If you didn't like the Matt Cassell deal...(Peppers Rumor)

[Evantime34]

Then you might be satisfied to hear the rumor of the Pats trading the 34th pick overall for Julius Peppers.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=090...s&confirm=true

[Brendan]

broken link

[Donoghus]

Count me as someone who doesn't want Peppers.  I'm not convinced he can play OLB in a 3-4 defense and his cap number would be detrimental to the Patriots (Probably my biggest concern).  The Pats have several players contracts expiring following next season and need to work on extensions for some of them as well as giving themselves some flexibility to go after free agents following next season.  

If the Pats just dumped Casell and Vrabel in part because of salary, why would they lock up Peppers to somewhere in the neighborhood of $15 million?  Seems hypocritical to me.

[Evantime34]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80f48fa8&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true

[Chris]

If the Pats just dumped Casell and Vrabel in part because of salary, why would they lock up Peppers to somewhere in the neighborhood of $15 million?  Seems hypocritical to me.

Well, that's simple...production vs. salary.  The Pats believe in value among anything, and if there is a passrusher out there who is worth paying a lot of money, it is Peppers.

Casell was simply dead salary, since Brady is likely coming back, and Vrabel simply did not produce at his salary level last year.

Now, I would be absolutely shocked if he did come in with a cap number of $16.68 million.  They will find a way to negotiate a more cap friendly deal.  But I think ultimately this does make sense based on the way the Pats do business.

[Cman]

Boy, that's interesting news, especially since Peppers has a franchise tag number of $16M or so....
The Pats right now simply don't have that kind of cap room (they have in the neighborhood of $7M -- http://www.patscap.com/ -- plus will need room for rookie and possible other FA signings).

[Donoghus]

If the Pats just dumped Casell and Vrabel in part because of salary, why would they lock up Peppers to somewhere in the neighborhood of $15 million?  Seems hypocritical to me.

Well, that's simple...production vs. salary.  The Pats believe in value among anything, and if there is a passrusher out there who is worth paying a lot of money, it is Peppers.

Casell was simply dead salary, since Brady is likely coming back, and Vrabel simply did not produce at his salary level last year.

Now, I would be absolutely shocked if he did come in with a cap number of $16.68 million.  They will find a way to negotiate a more cap friendly deal.  But I think ultimately this does make sense based on the way the Pats do business.

The thing is that I don't think its guaranteed production.  To me, there are no guarantees with Peppers coming in here.  And certainly not in the $16-17 million range for someone unproven in the 3-4 system and unfamiliar with a Belichick system.  Can he defend the flat?  Will he be able to adjust and read playing from a 2 point stance?  Also, what's his attitude going to be like?

If they could knock down the salary to a more reasonable range, I might be more inclined to like the deal but I certainly don't think that Peppers is the savior for this defense.  

[yall hate]

if they were to complete a trade for him, it wouldnt be for 16 million per year.

they would likely work out an extension with a more reasonable cap number. 

[Evantime34]

He would be fine in a standing up stance. He is one of the most athletic defensive lineman in the league. Don't forget he was a first round PF prospect coming out of UNC who decided to play football instead. This guy is athletic as hell, I'd say if anything he'd be better as an outside backer. If the Pats can get him, Maluaga with their first round pick (maybe trade up), and get someone like Chung, Moore or Delmas with their second rounder I think they are a championship caliber team.

[Stu]

Is this even feasible?  It seems like maybe the Pats don't have the cap room this year.  And if they could work him under the cap this year, they'd be taking a huge hit in years to come.  Doesn't sound like a smart move financially.

[Evantime34]

Is this even feasible?  It seems like maybe the Pats don't have the cap room this year.  And if they could work him under the cap this year, they'd be taking a huge hit in years to come.  Doesn't sound like a smart move financially.

It is feasible by signing him to a contract like Haynesworth got, a lot of money backloaded plus a signing bonus which could only give us a hit of 5 million this year. It might hurt in the future but if he's not playing up to it we cut him. Also there has been talk since the players agreement is almost up that the NFL might move away from a hard cap.

[Jeff]

I think we can question a lot of things, but I'm not about to tell BB he isn't getting the right guy for his system - he's made the "experts" look silly on too many occasions

if BB think Peppers fits, I'll believe it till I see that he's wrong

I love it.

[Chris]

If the Pats just dumped Casell and Vrabel in part because of salary, why would they lock up Peppers to somewhere in the neighborhood of $15 million?  Seems hypocritical to me.

Well, that's simple...production vs. salary.  The Pats believe in value among anything, and if there is a passrusher out there who is worth paying a lot of money, it is Peppers.

Casell was simply dead salary, since Brady is likely coming back, and Vrabel simply did not produce at his salary level last year.

Now, I would be absolutely shocked if he did come in with a cap number of $16.68 million.  They will find a way to negotiate a more cap friendly deal.  But I think ultimately this does make sense based on the way the Pats do business.

The thing is that I don't think its guaranteed production.  To me, there are no guarantees with Peppers coming in here.  And certainly not in the $16-17 million range for someone unproven in the 3-4 system and unfamiliar with a Belichick system.  Can he defend the flat?  Will he be able to adjust and read playing from a 2 point stance?  Also, what's his attitude going to be like?

If they could knock down the salary to a more reasonable range, I might be more inclined to like the deal but I certainly don't think that Peppers is the savior for this defense. 

Very good points...which is why I am only for this if they are able to workout a contract where he is only making $10-$12 million per year max.  That way, even if he has trouble in the flat, and they just have to use him only as a pass rusher, its not as terrible a deal, because there is one thing that is undeniable...Peppers knows how to get to the QB.

[the_Bird]

Well, I trust in Bill's abilities to know whether Peppers fits into the D or not.  Assuming they could get the salary down, he'd make one helluva impact next year, and he's still in the prine of his career.  His talking his way out of Carolina, though...  he didn't strike me necessarily as a "Patriots" kind of guy.  Seemed out for himself with a lot of his comments.  I mean, I'm not naive; I know everyone wants to get paid, but he didn't sound like a future Patriot, you know?  Didn't sound like someone that was going to come in at a discount in order to play for a ring.

[Hoyo de Monterrey]

I was very much against the Cassel deal; however, I recognize New England's past track record is outstanding. That said, $16-17 mil seems like crazy money to give to a player that they are asking to switch positions, especially for a team that values, well, value. That hybrid OLB is asked to do anything and everything in Belichick's system. While I have little doubt Peppers can do most of it, how are his coverage skills? They will need at least a little coverage from him. Also, we know Peppers can probably do it, but can he do it worth $16-17 million?? Seems like a really expensive experiment.

Still though, he is BB. I can't get too upset about it, because history tells us he's probably right.