):
of a clue of the NFL is obviously familiar with what you
accomplished with the Panthers. We were teammates together like
I said in the intro You've Won every award a defensive player
can win pro bowls, all Pros accomplished.
There's nothing else. You didn't accomplish but I want
you to give everyone, I know. What your childhood was like, I
know growing up in Ohio and going to st.
X and your I want you to tell our listeners like what was

(07:59):
Youth Sports like for Luke Kuechly where you the best kid,
where you the dominant kid, wereyou playing a hundred different
sports? And you were like always the man
just take us back to the beginning.
Growing up. What sports was like in your
family? Yes, we started playing soccer
when we were I don't know. Six or seven or eight whatever
we could start playing soccer aswhen we first started doing that
and that was the force first sport that I played and then you

(08:22):
Shish in the basketball, in the winter.
And then I started playing football in the fourth grade.
And that was probably my first real.
I never played flag and everyoneto camps football camps.
Really the first time ever played, was in fourth grade and
our our program throughout gradeschool was really good for a lot
of reasons. One of them was the guys that
have been coaching, there have been coaching there for a long

(08:43):
time. So the guy that coach third and
fourth had been there for probably 20 years, he just
retired maybe two or three yearsago, the fifth and sixth grade
coach. Who's always usually One of the
dads but then the seventh and eighth-grade coach was a guy
named Ralph, Ralph was there, just like Kevin Harris.
The guy in third and fourth grade for 20 years, and they did
such a great job because the theschematic stuff was great.

(09:07):
Everybody play blah, blah, blah,but the discipline that we got
at that young age I think was was what really carried me over.
I think every area in my football career had something
different but I think that the discipline respect in the game
how we did things Has shown up to practice being on time.
Yes sir. No sir how we treated officials?

(09:27):
There was one game or a buddy ofmine, caught a big ball over
over the middle of the field fora big third down conversion.
This was in fourth grade, he spiked the ball, they took him
out, he didn't play the rest of the game is one of our best
players. So it was very early on in my
football career that I realize, hey football is important but no
one's bigger than the team and this is how we're going to do
things for him to do things the right way.

(09:47):
And I think that's how I startedbut growing up, I mean I played
football basketball. The ball across.
Those are my three Sports got into High School.
Drop basketball, only played football and Lacrosse and then
winner was primarily. Wait stuff, I had a really good.
I was fortunate to play at a really good school.
We had a really good offseason weight program and it was kind

(10:08):
of one of those things that if you weren't, if you weren't
doing anything in the winter, you were required to be there
for football stuff. So, if you want to go play
basketball, that was totally great.
Go play basketball. But if you weren't, if you
weren't playing basketball, you had to be there.
Therefore for winter workouts mean, if you wrestle that
counted two but winter workouts were a big deal not only for

(10:29):
your development but you got to know the guys in the program.
You got to be around the order guys.
You got to see how things are done the right way and it was a
big deal because it was kind of a rite of passage going from
freshman to sophomore, sophomoreto Junior, obviously into your
senior year. But one of my favorites, I
laughed when you're saying what sports, you played as a kid
because one of my favorite stories of yours is when member

(10:50):
tjs. Oh my younger.
Son, TJ, we're at Enter something and Luke was like how
did your baseball team had your baseball game?
Go? And he's like well I didn't do
that good. I struck out twice or whatever
was and glucose. Hey if it makes you feel any
better, I stopped playing baseball because I struck out
every single time and I just started playing lacrosse.
Yeah well the only the first I don't know why but that like the

(11:12):
vision of like Luke Kuechly thatwe all know but like it my son's
like alright well Luke Kuechly struck out a lot too so I'm
gonna be fine. Every time you say lacrosse,
like obviously I can only imagine what you were like on
the lacrosse field. Just absolutely assassinating
people, but I just think back tolike young Luke Kuechly, like
his parents can't figure out whyhe can't hit the ball.

(11:33):
And now 20 years later he's got a first-ballot Hall of Fame
football player. I don't know why but that to me
is like an amazing contrast of the Luke that we all know.
But just shows sometimes when you're young Things are a little
different. Yes, just wasn't the sport for
me. I don't know what it was.
I think, I think a lot of times fine motor skills for me.
So, so, like golf tennis basketball, even a little bit

(11:57):
look with across, like, stick handling and ball handling.
That's never been what I've beengood at.
I've always been able to catch stuff well, like catch
basketball is catching, footballs catch baseball's, but
like throwing the stuff with lacrosse basketball golf like
fine motor skills. With my hands have never been
have never Good for me. I'm with you.
I was never the point guard. I was never the shooter.

(12:19):
I was like the guy in high school, like, even in high
school when it was basketball season, I was like, all right,
coach, I'll go guard their best kid.
I'll go fight for rebounds underthe basket.
I'll battle my ass off, like I'mnot bringing the ball versus The
Press right? Like I'm not that's just not my
deal. I was never the quarterback.
So I'm with you I'm with you there.
So you so you can keep moving on.
You mentioned your high school and I want to I want to have you

(12:41):
died back into it because again st.
Xavier st. X.
That is what they call it. Where Luke went in Ohio, all
boys school. Pat National National
Powerhouse. They play a National schedule.
I just think it's so cool. Like, thinking back to the high
school experience. I have when I talked to Luke, it
was very different, we played all teams in our local area, we
had a league and then you'd go on to the playoffs and play

(13:02):
across the state. But Luke tell everyone you're
playing teams from all over the country, you're playing teams
from. I'll let you tell it but like
it's a really cool experience asa young kid, what you went
through in high school? Yeah.
So what makes an extra It is, isit was a, it was a true program.
Like this is how we do things, it doesn't matter.
If you're on the varsity to JV, or the freshman team, this is

(13:24):
how we're going to do it. We're not cutting any kids.
So our freshman team had like a hundred forty kids.
That was all freshmen the JV team had like 70 or 80 kids and
then the varsity team was Juniors and seniors.
That was like 120 to 140 kids when I was playing, it was
packed. So it's long.
As you showed up, you did what was required of you came to

(13:45):
practice. Is your grades were good to
treat people, right? You are always on the team and I
think what that helped to give guys was just a sense of
community sense of team that youdo the work.
Regardless, if you're a good player you're not as good of a
player you're going to be on theteam.
So I think that helped and you just walking around you always
wanted when you're a freshman. You like man you go watch games

(14:05):
on Friday you always want to be those older guys, you always
want to be Alex. Albright was a guy.
He was a defensive end when I was playing, he was just study
ffensive in single. Jet visor, baller went to Boston
College. Big reason why I went there, but
you always wanted to be that guy, you want to run out of the
field, run out on the field on Friday night under the lights

(14:25):
and everyone's cheering for you,but it was cool that we played
like you mentioned, we played a national National schedule, so
my junior year, we play teams from obviously Ohio Indiana
Kentucky. We play a team from Maryland.
My my senior year we played teams from Alabama, Indiana.
Kentucky and Jersey we play Bosco.

(14:47):
So yeah, we were just, we were very fortunate.
There was a thing called the Herbstreit classic and it was
all local Cincinnati, Ohio teams, and you go play a
National schedule, so we played like Lakeland, Florida.
We played Prattville Alabama. Who do we play?
DeMatha to Matt's. It was a Catholic school out of
here, down in Maryland. Yeah, yeah.
And it was awesome for us because not only did you get to

(15:08):
play a National schedule, but you got to play different types
of programs. So, you know, you grew up in
Cincinnati. It's a lot of the same kind of
team. If they do a lot of the same
team, a lot of same things, but then you go play Prattville
Alabama. And it's, it's spread, it's a
different kind of player, it's bigger and stronger, you got to
find distinct advantages, you played a big stadium, so he
played at Paul Brown Stadium. Where the Bangles played?

(15:30):
We played at nippert, where you see plays you're playing on
these big. Huge stadiums in the thing that
was cool is that they have gamesall afternoon and we would
usually be the night came, so they would have like a early
afternoon game, a middle game, and then you play at night.
So then all those fans wouldn't Accumulate from that first game.
So you wouldn't have five ten thousand people.
You the one game that it was my freshman year sophomore year,

(15:52):
there was like 35,000 people at a high school football game.
It wasn't crazy. It was crazy.
And then the games are broadcastnationally, so we played a game.
I think, my junior year, when wewere really good on ESPN2 and it
wasn't like ESPN, you know? You or anything is ESPN2, we
were the national game. They had two people came to the

(16:14):
practice and Stress. And it was kind of like what you
do. In the NFL, the production crew
comes, they talked to the head coach and like two or three
guys. It was awesome.
How many, how many of those games did you lose?
Oh man, you want most of them didn't you?
Yeah, so my junior year, we really good.
We beat all the T, we are 15, and oh, my junior.
And my senior weren't as good, but we beat Prattville.

(16:35):
Would be Bosco, we played a teamfrom Indiana, but my point is,
you guys were going around the entire country playing every
single top program that would play you.
And not only Were you complaining and competing, you
guys were winning? And and the point of me bringing
that up, like, at what point youhave 200 kids in the program,
historical, Powerhouse program, all boys, the whole thing.

(16:57):
Like at what point did you just go from Luke?
And this is a good player. This kid's got a young chance.
He's a linebacker. He's pretty smart.
He's aggressive. He too like okay this guy's a
dude. Like this guy is a national
recruit. He's getting recruited by
Stanford. I'm going to bring up the
Notre-Dame story. Yeah.
But like When did it click whereeveryone started saying?

(17:18):
Okay, this dude is different. So my freshman year I come in,
there's 140 kids, I break my foot like the second day of
training camp, we're doing, we're doing conditioning drills.
I'm going over bag, I break my foot, I'm out for six weeks.
I don't play hardly at all the first like half of the Season.
We had, we had an ATM and a B team so all the other schools

(17:40):
around Cincinnati had. This freshman teams had the same
team so you would have you go play like One team, you play the
B game on a Wednesday and into agame on a Thursday.
So then you know, there's 70, 70kids in the 1870, kids in the B
team but every practice is together.
So for that for my my freshman year I was on the B team for the
majority of the time I was smallI was undersized but I was

(18:02):
playing linebacker. My sophomore year comes around,
I'm still not real big. I'm still not real fast.
We had a bunch of linebackers sothey moved me to tight end.
So I play tight, end my sophomore year and we ran the
ball, a bunch had a couple routes and then My junior year,
I enter this was spring of my sophomore year and I'm like,
man, I'm going to be a junior next year.
I'm gonna be on the varsity team.

(18:24):
I want to go back to defense butI'm just like, I got to do what
I'm what I'm asking. I'm a real quick.
You do any freshman or sophomoreever play Varsity?
It's TX every once in a while. So no freshman really ever do.
Sophomores. You might get one or two a year.
You did not. No, no.
Okay, my class, we had one kid. We had one kid played up and
whatever happened to him. He played at Wisconsin.
Okay so he's a good dude. Okay, so he was Get.

(18:45):
Okay, so sorry. Go ahead.
I just want to set the expectations so then I go in and
I'm going into spring and myselffrom here, coach, Steve, Specter
head coach comes out to me said,hey I'm going to move you to
linebacker. Are you okay with that on?
Mike. Absolutely.
So I go into my junior year playing linebacker, I end up
winning the job but I wasn't theguy on the team.
They we had there was 22 starters.

(19:07):
I think 19 of them played college football.
Yeah. Ivy league kids, we'd and
everyone played one way. Yeah, one way.
So I played Fence. We had we had a running back
that was he was the best runningback.
Our programs ever had his name is Darius Ashley's like 2,000
yards a year. We did a guy Fred Craig on
defense that he started as a sophomore he was like the truth

(19:28):
sophomore year. Junior year senior went to
Stanford. We had we had five or six other
guys that were like big-time recruit.
So my junior year I kind of justflew under the table.
I was small I was skinny but then as my senior year came
along, I started were getting recruited after my junior year
but my senior year is when I really I put on some size, I put
weight on, I switched positions,the more like a Rover spot and

(19:50):
that really highlighted my ability.
So I think, after my junior year, there was some buzz, but
going into my senior year and once I'm like five or six games
in the my senior year, that's kind of really when I came into
my own. All right, so get into the
recruiting process. So now you're one of the best
players on one of the best teamsin the country.
You've kind of come out from theshadows of some of these other
guys you just mentioned and now you get on to the recruiting

(20:12):
seen, tell everybody what your dream school was and tell
everybody how it all. Doubt that you end up going to
Boston College. So when I was growing up, I was
at Big. Everybody in Cincinnati, your
Notre Dame fan, just growing up.My grandma and grandpa were huge
nerd and fans. My grandpa had blue and gold.
He watched the games all the time.
I used to read the little magazines.
I had a Ryan Grant poster in my grant.

(20:33):
Yeah, from Basco. Yeah, number four.
You'd advise you is sick. I loved him.
That's where I always wanted to go and said recruiting got
started. And I like I said, I came on
late. I was small, I was undersized.
And, you know, the offer the offer never really came.
There was, I went to a Catholic Jesuit all boys school in
Cincinnati. There was a Jesuit all boys

(20:53):
school in Cleveland. We both played the same defense
as we ran a 335. I was like, the fifth DB Rover
hybrid backer Ignatius, Cleveland st.
Ignatius was like, our brother School up in Cleveland.
They had the same defense, the same school.
The same kid, a white kid. Number three, my same number Dan
Fox but he was 64. 2:30, big long physical could run and I

(21:21):
think they came to Ohio and likewe're going to pick the best one
of these kids, and if I was Notre Dame, I would have picked
Dan Fox to bigger stronger faster, a great program.
So that was MN Manti Te'o and Carlo, calabresi, Whispers, a
jersey kid. Those were the three backers
that they picked and I was like dang like where the fox kid went
to Notre Dame. Yeah, Dan Van.

(21:42):
Yeah, I'll Breezy and then Mantiman, Todd is up there.
So I mean Mean me, coming out. I mean, I didn't pop until my
senior year, Dan. Fox was a grown man, sophomore,
junior year. So I don't even, I just
remember, so, Ignatius would come every year.
We would go play up there or they would come play down in
Cincinnati. And what we would do, is they
the kids? So my sophomore year we played,

(22:04):
we played Ignatius at home. So we house the Ignatius players
and we have. We how's the kid from Ignatius?
He can spend the night at our house.
My mom made him breakfast in themorning, but I had testimo Luke
Kuechly story of all time. That was the whole school.
The whole school is the most Luke Kuechly thing I've ever
heard. But go ahead.
And I just remember walking out on the field and I kind of knew
about like I kind of knew about Dan Fox a little bit like he was

(22:26):
like my arch-nemesis for for like three years and then I met
him one time after a game at Notre Dame on my gosh this guy's
This Guy's super cool. So you know how it, you know,
how it goes when you played. Am your senior year?
How'd it go? Oh man, my senior year, they
beat us nice and I know how'd you do she bought it?
We played very well. Yeah.
Of course she did. That's good.

(22:47):
So obviously you end up going toBoston College, so first time.
So I'm going to tell my first ever finding out who Luke
Kuechly was. So, obviously being in the ACC
at the time, you know, I'd follow Miami living in in
Charlotte ACC country. I'm watching the Miami game.
I think it was your last year there.
So, you would've been a junior, right?
When you pick six to Miami. Yeah.
Those your last year. They're right.

(23:08):
Hmm. So I'm watching the Miami game.
They're playing Boston College. I don't really particularly know
a lot about Boston College currently.
I know they got this white kid number 44, that's running around
and he makes every tackle. But I'm like okay I mean he's
fine, he's good player, he makesa lot of tackles but you know
whatever. And then he picks six Miami and
every kid on Miami as he was running to the end zone.

(23:31):
Not only were they not catching him.
They were getting further away from you as you're running and
I'm like holy shit. This is fucking white kid, he's
flying. So I don't think anything of it
now fast forward to the offseason.
I'm in the weight room, working out.
Out. And at the time you would bring
in guys for I guess they still do this right, like pre-draft
visits. So all of a sudden this kid

(23:52):
walks in with like some of our scouting directors and whatnot
and he walks in, I think you hadglasses on, you were like
dressed really nice. You to have like a button-down,
or a sweater or something. I'm in the weight room, lifting
and Luke comes over and they introduced.
Hey, this is Luke Kuechly from Boston College, he's here on a
visit, so we shake, you know, wetalked Mingle for a little bit
and he walks away. So I call one of the scouting
guys over after Luke Lee's. I'm like, hey, tell me about

(24:14):
that kid. Because now, all of a sudden
this image of him in her pick, six in Miami pops back into my
head. I'm like, how good is he like?
I'm like, we're looking at him as the number one pick at the
query where we tend to let me pick mine.
Yeah. So Mike we got a top ten pick
and we're going to take that kidthey're like Greg he Not only
was the best defensive player inthe ACC.

(24:37):
He was the best player period inthe entire conference and
arguably the top handful of Of players in the entire country.
I'm like, get the fuck out of here.
They're like, I promise you thiskid is the I was like, okay, so
we draft Luke at 9:00 and I remember seeing this first
practice and I was like, oh my God, this is what it must have

(25:01):
been like a couple years before I got to Chicago with.
Urlacher he was the fastest guy in the field.
He knew where every ball was going to go, but little did I
know and I met him in the weightroom that day?
Like I was okay, I'm sure he's agreat player.
So I'm And I was like, holy shitwe're taking this kid at number
nine. And he goes on to be the
Defensive Rookie of the Year Defensive Player of the Year.
And arguably the best player in the history of the franchise

(25:23):
that was our experience meeting Luke Kuechly.
Why had I walked in? I had I remember what I remember
what I wore. I wore a pair of like khaki
pants. I had a, like, a red and white
checkered button-down shirt. My glasses, and an afro, and you
grab your pie. Like, never going to interview.
This guy is gonna work upstairs.He's gonna be here, are scouting
to feel like he should be scouting.
Intern. I mean, I knew you were good

(25:45):
because again, I had that image of that play you made against
Miami and I knew from just like following draft stuff that like
you were a first-round guy and like a legit, dude, you made
like 7,000 tackles set, NC records.
Whatever it was. So like I knew you were good.
I don't know if I knew you were like a top ten pick and then, of
course, went on to do what you did.
But like I think back to that first time meeting you in the

(26:06):
weight room I'm like, little didwe know that little ought to be
neon? You read it beating out to you,
remember that? Always how many, a, how good
were are moments in the weight room?
Oh my gosh, that was never tradethose days in.
No, no tell everybody else. Tell everybody our off season
summer program, just just go outside.

(26:27):
Get fast bomb, Rito's Bommarito speed stuff.
So we had our three had our what, four days split.
So we had we had our linear day,was at the end with the Poise.
We had our all of our changing directions Direction.
And then, we had all the hurdle drills like the Best stuff was
like on Mondays. And then we come in and then
you'd always have. You always have to walk in with

(26:47):
your shirt off because we were sweat had to had to have.
You can with your shirt off. That was mandatory Kings of Leon
all day music, blasting. And we just hung out in the
weight room and just crush, and we would just know that on that
given day. It was the best shape we'd ever
be in. And then, throughout the course
of the Season, we would just getprogressively worse.
You start wearing more clothes as the season goes.
I was gonna be by the end of theyear.

(27:09):
I won't even take my shirt off in the shower.
Hey, so One thing before, beforewe move on to a different topic,
I just all joking aside and we all joke of all players I've
ever played with you were the best mix of obviously you were
talented and I feel like every time people talk about players
are so smart and all that, they discount how physically talented

(27:32):
they are. So I don't want to do that.
You were as physically gifted onthe field as anyone if not more.
So I don't want to discredit that But again, in my opinion,
just from playing against you and then watching you for all
those years and just knowing youthe way I do, I never been
around a guy who had the mix of the physical Talent, the
strength, the tackling the coverage, all that stuff that

(27:52):
you could do, but you knew everysingle play before it was going
to happen. And that's not because you were
lucky your prep during the week and the hours and the room we'd
walk out at 7:00 at night, we leave and we peek in the
linebacker room and you were theguy they're like, Give everyone
a sense of what made you you as far as your approach and how you

(28:14):
approach the game, how you studied it, how much you cared
about it? Because I think if there's one
thing people can learn from you.It's yes.
You want to run for five and youwant to tackle people and all
that. But if they go learn one thing
from you, in my opinion it's theway you went about your business
is what made you so special? Yeah I think I think a lot of it
started in high school so when Iwas a junior year my junior or

(28:37):
senior Year, we would we would go down at lunchtime to our head
coach's office and he'd have he have game tape on Old via check
VHS tapes and we eat our lunch down there.
He put the game on the TV and we'd kind of watch it.
We kind of talk. We kind of eat our lunch.
But, you know, every once in a while he'd like, hey, we need to
watch this play. This is what we're going to get.
This is get this gives us problems and then he'd like, you

(29:00):
got it. You got it.
You got to be like three or fourguys down there and you'd like,
yeah, I got it and then you'd see it.
I practicing. You see it at a game and then
either. You'd recognize it in the game,
you're able to make the play, oryou wouldn't recognize in them
and then they'd hit it. So then the next day you come in
and he'd be like, hey, great jobon your recognition.
We talked about this during the week or he'd like, hey, we

(29:20):
talked about this, you didn't get it right, like, why didn't
you recognize it? And so early on, for me, it was
how can you find ways to get ahead, get an advantage and went
and win plays? Not so much just win the game
but when each individual plays and ultimately have success, so
I had Success With It. Early on in high school and then
when I got to college, we had a safety named West Davis.

(29:42):
He was two years older than I was two or three years older
than I was. And he was a huge tape guy
safety out of California, and hetook me under his wing.
And, you know, when you get to high school or college, you have
everything, you can break it down, Personnel, down and
distance situations, you have it.
It's like Disney World for watching tape.
You can do whatever you want andI'd go in there and watch tape
with West and he kind of showed me how to break stuff down and

(30:05):
why we're doing this and how we're going to play it.
And you learn the Hat, you learnthat, it provides you the
opportunity to have a ton of success and I had successful
with in college and then I got to the NFL and then the NFL
that's where it really sets Sky separates.
So what do you do really well? What do you do really bad?
Whatever you do really bad, they're going to find it.

(30:25):
So for me, it was all right, I know, I know I can do this.
I know I can do this. I know I can do this.
The tape for me was one thing where I was really able to
differentiate myself and I honestly, I really just enjoyed
it. Like, it didn't feel like extra
work. Work to me, I didn't feel like I
was like, grinding. I loved it.
Like, I loved learning about thegame.
I loved watching different guys and how they played stuff

(30:46):
because you never know like, maybe you watch a running back
and he runs outside Zone, one way and he's way more physical.
When he sticks his right foot inthe ground, then his left foot
and then you get into the game and then all that stuff.
Just slows down for you. Because when I was a rookie I
played, I played inside backer outside backer and physically, I
was getting crushed like Is it real physical?

(31:09):
I wasn't very strong. I wasn't, you know, I could run
but that like if they ran the ball right at me, at a severe
disadvantage. So it's like, how can I get an
advantage in one thing that I knew how to do really?
Well, was watched eight from watching again high school and
college? And that was a big benefit me
early early on in my career. And I had so much success with
it. That I was like, how can I get
better at it? How can I refine it?
Because it's amazing to me and it's so cool when you watch

(31:32):
stuff during the week and you get a look and you get a
situation and you write a note down and you're like, boom, if I
get Quarters this game and this situation, I can make a play on
the ball and then boom, you don't get it at during the week
at practice, you don't get it. The first 60 plays the game but
that 63rd play in the game. When its third nine and you get
a formation in a certain guys lined up here in the splits this

(31:53):
and you jump around and you makea play.
It's like to me, it's awesome. I love that like the NFC
Championship. When you worked all week on on,
Larry Fitz's Little Hooker out and you missed it the first
time, dude, that's my favorite. So cheaply story of all time, so
we got it. I think it was it was I think it
was John, I think it was John Brown was the guy?
Oh, what? Okay, I'm okay.

(32:14):
I think it was him. It was a speed guy who was a
fast guy that lined up in they lined up in three by one.
They would they push vertically,they'd sit a guy down and then
Carson it was like a timing route Carson to pin it on his
chest and so we got in mind you this is the Des is to go to the
Super Bowl mind you. This is the NFC championship so
I had that place to record on myGoogle.

(32:34):
If we get quarters I'm going to have helped over the top.
I'm going to pick this ball likenot even I'm going to think
about it. So they came out the first time
this was in this. I think this was in the second
quarter at the end of the half or something.
They line up in it we're in quarters.
I have helped over the top of mymoney going to pick this fall
and he came up and I was like a step off and I and he caught it

(32:55):
and it was like catch tackle. So nine yards doesn't kill spit
like pisses you off because wrote it down right called
McDermott everything. I needed missed it like that was
like grinding me and then we gotit at the end of the game again.
I was like, all right, I'm GonnaChange where I line.
I'm going to change my footwork a little bit because I know he's
going to sit down at 11 yards and then he's going to work

(33:15):
away. So if I just, if I just play for
him to sit down, he's going to work away from me.
Like, he did on tape, like you do on that first route.
So what I need to do is boom. I see it.
I saw it on tape. I saw during the game earlier in
the earlier in the game and then, boom, I like cheated.
It just just a second more, likethat's when it all comes
together and you make big plays.And man, it's I think it's so
worth it. Well, that story right there

(33:37):
sums up why you were who you went and then on top of that,
you score a touchdown and the place goes crazy in the guy
falls out of the stands and you pick them up.
So that gosh is he that guy fell, he fell out of the crowd
trying to celebrate with Luke ashe ran into the end zone and
then all of a sudden Luke stops well.
What's going on where Luke? Oh is he okay?

(33:57):
Because looks like bending on the ground a little do we know
that a guy fell out of the bleachers and Luke stops in the
mid celebration and helps pick them up?
That was Was that was an amazingnight.
Was that was columns. Again, that was incredible.
That was the best game of all time.
We could have called anything anytime anywhere and we would
have and it was going to work. All right, so I got two more
things I want to get from you and I'm going to let you go.

(34:21):
A lot of talk about your pop warner skills.
We're going down to Florida thisweek, defensive coordinator.
We're going to play teams from all over the country it sounds
like you're high school sounds like we're saying X against.
You have a lot more experience with this than I do but I want
to ask I want to put you on the spot.
The Panthers, the whoever calls you tomorrow.
Are you Jeff Saturday? Are you walking in there?

(34:42):
Now that you're a big coach? Now that you've won some
championships as a coordinator. Could you go coach in NFL team
tomorrow, man? I think it'd be, I think it'd be
very difficult because there's so much more that goes into it.
You know, it's not just, it's not just defense.
It's not just offense for you. It's everything.
It's because I spent a year in 2020 in the front office and

(35:04):
it's bringing guys in for workouts, how are we managing
schedules? Where we flying?
There's just so much stuff goingon right now that I don't think.
I give them a lot of credit for going in there and he's won
games. Yeah, that's success early on,
I'm gonna ask, we didn't didn't go, but I just, I think it'd be
so stressful for me. I think I'd be in over my head
youth football, trying to make sure I could get my

(35:25):
substitutions incorrectly. That's, that's enough for me
right now. All right, give everyone, give
everyone the lowdown now. Alright, first season we started
on this. We're going to end with this
first season. Hardest thing about coaching
maybe that you didn't anticipate.
Oh, I think stuff stuff that works for us in the NFL.

(35:46):
It doesn't work and youth football.
Like you don't some it like being complex like when the
first game that we had like different pressures, two
different sides and like alrightwe're going skiing this up and
get this year and then they get in the game and you run
something you're like well they did exactly what I asked him to
do it just didn't work. So I think the biggest change
for me was especially on the defensive side of the ball is

(36:08):
simple. Get them lined up.
Make sure it's very clear what their job is and let them go.
Because all of our kids, they'resmart, they play super hard,
they're tough, they want to win.So it's like for us for me on
defense, it's really just get him set up and then get in, then
get out of their way. And I think that first game I
didn't do a very good job with that of like, it was like, why

(36:29):
are they, why isn't this working?
Why aren't they doing that? It's more of like, well, I was
doing too much. I just need to let them line up.
I need to let them have fun and I let them go play, because it's
not any different than the NFL. Well when I sometimes felt like
why are we doing all this extra stuff?
Like can't we just line up and Cover 3 and cover for and play
football and then now is a coachfor the first week and trying to

(36:50):
do all this stuff I'm like I wasexactly the guy that I didn't
want to be when I was playing. Yeah I always say to people when
they ask and I always argue withmy dad about this as you know,
my dad coaches, we argued a decent amount but we always end
up getting it right. Because he always says to me,
like what I've learned through coaching the younger age now
really for the first time as well with you is.

(37:12):
It's not about who knows the most football, it's really
irrelevant. It's whose nose the most
football that's relevant to fifth and sixth graders.
Yeah. Because if we had a football
contest, all of us would do great and we could go and talk
and drawn the race board. But what we know is irrelevant
it's what do the kids know? And now I can me has been the
most enjoyment that's been the fun of it and we learn along the

(37:36):
way just like last week with like when the coin toss at the
beginning of the game. Like if you defer it's a huge
positional battle because it's not like if you get the ball to
start the game, you get the balland with a 35-yard line, if you
go three and out in the NFL, youcan kick the ball, 50 yards in
the field flips. But in grade school, football
majority of kids are going for it on fourth down.

(37:57):
So say you get a 4 and out you get the ball on the 43 minded.
Or the Plus 43 yard line going in.
That's when if you take the ballto start the game that's the
longest in the worst field position that you're going to
have the whole game. So simple.
Things like that makes such a huge difference.
No doubt. And this was all stuff that we
that we try to. Like you said we had to learn on

(38:17):
the Fly because none of us had ever really done it but we
figured it out. We got it right but I got one
more story to tell. I'm gonna let you go because I
know we got practice tonight andI need my defensive coordinator
to start studying some film. Which by the way we have a huge
bracket reveal tonight on the day that we're recording this.
They do a bracket reveal. So after practice we're taking

(38:38):
the kids like a local restaurantor whatever and we're going to
watch a live. It's like World Cup like a live
bracket reveals. We're going to find out which of
the seven other teams were playing.
So lot of stress trying to figure out what we're going to
do. But anyway.
All right. So we used to be workout
buddies. So take us back to 2020.
It's covid. I had a gym my house.
We had nowhere to go. So you come over one early

(39:00):
morning. I'm in the gym.
Getting an organized. You know, it story I'm gonna
tell ya you the first time in mylife, where I ever saw Luke
Kuechly dominated like straight-up dominated fearing
for his life pinned against the wall.
Would you like to tell the story?
So I walk in, I walk into the house, you walk in the house you
can go up right upstairs to go to the weight room or you can go

(39:22):
left and come into the kitchen and then the bars right there
and I think all three kids are sitting there.
So I walk in and I start messingwith TJ and we're I'm fun.
And I'm joking with it and all the sudden I just checked and
this German Shepherds brother and he's got me pinned up

(39:42):
against the island and he's barking at me and he's in, he's
huge, he's huge. And I've met him a gazillion
times before, and I pet him and I've like, hugged in and
everything and like, I think we're buddies, but he thought I
was being mean. He thought I was like attacking
TJ and he's got me pinned up against his Thing and I look at
t.j., I'm like TJ, tell him like, tell him everything's good

(40:05):
and he looks at me. He's like ha ha.
He starts laughing at me. And I was like, TJ.
You know, I can stop. And TJ is cracking up.
And it was, it was, it was, it was funny after the fact, but
for a second there, I was like, I'm about to get eaten, so I
care about this commotion downstairs.
So, I come running down from thegym into the kitchen and Luke's
like standing along the wall to the dog is standing between him

(40:26):
and the island where the kids are eating breakfast.
Oh my God. Come on.
Tucker. Come over here and he then Just
like starts wagging his tail like almost way jumps on his dog
bed. Like all right, I did my job.
We laugh about that story every time.
Luke sees TJ teaches it. Hey Luke.
Remember when Tucker schedule and like it's the best.
I don't know that I've and he said, yeah, I know like help me

(40:48):
out. I've seen Luke Kuechly, get
dominated one time in my life and it was by my dog and it's
the best and it's one of the all-time favorite stories.
Some now. Now everybody knows that's your,
that's your one, your one weak moment of your life.
My Christmas night is of German Shepherds at the Olsens house.
All right. Well hey buddy, I appreciate it,
man. Get back to work.
We got film study, practice plan, no fun for you, man.

(41:11):
We got a big grind this weekend down.
In Florida. We are going to take the kids to
Universal though. So that's going to be a blast.
They should do it. It's it's like the Pro Bowl
everyone to the Pro Bowl. They shut down Universal.
Now, we get to do. Santa's use football coaches?
Talk about full circle, full, circle.
How lives have changed. All right, buddy.

(41:31):
Well, dude, you're the best again, thank Luke, you're the
best, buddy, I appreciate you doing this.
I hope everyone. They're going to enjoy this
conversation. You're the man and I'll see you
tonight at practice. Cool.
Sounds good. All right, buddy.
See it. Sweet.
Hope you guys enjoy it. A little insight into what it's
like when you're a professional football player.

(41:54):
Retired turned youth football coach, it's not just me dealing
with those struggles. I got a kid on the team so I
don't have a choice but for LukeKuechly to agree to come.
Join our craziness and get a little taste of what it's like
to coach Youth Sports and then obviously hear about his, his
childhood hidden growing up in Cincinnati and the schools he
played for and his recruiting trips and whatnot.

(42:14):
It was just really cool to see like what is the path like for
potential. Future hall-of-famer.
Like that's a pretty it's prettycool inside.
So appreciate Luke joining us and talking about all that good
stuff. And at this time as you all
know, our favorite part of the show, Tasha it's going to come
on and we love hearing from you guys.
So Tasha, what do you have for us?
Yeah. So this one's from Mike from

(42:35):
Instagram. He says after many years in the
league Greg how is your body doing what exercises and
stretches are your Holy Grail. That's amazing.
I don't have many exercises or stretches.
I Really do any like organized formatted workouts but good
timing on the question because last week for the first time and
I don't know, the last time I played basketball, but I went to

(42:58):
at my kids school, they do like men's pickup basketball nights
once a week. We're just like a bunch of dads
and faculty and staff and whoever wants to meet at the gym
at night and just plays like pick-up basketball.
So I was like, you know what, I'm going to go play like I want
to get a good sweat, get a good run, its full court.
I haven't played full court basketball probably since High
school, and but it was great. I felt great.

(43:22):
I was a little out of shape, butduring the course of it.
My feet, my note, my knees, everything felt pretty good, my
basketball skills, and my cardiovascular is a little out
of shape, but the next morning, I was sore.
I got up out of bed, it's kind of moving a little stiff for a
minute, but I'm going to try to go back this week.
I'm I play tennis a couple timesa week and now I'm going to try

(43:42):
to play men's basketball once a week.
Nothing too crazy. And that's about the extent of
my training, but I think forever.
That I've been through the gamesthat practices the years, the
injuries, I find. I feel like I'm on the good side
of guys who retire and where my health is, so I feel pretty
good. So you just keep moving your
body. Not like a subset exercises.

(44:03):
Yeah. Just go to where the ball is.
Were you the MVP of that basketball game know?
There are some good guys, there is, there were some young kids
like there were some like 20, something year olds.
They still have like young legs,you know, they're fresh out of
college, those guys. You know, they Hey, there were
some good kids out there. I had a like, I had to work.
It was a wide array of guys, butit was fun.

(44:25):
I now know what to now, I know what to expect.
I went in, kind of as like the shy guy who's kind of new to the
thing. The next time I go my, all
right, I'm ready now, imma gonnawe're gonna dunk on them.
I'm gonna go domini. Yeah, we dominate.
Our next question is from Frank from Instagram.
He says, I'm a former D1 baseball player and I'm about to
start coaching Youth, Travel Baseball.

(44:45):
Do you have some core principles?
You recommend That he should bring to his youth coaching
strategy. I love that, we need more young
former players guys that really love the game.
Whether it's baseball in this case or just, whatever the sport
is to go spend time with young kids and teach them the elements
of the game. But I think my biggest, my
biggest tip would be don't get caught up with the young kids in

(45:07):
like, in the football world, we call it like the X's and O's,
we're like everybody wants the new play or the strategy or
launch angle and how we hold ourbet.
Like there's plenty of time. I'm for the skill development,
if you're going to go coach and you're going to go invest your
time with these kids, build a culture on the team first,
right? What's it?
What are the expectations of thefamilies?

(45:29):
What are the expectations of theplayers?
What does practice look like? What does the time commitment
look like, how do we handle pre and post practice communication?
Like a lot of the things that wetalked about here on the show,
like, start there. There's plenty of time to teach
them how to turn a double play. There's plenty of times that
each pickoff moves, like, of course, you want to teach the
elements of baseball. That's why the You're there.
But start with the big picture stuff, build a great culture,

(45:52):
build a great team, have parentsand kids that want to play for
you because they're learning more.
It goes beyond just the actual game of baseball.
Once you've got them in that regard, once they feel part of
something once they feel like they're at the right team now,
it's easier to get them to buy into the techniques and the
fundamentals and the skill sets that you're trying to develop
especially at the young age. So that would be my biggest

(46:14):
piece of advice is don't get wrapped up early and you know
what? We do the exes.
In the O's, right? Which of kind of a football
phrase but it pertains the baseball or whatever the sport
is, there's plenty of time for that.
Develop the kids, teach them what the lessons are, given the
expectations of what, it's goingto take the play on your team,
once that's established, everything else from there will
be easy. It's good stuff.

(46:35):
And then our last question is Mike Frost from Instagram says,
parents are purposely holding their kids back, a grade to
Simply have them look better andto gain attention.
Not because they're doing poorlyin school but for sports which
seems crazy to him. So what do you think about that?
Yeah, it's happening a lot. You know, I think a lot of it is

(46:55):
certain kids. I think there's two fold.
I think there's kids that are being held back and they just
become like incredibly old, right?
I always think of, How old are you going to be?
When you graduate high school tome that's like the easiest bear
to because to say, alright in sixth grade you're 12 like to me
that's hard like all right on your car on your high school
graduation day, call it may of your senior in high school.

(47:18):
How old are you to me? If you're like right around 18
maybe you just turn 19 or you turn 19 in that summer after
like you should graduate high school somewhere around the 18.
Mark in my mind there's kids nowthere are going to turn nine 19.
The first couple months of the year like in january-february,
leading up to high school graduation, they're going to be

(47:40):
19, and three months, 19, and four months, before their High
School graduation. And I don't blame the parents
because what's happening is especially at some of the
private schools. When you go take your, you know,
young kid there to look at schools, if your kid is not of
the appropriate age, they won't even consider putting them in
kindergarten. So based on those kids that have
those like weird early spring late winter birthdays that are

(48:03):
after the New Year, a lot of those kids JK and then they turn
they go into kindergarten. They're almost turning seven,
right. They go into kindergarten like
well into their sixes and then when you extrapolate that to
your senior year, you're well into your 18s when you start
senior year. So it's kind of a catch-22 and
then if you don't do it, your kids 17.

(48:24):
And the kitties competing with is 19.
It's a huge difference, right? So I think a lot of it is the
cut-offs. There's no like pure cut-offs
anymore. It's kind of up for for
interpretation. And I think we're creating a
system where no one wants their kid to be at a disadvantage.
No one wants to have their kid. Be the young underdeveloped kid,
especially if they want to be anathlete and parents are doing

(48:46):
what they feel. They have to do to allow their
kids to compete. So I don't blame them.
I think it's a little bit of theproduct that that we're living
in. Yeah.
I feel like I'm used to that. Like I mean, I went to high
school in Texas so everybody washeld back.
A grade like no one was their age.
Yeah. But anyway, that's it's okay.
Questions. Yeah, it is hard.
Yeah. But I do.

(49:06):
Anyways, I don't blame, I don't blame the parents one bit.
I mean, I think, within reason, I mean yeah, you're not gonna
graduate high school at 20, but I think like within reason if
you have a late bloomer, you feel like your kids like to give
them that extra time and high school to develop to mature to
grow both physically mentally socially. every kid develops at
such a different rate that no one knows their kid better than

(49:30):
your parents. It's true.
That's right. That's right.
What's the Ted Talk from of the day?
And that's all the fan questionswe have for today.
So you can keep submitting them.You think or at Greg Olson on
Tick, Tock, Instagram, or Twitter?
Well, thank you so much. Tasha as always, we appreciate
the questions and thank you guys.
We appreciate your guys submitting of the questions on

(49:52):
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