Royal Pain
Cheesehead
Didn't see this coming, but I already like the move because I know Peppers is coming to Green Bay for one reason. To win a Super Bowl.
Packers ink Peppers
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brandon2348
GO PACK GO!
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Desperate? Peppers is an elite pass rusher and it was a cap friendly deal. He killed us. I don't see the desperation here.
Yep. We stole him when you look at the guaranteed money and cap hit. He obviously wants to play for a ring.
NelsonsLongCatch
Cheesehead
If the projected cap number for Peppers is actually $3.5M, his cap number is LESS THAN Mike Neal's cap number!!!!!
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FrankRizzo
Cheesehead
Don't mention Reggie in the same sentence as Peppers as IVO will not have it.
Whether or not you are comparing them or just mentioning him, IVO does not like it.
FrankRizzo
Cheesehead
Don't mention Reggie in the same sentence as Peppers as IVO will not have it.
Whether or not you are comparing them or just mentioning him, IVO does not like it.
FrankRizzo
Cheesehead
Don't mention Reggie in the same sentence as Peppers as IVO will not have it.
Whether or not you are comparing them or just mentioning him, IVO does not like it.
PackerFlatLander
Cheesehead
With all due respect, I don't subscribe to this at all. Yes, his track record of tapering off, is true and relevant. But Capers wasn't the one out there getting burned across the middle on every play and giving up 30 points a game. Track record or not, every coach is only as good as the players they're given to work with. Somehow, those same players won a Super Bowl and then one year later, were the worst in history. Capers doesn't suddenly become a crap coach overnight.
They are talking about us
http://www.chicitysports.com/forum/showthread.php/47167-Peppers-signs-with-Packers/page2
And citing this thread
http://www.chicitysports.com/forum/showthread.php/47167-Peppers-signs-with-Packers/page2
And citing this thread
NOMOFO
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brandon2348
GO PACK GO!
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Yep. Go back to my posts at the end of first day of free agency. A lot of people were in "Byrd la la land" and whining and I was trying to explain for everyone to relax. This signing is so big because now opponents wont be able to double team Clay any longer. It will create mismatches and opportunities along the front.
lambeaulambo
Cheesehead
them not signing byrd is a mistake....lets compare....burnett/banjo/Richardson/scrub/scrub/scrub to who? the real of this deal is peppers is a question mark. if he reverts back to the player he was 5 years ago, this is a great pick up. if he is not - another fricken mistake. we have to watch.
D
Deleted member 6794
Guest
Oh well, if Packers Insiders said that it 's great move I guess we all have to be on board with it without even giving it a thought.
Carl
Cheesehead
You must have forgotten about the draft in which safeties are a part of...
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armand34
Cheesehead
2-4, I don't know if that's real or not (Defense), but probably utilizing what we had, we haven't had a consistent front 7 force since Capers.
So many of you guys are excuse makers.
While I agree that losing good players like Collins and Jenkins would justify a drop off in production and results - it doesn't explain "all-time" levels of futility; and the embarrassing defensive performances the Packers have been putting out on the field.
There are ways to mitigate the damage, but Capers kept doing the same thing over and over again - his greatest sin is living, and dying by that mind numbingly awful 2-4 alignment that he runs far more than any other team in the league.
On another site, someone posted alignment statistics from the 2011 season - Capers played the 2-4 62% of the time. That's nothing short of unbelievable - no other team was even close; and of course we had one of worst statistical seasons in NFL history. When he went to a more traditional 3-4, the damage was mitigated, but he simply couldn't help himself, and would immediately go back to the 2-4, and the bleeding would begin again.
The 2-4, given our personnel and how Capers runs it, is a disaster - yet Capers keeps doing the same thing over and over again. He should be finding ways to maximize the talent TT has given him, i.e. he should be running more 3-4 and 3-3 alignments, and putting the DL talent to work, rather than putting the 2-4 out there that has Perry, Raji, and D. Jones either miscast or watching from the sidelines; and has pedestrian players like AJ Hawk and Brad Jones on the field 24/7.
Capers simply isn't making effective use of the talent TT has provided. Granted the players that TT has provided are not well suited to playing a traditional 3-4, but that just means it falls to Capers to find the best way to use them. One thing is for sure - the worst way to use them is in a 2-4.
The results have been disasterous - and it is Capers fault far more than anyone elses.
Actually a combination of lost players and declining play of other players. Williams went from one of the top corners in the league to a middle of the pack starting cornerback, if that(although he did get back to his old form in the second half of last season). Woodson's play fell off from 2010 to 2011. Peprah was exposed without Collins and Raji went from a budding superstar to a second tier free agent. Ryan Pickett was a legit bulwark defender in 2010 and now is just a solid rotation guy. Desmond Bishop saw his career cut short by injury. The only guys playing at the same level are Shields Hawk and Matthews, one of whom can't stay on the field.
Perhaps a better comparison to Peppers would be the 6'7 270 pound Sean Jones who cam to the team at 32. Of course Jones never quite had the physical talent that Peppers had, and I'd argue that Peppers still has more physical ability than Jones did when he came here.
That being said I think the don't mention Reggie's name with Julius Peppers in the same sentence is over the top. I suspect that when Julius Peppers finally retires he too will be regarded as one of the most prolific pass rushers to play the game. IMHO he has at least one season left in the tank and possibly 3, he has a lot of strength great leverage and still moves with a lot of speed and explosiveness.
That being said I think the don't mention Reggie's name with Julius Peppers in the same sentence is over the top. I suspect that when Julius Peppers finally retires he too will be regarded as one of the most prolific pass rushers to play the game. IMHO he has at least one season left in the tank and possibly 3, he has a lot of strength great leverage and still moves with a lot of speed and explosiveness.
As I said, there are always ways to mitigate the damage.
If you've suffered a loss of talent, which we did, and dropoff in performances of others, which we did... at what point does it become so obvious that you make adjustments and tailor gameplans and calls to account for that??
One thing is for sure - by running the 2-4, Capers is not 1) maximizing the talent he has been given, and 2) is not adjusting to the failures we can all see happening on the field.
What sense does it make to keep running the same alignment, when that alignment is obviously not getting the job done with the players he has?? Instead of backing off and playing more 3-4, adjusting and playing a 3-3 nickel instead of the 2-4, and adjusting by playing more zone to replace the man coverage we had been predominantly running - instead of doing those things, Capers doubles down, and just keeps playing the same losing hand snap after snap.
The results have been obviously disasterous - yet Capers never changes what he's doing, and MM says he's fine with it all. Watching Capers run that 2-4 is mind numbing.
Where do you think we're going to line him up? I know people are talking about playing him opposite Clay, but what about beside him instead? I think Clay will benefit greatly from this, similar to how Aldon Smith does next to Justin.
FrankRizzo
Cheesehead
I share much of your disgust with the defense, and Capers. I, too, wanted him fired not only last year, but the year and year before. I felt with an aggressive DC like a Gregg Williams or Rob Ryan, we would have been a lot better on defense.
That being said:
Nick Collins was great, not good. He was special, and starting his prime. His position is critical to a defense. You can't replace great ones and not have a drop-off, even with a good one.
Thompson gave Capers horrible ones, not good ones..... Jerron McMillian? From Maine, was not even rated as draftable on any of my pre-draft guides. For a reason, which we saw.... MD Jennings? Same thing.
Morgan Burnett was horrible last year too, slow to react. Misses tons of tackles.
And besides Collins and Cullen Jenkins, you forgot to mention the best ILB Desmond Bishop. Bishop took a few years to get to that point as they made him prove it time after time. He was our only aggressive, thumper, and losing him in 2011, that also killed us.
In Jenkins, Bishop, and Collins, you have had a very crucial hole at each level of the defense.
I also documented after the playoff loss to the Niners how it was the players errors who caused the big breakdowns, against Kaepernick.
Jarrett Bush and Mike Daniels were to blame on the one big play, run, by Kaepernick on a 3rd & long run. That was not Capers' fault. That call was great, if both of them had not blown their assignment/angle.
And you can blame Sam Shields and Casey Hayward for Bush having to be playing in the first place.
I, too, would have tried to bring in Williams to replace Capers.
But with all these key injuries time and time again (of course Clay was out too), and with Thompson handing Capers supposed-starting material in guys like Worthy (Rd2), McMillian, Terrell Manning, MD Jennings, you cannot expect great results.
PredatorPeppers
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Just joined the forum yesterday, I am the biggest Julius Peppers fan boy there is, and so therfore am now a fan of the Green Bay Packers as well. I hope you accept me with open arms my fellow cheesehead brethren. 
With Julius Peppers you are getting the greatest edge rusher of his generation, Peppers is a more dominant player than Michael Strahan, Jason Taylor, Dwight Freeney, John Abraham, Jared Allen, or DeMarcus Ware. He can set the edge and stop the run, rush the passer, take on double teams to free up his teammates, or even drop into coverage. He is deserving of being mentioned in the same breath as Reggie White or Lawrence Taylor...
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/panthers/2006-11-22-peppers-cover_x.htm
After watching Peppers notch three sacks, bat down a pass and recover a fumble in a 24-10 win against Tampa Bay, ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Joe Theismann put Peppers in rarefied air, comparing him to Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor.
"This is the best way to put in perspective the way we viewed Lawrence, and I think this is the way people should view Julius," Theismann says. "When coaches draw up defenses, they use letters to denote defensive players: 'C' for corner, 'S' for safety, so on. In Washington, we would use letters until it came to Lawrence. For him, we used No. 56, and it was always bigger than everything else. That visually put everything into context, saying, 'This guy is better than anybody else on that board.' "
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/11/14/aikman-peppers-is-a-game-changer/
When opposing offenses game plan for the Chicago Bears pass rush, there is one variable they can never truly predict: Julius Peppers.
Peppers has freedom to move up and down the line throughout the game until he finds which offensive player he wants to attack — something that undoubtably causes head aches for opposing offensive coordinators.
“He’s one of those players that’s just a difference-maker,” Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman told The Mully and Hanley Show. “I know they moved him to both sides of the ball, so that’s a good thing. As an offense, you don’t know exactly where he’s going to be or how you’re going to turn protection to him. That can create some problems. Then, if you start working him into the middle of the defensive line and kind of take advantage of those weaknesses in the middle, then that creates a whole different set of problems.”
For Aikman, the Bears allowing Peppers to attack the middle of an offensive line is reminiscent of one of the greatest defensive linemen in the history of the game he used to play against.
“Going to back to when I was playing, they used to do that, the Philadelphia Eagles did, with Reggie White,” Aikman said. “You think you know where he’s going to be, or you anticipate that he’s going to be here most of the time, but then you know he’s going to move up and down that offensive line until he finds a matchup that he feels good about. That puts some stress on an offense.”
With Julius Peppers you are getting the greatest edge rusher of his generation, Peppers is a more dominant player than Michael Strahan, Jason Taylor, Dwight Freeney, John Abraham, Jared Allen, or DeMarcus Ware. He can set the edge and stop the run, rush the passer, take on double teams to free up his teammates, or even drop into coverage. He is deserving of being mentioned in the same breath as Reggie White or Lawrence Taylor...
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/panthers/2006-11-22-peppers-cover_x.htm
After watching Peppers notch three sacks, bat down a pass and recover a fumble in a 24-10 win against Tampa Bay, ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Joe Theismann put Peppers in rarefied air, comparing him to Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor.
"This is the best way to put in perspective the way we viewed Lawrence, and I think this is the way people should view Julius," Theismann says. "When coaches draw up defenses, they use letters to denote defensive players: 'C' for corner, 'S' for safety, so on. In Washington, we would use letters until it came to Lawrence. For him, we used No. 56, and it was always bigger than everything else. That visually put everything into context, saying, 'This guy is better than anybody else on that board.' "
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/11/14/aikman-peppers-is-a-game-changer/
When opposing offenses game plan for the Chicago Bears pass rush, there is one variable they can never truly predict: Julius Peppers.
Peppers has freedom to move up and down the line throughout the game until he finds which offensive player he wants to attack — something that undoubtably causes head aches for opposing offensive coordinators.
“He’s one of those players that’s just a difference-maker,” Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman told The Mully and Hanley Show. “I know they moved him to both sides of the ball, so that’s a good thing. As an offense, you don’t know exactly where he’s going to be or how you’re going to turn protection to him. That can create some problems. Then, if you start working him into the middle of the defensive line and kind of take advantage of those weaknesses in the middle, then that creates a whole different set of problems.”
For Aikman, the Bears allowing Peppers to attack the middle of an offensive line is reminiscent of one of the greatest defensive linemen in the history of the game he used to play against.
“Going to back to when I was playing, they used to do that, the Philadelphia Eagles did, with Reggie White,” Aikman said. “You think you know where he’s going to be, or you anticipate that he’s going to be here most of the time, but then you know he’s going to move up and down that offensive line until he finds a matchup that he feels good about. That puts some stress on an offense.”
PredatorPeppers
Cheesehead
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Peppers is extremely versatile for his size, he will play as an OLB/DE that will probably move all over the Packers front line... he can play any position on the D line, linebacker, and possibly spot duty as a strong safety.
http://espn.go.com/blog/green-bay-packers/post/_/id/7767/a-new-position-possible-for-nick-perry
The elephant position would essentially cover both spots. McCarthy described it as a position in which a defensive player would never line up on the inside shoulder of an offensive tackle. Instead, the elephant end would play what’s called a 7-technique, which lines up on the inside shoulder of a tight end.
http://www.packers.com/news-and-eve...ifferent/dc33fe44-95eb-4cc3-af0b-246322f9bc33
“(Capers) likes to be versatile and do different things. That’s something I’ve wanted to do my whole career,” Peppers said.
“This team last year had a great offense, even when Aaron went down. The defense – I don’t know what they were missing. I definitely feel I can help them get to an elite level. Everything’s a perfect fit.”
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer...julius-peppers-right-fit-for-green-bay-packer
“It feels great to be a Packer,” Peppers said via text Saturday night, upon returning home from Green Bay and reflecting on the whirlwind past few days. “I'm excited to join a team with a great history of winning and tradition. I could not be more thrilled to have the opportunity to compete for a championship.
“I was looking for the right opportunity to present itself. A team with a legitimate chance to win a title, an organization full of great people and a locker room with great players who know how to win. I was also looking for a unique defensive scheme that would allow me to be a more versatile and effective player.”
“That was really important to Julius -- that he have the opportunity to show the versatility he has and some of his special gifts,” Carey said. “He's wanted to play in a 3-4 defense or a hybrid sort of a situation for many years, ever since he was with the Carolina Panthers years ago, and to have that opportunity now, he is super excited.
“And when you have a team that is obviously a great division rival that has watched film on you and has been studying you and has game planned against you for four seasons and, that team then comes and says we want you to join us, I think that's probably the highest compliment that a player can receive. Because they know him, and they know what he brings to the table, and for them to come and say we want you on our side, I think that speaks volumes about what they know about him from the other side.”
“Quite honestly, within the first five minutes of being at the team facility -- meeting Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy and Russ Ball -- I could see that he felt right at home,” Carey said. “And he actually said that he really liked the vibe that was there. In this process, since Tuesday when he was released, I heard from a total of eight teams that were interested in him, and a number of those teams actually put offers on the table. But when we got to Green Bay he looked at me and told me, ‘Let's get this done.'”
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000334084/article/best-freeagent-signings-so-far
There's a lot to like here. Peppers is flexible enough to play multiple positions on the defensive line, giving Green Bay greater flexibility. You can line him up as a 3-4 defensive end, a 4-3 defensive end or tackle or stand him up as a linebacker. Peppers will reportedly make $8.5 million in 2013, a reasonable gamble for a Packers defense that needs help.
http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/01...for-another-team-next-season-as-a-linebacker/
Carey said ideally Peppers wants to play in a 3-4 defensive system where he can stand up and roam the field as a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker, similar to how the Dallas Cowboys use DeMarcus Ware and how the San Diego Chargers have used Shawne Merriman in the past before his injury.
So basically he doesn’t want to have a lot of run responsibility
http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/nfl/news/story?id=5900330
Peppers' versatility had Belichick, the former defensive coach, envisioning what could have been had Peppers elected to join the Patriots, though the coach didn't address that possibility directly.
"You could put him anywhere on the field," Belichick said. "He can play on the front line, he could play linebacker. He could play strong safety. He could play anywhere on the defensive line. He's tall. Richard Seymour was tall and he played there. Put him out at tight end, make a left tackle out of him. I wouldn't want to tackle him if he was carrying the ball. He's a great player."
http://espn.go.com/blog/green-bay-packers/post/_/id/8208/starter-pack-no-action-no-surprise
The Packers view defensive end Julius Peppers, who was released by the Chicago Bears, as the best defensive front player still available. But at age 34, he probably isn't a player Packers general manager Ted Thompson would be willing to pay.
Perhaps the next best option as a pass-rusher is DeMarcus Ware, who was released by the Dallas Cowboys for the same reason as Peppers. Ware is younger (he turns 32 in July) and would be a good fit for the Packers' 3-4 defense. The Packers spent part of Tuesday discussing Ware but have not set up a visit. That would likely only happen if Ware goes unsigned after the initial wave of interest.
https://twitter.com/PeteDougherty
Pete Dougherty @PeteDougherty 21h
Just talked to another NFL scout about Peppers. Ranked him as the best player among him, DeMarcus Ware n Jared Allen
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/01/05/bernstein-one-guy-responsible-for-bears-turnaround/
Understand that Peppers is a brute squad – a freakish package of strength, smarts and athleticism. He’s a Hall-of-Famer at the peak of his abilities who has elevated a defensive scheme that apparently needed only him to function properly. He’s the focus
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...118_1_three-technique-famer-dan-hampton-bears
Julius Peppers is such a special athlete he probably could moonlight anywhere and help
But he could be a difference-maker at defensive tackle.
Anyone who watched the defensive end slide inside Sunday against the Lions would agree. On four plays as a three technique, or under tackle, Peppers had a sack, a quarterback hit and a pressure.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1023179/index.htm/
Peppers was the best basketball player and among the best football players ever at Southern Nash, where he received so many recruiting letters that he was given his own mail slot in the school office. In basketball he finished his career with more than 1,600 points, 800 rebounds and 200 assists and was heavily recruited by Duke. In football Peppers rushed for 3,501 yards and 46 touchdowns at tailback and manhandled opponents as a defensive lineman. In his final game, when Northeast Guilford High ran a sweep away from Peppers, he chased down the running back, stole the ball from behind and raced 90 yards the other way for a touchdown.
As a senior, Peppers placed second in the triple jump at the state track meet, despite wearing spikes two sizes too small because size 18s couldn't be found. Having watched Big Head swing a bat, Davis believes he could have been a baseball star as well. The coach still shakes his head in disbelief as he recalls a three-hour football practice on a scorching summer day before Peppers's junior season, after which all the other Firebirds lay sprawled on the grass or huddled around the water spigot. Peppers strolled over to one end zone and began doing backflips the length of the field. No hands. For 100 yards. In full pads and helmet.
While scouts from the NFL and the NBA believe Peppers could excel in either league, he has made up his mind:
Peppers may be the largest, most intimidating model to date. He bench-presses 425 pounds, runs the 40 in 4.5 seconds, has a 37.5-inch vertical leap and only 4% body fat. During Peppers's redshirt year the North Carolina football coaches couldn't decide at which position he might wreak the most havoc, so they listed him on the roster as athlete. "Julius is a freak of nature,"
http://www.basketballforum.com/national-football-league/197844-man-steel-julius-peppers.html
"It's like Mother Nature just decided to scratch her chin and say 'I'm going to create me something special right here,'" Panthers radio announcer **** Mixon said of Peppers, whom he covered at the University of North Carolina.
If you want to get people talking, ask them the most amazing thing they've ever seen the fourth-year defensive end do. In most cases it will be one of those highlight reel plays, something involving jumping high or running fast or getting away from extremely large men who attack him in multiples.
ar Heels football coach John Bunting has little doubt Peppers could be "a dominant tight end, an All-Pro tight end like Tony Gonzalez. Heck, he might be able to play safety."
But that would be taking away from the things Peppers does best, and Bunting had a front-row seat for one of the early entries into the lexicon of Peppers highlights.
On Oct. 20, 2001, Clemson quarterback Woodrow Dantzler (then considered a Michael Vick-type talent) was trying to throw a screen pass, but threw it with plenty of steam. Peppers got off a cut-block, jumped straight into the air to tip it, then intercepted the ball several yards downfield.
"He's simply the most unique athlete I've ever seen on the football field, and I had (linebacker) Derrick Thomas in Kansas City," Bunting said. "Julius just has every tool you want in a football player."
Bunting suggested Peppers could change positions easily.
"He could trim down to 250 or 260 pounds and be a dominant outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense," said Bunting, who coached in the NFL for eight years before taking over the Tar Heels prior to Peppers' last college season.
As intriguing as that seems, there's one major flaw.
"Where's he going to lose 35 pounds?" Panthers defensive coordinator Mike Trgovac said. "There's not a lot of extra on him at 288."
Trgovac could seemingly talk all day about a play at Denver last year, and not the 101-yard interception return most recall.
On the play before, a third-and-goal from the Panthers 3, Peppers was blocked away from Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer's roll-out. And though Plummer's one of the more athletic passers in the league, Peppers rolled his hips, got back to his feet, turned and chased Plummer out of bounds a yard shy of the goal line.
"There's not another defensive end that can make that play," said Trgovac, a man not given to brash pronouncements. "Nobody else could get fooled and recover like that. It should have been a touchdown, and then there wouldn't have been the big interception return."
Quarterback Jake Delhomme recalled laughing when he saw Peppers chase down Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman from behind -- from the other side of the field.
"It's not supposed to happen," Delhomme said. "I remember watching it on the screen because I normally don't get to watch our defense during a game, and thinking, 'That just doesn't happen.'"
Men who approach 300 pounds aren't supposed to run like that. But when the defensive backs and running backs and receivers were picking fantasy track teams last year, they all seemed to want Peppers on their 4x100 relay team.
He said the fastest he's ever been timed in the 40-yard dash was 4.55 seconds.
"But I've raced guys who ran 4.3s and beat them," he said, a slight grin creeping over his face. "I think speed is different. Game speed is different. Some guys can run 4.3s and they get on the field and they're slow. It's a different type speed you can have."
It's also a different kind of agility.
Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins recalled a play from Peppers' rookie year, when he was turned upside down and landed in a back bend.
"He had his hands on the ground and his feet on the ground at the same time," Jenkins said. "I remember saying, 'If that was me, my career would be over.' But he just walked off the field and I was like 'Is he serious?' ... If I did that, I'd probably tear every ligament I had in my knees and shoulders and probably pop a couple discs out of my spinal cord.
"We call him the next evolution of man. Some of the things he does, it just doesn't make sense."
The scary part? He can get better.
With a straight face, veteran safety Mike Minter suggested earlier this year that Peppers could break the NFL's single-season sack record of 22.5.
Fox says Peppers can become more proficient at other things, because of the way Peppers works.
"He expects it; that's what you want in a player," Fox said. "It's how he practices every day -- he comes to work and brings his lunch pail. I think he has developed his game more each year. He understands the game faster. This game is about playing fast. The more you see it, the faster you get. When you match that with the fact you are fast, that's when you get great players.
"That attitude is the thing that's awesome. When you think you've kind of got it figured out, that's when you get bit. He's still continuing to try to learn. He's become a student of the game. Each opponent brings a new challenge. Each style of offense is a new challenge, and he thrives on it."
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1105560/index.htm
You could argue that Carolina's best big-play threat last season didn't line up at wide receiver or in the backfield. He was on the defensive line, in the form of 6'7", 290-pound end Julius Peppers. That's part commentary on the injuries that bedeviled the Panthers in 2004--they played most of the season without receiver Steve Smith and running backs Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster--but it also tells you something about Peppers's athleticism. Against Tampa Bay he returned an interception 46 yards for a touchdown; against Atlanta he snatched a Michael Vick fumble out of midair with one hand and went 60 yards for a score; and against Denver he returned an interception 97 yards before being dragged down just short of the goal line. No other Carolina player had as many plays of at least 45 yards.
You could write that off as a case of Peppers's being in the right place at the right time; or, more accurately, you could say that Peppers, who also led Carolina in sacks (11) and forced fumbles (four), is redefining the defensive end position.
http://slumz.boxden.com/f16/deep-article-julius-peppers-786596/
Like smoke, Peppers can seemingly be everywhere. Like Batman, he can come swooping in from nowhere.
"It's rare when you have the opportunity to see a player who is ahead of his time," said Howie Long, a Hall of Fame defensive end and Fox Sports NFL analyst. "Lawrence Taylor was ahead of his time. Kellen Winslow was ahead of his time. They gave you a snapshot glimpse of what you could see in the future. Julius Peppers is that way."
http://members.jacksonville.com/spo...3/story/julius-peppers-makes-bears-defense-go
http://espn.go.com/blog/green-bay-packers/post/_/id/7767/a-new-position-possible-for-nick-perry
The elephant position would essentially cover both spots. McCarthy described it as a position in which a defensive player would never line up on the inside shoulder of an offensive tackle. Instead, the elephant end would play what’s called a 7-technique, which lines up on the inside shoulder of a tight end.
http://www.packers.com/news-and-eve...ifferent/dc33fe44-95eb-4cc3-af0b-246322f9bc33
“(Capers) likes to be versatile and do different things. That’s something I’ve wanted to do my whole career,” Peppers said.
“This team last year had a great offense, even when Aaron went down. The defense – I don’t know what they were missing. I definitely feel I can help them get to an elite level. Everything’s a perfect fit.”
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer...julius-peppers-right-fit-for-green-bay-packer
“It feels great to be a Packer,” Peppers said via text Saturday night, upon returning home from Green Bay and reflecting on the whirlwind past few days. “I'm excited to join a team with a great history of winning and tradition. I could not be more thrilled to have the opportunity to compete for a championship.
“I was looking for the right opportunity to present itself. A team with a legitimate chance to win a title, an organization full of great people and a locker room with great players who know how to win. I was also looking for a unique defensive scheme that would allow me to be a more versatile and effective player.”
“That was really important to Julius -- that he have the opportunity to show the versatility he has and some of his special gifts,” Carey said. “He's wanted to play in a 3-4 defense or a hybrid sort of a situation for many years, ever since he was with the Carolina Panthers years ago, and to have that opportunity now, he is super excited.
“And when you have a team that is obviously a great division rival that has watched film on you and has been studying you and has game planned against you for four seasons and, that team then comes and says we want you to join us, I think that's probably the highest compliment that a player can receive. Because they know him, and they know what he brings to the table, and for them to come and say we want you on our side, I think that speaks volumes about what they know about him from the other side.”
“Quite honestly, within the first five minutes of being at the team facility -- meeting Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy and Russ Ball -- I could see that he felt right at home,” Carey said. “And he actually said that he really liked the vibe that was there. In this process, since Tuesday when he was released, I heard from a total of eight teams that were interested in him, and a number of those teams actually put offers on the table. But when we got to Green Bay he looked at me and told me, ‘Let's get this done.'”
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000334084/article/best-freeagent-signings-so-far
There's a lot to like here. Peppers is flexible enough to play multiple positions on the defensive line, giving Green Bay greater flexibility. You can line him up as a 3-4 defensive end, a 4-3 defensive end or tackle or stand him up as a linebacker. Peppers will reportedly make $8.5 million in 2013, a reasonable gamble for a Packers defense that needs help.
http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/01...for-another-team-next-season-as-a-linebacker/
Carey said ideally Peppers wants to play in a 3-4 defensive system where he can stand up and roam the field as a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker, similar to how the Dallas Cowboys use DeMarcus Ware and how the San Diego Chargers have used Shawne Merriman in the past before his injury.
So basically he doesn’t want to have a lot of run responsibility
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, he just wants to rush the quarterback and compile as many sacks as he possibly can. At 6’7”, 283 pounds, Peppers would easily be the biggest linebacker in the NFL.http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/nfl/news/story?id=5900330
Peppers' versatility had Belichick, the former defensive coach, envisioning what could have been had Peppers elected to join the Patriots, though the coach didn't address that possibility directly.
"You could put him anywhere on the field," Belichick said. "He can play on the front line, he could play linebacker. He could play strong safety. He could play anywhere on the defensive line. He's tall. Richard Seymour was tall and he played there. Put him out at tight end, make a left tackle out of him. I wouldn't want to tackle him if he was carrying the ball. He's a great player."
http://espn.go.com/blog/green-bay-packers/post/_/id/8208/starter-pack-no-action-no-surprise
The Packers view defensive end Julius Peppers, who was released by the Chicago Bears, as the best defensive front player still available. But at age 34, he probably isn't a player Packers general manager Ted Thompson would be willing to pay.
Perhaps the next best option as a pass-rusher is DeMarcus Ware, who was released by the Dallas Cowboys for the same reason as Peppers. Ware is younger (he turns 32 in July) and would be a good fit for the Packers' 3-4 defense. The Packers spent part of Tuesday discussing Ware but have not set up a visit. That would likely only happen if Ware goes unsigned after the initial wave of interest.
https://twitter.com/PeteDougherty
Pete Dougherty @PeteDougherty 21h
Just talked to another NFL scout about Peppers. Ranked him as the best player among him, DeMarcus Ware n Jared Allen
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/01/05/bernstein-one-guy-responsible-for-bears-turnaround/
Understand that Peppers is a brute squad – a freakish package of strength, smarts and athleticism. He’s a Hall-of-Famer at the peak of his abilities who has elevated a defensive scheme that apparently needed only him to function properly. He’s the focus
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of blocking attention on every play, as he makes zone drops like a safety, chases downfield like a linebacker, caves in the line on run plays, sets the edge and contains, pursues quarterbacks relentlessly, and blocks kicks.http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...118_1_three-technique-famer-dan-hampton-bears
Julius Peppers is such a special athlete he probably could moonlight anywhere and help
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the Bears in spots.But he could be a difference-maker at defensive tackle.
Anyone who watched the defensive end slide inside Sunday against the Lions would agree. On four plays as a three technique, or under tackle, Peppers had a sack, a quarterback hit and a pressure.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1023179/index.htm/
Peppers was the best basketball player and among the best football players ever at Southern Nash, where he received so many recruiting letters that he was given his own mail slot in the school office. In basketball he finished his career with more than 1,600 points, 800 rebounds and 200 assists and was heavily recruited by Duke. In football Peppers rushed for 3,501 yards and 46 touchdowns at tailback and manhandled opponents as a defensive lineman. In his final game, when Northeast Guilford High ran a sweep away from Peppers, he chased down the running back, stole the ball from behind and raced 90 yards the other way for a touchdown.
As a senior, Peppers placed second in the triple jump at the state track meet, despite wearing spikes two sizes too small because size 18s couldn't be found. Having watched Big Head swing a bat, Davis believes he could have been a baseball star as well. The coach still shakes his head in disbelief as he recalls a three-hour football practice on a scorching summer day before Peppers's junior season, after which all the other Firebirds lay sprawled on the grass or huddled around the water spigot. Peppers strolled over to one end zone and began doing backflips the length of the field. No hands. For 100 yards. In full pads and helmet.
While scouts from the NFL and the NBA believe Peppers could excel in either league, he has made up his mind:
Peppers may be the largest, most intimidating model to date. He bench-presses 425 pounds, runs the 40 in 4.5 seconds, has a 37.5-inch vertical leap and only 4% body fat. During Peppers's redshirt year the North Carolina football coaches couldn't decide at which position he might wreak the most havoc, so they listed him on the roster as athlete. "Julius is a freak of nature,"
http://www.basketballforum.com/national-football-league/197844-man-steel-julius-peppers.html
"It's like Mother Nature just decided to scratch her chin and say 'I'm going to create me something special right here,'" Panthers radio announcer **** Mixon said of Peppers, whom he covered at the University of North Carolina.
If you want to get people talking, ask them the most amazing thing they've ever seen the fourth-year defensive end do. In most cases it will be one of those highlight reel plays, something involving jumping high or running fast or getting away from extremely large men who attack him in multiples.
ar Heels football coach John Bunting has little doubt Peppers could be "a dominant tight end, an All-Pro tight end like Tony Gonzalez. Heck, he might be able to play safety."
But that would be taking away from the things Peppers does best, and Bunting had a front-row seat for one of the early entries into the lexicon of Peppers highlights.
On Oct. 20, 2001, Clemson quarterback Woodrow Dantzler (then considered a Michael Vick-type talent) was trying to throw a screen pass, but threw it with plenty of steam. Peppers got off a cut-block, jumped straight into the air to tip it, then intercepted the ball several yards downfield.
"He's simply the most unique athlete I've ever seen on the football field, and I had (linebacker) Derrick Thomas in Kansas City," Bunting said. "Julius just has every tool you want in a football player."
Bunting suggested Peppers could change positions easily.
"He could trim down to 250 or 260 pounds and be a dominant outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense," said Bunting, who coached in the NFL for eight years before taking over the Tar Heels prior to Peppers' last college season.
As intriguing as that seems, there's one major flaw.
"Where's he going to lose 35 pounds?" Panthers defensive coordinator Mike Trgovac said. "There's not a lot of extra on him at 288."
Trgovac could seemingly talk all day about a play at Denver last year, and not the 101-yard interception return most recall.
On the play before, a third-and-goal from the Panthers 3, Peppers was blocked away from Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer's roll-out. And though Plummer's one of the more athletic passers in the league, Peppers rolled his hips, got back to his feet, turned and chased Plummer out of bounds a yard shy of the goal line.
"There's not another defensive end that can make that play," said Trgovac, a man not given to brash pronouncements. "Nobody else could get fooled and recover like that. It should have been a touchdown, and then there wouldn't have been the big interception return."
Quarterback Jake Delhomme recalled laughing when he saw Peppers chase down Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman from behind -- from the other side of the field.
"It's not supposed to happen," Delhomme said. "I remember watching it on the screen because I normally don't get to watch our defense during a game, and thinking, 'That just doesn't happen.'"
Men who approach 300 pounds aren't supposed to run like that. But when the defensive backs and running backs and receivers were picking fantasy track teams last year, they all seemed to want Peppers on their 4x100 relay team.
He said the fastest he's ever been timed in the 40-yard dash was 4.55 seconds.
"But I've raced guys who ran 4.3s and beat them," he said, a slight grin creeping over his face. "I think speed is different. Game speed is different. Some guys can run 4.3s and they get on the field and they're slow. It's a different type speed you can have."
It's also a different kind of agility.
Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins recalled a play from Peppers' rookie year, when he was turned upside down and landed in a back bend.
"He had his hands on the ground and his feet on the ground at the same time," Jenkins said. "I remember saying, 'If that was me, my career would be over.' But he just walked off the field and I was like 'Is he serious?' ... If I did that, I'd probably tear every ligament I had in my knees and shoulders and probably pop a couple discs out of my spinal cord.
"We call him the next evolution of man. Some of the things he does, it just doesn't make sense."
The scary part? He can get better.
With a straight face, veteran safety Mike Minter suggested earlier this year that Peppers could break the NFL's single-season sack record of 22.5.
Fox says Peppers can become more proficient at other things, because of the way Peppers works.
"He expects it; that's what you want in a player," Fox said. "It's how he practices every day -- he comes to work and brings his lunch pail. I think he has developed his game more each year. He understands the game faster. This game is about playing fast. The more you see it, the faster you get. When you match that with the fact you are fast, that's when you get great players.
"That attitude is the thing that's awesome. When you think you've kind of got it figured out, that's when you get bit. He's still continuing to try to learn. He's become a student of the game. Each opponent brings a new challenge. Each style of offense is a new challenge, and he thrives on it."
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1105560/index.htm
You could argue that Carolina's best big-play threat last season didn't line up at wide receiver or in the backfield. He was on the defensive line, in the form of 6'7", 290-pound end Julius Peppers. That's part commentary on the injuries that bedeviled the Panthers in 2004--they played most of the season without receiver Steve Smith and running backs Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster--but it also tells you something about Peppers's athleticism. Against Tampa Bay he returned an interception 46 yards for a touchdown; against Atlanta he snatched a Michael Vick fumble out of midair with one hand and went 60 yards for a score; and against Denver he returned an interception 97 yards before being dragged down just short of the goal line. No other Carolina player had as many plays of at least 45 yards.
You could write that off as a case of Peppers's being in the right place at the right time; or, more accurately, you could say that Peppers, who also led Carolina in sacks (11) and forced fumbles (four), is redefining the defensive end position.
http://slumz.boxden.com/f16/deep-article-julius-peppers-786596/
Like smoke, Peppers can seemingly be everywhere. Like Batman, he can come swooping in from nowhere.
"It's rare when you have the opportunity to see a player who is ahead of his time," said Howie Long, a Hall of Fame defensive end and Fox Sports NFL analyst. "Lawrence Taylor was ahead of his time. Kellen Winslow was ahead of his time. They gave you a snapshot glimpse of what you could see in the future. Julius Peppers is that way."
http://members.jacksonville.com/spo...3/story/julius-peppers-makes-bears-defense-go
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Peppers alley oop dunk
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Peppers
College Football Awards and honors
College Football Awards and honors
- Sporting News Freshman All-American (1999)
- First-team All-ACC (2000)
- Second-team Associated Press All-American (2000)
- Second-team Football News All-American (2000)
- Division I-A sacks leader (2000)
- First-team All-ACC (2001)
- Consensus first-team All-American (2001)
- Bronko Nagurski Trophy finalist (2001)
- Chuck Bednarik Award (2001)
- Bill Willis Trophy (2001)
- Lombardi Award (2001)
- NFL Rookie of the Month (10/02)
- 2002 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
- Pro Football Weekly All-Rookie Team (2002)
- 2004 NFL Alumni Defensive Lineman of the Year
- 2004 NFC Defensive Player of the Year
- 2013 Brian Piccolo Award
- NFL 2000s All Decade Team
- Pro-Football-Reference All 2000s Team
- 100 Sacks Club
- 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 NFC Pro Bowl
- 2004, 2006, 2010 All-Pro First Team
- 2008, 2009, 2012 All-Pro Second Team
- Five time NFC Defensive Player of the Week (11/13/06, 11/9/08, 11/1/09, 11/18/10,12/23/12)
- Four time NFC Defensive Player of the Month (11/2004, 10/2006, 11/2010, 11/2011)
- Most career sacks: (81)
- Most career forced fumbles: (30)
- Longest Interception return: 97 yards (vs. Denver Broncos 10/10/04)
- Seventeenth most sacks in NFL history: 118.5
- Tied for fifth most double digit sack seasons in NFL history: 8
- Tied for fourth most games with at least three sacks: 9
- Tied for thirteenth most multiple sack games in NFL history: 30
- Tenth most forced fumbles in NFL history: 39
- Second most interceptions by a defensive lineman in NFL history: 9
- Most interception return yards by a defensive lineman in NFL history: 192 yds
- Most interception return yards in a single season by a defensive lineman in NFL history: 143 yds
- Most interception return yards in a single game by a defensive lineman in NFL history: 97 yds
- Longest interception return by a defensive lineman in NFL history: 97 yds
- Most combined interception and fumble return yards by a defensive lineman in a single season since NFL merger in 1970: 203 yds
- Tied for second most interceptions returned for a touchdown by a defensive lineman in NFL history: 2
- Third most passes defensed by a defensive lineman in NFL history: 62
- Second most blocked kicks in NFL history: 13
- Tied for eleventh most Pro Bowl appearances by a defensive lineman in NFL history: 8
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