CHARLOTTE – When new linebackers coach Steve Russ hits the practice field this offseason, he'll be both coaching Superman and coaching against Superman.
That's a longtime nickname for quarterback , but it's also a name that Russ and other assistant coaches at Wake Forest pinned on then-Boston College linebacker around the time the Panthers drafted Newton in 2011.
"Luke Kuechly was tearing up the ACC. They couldn't stop him," Russ said. "They had to game-plan around him, and then the game plan didn't work."
Now it's up to Russ to devise game plans related to Kuechly – ones that will maximize his already accomplished game.