I've said quite a few times that I don't have interest in the Eagles going after Julius. He's an incredibly gifted athlete, but is also a bit of a weird cat. He's quiet off the field. Some have said anti-social, almost. He wants out of Carolina for various reasons, but one is that he's tired of the "spotlight" of Charlotte.
That phrase may sound funny, but it does apply to him. Julius is from the area. He was a star at UNC. Steve Smith is the national star. Jake Delhomme is in more local TV commercials. Still, Julius might be under more scrutiny than anyone. He was brought in to be Superman. That has happened from time to time, but not the way it was hoped. Peppers was supposed to be their Reggie White. That level of greatness hasn't materialized.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/stats?playerId=3530
The Eagles keep getting mentioned as a possible landing spot for Julius. I've been very dismissive of this notion, but I started wondering...am I being close-minded?
Peppers is the kind of rare athlete the Eagles love to go after when they can. We know they love DL. Victor Abiamiri is a promising LDE, but Peppers is the better player right now. The Panthers might take pick 28 (their own pick we got last year) in return for JP.
There are questions. He's talked about wanting to play in a 3-4. We can't give him that. He moved to RDE last year. We have Trent Cole and he's not moving. Julius would have to come here as the LDE. We could use him as the Joker and that might appeal to him. We do have a creative defensive coaching staff.
Should the Eagles be interested? Are you guys interested in him?
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16 comments:
I was definitely a proponent of adding Julius before the offseason began, when it was thought he might be a FA.
He's a difference maker. A guy that opposing coordinators have to account for. He plays a premium position, and other than 2008, has played his entire pro career at LE.
JP is on the wrong side of 30, and he is an overachiever to begin with. Victor is an unknown at this point. We have no idea if he is going to be a very good player for us. The NFL is littered with guys who don't fulfill their potential. Peppers was, and is, a terrific player. And another thing, Victor is what, 22? We can still invest now in a long term deal for Abi, and make sure that we have him waiting in the wings should Peppers bust/get injured, whatever. Worst case, Abi moves to DT full time.
I'd be happy if the Eagles brought in Julius, depending on cost. 28 is a pick I'm willing to part with, but that doesn't mean he can't be had for something different. How about #53 and a conditional pick in 2010? A 2nd if Peppers makes All-Pro, 3rd if he has 10+ sacks, etc. Or, could Abiamiri be trade bait? Victor and a pick? I hate to give up on him, because I think he's got very good potential, but the whole "give up something to get something" rationale always applies. Would Carolina be interested in VA? Reggie Brown?
So, I guess my short answer is, yes, I would be interested.
Why did he have only 2.5 sacks in 2007? That scares me. 2.5 sacks???? I would rather not take that risk. 2.5 sacks is dismal and it is going to cost a first rounder, lots of money, and any chance of finding out if Abiriamiri is a player. Plus Peppers is one year removed from 30. Nah. I don think the Eagles will do it either. I think they will give up a 3rd and Reggie Brown for Ochocinco though.
I think the Eagles should bring in Matt Jones and draft a WR high and let that be how they handle that position. Strike my ocho cinco comment. He is 31 and is going to want a crap load of money. Jones is young and has potential. Plus he isn't going to cost us any picks. I think he would be better than Baskett.
no thanks. i'd rather use that first round pick on one of the offensive skill positions of need (RB, WR, TE). we're solid at DE as is, with potential to boot. factor in the contract he'll demand...not worth it, imo.
I think that it would depend on a few things. First it will depend on how comfortable the Eagles are with Abiamiri and Bryan Smith. If the Eagles feel good about their development then I think that we would have a pretty good situation at DE and wouldn't really need Peppers. Not only would we have talented players, but young players. Now I know that Peppers is a unique talent, but I don't know if he would worth what he would have to spend to get him. I guess I would be ok with the deal that mcud said, 53rd + a 2010 conditional, but I wouldn't be thrilled. This team as some spots that need to be filled more than DE (assuming that Abiamiri and Smith can play at a high level).
Without Peppers our DL will look something like this:
Cole, Howard, Smith
Bunkley, Laws
Patterson
Abiamiri, Clemons
Throw in another DT (possibly Klecko) and I would be happy with this group. I think that this group could help us win a championship.
Yes, Peppers would make us a better team. However, we have a pretty good situation with our DL (assuming players are developing like we hope they are)right now and I don't know if it would be worth the cost to bring him in. Then again, you can never have enough pass rushers and like Tommy said, Jim Johnson is one of the most creative D Coordinators and could use Peppers in a variety of ways.
So, as of right now, I would say no, but if they did add him I wouldn't be too upset.
I cant remember what year it was that we were playing the Panthers (I think it was 2006 but Im not going to go look it up) but I remember Julius Peppers being blocked 1 on 1 with a tight end (might have been Stephen Spach) on a direct snap play to Westbrook. The play got blown up by Peppers, and on the replay it showed Peppers just tossing our TE aside like a rag doll. Even though it was a bad play for us I actually laughed out loud watching it, because it was like a little kid getting tossed aside by a grown man. I mean the TE literally went flying through the air, off his feet.
That left a lasting impression on me, but then he went and crapped the bed in '07 and he didn't impress me at all in the preseason this year.
I guess I'm just confused about what kind of player we would be really getting.
PE.com has a Spads story on the front page titled: "Pass-Rush Punch. Do The Eagles Have Enough?"
FYI, Dave doesn't mention Peppers at all, despite the fact that he discusses LE at length. It probably means that the Eagles have no interest in Peppers. On the other hand, if legitimate interest DOES exist, wouldn't Dave go out of his way to leave that info out?
I think he would.
Did I really just read a commenter say we should sign Matt Jones?
Does Matt Jones even feel like a guy the Eagles would want on their roster? Hell no.
I've never understood the love-affair with Matt Jones. He's no better than any WR we have on our roster currently and I think most people agree that our current WR's could use some upgrading. So why bring in someone worse?
Cliff, check Matt Jones' 40 time. 4.39. That's almost as fast as Michael Vick. Also check his stats. Being on the run-only Jacksonville Jaguars with crappy QBs and being in the doghouse with the coaching staff he still managed 65 catches and 761 yards. There is no doubt this guy has potential. Sometimes it take a good smack on the face to get in line. Losing your job and being arrested could do the trick. I say bring him in and let him compete with Baskett.
Matt Jones ran that 40 time in college, who knows what he runs now, several years later. Besides, that talent has not translated to the field AND he's got off the field issues.
Who do you think he'd be an upgrade over on our roster? He's certainly not better than DJax and Curtis. He hasn't even been as productive as Reggie, at this point.
I think Matt Jones is an upgrade over Hank Baskett and Reggie Brown - hands down. When you are comparing stats please remember the two teams' offense. Jacksonville is a running team and the Eagles are a passing team. The Eagles' QB is Donovan McNabb who can absolutely sling the ball. Jacksonville has David Garrard.
They also didn't start Matt Jones. until last year. Look at what he could do in college. Look at his highlights. He is good.
I can't intelligently comment on Jones's talent because I'm not a scout or that knowledgeable; however, I know Reid isn't going to bring the Matt Jones drama to his team just to add an underachieving 3rd wide receiver.
Didnt the Eagles already sign Julius Peppers, er, um, I mean Jevon Kearse to a lucrative deal? ;)
Great player but not worth the money or committment from the Eagles at this point.
Kearse's first year was great. He was unbelievable then. He should have gone to the Pro Bowl even though he only had 7.5 sacks, but I swear he would get pressure on the QB every single play. He is who I would watch during the Eagles games. it was awesome.
Fordy88 I agree with what you said but I don't know if you're doing it on purpose or not but you left juqua parker out of your dline depth chart. I think he has a better chance of being there than Smith does.
I definitely would not give up that 28th pick for Peppers. While I think he would make our line better I don't think at this point in his career he is worth the big money he is going to get. I would rather see that money spent or available to spend on contract extensions. Mcnabb deserves a new contract, Weaver may play himself into a new contract, ditto for Sean Jones, Celek if he improves upon last season will garner a new contract. Sheldon Brown is one of the lowest paid starting CB's in the league and if they plan on keeping him around they're gonna have to pay him. I'm sure there are more people I'm missing but you get the point. Oh add in 2 first round picks amongst others and this "glutton" of cap space may not be so by the end of the year.
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