What would you give for Peppers?

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by nero THE zero

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=090...s&confirm=true


It's like people that think Mario is an ill fit for the 3-4 when it is to the contrary. Players like Peppers and Mario are ideal fits for the 3-4 DE; they're big, athletic ends who can play the run, tie up blockers, and rush the passer. They might not put up the sexy numbers they would in the 4-3, but it would be the best utilization of their skills.

It's always been my understanding that the star pass rushers, the edge-rushers supreme in the 3-4 are the OLBs and the DEs in that scheme
function more to tie up interferance ? Fact is I can't think of a single 3-4 in the NFL where the DEs lead their team in sacks ?
There's no doubt that Mario & Peppers would be outstanding 3-4 DEs because of their impressive size and strength, but casting them in a supporting role would be a waste of resources & talent considering they were the #1 & #2 overall picks, respectively, in their Drafts.

[papabear]

Originally Posted by nunusguy

It's always been my understanding that the star pass rushers, the edge-rushers supreme in the 3-4 are the OLBs and the DEs in that scheme
function more to tie up interferance ? Fact is I can't think of a single 3-4 in the NFL where the DEs lead their team in sacks ?
There's no doubt that Mario & Peppers would be outstanding 3-4 DEs because of their impressive size and strength, but casting them in a supporting role would be a waste of resources & talent considering they were the #1 & #2 overall picks, respectively, in their Drafts.

I agree. I think they would both be very good in a 3-4 DE role....with the nod going to Mario in that role. I think it would be a mistake for us to put Mario as a 3-4 end because we would be taking one of the few playmakers we have and putting in a role that design, doesn't have many opportunities to make plays.

Peppers want to play OLB in a 3-4...and some people who thought we could make the change to a 3-4 here wanted Mario in that same role. I'm sure they could be devastating in the role from a pass rush perspective. I don't think I want Mario to have to drop into coverage, and I'm not sure it is wise for a player like Peppers to want to make that big of a change this late in his career. Not much would change from a pass rushing perspective, but everything else would be brand new.

[Bigtinylittle]

I suspect that Peppers saying he would like to go to a 3/4 team is more about increasing his price than anything else. If he said he wanted to stay in a 4/3 system he would automatically eliminate a lot of bidders. I rarely pay attention to what players say when they are angling for a new contract with lots of guaranteed money. I think their natural inclination is to mislead. In fact I have often wondered whether Ahman Green knew he was more seriously injured when he came to the Texans than he was letting on. I suspect he may have pulled a fast one.

In general, I would not be interested in signing a 29 year old superstar to a 4 or 5 year contract with a huge amount of guaranteed money. Especially if you have to give up something to get him. I think the odds are against getting full value when you sign a superstar that old. You are probably going to eventually have to eat a lot of dead money. If you could just cut a guy after three years with no penalty, it would be a much more attractive thing. But as we all know, the NFL doesn't work that way.

[NBT]

We saw how bad it was when we traded away two second round picks, and you want to trade away our first round pick in a probably good 2009 Draft? Absolute insanity!

[Warren]

Is this the same Julius Peppers who the expansion Texans downgraded on their draft board because they didn't think he fit their 3-4 defense very well?

Some 3-4 defenses put more emphasis on their DL tying up blockers to free up the LBs while others stress the DL getting upfield and making plays themselves. Dom Capers believed in the first style and Wade Phillips seems to coach the other. A DE can put up impressive sack numbers in a 3-4 (like Bruce Smith in Buffalo) but I've never heard of a DL who was an accomplished pass rusher wanting to move to a 3-4 unless he wants to shift to OLB.

I can't see a guy as big as Mario or Peppers being a true OLB. They'd really be a standup DE who rarely drops into coverage.

[papabear]

Originally Posted by Warren

I can't see a guy as big as Mario or Peppers being a true OLB. They'd really be a standup DE who rarely drops into coverage.

Which is essentially what we had with Babin...except for the pass rusher part. A lot of the element of surprise was lost when we ran the 3-4 because 90% of the time Babin was just another DE only with his hand off the ground.

[coloradodude]

Pass on this guy. Sign a rookie to the league minimum and let Kollar get into his head.

This guy will be going for the homerun and some stupid team, like the Redskins have demonstrated in the past, will open up their wallet in order to put people in the seats. Watch for Dallas to throw their name in the hat though.

Personally, I'd like to watch him on a Belichek or Parcells team though because they would utilize him.