Four Downs With Panthers Linebacker A.J. Klein

October 14, 2016

Bill Voth,

First Down – Tech

BV: I see you have a Samsung. Most guys in here have an iPhone. You don't because … ?

AJ: I got it as a gift when my iPhone cracked, so I've been using ever since. But I think it's working out for me, so I'm not going to change anytime soon.

BV: Like it better than an iPhone?

AJ: It's just a phone to me. I don't spend a ton of time on my phone, but I really do like the camera on the Samsung. I like taking pictures and that kind of stuff, but it doesn't make a difference to me. A phone's a phone.

BV: When I did this a couple weeks ago with Luke, he said the only app he uses a lot is Pandora.

AJ: Yeah, I use Pandora and Spotify. That's about it. I don't even know what apps I have on my phone.

BV: So you really don't use it, do you? Hey, it looks nice.

AJ: I mean, it works well. I've got Netflix on here just in case. Zillow, in case I'm looking at like property and stuff, just for the heck of it. I like looking at houses. Then there's banking stuff and music. That's about it.

Second Down – Music

BV: So what kind of music do you listen to on Pandora and Spotify?

AJ: Oh my goodness. I have my own playlist. I like to listen to Avett Brothers; Kings of Leon; oldies rock, like 70s; Eagles; Billy Joel; Zeppelin. Then go a little bit new newer 90s music: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters. I really listen to anything, to tell you the truth. Country-wise, I like Garth Brooks; George Strait; some of the new country songs, but I like to stick to the older stuff.

BV: What's your favorite Billy Joel song?

AJ: Piano Man.

BV: That's easy.

AJ: It's very easy.

Third Down – Movies

BV: You said you have Netflix on there. What kind of movies do you like?

AJ: I'm more of a documentary person, to tell you the truth. One of my favorite documentaries as of late is "Fed Up" about childhood obesity and our addiction as a society to sugar and refined foods. I really do believe in nutrition and I try to stay away from a lot of processed foods. I try to stay away from soda and anything that has a lot of sugar in it. I'm a big history buff, too. I like watching stuff on World War II and Vietnam. That generation is pretty amazing to me – to think how many 18-year-olds signed up to go fight a war that they didn't even know where the places were. I also think nature documentaries are really interesting.

BV: Guessing you seen "Planet Earth" on Nat Geo?

AJ: I do watch the "Planet Earth" stuff. There's another one I watched recently about plastic. It was about plastic pollution in the Pacific. You really don't realize how much plastic you use in your daily life until you watch something like that. Then you look at India and China and other places that don't really recycle. Like here in Charlotte, I think we're really fortunate to have a clean city. You don't see trash just laying around. You can't say that for every city in America, and it's kind of crazy. It's not like I'm a huge environmentalist, but it does make me wonder how long we can sustain our way of life.

Fourth Down – Fan Submitted Question

BV: You probably won't be surprised what a fan wanted to know. Kurt Zamora asks, on a scale of 1-10, how much does it annoy you that when you make a tackle, fans still say "LUUUKE"?

AJ: I would say it's probably just a 5.

BV: That high?

AJ: I really don't get annoyed by it, I just think it's funny. We have a number that's close, but any time somebody can mistake me for Luke by my play, I'm not going to take offense to that at all. So the annoying level, you can probably knock that down to a 2 or a 3. As long as they keep on thinking I'm Luke, that means I'm doing something right.