Panthers’ ‘most underrated’ defensive player? He’s winning battles on and off the field

At 6-foot-2 and 310 pounds, Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Kyle Love is one of the largest men on the roster.

But often, he goes unnoticed.

So does the battle he fights daily.

Love was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2013, when he was with the New England Patriots.

He has been managing the disease ever since, with a process that is unique.

Love has to stay at his prodigious size because he makes a living by being a big, space-eating wrecking ball on the interior defensive line.

“I have to eat things that most diabetics shouldn’t eat,” Love said. “It’s tough. I have to be a heavier guy, so I have to go against (the normal diet).... It was tough at first. It’s still kind of tough. But I’m getting better at it.”

Now a veteran both in the league and in the management of his health, Love, 32, is playing some of the best football of his life.

“(Head coach) Ron Rivera, he always makes this joke toward me saying I’m like a fine wine,” Love said, laughing, this week. “I get better with age.”

And he’s leaving an impact on Carolina’s younger players that will pay off for years.

Excelling in an on-field role

No Panthers defensive lineman plays every single defensive snap. But in a rotation that includes future Hall of Famer Julius Peppers and Pro Bowl tackles Kawann Short and Dontari Poe, it’s easy for Love to go unnoticed.

Defensive coordinator Eric Washington, Carolina’s defensive line coach for eight years, has largely preferred an efficient rotation. That gives offenses different looks and helps counter mismatches. It also plays to players’ strengths, and keeps the more veteran players’ legs fresh.

Poe, a starter, plays just over half of the Panthers’ defensive snaps. Short tops the group at 63 percent. Love has played 45 percent of defensive snaps this year.

“Whenever my number is called, I just try to be 1/11th of the defense and execute when it’s my time,” he said. “That’s all I try to do. ... I’m a role guy, and I know my role. I’m just trying to execute when called upon.”

Love has done that, forcing a fumble in each of the past two games and recovering one of them, creating momentum-shifting moments.

Against Philadelphia, Love recovered the ball on a strip-sack by Peppers to seal Carolina’s comeback victory.

Love cradled the game ball under his arm as he headed into the locker room after the game, and onto the plane home to Charlotte. Then, he gave it to his children.

On Sunday against the Ravens, Love provided the momentum-shifting catalyst for the Panthers, who were playing down a score after Baltimore’s first drive.

Love bulldozed up the middle unblocked and stuffed Baltimore running back Alex Collins for a loss, forcing a fumble that Carolina recovered. The Panthers scored three plays later, and went on to rout Baltimore 36-21.

Carolina ran that tape back several times in the film room this week, prompting “oohs” and cat-calls from Love’s teammates.

“I guess people were excited about it,” Love said a little bashfully. “Sometimes that’s what happens in the game. Guys miss assignments and you have to be there to make the play when it’s called. ... A lot of kids dream of those moments, and I’m just able to accomplish them now. So I’m happy.”

Love always seems to be the guy who, given the opportunity, can make “the play.”

His performance in recent weeks and his overall consistency prompted Rivera to agree this week that Love is one of the defense’s most underrated players.

And that’s partially because Love’s role stretches further than his snap counts.

A bigger role to play

As a backup, Love also often lines up alongside a younger, more inexperienced player. Washington, who was the Panthers’ defensive line coach for eight seasons, said that’s like having another coach on the field.

“The experience, that’s big,” Washington said. “Kyle brings a lot of experience, he’s been in a lot of situations. He can mentor, he can address certain things on the field. Especially when the guys are away from us (coaches) and you can’t always intervene, you can’t always interject what should be happening or interpret certain things. So that experience is huge.”

Love said he learned how to be a mentor from former Patriots teammate Vince Wilfork, and carried it over to Carolina when he arrived in 2014.

“I kind of took over that role, and I’m just embracing it,” he said. “Trying to help my other guys out, make sure we’re all on the same page and at where we’re supposed to be. That’s all I’m trying to do when I’m on the field.”

Second-year defensive end Bryan Cox Jr. said Love has been a great resource for him.

“I would definitely say he helps me a lot,” Cox said this week. “Mainly just plays, stuff like that when I first got here. Just a good guy in general, good locker room guy, good locker room presence.

“He knows the system like the back of his hand. He’s very helpful.”

Love isn’t always a headliner, but he’s one of the main engines that makes Carolina’s defense run.

That’s why Washington doesn’t think Love is underrated at all.

“From where we stand, he’s not underrated or under-appreciated,” Washington said. “There’s a reason why he’s here. From an outside perspective, he might not get much attention. But we know exactly what he brings to the table. And we’re excited to have those things. He organizes our rush. And he’s a dependable point-of-attack run defender.

“He brings a lot of energy to the table. He keeps showing up.”