Peppers makes a clear statement

Kemo left becuase Lewis demanded a better DT. That's when they drafted Ngata

 

You could look at it as if he was siding, I didn't think of it like that. Not that he's not, but I was more thinking of it like this is the same guy who took all kinds of shit for passing up Bush in favor of a DL; he knew what he was talking about then. It made me feel better to hear someone with cred, and from outside the organization, dispute some of the propaganda that has been coming from Carey.

And yep, I have been right there griping about how Pep has been used, bitching at Trogo (bitch when CJ or Brayton is 10-15 yards downfield too, I hate that shit). I wish Trogo had never been taken off the DL.

 

Lewis?

Kemo was a free agent. That's why he left, regardless of the motivations behind each.




We don't have the talent for the 3-4 because a one-gap 4-3 and a two-gap 3-4 have completely different parts.

 

Before we signed him, before they didn't resign him, Ray Lewis publically said he wanted the Ravens to get a big DT that could keep people off of him and complained he hadn't had that recently. That was my first observation when we signed Kemo.

That's not an endorsement of Kemo.

 

Sorry if any of the following has already been posted...

1. Isn't the mandatory trade value of a franchised player two #1's? If so, I don't see us getting that from anyone he'd be willing to sign with.

2. From Sirius NFL Radio yesterday:

Randy Cross: "I scouted him for about half a dozen games we did on CBS in 2008. He was good for about 5 great plays per game. The rest of the time, he was unremarkable."

Pat Kirwan: (on the email to ESPN) "It's not good. It's Busch league."

(on the money) "Carolina will franchise him. But they're $12M under the cap for '09, and franchising Peppers will cost them $17M. But whether they franchise him or not, Julius Peppers will be the first player in NFL history to make over $1M per game."

 

I don't think I could make it anymore clear. I HATE CAROLINA FUCK YOU GUY'S I'M GONE TO DENVER. PEPPERS GET BALL.

 

That looks better on paper, but even if he was willing to re-sign with us (which he's not), I'm a firm believer that the key to making a 3-4 work is the NT. Kemo isn't good enough, which is why he's no longer in Baltimore. And those guys don't grow on trees. You'll find a good one maybe a few times a decade. Jamal Williams in San Diego. Casey Hampton in Pittsburgh. I think Haloti Ngata in Baltimore. Vince Wilfork in New England. Those are the guys right now. Period.

Maybes -- Shaun Rogers in Cleveland, Jenx with the Jets.

The other teams running 3-4's without that freak of nature they need in the middle -- Dallas, San Francisco, Miami. Dallas has got Tank Johnson, but is getting away with it because of Demarcus Ware, mostly, along with the play of Marcus Spears and Chris Canty. Miami's defense looks better than it is because of the excellent running game. San Francisco's 3-4 has never worked, and I'd be shocked if they didn't go to a 4-3 or even a 4-3/46 hybrid in '09.

My point is, we don't have that guy in house, and there's no one out there (besides Haynesworth, and I don't know if he could do it) we can get. Without the stud NT, the 3-4 doesn't work IMHO. It's probably easier to find a franchise QB.

Of course, y'all who are more knowledgeable about the 3-4 (or football in general), please feel free to correct where needed.

 

PEPPERS GET BALL?

 

Jamal Lewis is a running back for the browns.