The more I read up on Jabril Peppers, the more I like him. Getting him was a good (if not great) deal for the Giants who were in need of a quality safety after the loss of Collins.
Everyone knows that he was a first round pick and a Heisman Trophy finalist. And that he was also a consensus first-team All-American. But he also won the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player (note: Saquon Barkley won the award in 2017, and OBJ won it in 2013). Here's some things you might not know.
At the combine, Peppers ran the fastest of all linebackers and safeties - 4.46 (2nd fastest was 4.58). However, he also ran a verified 4.34 at Michigan State and was timed in a live game running 40 yards in 3.77. Of course, he had a running start when he picked up the ball on the 40 yd line and ran down the field for a touchdown, but that is the fastest recorded 40 in football history.
He was a track star in New Jersey...breaking the New Jersey state record in the 200-meter dash as a junior, running a 20.79. He earned two state titles in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash, and added state championships in the 4x400-meter relay and 4x100-meter relay. He is really fast!
He has played 15 different defensive, offensive and special teams positions for the Wolverines in 2016, recording 726 snaps on defense, 154 on special teams and 53 on offense and has even lined up as a wildcat QB. In short, he's an uber talent with off the charts athleticism...a do-it-all defensive back-linebacker-punt/kick returner-tailback-receiver-quarterback. Of course, some will say a "jack of all trades, master of none." But after settling in as a strong safety for the Browns, he proved he could star in that position and has proven he has a high ceiling and will get even better.
He has also been the Browns primary kick and punt returner since joining the team.
When the Giants were working out a deal, the Browns made it clear they did NOT want to part with Peppers, but the Giants insisted on him or the deal wouldn't be made.
To top it off, he is a very high character player who actually stays healthy all year long!
Shhhhh, the pollyannas will get mad at you. How dare you pay attention to what Peppers has actually done in the NFL instead of swooning over his awesomeness in Ann Arbor and some Jersey high school!
No... it is more than that.
The eventual evaluation on the trade will have to be not only how Peppers performs but also what we do with the other picks AND how OBJ finishes out the rest of his contract.
You have to look at everything.
Which is just as much as statement of pure faith absent any evidence as saying that you believe in the Easter Bunny.
Jeez man, relax a little. The HS stuff was just a point of reference to his speed.
Collins had 10 over the same span.
I think Peppers is a better fit in this type of defense than Collins. We'll see.
One thing I've learned over the last 19 years with this teams is never get my hopes up about any player or any team we field. Makes disappointment much easier to swallow. And it makes winning that much more special.
Although, most won't believe this, but I expected a run by the 2007 team. My friends can all attest to it. Me and former BBI poster Faust were adamant after the 2006 season that they could go on a run in 2007. Back to back playoff seasons and the fact that in 2006 the only team that really kicked our ass handedly was the Jags, in our opinion.
But back to the topic of Peppers, I hope he's great but I could see this going either way. Let's just see where the chips fall. Hopefully we draft some monsters that will be in front of him and Bathea.
Yea, I think we see a lot of him on the field with both Bethea and Thomas. He's not that much smaller than Tae Davis.
Ill admit that I havent watched every game he has played in a Browns uniform. However, I DID watch the Broncos/Browns game last year, and Peppers was borderline dominant in that game. As I remember it, he had a huge sack, what was basically the game winning INT, just a really good overall performance. Again, not sure what he did in the rest of the games last year, but for me, based on what I saw from him that game, I am very hopeful.
Eric -- perhaps one of the issues is that he played all over the place in college so he was far from a finished product at his NFL position, Safety.
Man, you are fucking relentless. Ha ha.
What did you expect? Aside from switching schemes from 4-3 to 3-4 (and barely having adequate players for 4-3) We lost our best pass rusher in preseason. What kind of horses did he have? He had NO one that could cover the middle of the field (par for the course for Giants). They may have improved keeping Snacks in the mix, but that was also a big loss in run defense and pocket push. The guy needs better players. He did a nice job in AZ.
Yeah. He didn’t work out in Cleveland? But who does?
Possible. But that usually shows up more for a CB.
Who pissed in your cheerios today? Why aren't you telling anyone he was played 30 yards off the ball his first year which is completely out of position for him? He's the kind of the player who needs to be near the line of scrimmage.
Easy to use a 2 year argument while leaving out he was misaligned year 1. Once they got Randall and he switched roles he thrived.
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had that low number of passes defended because they weren't throwing his way?
Possible. But that usually shows up more for a CB.
He was out of place as a FS his first year. When their SS went down and they moved him to SS he started to come alive. Take a look at this video... it seems like he can be really effective if you use him the right way. He looks like either SS or that Monster backer position fits him well. He is an athletic guy for sure.
Peppers - ( New Window )
Holy shit. Guess we know who doesn't own a mirror.
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Holy shit. Guess we know who doesn't own a mirror.
I may go overboard in discussing one thing relentlessly (not to mention that I'm usually pretty logical about it and my read on it is usually what happens, so how illogical could that be, but I digress).
Your misery towards EVERYTHING knows no bounds.
I've never even heard of that.
He is the PERFECT player for Bettcher's D. Bettcher doesn't want specialists in the back 7 - he wants guys who are just good enough at everything that he can disguise his calls and create confusion. Peppers can blitz, tackle, play deep, cover man and cover zone. He's tough and selfless.
Contrast that to Collins - who is great in the box but can't do everything, which forced Bettcher not to use his S's interchangeably. That KILLED his scheme and his playcalling which is why they had no interest in re-signing him.
Both
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Punt returner, or does he do KOs?
Both
Does this somewhat solve our sucky punt return game over the last......well....how many years has it been?
He’s a starter. How many players can say they have started and not stunk up the joint as a 1st or 2nd year player? Osi wasn’t even a starter when the chargers went after him in the Eli deal.
He’s not Ronnie Lott but he’s a valuable get in this deal. You just refuse to see it.
Miserable fucks.
And I like Greg as well, but geez....
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In comment 14336269 BillKo said:
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Punt returner, or does he do KOs?
Both
Does this somewhat solve our sucky punt return game over the last......well....how many years has it been?
He averaged 8.8 yards/return which was 10th best so if they use him there it should help.
That said, Coleman was very good on KRs last year (26.0 y/r) so I wouldn't mind seeing him return punts too. He had 1 PR for 19 yards last season.
Do not forget special teams..
punt returner!
we will have the most talented group of returners ever
I doubt he will even return kicks or punts here. We'll sign some receiver no one has ever heard of named Jawall McGee or something, who will promptly struggle to catch the ball on returns.
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Should do well in this defense. Better thrn Collins in coverage.
Do not forget special teams..
punt returner!
we will have the most talented group of returners ever
I doubt he will even return kicks or punts here. We'll sign some receiver no one has ever heard of named Jawall McGee or something, who will promptly struggle to catch the ball on returns.
Jawill Davis and Quadree Henderson are both currently on the team and showed flashes of being solid PRs.
He's been right most of the time, though. Look at the teams' record over the past 7 seasons. *shrug* Truth hurts.
Plenty of guys have been great and college and haven't adjusted to the speed of the NFL. Wouldn't be the first player or the last.
Maybe a chance of scenery is what was needed. Maybe not though.
Outside of 2016, Peppers' has arguably been just as good as Collins. And he costs 1/10.
1) I'm a homer - period! I always look for the positive among my teams (and that includes the Knicks for which I've stood by for over 50 years...that'll tell you something). Regardless, I am not giving up on the Giants and I will always look for the best in a person and never spend time on the negative
2) I love(d) OBJ. Yeah, he certainly had some negative distractions that might have hurt the team as much as he helped. I still show friends who aren't football fans the video of his catch against the cowboys which IMO, is the greatest catch in the history of football. That catch alone jettisoned him into stardom. Nevertheless, I wish him well and hope he thrives in Cleveland (unless playing the Giants of course)
3) When it comes to Peppers, he is a very talented young man. You cannot teach speed and athleticism that he has in spades. With the proper coaching and his willingness to learn Bettcher's system. His character, dedication to the game and gym rat mentality tells me he's very coachable. Hopefully, he turns into a pro-bowl safety. If not, I will be ecstatic if he's a top 5 safety.
4) We have a plethora of draft picks. Before the OBJ trade, our quiver of picks were stacked towards the back end of the draft. We are now in a much more advantageous position allowing us to cherry pick 3 or 4 from the echelon of top shelf players.
5) Lastly, my biggest concern is that we find a solid WR in this draft now that we no longer have OBJ. I like using "Stacking The Board" draft site - just because of it's layout. On the defensive side of the draft, it is literally stacked with first and second round players. The offensive side is sparse to say the least....the lone exception: WR's. If you visit the site, you'll see there are 16 receivers that could go in the first 2 days of the draft. One that isn't even mentioned as a priority FA is Jesper Horsted of Princeton that is my favorite sleeper pick. The Giants would be wise to burn one of their late round picks on him. Small school, small program, local boy...maybe we catch lightning in a bottle again like we did with Cruz. Time will tell. Should be an interesting draft.
I'll add the draft site I'm talking about. To switch from offense to defense, just click the "defensive draftboard" on the top of the page in the black ribbon.
Stacking The Board - ( New Window )