Didn't Boston fans get pissed at Manny for doing virtually the same thing? Are these same people now pining for Peppers?
Another good article on why its likely not to happen: http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2009/03/18/a_blocker_on_peppers/?page=2 What is clear is that Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers would like to play for the Patriots. What isn't clear is just how interested the Patriots are in landing Peppers to play outside linebacker in their 3-4 defense and how capable they are of doing it from a financial standpoint. A source close to Peppers said yesterday that the Patriots are on a "very short list" of teams he would consent to being traded to. It is believed that all of the teams on that list play a 3-4 defense, since Peppers, who has made it clear he wants out of Carolina and who has been slapped with the franchise tag by the team, told the Charlotte Observer last month that he wanted to play in a 3-4. However, talk of a trade to the Patriots might be more the fantasy of the Peppers camp than the reality of the Patriots' plans. An NFL.com report on Monday provided the framework of a Patriots-Panthers trade, saying Carolina would receive the second-round pick (No. 34 overall) the Patriots acquired from Kansas City for Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel. A league source confirmed that the Patriots have discussed Peppers but didn't know of an imminent deal. The Panthers denied knowledge of a deal, citing the fact that Peppers has not signed his franchise tag tender and thus can't be traded (although his agent, Carl Carey, is free to shop him to other teams). Yesterday, multiple reports shot down the idea of Peppers joining the Patriots. Adam Schefter of the NFL Network, appearing on WEEI, said he was 99.9 percent sure that Peppers would not be a Patriot next year. There are obvious stumbling blocks to bringing the 29-year-old Peppers to Foxborough, the paramount one being money. Last season, Peppers was the highest-paid defensive end in the NFL at $13.9 million. Under the rules of the franchise tag, which calls for a player to get the average of the top five players at his position or 120 percent of his previous year's salary, whichever is greater, the Panthers had to offer Peppers a whopping $16.68 million - more than $2 million more than Tom Brady will count against the Patriots' cap. The Patriots were believed to be in the neighborhood of $15 million-$18 million under the cap after they dealt Cassel and Vrabel, but that was before they reached agreements with Shawn Springs (three years, $10.5 million) and Leigh Bodden (one-year, $2.25 million) and re-signed James Sanders (three years, $9 million) and Mike Wright (four years, $7.5 million). It's highly unlikely the Patriots could fit Peppers's franchise salary under the cap, so any deal would have to include a new contract. That could also be a problem for the Patriots. Players have taken less to come to New England, but how much less than the $16.68 million he is scheduled to make in 2009 or the $13.9 million he made last season would Peppers take? The best comparison for Peppers as a 3-4 outside linebacker would be Baltimore hybrid Terrell Suggs, who was franchised for the second straight year. Suggs, who in six seasons has 53 career sacks, received a 20 percent bump from the $8.475 million he made last season, pushing his salary to $10.17 million. So, would Peppers, the owner of 70.5 career sacks in seven seasons, accept less than $10 million a year in a long-term deal? Even at $9.5 million a year, Peppers could be a problem for the Patriots, who have a high-profile class of 2010 free agents that includes nose tackle Vince Wilfork, defensive end Richard Seymour, left guard Logan Mankins, cornerback Ellis Hobbs, and running back Kevin Faulk. Not only would signing Peppers to a lucrative deal preclude the Patriots from being able to sign some of their own pending free agents, but it likely wouldn't go over well with Wilfork and Seymour, who have been proven producers for the Patriots. How would Wilfork, who due to escalators saw his scheduled base salary for 2009 rise from $800,000 to $2.2 million, feel about watching Peppers, who has never even played in a 3-4 defense, get a contract that pays him five times more than the nose tackle? The Patriots need to bolster their pass rush after finishing in the middle of the pack last season (tied for 14th) in sacks with 31, and Peppers can do that. But it's not guaranteed that he can handle the other responsibilities of being a 3-4 outside linebacker, like setting the edge against the run or dropping back into coverage. While the 6-foot-7-inch, 283-pound Peppers has the athletic ability to do those things, he hasn't done them yet. That might give Bill Belichick & Co., pause before handing out the biggest deal they've ever given to a defensive player. But Belichick has taken risks on talented players before - e.g. Corey Dillon and Randy Moss - in pursuit of a Lombardi Trophy and had them pay off. Peppers could be his next project - just don't expect him to broadcast his interest
Heh..Si must read your posts: Some people just can't let bygones be bygones. Papelbon is still referring to Manny Ramirez as a cancer that had to be removed, despite the fact that the Red Sox won two World Series titles in Manny's last four years. It's amazing how Boston can crucify Ramirez for "quitting" on his team but embrace former "quitters" Randy Moss and Stephon Marbury as soon as they come to Bean Town. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mu...0903/pop.culture.hot.list.0317/content.7.html
Moss has quit on the Pats? He seems happy to everyone here in NE. Please enlighten us as to how he's discontented and tearing apart the Patriots. :rofl:
Moss walked off the field once before the game was over. Not that Pats fans would think there was anything wrong with that.
Tippett and Hannah are the Pats Hall of Fame members, and part of the 76 team that was arguably the best prior to the SB teams. Since Mike Haynes went in as a Raider. John Stephens had one nice year running the football for us. Fryar was the guy we traded up to the top of the draft to pick, when Jerry Rice would have been where we would have drafted. Fryar was talented but flawed. James had a couple of good years and was the leading rusher on the 86 SB team. He shared the ball with Tony Collins in NE, and was the nuber two to Dickerson at SMU. Not sure what this quiz means, other than to point out there are a lot of fair weather Pats fans... no shit sherlock... just like there are alot of bandwagon Jets fans... But I suffered through Mike Tolifero, Joe Kapp, and Marc Wilson, so I don't plan on apologizing for enjoying the way they run the organization now.
Yes... but the Pats got Moss cheap (4th Round Pick) and low money for the first year. Jets gave up good picks and picked up a 12 mil tab. I think both moves were risky, but teams need to take a risk sometimes to get over the top. Though you can make the argument that the Moss trade has worked out better (I think it has), it hasn't gotten either team over the top.
One thing has nothing to do with the other. Moss quitting on the Raiders has no affect on the Patriots. He's produced since he's been a Pat and the fans have embraced him. Manny was embraced by the Sox fans for a long time while providibng his brilliant bat, even to the point of overlooking his hustling and loafing (phantom injuries) over the years. Last year he crossed the line and quit on his team, threatening to be out the trest of the year with a phantom hammy injury. Of course there are hard feelings for what he did to the fans.... And now he is loved by the Dodger fans for whom he is performing well. Why should they care whether he screwed the sox or not, as long as he plays well for them.
No arguments here, except to say that we had already been invested in Chad for around 10 million, they took that chance to upgrade the position for a year or 2 until they found a real answer at QB. I don't see how the contract was that much of a hindrance. The Jets gave up a 3rd round pick for a good story to sell tickets and create interest in the team. It was an advertising move, really, and it succeeded in many ways except for the PSL sales that Woody Johnson is so obsessed with. I think that there are fans of plenty of teams in the league that would say they'd give up a 3rd if they could have had Favre spice up their otherwise stagnant QB situation. He did provide some exciting plays and we had a number of ups in 2008 before the inevitable down. Didn't really work out for the HC, but I don't think there are any Pats fans disappointed about that, and I as a Jets fan for some reason feel a bit more confident about Rex Ryan as HC and the guy has barely blown a whistle as a Jets coach yet. I'd say that in an odd way, the Favre trade might have worked out for the best, concerning the state of the Jets.
peppers will never be a Patriot. he hasnt even signed his franchise tender, even then hed be making over 2 million more than Brady if he was traded. furthermore their cap room stands somewhere between 10-16 mil. even more important, wilfork and seymour are FA's after this year. no way they sign Peppers to a long term deal itd make keeping wilfork and seymour impossible. and all the talk of the patriots discount players give for the chance to win......I doubt a player like Peppers would be willing to take enough of a cut to make this even worth mentioning. the patriots arent dumb enough to hand out a huge contract to someone whod be playing in a new position in a new system some 9 years into his career. even if he has the athleticism to do it. next topic.......
Peppers to NE was a pipedream. BB will draft a stud LB in round one and get him for a fraction of what Peppers wants for $$$$$. He just might entertain signing Taylor if the money is right, but I would much rather save the spot for a youngster to develop. You KNOW that the Pats won't have much luck sneaking drafted players onto their PS.
Fox says it's laughable to think Peppers would be traded to NE. http://www.boston.com/sports/footba...6/fox_laughs_off_talk_of_peppers_to_patriots/
Theres an Insider article about Jason Taylor heading to NE, but I'm not an Insider(aka retarded) so I don't know what the deal is.
The deal is Taylor doesn't like the workout portion so BB may just let the old guy slide until mini camp is over and sign him in June. Then again, theres been so much talk that nobody knows what will really happen. Signing Taylor for a year or two means another vet that has to be replaced in a year or two. Having Thomas and Taylor on the field together might be fun tho.:grin:
