C am Newton became the face of the Panthers the day he went No. 1 in the 2011 draft. But Luke Kuechly is making a strong argument that he’s 1b) to Newton’s 1a).Despite his genuine lack of caring about outside attention, the linebacker can’t avoid at least a small part of a spotlight that shines way beyond Charlotte. He spent part of his offseason representing huge brands like Old Spice and EA Sports. While he was doing it, he was likely somewhat regretting he wasn’t instead working out or at least thinking about football.Monday, when asked how his life had changed since being named NFL Defensive Player of the Year, he replied:“I think it’s been about the same. There’re a couple things I had to do this offseason. Other than that it’s football time and everything’s the same. I just got to keep knowing what’s going on, doing my responsibilities and keep running around making plays.”Think about that for a second. There were “a couple things” he “had” to do this offseason.Here’s a 23-year-old, who recently won one of the biggest honors in the most popular league in American sports. He also happens to be a salt of the earth guy who females fawn over.[blockquote cite=”Vanessa Kensington, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery,” type=”center”]”Women want him, and men want to be him.”[/blockquote]If you “had” to be morphed into video game form to hype “Madden NFL 15,” how many people would you text or tweet? How many pics would you post to Facebook to humblebrag?Kuechly just wants to play football. The other stuff, if he can squeeze in some time for it, well … ok.Case-in-point: The shoot for this year’s NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” open. When Kuechly was offered a spot in the montage that leads into THE MOST-WATCHED PROGRAM IN AMERICA, he didn’t necessarily jump at the opportunity. But eventually, he agreed to fly out to California late last month.Tuesday night, NBC released a “Making Of” video. Appearing with Kuechly: 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, Bears receiver Brandon Marshall, Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Ware and Packers linebacker Clay Matthews III. Oh, and six-time Grammy Award winner Carrie Underwood was also there.Try to enjoy these days, Panthers fans. You don’t just have a star who could eventually become a superstar. You have two.[feature_headline type=”center” level=”h3″ looks_like=”h3″ icon=”hand-o-down”] WATCH THE VIDEO 

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BBR NUGGETS

• Tuesday in Spartanburg: Notes on 23 players; quotes from Travelle, Kelvin and Star; Byron’s big day. — BBR
• This picture by Jeremy Igo. — Carolina Huddle
• Scott Fowler gives Travelle Wharton his due. — Charlotte Observer