A Question about Peppers and Rucker

When Peppers was a rookie, the Panthers switched Rucker and Peppers throughout the game from left side to right side so teams had to adjust and couldn't set their double teams for just Peppers or just Rucker. Since that first year, we've left those two on their same side and not switched during a game. Has anyone else noticed that, and do you think that might make a difference on our pass rush. If the Saints drafted a guy to play on the right side of the line to stop Peppers, then if we switched him, what's their answer on the other side. It's funny to me that since his rookie year, we stopped doing this and we stopped getting the pressure that we did that year.

 

I don't think you're remembering things correctly. Peppers has always been a left end and Rucker has always been a right end.

 

teams put their best pass blocker at LT, so it's not as if Peppers is going to face a slug if he goes to the right.

Right now, it's simple. Rucker, for whatever reason, isn't kicking ass like he did in 01-03. Jenkins is out of the game, so there's nobody out there with the size/speed abilities that he has, in closing the pocket. So you put everybody on Peppers.

Moving him around keeps teams from consistently throwing all their blockers at him, but otherwise isn't a big difference.

 

peppers has lined up a right end. don't remember ruck lining up at left but could be. was thinking that pep has lined up at right a few times since 2002. i don't think he ever has lined up there much and i don't think it a significant reason we don't get after the passer like we did.

sacks by year

2002 52
2003 40
2004 34
2005 on a pace to record 16

maybe that's why some have the impression we don't play with the same passion/fire as we did when Del Rio was here ... despite all the helmet slapping and butt patting after making a play in a game in 2005 where we can't seem to make a stop on 3rd down

 

Collin, I wasn't mistaken. I know Pep has always been a left end and Ruck always a right. But in Peppers rookie year they did move him around during the game to keep the offenses from doubling him every play. They didn't do it often, but they did do it a few times to free him up from being doubled and tripled all the time. I was just pointing out that they don't do that as much as they use to. One play in particular Sunday, Peppers rushed in the first qtr. and he was being blocked by the right tackle, then hit by the rb, afterwhich he spun inside only to be hit by the right guard. He still got pressure on Brooks, but it's hard to face that much attention every pass play and be successful. With Jenkins out, we have to find a way to get some other pressure to free Peppers up.

 

They used to move Pep around some, not a lot, but some. I think our D is just way too predictable now. We need a leader out there that can talk the talk and walk the walk, and just don't have one.

Peppers is our best player on D, but isn't vocal like most team leaders are.

 

Only on a handful of plays, at most, which is why I think you're remembering things incorrectly. Every single one of Peppers' sacks as a rookie came when playing left end. I'm sure of that much, because I had a list of all the right tackles he beat. Regardless, moving Peppers around isn't the solution. Getting him to play with better leverage and better technique is what he needs to be effective. They're going to double-team him no matter where he lines up.

 

He lined up on the right a couple times Sunday.

 

Would be cool a few time to bring in Al Wallace at left end and put Pep at right end in the rotation. Or even put Pep on the end of Rucker in a five man front. I've always wondered what he could do coming from the blind side.

The switching though could really confuse the blocking schemes.

 

You guys must think that offensive linemen are morons. They look in front of them, they see where guys are lined up and what number they are, and they adjust their protection. It's not at all difficult and wouldn't confuse the offense for more than 2 seconds. The absolute only thing it would do is to change the match-ups, and as magnus said, the better tackle tends to be on the left side anyway.