Tag: Julius Peppers

McCarthy confirms hope for Julius Peppers progress in Cowboys DeMarcus Lawrence

Mike McCarthy compared Demarcus Lawrence to a Julius Peppers when it comes to switching positions and seeing more of the field.

The Cowboys are putting on the pads Monday for the first time in this foreign training camp experience. With the club practicing early in the day, the press conferences are early as well. New head coach Mike McCarthy answered questions ahead of the morning practice and addressed a variety of topics concerning the 2020 new look Dallas Cowboys.

One thing that stood out was his comparison of defensive end Demarcus Lawrence to one of his former player’s from his time in Green Bay, Julius Peppers. Ft. Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill Jr. prompted the detailed response as transcribed by David Helman of DallasCowboys.com.

With the Cowboys having more of a hybrid look to their defense, using pre-snap disguises and switching between 30 and 40 fronts, Lawrence has a chance to use his entire skill set standing up and playing more of an outside linebacker role.

Lawrence playing in a two-point stance on first and second downs will give him the ability to improve his vision and when it calls for it can return to putting his hand in the dirt for an explosive pass rush, according to McCarthy.

Peppers played the first 12 seasons as a defensive end. It wasn’t until he joined McCarthy on the Packers where he made the transition to outside linebacker. In his first year in this position, Pepper’s versatility enabled him to record two interceptions and took both of them back for touchdowns.

With the addition of Aldon Smith, Everson Griffen and a beefed up defensive interior, expect Lawrence to convert into more of a hybrid role. McCarthy said that with all the experience Lawrence has, a move like this can really tap into his potential.

Former Cowboy Demarcus Ware went the opposite way in his time in Dallas.

Ware started with the Cowboys listed as the right outside linebacker but in 2013 and 2014 put his hand in the dirt. With his versatility, he wound up having a Hall of Fame caliber career. Lawrence entering his seventh year with the team has a chance to make the switch under a new coaching regime to make an even bigger impact for the Cowboys.

McCarthy’s full statement:

 

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Julius Peppers says he would not show up for training camp if he were still playing

One Panthers legend says he wouldn’t show up if he were still active.

These days, pro football players know what they’re getting into. When they sign up, they understand there’s a chance they’ll suffer a serious injury at some point, possibly even developing CTE which could affect their quality of life long after they have retired.

COVID-19 is another story, though. This week sports are finally returning in the U.S., with the baseball season set to begin, the NBA resuming and NFL players reporting to training camp. Athletes are undertaking an unusual risk this year. Even if they’re young and healthy and unlikely to have a bad outcome, there’s always the chance they can pass the virus to a friend or family member.

It would be understandable if some players decide to sit out this season. One Panthers legend says he wouldn’t show up if he were still active. Here’s what Julius Peppers had to say on Twitter.

Peppers was one of the toughest competitors we have ever seen in the sport, so this is no snowflake we’re talking about here.

The league has been negotiating with the NFLPA about opt-outs for players for this season. They need to give written notice by August 1. As of yet, nobody has said they’re sitting out.

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Panthers taking heat for excluding Cam Newton from Twitter poll

This was always going to be a weird transition into a new era, but pretending that Newton doesn’t exist isn’t going to help.

Any divorce between a franchise quarterback and his team is bound to be awkward. The way the Carolina Panthers have handled the release of Cam Newton has only made things worse, though.

Yesterday, the team shared a poll on Twitter asking fans to pick their “goat” in franchise history. The three options they provided were Julius Peppers, Steve Smith and Luke Kuechly.

All three were outstanding players and deserve to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

However, the decision to exclude the only league MVP in franchise history was baffling, even if he was cut a few months ago. Countless fans on social media have been letting them know how they feel about it.

ESPN summed up some of those feelings on Get Up today.

This was always going to be a weird transition into a new era, but pretending that Newton doesn’t exist isn’t going to help.

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4 ideas for the Panthers to replace the Jerry Richardson statue

Here are four ideas to take the place of Richardson’s likeness in front of the stadium.

Jerry Richardson has joined the ranks of Christopher Columbus, Edward Colston and Williams Carter Wickham. On Wednesday, the Carolina Panthers removed the statue of their former owner in front of their home at Bank of America Stadium.

Though the tremendously gaudy piece never should have been erected in the first place, kudos on the team for making the right decision to correct that mistake. That elephant-sized statue in the room, dedicated to a man accused of multiple instances of sexual and racial misconduct, was a sore spot for many fans anyway.

So, what happens next? While the Panthers have not disclosed whether or not the statue will return (it won’t), let’s conjure up some possibilities to replace it.

Here are four ideas to take the place of Richardson’s likeness in front of the stadium.

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Julius Peppers on Drew Brees’ protest comments: ‘Call a time out’

Speaking in an interview with Yahoo Finance, Brees said he’ll never agree with anybody “disrespecting the flag.”

Drew Brees’ timing is one of the reasons he’s going to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame some day. That timing was decidedly off a beat today when the Saints quarterback decided to share his thoughts on NFL players who kneel during the national anthem to protest extrajudicial police violence.

Speaking in an interview with Yahoo Finance, Brees said he’ll never agree with anybody “disrespecting the flag.”

Brees is of course entitled to his opinion. Other people are also entitled to strongly disagree – especially those who have had a much different experience of American history than Brees and his family has.

Even some of his own teammates have taken issue with what Brees said. New Orleans star wide receiver Michael Thomas in particular has been vocal. He’s put in a vintage performance on Twitter (in this case justifiable) regarding Brees’ words. Here’s just a sample.

Former Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers also called out Brees, saying he’s not ready for these kinds of conversations.

Peppers is certainly not the most outspoken player in franchise history. When he does speak up it’s worth listening, though.

Some people are going to disagree but Eric Reid, Colin Kaepernick and everyone else who has engaged in this particular form of protest have made it abundantly clear that they mean no disrespect to the flag, the military or the nation. It was always intended to be a peaceful method of voicing their opposition to black Americans being killed by the police. That’s it.

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Redskins’ addition of DC Jack Del Rio and Chase Young is perfect synergy

Washington added the best player in the 2020 NFL Draft, as well as arguably the best coach they could get to oversee his formative NFL years.

Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has had the pleasure of coaching future Hall-of-Fame players like Julius Peppers, Von Miller, and Khalil Mack in his career, so when he raves about the skills that the newest Redskin Chase Young has, you know he means it.

After taking the DC job in D.C., Del Rio knew that he would be inheriting a defensive front-seven that is extremely talented, fit with a defensive line that is littered with first-round draft picks. Now that the 2020 NFL Draft has come and gone, Del Rio is able to count his blessings once again, knowing that he gets to mold Young’s NFL career as well.

“The best toolbox I’ve ever seen coming out of the draft,” Del Rio said, via Redskins.com. “I haven’t seen a guy come out with that many tools. I’ve seen talented players come out, but not with a complete toolbox like he has.”

It’s also comforting for Redskins fans to see the synergy in this pick. While it would have been nice to draft a player of Young’s magnitude any year, the fact that he came to Washington in 2020, when the franchise is in the pivotal stages of a rebuild, is special. With a chance to start fresh, with Bruce Allen and the old regime gone, the Redskins added the best player in the draft, and they arguably have the best coach to oversee his early years. Not only has Del Rio coached great players, but he’s been able to oversee their early years in the NFL, and help them to reach new heights. He was part of the coaching staff who drafted Peppers in Carolina, and he took over in Denver when Miller was in his second season, as he did with Mack in Oakland. All three players had some of their highest single-season sack totals with Del Rio as either their defensive coordinator or head coach.

So will Young be a star in the league, like the rest of those players Del Rio has coached? Well, we can’t say for sure. But we know that he has every tool necessary to succeed.

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Redskins’ Thomas Davis Sr. says Chase Young reminds him of Julius Peppers

Davis played for several years alongside Peppers in Carolina, and he seems a lot of the same tendencies and skills in Chase Young.

Many members of the Washington Redskins were extremely excited when they saw that their team drafted Chase Young with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on Thursday night. They know that his presence on the field will have an instant impact, making their jobs quite a bit easier.

Veteran linebacker Thomas Davis Sr., who is one of the newer additions to the team after coming over in free agency, says that Young reminds him a lot of an old player he used to play with in Carolina with the Panthers — it’s about as solid of a comparison as you can give to a rookie edge-rusher.

“You know, the size, physical stature, relentless effort, motor, dominating the man across from him,” Davis said to NBC Sports Washington on Thursday night. “I would say that sounds a lot like what Julius Peppers was able to do early on in his career, and throughout his whole career.”

So did the Redskins really just draft the next Julius Peppers? It sounds like a great result if they did. In his 17-year career, Peppers made it to nine Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro three times with 159.5 career sacks. Davis was along for the ride in Carolina with Peppers from 2005-09, so he will have a good feel for the bar Young is trying to reach once they can get some snaps on the field together.

“Just getting to know him over time, you can just kind of see even Julius had to have some growth, he had to have that maturity level phase that had to take place,” Davis continued. “And I know that’s something Chase is going to have to go through.”

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Watch: Julius Peppers narrates Panthers’ inspirational video for Carolinas

Julius Peppers is one of the greatest athletes to ever come out of the Carolinas.

Julius Peppers is one of the greatest athletes to ever come out of the Carolinas. He also has a tremendous amount of character and always carried himself the right way during his time with the Panthers, Bears and Packers. It’s only appropriate that he should be the soft-spoken voice of inspiration during a time like this admist so much suffering and uncertainty.

This morning, the team shared a video on social media about the region coming back once this pandemic is over with Peppers narrating.

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4 Bears named to NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team

The Bears were well-represented in the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team, including current players Khalil Mack and Cordarrelle Patterson.

The Chicago Bears were well-represented in the Pro Football Hall of Fame 2010s All-Decade Team that was released on Monday. Outside linebacker Khalil Mack and kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson were among the 53 players selected by the Hall of Fame selection committee. Former Bears return specialist Devin Hester and defensive end Julius Peppers were also selected.

Mack, drafted by the Oakland Raiders with the fifth overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, has been a dynamic player for six seasons. He has 61.5 career sacks with four-straight season of double-digit sacks from 2015-19. He was traded to the Bears in 2018 for a pair of first-round draft picks and more in a blockbuster deal.

Patterson, meanwhile, has bounced around the league since he was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings late in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft, but has consistently performed at a high level on special teams.

After spending four years as a Viking, Patterson went to the Raiders and then the New England Patriots before signing with the Bears in 2019. Patterson is the NFL’s active leader in kickoff return touchdowns with seven and is one shy of tying the league record held by Joshua Cribbs and Leon Washington.

Hester, drafted by the Bears in 2006 and Peppers, who signed as a free agent from the Carolina Panthers in 2010, were with the team until 2013. Hester also spent time with the Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks before calling it a career in 2017.

Since 2010, Hester has totaled eight kickoff and punt return touchdowns. Peppers went on to play for the Green Bay Packers from 2014-16 and returned to the Panthers in 2017-18 before retiring.

Both Peppers and Hester join Tom Brady as the only players to make both the 2000 and 2010 All-Decade Team, according to The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain.

While Hester and Peppers have both called it a career, Mack and Patterson show no signs of slowing down. Heading into 2020, could they both continue to play at a high level and be considered for the 2020s All Decade Team? Only time will tell.

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2 former Panthers players make NFL’s All-Decade Team

Two former Carolina Panthers players have been named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2010s.

Two former Carolina Panthers players have been named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2010s.

Defensive end Julius Peppers spent most of the decade playing for the Bears and the Packers, but he returned to Carolina to finish his career. Peppers announced his retirement in February of 2019.

Middle linebacker Luke Kuechly was a first-round pick by the Panthers in 2012. He and Bobby Wagner will go down together as the best off-ball linebackers of their generation. In a shocking development, Kuechly announced his retirement in January.

Between the two of them, they totaled 16 Pro Bowls, eight All-Pros and two defensive Rookie of the Year awards. Both should be locks to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame when they are eligible.

Here is the complete list for the all-decade team, per NFL.com.

Offense

QB Tom Brady
QB Aaron Rodgers
RB Frank Gore
RB Marshawn Lynch
RB LeSean McCoy
RB Adrian Peterson
WR Antonio Brown
WR Larry Fitzgerald
WR Calvin Johnson
WR Julio Jones
FLEX Darren Sproles
TE Rob Gronkowski
TE Travis Kelce
OT Jason Peters
OT Tyron Smith
OT Joe Staley
OT Joe Thomas
OG Jahri Evans
OG Logan Mankins
OG Zack Martin
OG Marshal Yanda
C Alex Mack
C Maurkice Pouncey

Defense

DE Calais Campbell
DE Cameron Jordan
DE Julius Peppers
DE J.J. Watt
DT Geno Atkins
DT Fletcher Cox
DT Aaron Donald
DT Ndamukong Suh
LB Chandler Jones
LB Luke Kuechly
LB Khalil Mack
LB Von Miller*
LB Bobby Wagner
LB Patrick Willis
CB Patrick Peterson
CB Darrelle Revis
CB Richard Sherman
S Eric Berry
S Earl Thomas
S Eric Weddle
DB Chris Harris Jr.
DB Tyrann Mathieu

Specialists

P Johnny Hekker
P Shane Lechler
K Stephen Gostkowski
K Justin Tucker
PR Tyreek Hill
PR Darren Sproles
KR Devin Hester
KR Cordarrelle Patterson

Coaches

Bill Belichick
Pete Carroll

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