Julius Peppers: Is the Loss of Peppers Really THAT BIG of a Deal?

In reading all of the sports analyst’s articles in this off-season regarding the Panthers, there is one main theme that emanates from all of them; the fact that losing Julius Peppers was the biggest blow to our team this year. It’s constantly thrown in my face that this was a “key loss”, “huge blow to the D-line”, and “a big mistake made by the organization”.

Yes, Peppers is one of the best Defensive Ends the Carolina Panthers and the NFL have ever seen. Yes, he has been to 5 Pro Bowls out of the 8 seasons he has played in the NFL. Yes, he has only gone 2 seasons in his entire NFL career without accumulating at least 10 sacks.

But, do I think he is the biggest loss to the team this year? NO. Here are 2 reasons among many: Maake Kemoeatu and Thomas Davis. I count Davis as a loss because, as we all learned last year, a torn ACL is a season-ending injury.

“Kemo”, as we so lovingly called him, was a huge part of our defensive line. With 40 tackles in his last healthy season with the Panthers, he filled a fairly large hole. It was filled not only with his superior talent, but also physically. He is a beastly 6’5” and weighs 345 lbs. If you don’t think that’s big, I can put it in perspective for you. I could fit 3 of me inside of him and there would still be a little breathing room!

Another advantage of having him was his ability to be one of middle linebacker Jon Beason’s “bodyguards” along with Damione Lewis. Their combined blocking abilities allowed for Beason to roam freely and make tackles, which in turn helped the line defend the run, a problem we had to seriously assess when Kemo went down last season after tearing his ACL on the first day of training camp.

Do you know what déjà-vu feels like? Well Panther fans do. The second big loss to the Panthers this season is Thomas Davis with his 2^nd season ending ACL injury in 2 years and his second (and same) injury in 7 months. The first came against New Orleans in game 7 of the 2009 season in the Superdome. In 2008 alone, he put up 92 solo tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles which helped the Panthers reach that oh-so-memorable-but-we-never-speak-of-it playoff game against the Cardinals.

All this being said, any team will encounter gains and losses in the off-season, some bigger than others.  Losing Peppers is a big deal, but not that big of a deal.  We still have a solid defensive line including Everette Brown, Peppers’ apparent replacement at Defensive End. 

Brown didn’t have a spectacular year last year, due mostly in part to not being a starter, but also due in part to a degree of inconsistency.  After having a year to learn behind Peppers and his second off-season with the team, he should be much improved in Defensive Coordinator Ron Meek’s system. At least we can be sure we will have someone in that position that is making the effort on every down.

So if the loss of Peppers is such a big deal to the Panthers according to the media talking head pundits, and Carolina already has a more than capable replacement, I ask this, “Why all the fuss?” 

Defense, as of late, has been one of the strongest points, among others, for our team.  One more time in case you didn’t catch that last part: our TEAM.  One man does not make a team.  One man alone did not hold the #2 ranked offense in the league, the eventual losers of the NFC Championship Game, the Minnesota Vikings, to seven points.  That’s something the Super Bowl winning New Orleans Saints can’t even come close to claiming.  So, unless we’re lining up against Chicago, enough with all the Peppers noise.  We’ve got more important things to worry about…like winning the Super Bowl.