He played an astounding 81% of the snaps for the Bears but managed just 7 1/2 sacks and two forced fumbles. He’s coming off a year that many people thought was subpar. You see him now, he’s not taking as many reps, he’s a little bit leaner and he’s moving around phenomenally well.” “People say he’s lost a step, but look at what he was doing in Chicago, 295 pounds, playing 1,000-plus snaps (actually 800-plus). “Julius is everything they made him out to be,” linebacker Mike Neal said. He still has a lot to learn about playing pass coverage, too.īut players have been impressed with his physical ability. He got his arms inside tackle Derek Sherrod during a team drill and drove him back with a bull-rush that would have resulted in a sack.īut he also showed his age when a younger Bryan Bulaga stoned him on a pair of turns in the one-on-one pass-rush drill. Peppers showed off Monday some of the pass-rush skill that has netted him 118 1/2 sacks in 12 seasons. I actually think it fits my skill set better than just being down every play.” It’s a little different than what I’ve been used to in the past. In the twilight of his career, he’s not the player he once was, but he’s hoping to find new life in a new defense. His wingspan is enormous and he uses it to his advantage both as a pass rusher and a pass defender. ![]() Peppers expressed an interest in playing outside in a 3-4 after the Bears cut him and in the first three days of training camp that’s all he’s done.Īt 6 feet 7 inches and 287 pounds, Peppers is an imposing figure on the outside. Since signing with the Packers on March 15, Peppers has been playing outside in coordinator Dom Capers’ 3-4 defense, doing things like rushing from an upright position, dropping into coverage and covering tight ends. “What I will say is that we have a very talented group of guys on the field here, a lot of depth on the second and third teams, so it’s nice to look around and see that much talent.” “Some people have made it out to be that way at different times, but it’s 11 guys on the field always, so everybody has to do their part. “It’s never really been that,” Peppers said of needing to carry a defense on his shoulders. Here, he’s not the $91 million man he was in Chicago. Then there’s that thing about expectations. The latter has evaded Peppers since the Carolina Panthers drafted him second overall in 2002. They persuaded him to take that deal with a player-friendly practice schedule, an opportunity to move from end to outside linebacker and the possibility of winning a Super Bowl ring. The Packers want Peppers to play a different position than he played with the Bears and complement their defensive star, Clay Matthews, not outplay him. Therein lies the reason Peppers is standing in the Packers locker room following his release from Chicago. It’s not about what I’ve done in the past it’s about what they want me to do this year.” “I’m happy to be here and I’m excited to do what they want me to do here. It’s a totally new situation and environment. “I don’t want to get into comparisons about here vs. “You know, it was a different situation over there,” Peppers said after the Packers practiced in pads for the first time. Standing in front of his locker facing a large media gathering that he still doesn’t know very well, Peppers hesitated when asked whether there was a different feeling being with the Green Bay Packers.ĭoes it seem like you’re part of a defense here instead of being the guy expected to carry one in Chicago? GREEN BAY - If he was feeling the weight of the entire Chicago Bears defense on his shoulders last season, Julius Peppers wouldn’t say Monday.
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