Peppers vs the Panthers

[batgrafix]

I think we're going to see Peppers have his best game ever in Bank of America Stadium this weekend.

If you read what he said to the media today, he still has some animosity with the Panthers' front office ... right or wrong, he perceives that he's been slighted.

I hope Jimmy Clausen doesn't get hurt. Seriously.

 

[Abusive]

Knowing Julius, he could have 4 sacks, or go 60 minutes without touching the quarterback (see Arizona, 2008 playoffs)

He's a force. We'll see how it plays out.

 

[QC REPRESENT]

Peppers rips Panthers
For most of a 20-minute conference call with Charlotte reporters Wednesday, former Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers took the high road when talking about his time with the Panthers and what it means to play his old team this week with the Chicago Bears.

But near the end of the teleconference, Peppers took a couple of shots that drafted him in the first round in 2002 out of North Carolina.

Peppers said he was disappointed his eight years with the Panthers ended on a sour note.

Asked to elaborate, Peppers said he didn’t appreciate the way his departure was handled. Peppers said he never received a call from team officials to inform him they were not going to re-sign him.

“I don’t have a problem with them saying, ‘OK, the lockout is coming up. The future of the league is uncertain, and we’re going to go in a different direction. We’re going to do away with anybody who was making any significant amount of money, and we’re going to keep young guys.’ That’s a business decision. I can understand that and respect that,” Peppers said.

“The problem that I had was that they tried to turn the tables to make it look like I wanted out, no matter what. And really, I didn’t have the option to stay because it was never offered to stay. So that’s the thing when I say it ended a little sour, I felt like it could have been a little more respectful.

“At least a phone call to say, ‘Hey, it’s been good. We’re going a different direction. We’re going to let you go.’ They couldn’t even give me that. So that’s why I say it was a little sour.”

In an interview last week, Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said the Panthers twice made Peppers offers to make him the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player.

Peppers said those offers came a couple of years ago. He said the Panthers did not negotiate with him this past offseason before he signed a six-year, $91.5 million contract with the Bears.

Carolina placed the “franchise” tag on Peppers in 2009, when he made $16.7 million (plus an additional $1.5 million for making the Pro Bowl) as the league’s highest-paid player last year.

Despite his 81 sacks and five Pro Bowl appearances with the Panthers, Peppers said it bothered that critics claimed he would often take plays off.

“If people look at the numbers and stop making up stuff about how I played, (they’ll) realize I’ve done well and I think I exceeded past expectations when I was brought to that team.”

--Joseph Person

Posted by Observer Sports on October 6, 2010 at 02:09 PM | Permalink

 

[bam-bam]

When I saw the Panthers schedule come out I saw this as a great example for Fox to run it down Pepper's throat and expose Pepper's weak run defense. Then the season started I realized that it was probably the beer I was drinking at the time.

Gross will be good for a minimum of two false starts.

 

[Abusive]

Sorry, Pep.

I don't, at any point, recall the organization attempting to make Julius look like the bad guy. The way I recall things, both sides quietly just drifted apart, and even after he signed with Chicago, Peppers had nothing poor to say (to this degree) about the org.

I call bullshit, because the team--for some of their faults--typically handles these types of affairs with class.

 

[Abusive]

“If people look at the numbers and stop making up stuff about how I played, (they’ll) realize I’ve done well and I think I exceeded past expectations when I was brought to that team.”

2008 was a pure example of the criticism. His two most productive games, in terms of both TACKLES and SACKS, were the back-to-back cupcakes vs. Detroit and Oakland.

I find him more remarkable when it comes to his sideline containment speed, and his ability to block kicks. And he doesn't take plays off, but when it came down to playing at a high level when the stakes were at their highest, he never earned his money.

He's a force, and he's going to do good things for Chicago. And I think it's great that he found a home. Just like Moose, and others, we'll see you back in a few years.

 

[law1ng2b2]

Sorry, Pep.

I don't, at any point, recall the organization attempting to make Julius look like the bad guy. The way I recall things, both sides quietly just drifted apart, and even after he signed with Chicago, Peppers had nothing poor to say (to this degree) about the org.

I call bullshit, because the team--for some of their faults--typically handles these types of affairs with class.

They didn't. Pep (actually, his agent) tried to use the media as a negotiating tool. He never granted interviews and talked very little until we franchised him. Then he and his dumb as agent start chirping and doing radio and newspaper interviews. Fans that are able to read between the lines know his motivation. But most fans read it and turn it on the team. The Panthers were always very up front about not making negotiations public and they never did. They offered to make him the highest paid player in the game not one, but twice. Neither time did he or his agent get back to the team with a counter-offer. You can't have it both ways.

Of course, that backfired when the team didn't give him what he wanted. When it was in his best interests to have the Panthers get into a bidding war, he said he was more than willing to come back.

he wanted out. He's out. He plays for 'them' now. All he has done since he left was take shots at the team, the city, and the fans. So take your big ass check and go fuck yourself.

Two things about Julius Peppers that stand out to me.

1. He said that he got more of a thrill out of playing in the Final Four than the Super Bowl.

2. After making a spectacular athletic play in practice, some of the guys were talking about it. He says "imagine if i REALLY tried'

 

[stratocatter]

Though I cringe at the thought of what he'll probably do Sunday, I don't miss him.

I wish they'd have sent him off the last year of his deal, got something for him and done a decent job at replacing him. But they did neither.

 

[y2b]

fuck peppers and his whiney little bitch attitude... he's a good player, but he's not the best DE in the game even though he was offered to be the highest paid

 

[Abusive]

Shit happens. He gave us 8 fucking years. That's two rounds of high school--well--except for Thelt.