Patriots Going After Peppers?

Go for it New England. It seems like New England has a true master plan. Maybe the whole Cutler talk was all smoke and mirrors.

Would be a great move if they can make it work financially.

I think it's safe to say this would be an upgrade over Vrabel. This would also free them up to concentrate on ILB, DLine and OLine in the draft, not necessarily in that order.

Doesn't make any sense on the Panthers side. Why would they give up a player of Peppers caliber for only a 2nd when WR Roy Williams went for a 1st, 3rd, 5th this year? I think the Pats would have to give up 2-2nd (they have 3 as of now) for Peppers.

Regardless what fans think of the NE Patriots, I think its pretty obvious that players want to play for the organization. It truly is a great feeling especailly when the team gets blasted every second for spygate.

The players don't care about that spygate crap (other than that tool Joey Porter,
they want to go to NE because Belichick knows what he's doing....

I just saw where this was first mentioned at pantherinsider.com.

Isn't it amazing how some teams can just make the deals almost effortlessly that keep them on top?

If you are Ted Thompson and Peppers goes to a team for the 34th pick, then we have to ask why not you? The Packers could make a better deal for Peppers easily and he would solve their problems.

Of course Thompson doesn't like to spend big money to improve. I can understand that but Peppers is no gamble. He is a sure thing.

I think it's a stretch to say that Peppers is a sure thing. He's a 29 year old player with work ethic questions who is switching positions. Will he work out at OLB? Probably. Maybe he will be great. But it is not a sure thing.

The Patriots thought Adalius Thomas was a sure thing. It took him a year to learn the defense. Then he was slowed down by injury. That is a lot of time to wait for the money that Patriots invested in him. Unlike Mayo (draft pick) who came in and participated right away.

Free agency is a balance between the draft and the cap and the Patriots usually stay in the middle range. Moss was signed for low money and a 4th rounder. Welker a 2nd and a 7th and makes more than Moss. Signing Peppers would be a very Un-Patriot like move. I am not sure how this is going to work.

Please take him and free up some space. Im a diehard fan and would watch JP exclusively and noticed he couldnt get by linemen even single blocked. He had a few games this year with ZERO stats. No sacks, pressures, tackles, assists..... I called him out on a message board and every one said I was a traitor and the best explanation I got was that he is constantly double teamed (not true) and the best one is that he is held every play (of course not true). Now everyone wants him gone.
As for him playing outside linebacker you have to watch this guy move. He has great speed straight ahead but doesnt move well side to side and takes time to get to speed. Not explosive at all.
I appreciate his career in Charlotte and wish him the best but its time to move on. He may end up dominating in NE. Who knows with anyone these days? I would rather have the cap space.

I would love to see this move. Anytime you can add a player like Peppers, you do. I know he has a history of being difficult, but he also has a history of production on an elite level in this league. I understand the monetary ramifications, and I hope making this move doesn't preclude extending Wilfork or Mankins, but adding him on one side as a rush 'backer across from Thomas would give them an edge, so to speak.

To that end, I don't necessarily know if anyone can truly classify what is a "Patriot move" and what isn't. There is a difference between the Patriot Way and a Patriot Move; the idea of the Patriot Way is more the sense of getting players that fit their system and plugging them in accordingly, but also making sure the players understand its team first, player second. I have to imagine a player with the raw skills of a Julius Peppers would be able to fit into most systems, and with strong voices like Brady, Moss, Wilfork, and Seymour in the locker room, I think the can be kept in line.

The Pats have made big splashes in free agency before (see: Colvin, Rosevelt and Thomas, Adalius) and so I dont find it out of the ordinary that they would make a move like this if its available to them. I just hope, and believe, that they have a plan that none of us really will understand until Opening Day.