Peppers makes a clear statement

Well, at the bottom of all of this is Peppers. I do not want to see him go. I do think that he has the most potential of our entire defense.

My only point of contention with him is his demeanor. He is probably the most athletic player in the NFL. He does not, however, have the temperament to be an elite defensive end. At the end of the day, he is not mean. He doesn't have a chip on his shoulder.

His athleticism has carried him further than 99.9% of most other NFL players; until he wants to rip the head off of the player in front of him, on every down, he will remain pure potential, with the occasional 'damn, did you see that?" play.

 

Don't disagree at all that points allowed says more, but for the record I was clear that I was talking about total defense ranking in which we were 18th per ESPN Stats. However, I will take the sucker bet and go with points allowed just for fun. If we finish better than 12th in points allowed (assuming peppers is gone) then you start a thread about how you believe Dan Morgan belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a Middle Linebacker. If you are correct, well, not much I can do since I don't post that much, buy hey, it will be just another notch to support your comments above.....how about a little light hearted bet?

 

I see Peppers in a Cowboys jersey next year. I'm sure they would like him in there system. He will keep showing up randomly and making plays here and there. They will keep sucking and not winning playoff games.

 

More talk I don't agree with everything, but Casserly doesn't mince words.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/gameday/story/480418.html

 

I'd go as far as to say he could stand up and play some on third downs, and I wouldn't be against that, but if I was buying Peppers and building something around him, no, the 3-4 wouldn't be it and I wouldn't be moving him around like he's a John Abraham. The fact is, a good, big end like Peppers should have to play the run, too. A guy like him can sit at one end spot and produce copious amounts of sacks. Sure, he got a couple sacks from DT, and that's something that can be done, but he can sit at one end spot and wreck people all game, double teams or not.

 

It looks like Pep ain't the only one leaving (as well as McCoy):

Monday, Jan. 19, 2009
Panthers brace for more departures
By Darin Gantt - The Herald

CHARLOTTE -- As stunning as the news of defensive end Julius Peppers forcing his way out of Charlotte was, he's apparently not the only one on the way out.

According to multiple team and league sources, the Panthers have made little move to retain their coaching staff, and significant changes could be coming soon.

The first domino to fall is apparently quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Mike McCoy, who is reportedly taking a job in Denver. However, many more of his colleagues are looking around, after the team failed to fill them with security for the future.

In past years, the Panthers have moved quickly to keep their own. Last offseason, they denied Cincinnati permission to interview secondary coach Tim Lewis for a coordinator job. But this year, they've apparently told all of their assistants they could look elsewhere. Lewis' name was immediately linked to the defensive coordinator opening in Green Bay (along with former Panthers head coach Dom Capers).

Multiple sources told The Herald the team has offered nothing more than one-year extensions to all current deals, which expire this offseason.

General manager Marty Hurney didn't return calls seeking comment, and a team spokesman said Saturday they wouldn't comment on McCoy's reported departure until the Broncos announced his hiring.

Aside from the lack of security they're offering, there's a chance some firings could be afoot after a disastrous late-season defensive collapse.

The name that has garnered the most attention -- at least from an angry fanbase -- is defensive coordinator Mike Trgovac.

His job has been under scrutiny the last two years. The Herald reported in 2007 that coach John Fox had effectively taken over Trgovac's defense meetings early in the season (specifically after a Week 4 loss to Tampa Bay), though Fox denied at the time he was undercutting Trgovac's authority.

"No. Mike knows. He's the defensive coordinator," Fox said then. "He calls them on game day."

Several members of the organization (both players and from outside the locker room) confirmed that Fox did a similar thing this year, though it was closer to midseason when he began to exert his influence again.

Considering the defense's second-half collapse (against some of the league's top offenses), Trgovac's future has to be far from secure.

If Lewis is looking around, he might not be the coordinator-in-waiting many thought he was when he came to Charlotte two seasons ago.

It's also worth monitoring what happens in Kansas City with coach Herm Edwards. He and Fox were college teammates at San Diego State, and if Edwards is fired by new Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, he could find a soft landing spot in Charlotte while he waits for another head coaching opportunity.


<<I know this has kinda been touched on in other threads/posts.>>

 

I don't believe the team picked Lewis up to be a future coordinator. Either you're happy enough with your current guy or not.

I think it's pretty traditional for the team and most teams to extend contracts in coaching one year out other than the head coach and some coordinators. You do still have to honor those contracts if you fire guys.

Certainly Edwards would be an upgrade over Lewis, and he'd be a guy who you could make a coordinator. He won't appease the people who expect a super-blitzing, power balls out super awesome defense that no one in the league actually seems to run, but I think that's a criticism i've heard for years across two different coaches and philosophies, and may always as long as we have any defensive failings. Edwards is a good coach, though, has similar philosophies, and other than the expectation he could eventually leave for greener pastures, there aren't a lot of downsides if we decided to make that move.

 

No every-down defensive end had more sacks than Peppers in 2008. DeMarcus Ware, Joey Porter, and James Harrison are all 3-4 OLBs, while John Abraham only played in passing situations. I'd say that Peppers was the best defensive end in the NFL this season. And while 2007 was frustrating, I don't think many Colts fans were giving Dwight Freeney this much shit when he had 3.5 sacks in '07 (over nine games) or 5.5 in '06, yet Freeney doesn't even help against the run.

Casserly will understandably always side with a front office and not the player, but many of us have complained in this forum about how Peppers was used.


Sackem90:
That lends credence to the idea that wholesale changes could be in store following the 2009 season, but honestly, one year deals are the norm for most coaches anyway.

 

How do we not have the talent for a 3-4? Didn't Kemo come from the ravens & when he left they hated losing him? Davis is a Hard hitter and him and Pep blitzing I would think would be a great duo.

 

Ray Lewis challenged the Ravens to upgrade from Kemo, if I remember correctly.