Julius Peppers is making a minimal impact for the Green Bay Packers this season. That seems like a statement that isn’t debatable.
Unless you ask Julius Peppers.
Peppers insists he’s still the same player he’s always been.
“I don’t know what the perception is,” Peppers said. “I’m the same player that I’ve been.”
Of course, that isn’t true.
Peppers has largely been a part-time player for the Packers this season at 36 years old. His snap counts have been over 40 in just two games this season. They’ve typically been around 30 and have twice been under 20, including 19 last week.
When Peppers has been asked to play a major role, such as in week 8 and 9, when Clay Matthews was out, he has been a non-factor.
Peppers has just eight tackles and 3.5 sacks on the season. For the number of snaps, the sack total is decent. The tackles aren’t.
In fact, opposing offenses typically run right at Peppers when he’s on the field on running downs. And they should. At this point in his career, Peppers is a total liability against the run.
Frankly, the Packers shouldn’t even have him on the field in those situations.
Peppers is a proud guy, of course. He thinks this is still a work in progress.
“We still are trying to figure it out, in my opinion — how much to play, how much not to play, when to play and those type of things,” Peppers said. “Hopefully soon here, we’ll get it mapped out, and we’ll have it set to how we’re going to move forward.”
That’s actually fairly laughable.
We know how much and when Peppers should play — only on obvious passing downs, much like Dwight Freeney has been used late in his career. He’s really only played more than that out of necessity and it hasn’t worked.
The Packers need to use Clay Matthews, Nick Perry, Datone Jones and even Jayrone Elliott on potential running downs.
Peppers is merely a situational player at this point. He was a great player once — he’s likely a Hall of Famer — but those days are gone.
14 Comments
Julius Peppers is dead to his PED supplier.
That’s ok, Everson Griffen took over his supply. Now he’s double dosing with his supply from his own dealer.
But nobody gives a shit as the queens are presently enjoying the 2nd worst losing slide in the entire NFL.
Reality is a MOFO.
5-0!!!! <— Bwhahahahahaahahaha
Love it when you write off a player, only a matter of time now until Julius makes you look silly.
Haven’t read much about Davante Adams here lately.
:) :)
No one would have a problem with Peppers having a monster game. But the truth of the matter is, so far he’s a non factor. When i watch Peppers trying to hold the edge against the run, it looks like he’s 45 years old. Sorry, but it is what it is.
Adams play has nothing at all to do with Julius Peppers. But if you want to bring it up, i’m pretty sure Adams has earned his pay so far. Has Peppers?
Q. How many Packer defenders would start on the Vikings defense?
A. None.
Seriously, try to make an argument for anyone. Granted, the Vikes have an incredible defense but most other Ds could place 2 to 4 players but not the Packers.
Our back up to the back up MLB is better than the starting Packer ILBs. You could try to argue that Clay Matthews would start over Chad Greenway at WLB on run downs but Matthews is often injured, Greenway is not, Matthews is possibly shrinking like the wicked witch from lack of PEDs whereas Greenway is not and Matthews costs an extra 10 million a year above Greenway’s contract.
The Vikes back up cornerbacks (Trae Waynes, Captain Munnerlyn) are better than the Packer starters.
Harrison Smith is better than both Packer safeties combined. Andrew Sendejo is better than either one in a one on one.
Linval Joseph or Letroy Guion? Don’t make me laugh.
I think Mike Daniels would beat out Sharrif Floyd at under tackle, not based on talent, but on availability. Floyd is hurt too often. For instance, all year this year. So, OK, 1 of the 11 would start for Minnesota — but some of your starters would not even be second string!
In a 4-3 at DE Everson Griffen and Brian Robison clearly win over Lowry/Pennel and Peppers. In a 3-4 Griffen and Robison would do just great moved to OLB and would easily move Matthews and Perry to the bench. I guess you could try to argue in a 3-4 Perry and Robison could be a dead heat.
So, where do you stand?
1. This is because of poor talent acquisition by TT.
2. The Packers defensive coaches are poor at developing talent.
3. Wisconsin water quality is very poor in comparison to Minnesota’s. (Just to be clear: I’m not saying it is but perhaps you will say that.)
4. TT and the defensive coaches are all good but Rick Spielman and the Vikings coaches are just soooooo much even better than them……
You’ll have to excuse me for being too uninterested to read all that….Holy shit.
But listen killer….What main viking blog do you comment in, and what is your username there?
That is a secret Mont-, err, I mean, Piffle.
I noticed you did not answer the question. Which would you select? 1, 2, 3, or 4?
PS Do you want me to set up an e-mail account for conversation between us the whole world cannot see?
How many times do i have to tell you, i don’t read your post, other than the first and last sentence.
Pay attention.
The larger question you missed in the debate you posed.
Who gives a flying fuck about anything relative to the misfits from Minneshithole?
As soon as I see the poster name killer I scroll, quit a bit mostly, beyond that post and comments on it.
I glance at the replies to see if there is anything other than derp. Nothing good yet. Same for Dave the Lions Fan. If just coming in to be constant smug, arrogant assholes, it shows what they lack as human beings. Their schlock is neither funny or cute, only sad and pathetic.
The lack of production is disturbing, but he makes up for it by having a huge cap number.
Brett Favre in one of his speeches during the HOF celebration period said that it was Ron Wolff who was responsible for turning the Packers around. That means without him, no nothing zip. We’d still be in the post Lombardi, i.e. Phill Bengston, Dan Devine, blah blah pathetic era. It would be like the Cleveland Browns situation. So, someone has got to bring in the next Ron Wolff. Whoever makes that call needs to stop analyzing too much and just look at the fact that since 2010 the Packers really haven’t accomplished much. Winning a weak division is part of not much. If they don’t get decisive the momentum of a losing culture is going to make it that much more difficult to get things on the up swing.
Good post Ken. the problem is, soon Mathews will be gone, Peppers gone, Shields may already gone. Same with Lacy. Rodgers may be here for a few more years. But i believe, sometime in the next 1-2 years, we’ll have a new GM, coaches, maybe a President, and this team will look nothing like it does now. My hope is Rodgers has enough around him to get to one more Super Bowl before he’s gone
The trick in the future is going to be, finding another QB to replace Rodgers. I don’t think any team has ever had 3 franchise QB’s in a row. Most teams find it hard to find even one.
In the future, if we don’t have the right QB. Packer fans with pride, will be telling their kids and grandkids about the good old days when Favre and Rodgers were our QB’s.
So the moral of the story is……Packer fans can hate on Rodgers all they want if it makes them feel good. But their will come a day soon when they’ll be begging to have another Favre or Rodgers at QB for the Packers.