#juliuspeppers — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

I forgot where we were having the conversation but I remember explaining to a football fan that nothing changes a team’s fortunes faster than a prime pass rusher. Not only does it improve your defense against the pass but it masks defensive deficiencies in the secondary. Its one of the reasons Taylor Blitz has Green Bay on its way to at least the NFC Championship Game this year with the acquisition of Micah Parsons.

This has been a lesson passed down from days gone by from two defensive terrorists The Chancellor has met that rushed the passer. Fred Dean & Cedrick Hardman. This especially holds true when a pass rusher in his prime is all of a sudden dropped on to a new team in a new division and I needed to elaborate further.

In 5th grade (1980) i remember the Raiders signing veteran Cedrick Hardman to rush the passer #86. He got 9.5 sacks as a designated pass rusher that helped Lester Hayes lead the NFL with 13 interceptions & they won Super Bowl XV.

The next year the idiotic move was San Diego sending a prime Fred Dean to San Francisco and they came out of nowhere to win Super Bowl XVI. It was Hardman, Dean and Lawrence Taylor that taught me the effects of great pass rushers. To further the notion, the 1980 Chargers with Fred Dean was 6th in total defense & led the league with 60 sacks. Without Dean they gave up 1,500 more yards (4,691 to 6,136 yards allowed) and fell to a ranking of 27th and history misremembers them as Air Coryell & a terrible defense. They had finished 5th in ’79 & 6th in ’80 with Dean on the roster. Other notables:

DE Charles Haley in ’92 – Cowboys were 16th in defense and rose to #1 and won Super Bowl XXVII
DE Jevon Kearse in ’99 – Titans had 30 sacks in ’98, they had 54 as Kearse’s Titans made Super Bowl XXXIV
OLB Von Miller in ’21 – Added to the #1 defense from ’20 & had 2 sacks in Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles.
OLB Haason Reddick in ’22 – Improved from 10th to 3rd in defense & 39 sacks to 770 sacks. Went to Super Bowl LVII.

In Kearse’s case he set the NFL Rookie Record with 13.5 sacks and the Titans became one of the league’s most physical defenses. Reddick was Taylor Blitz Times Defensive Player of the Year with 16.5 sacks and spearheaded one of the NFL’s historic sack totals. We hadn’t seen a sack total like that since the ’89 Vikings with 71 sacks, just 1 off the league record of 72 by Chicago. Both the Bears & Vikings were #1 defensively and the Eagles would have been had they not been in so many blowout victories.

Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick forces a first quarter fumble on San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, January 29, 2023 in Philadelphia.

The NFL world is still buzzing with the idiotic trade of Dallas prime pass rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. Moves like this completely tilt the field when a defense receives a weapon to bolster its lineup. Especially in this division. We all know of the seismic shift that took place when Green Bay signed the late Reggie White back in 1993, but remember the Bears bringing in PFHOF Julius Peppers to the division in 2010?

Chicago went from 17th in defense in 2009 to 4th and made it to the NFC Championship Game where they hosted Green Bay. Peppers was an All Pro for the 6th time in his career & 4th in NFL DPOY voting.

They did it again trading for future PFHoF Khalil Mack in 2018 leaping from 10th in defense to 3rd. They had been #1 for most of the season and Mack made his 5th straight Pro Bowl, 3rd All Pro selection, came in 2nd in voting for NFL DPOY (he won it in 2015) and led the Bears to a 12-4 record and first round bye. Mack was Taylor Blitz Defensive Player of the Year a 2nd time and The Chancellor predicted the carnage he would lay in Green Bay that first game on Monday Night. Why??

Well it was the 2nd coming of what happened when the San Francisco 49ers made the surprise move to pick up PFHoF DE Fred Dean at the start of 1981. Rivals within the division were unable to prepare for this terrorist to be dropped in their lap. They were unable to prepare via the draft or free agent personnel and here comes 4 time All Pro Micah Parsons. They were already the NFL’s 5th best defense in 2024. Yikes!

You could even bring up PFHoF DeMarcus Ware when he joined Von Miller in Denver to win Super Bowl 50. Yet that was in his 2nd season in Denver and not the surprise element of tilting the field in the 1st. Same can be said of fellow PFHoF DE Jared Allen. In his 2nd season in Minnesota (2009) he was among the league leaders in sacks (14.5) and led his Vikings to the NFC Championship Game featured here in a “Missing Rings” article.

Same can be said of the late Kevin Greene who tilted the field 3 times aiding 3 teams to either the conference championship or Super Bowl in 4 straight seasons. He led the league in sacks (14) in ’94 leading the Steelers to the AFC Championship then Super Bowl XXX the following season. He then joins the Carolina Panthers in ’96 leading the NFL in sacks again (14.5) and was the impetus in making the NFC Championship Game in their 2nd season of existence. He follows that up going to San Francisco as a designated pass rusher and accumulates another 10.5 sacks as they make the ’97 NFC Championship Game. Fred Dean, Kevin Greene, Charles Haley, Julius Peppers, Jared Allen, and DeMarcus Ware are all enshrined in Canton. Von Miller will be there one day and with a few more All Pro selections Micah will be there as well. Just understand more than any other position, a prime pass rusher whether from a Defensive End or Outside Linebacker dramatically increases a team’s success more than any other position. Starting in that 1981 season when I learned the lesson of the importance of the weak side pass rusher. All of a sudden drafting the Left Tackle became a focal point of the offense and many teams lead rebuilds around selecting one in the 1st round. It’s also when you started to see Left Tackle salaries soar. Do you realize in 2025, 23 of the NFL’s 32 teams have their LT in their top 5 highest paid players? If stopping prime pass rushers carries this type of weight what value do the pass rushers have themselves? Nothing tilts the field for a team’s immediate fortunes like landing a prime pass rusher. Nothing… franchise QBs or all time great running backs don’t get dealt at their zenith. Again the lessons learned have brought me as a defensive afecionado to writing about these exploits and spreading this with fellow fans. For me it started with Cedrick Hardman & Fred Dean, both of whom I had the chance to meet. With Cedrick I used to run into him at The White House in Laguna Beach California early 2000s Talked football over many drinks. Same with Fred at the PFHoF hotel in Canton. We’re having a drink at the bar in Canton and I explained the both of them teaching me the lesson of pass rush terrorists and Dean said “Your ass is too young to remember all this zhit” I hit him back… “You know that’s the same muthaphukkin’ thing Cedrick’s ass said.” Great times ….great laughs. I had waited 37 years to shake Dean’s hand and thank him for that lesson. Thanks for reading and please share the article. Like and subscribe!!

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NFL News @[email protected]

2025-09-09

‘I believe in him:’ For Lukas Van Ness, Packers’ trade for Micah Parsons alters his role — but brings him a superfan and mentor | Top Stories https://www.rawchili.com/nfl/353377/ #DeMarcusCovington #Football #GreenBay #GreenBayPackers #GreenBay #GreenBayPackers #JeffHafley #JuliusPeppers #KarlBooks #KennyClark #LukasVanNess #MattLaFleur #MicahParsons #NationalFootballLeague #NFL #Packers #PeneiSewell #RashanGary

#demarcuscovington #football #greenbay #greenbaypackers #jeffhafley #juliuspeppers

RAWCHILI @[email protected]

2025-09-01

Michael Jordan, Mia Hamm attending Bill Belichick’s UNC debut https://www.rawchili.com/4502641/ #BillBelichick #BlakeSnell #CollegeFootball #EricChurch #JuliusPeppers #LawrenceTaylor #MichaelJordan #NorthCarolinaTarHeels #sports #SportsTopics

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Taylor Blitz Times @[email protected]

2011-03-10

2011 Chicago Bears Preview

Julius Peppers will have to get after opposing passers to cover up a youthful linebacker set.

The Windy City had a special football season going in 2010. The pyroetechnics (fireworks) and excitement filled the air as the first ever NFC Championship Game between the Green Bay Packers v. Chicago Bears aroused passions, renewed a century long rivalry as the Super Bowl beckoned. The sky was blue, the air crisp and hitting could be heard all around Soldier Field and then a mysterious injury to Jay Cutler brought an end to Super Bowl dreams for the Bears and cast a pall over a town, its team, Jay Cutler’s integrity, and the Bears immediate future. This team wasted a perfect window for themselves! What happened??

Many of us who observed that game were unhappy with the way Cutler removed himself from the NFC Championship. We never saw him hurt in the game. For me it wasn’t that he looked aloof and didn’t seem interested in a game where he should have had to have been carried off the field against the hated Packers. He would not help 3rd string qB Hainie as he scrambled through polaroids trying to get a bead on what he was going into. A few questions come to mind…

How could a quarterback on the brink of rewriting his own image, after the Seahawk playoff game, do so much to reinforce his selfish veneer? Was the response by his teammates and Lovie Smith genuine?? The rest of the players of the NFL sounded off on twitter, as well as fans during our interactive football madness, with a ferocity questioning Cutler’s lack of heart that seem to permeate all media outlets before the game even ended. Where does Cutler go from here? Has he lost his teammates? These are questions that are right on the Chicago Bear’s mantle that have to be addressed before this team can move forward.

Quarterback: Sigh, this is one where we won’t know the extent of the fallout damage from the NFC Championship until the season unfolds. Cutler showed signs of improvement with the system Mike Martz installed and they came into the second half of 2010 on a roll with the emphasis more on running. Early on Martz was afflicted with trying to empty the backfield and the sacks, interceptions, and mistakes were prevalent. Most notably the 9 sack first half of the Giants game on Monday night. Cutler removed himself from that game in a questionable fashion… hmm?

Entering his 6th season, Cutler should be in his prime, especially with this being his third year in Chicago. This second under Martz could prove to be a coming out party for him or the nail in the coffin. The truth of the matter is we have to see if Cutler has lost his team and we’ll get back to that. In all actuality, his play improved to 23 TDs and 16 interceptions from 27 TDs and 26 interceptions between his second and first seasons in The City of Broad Shoulders. Cutler was asked to throw the ball 123 less times in 2010 in an attempt to minimize turnovers. He was still sacked a league high 52 times and was accused of holding the ball too long. There are times when he lacks a feel for the pass rush that comes back to haunt him at inopportune times. Martz is working on Cutler delivering the football on 5 step drops on time. He needs to show more consistency in throwing the ball away quicker. At quarterback the Bears are average and we need to see how Jay deals with throwing the ball away to avoid sacks and turnovers. This year is career make or break for Jay and right now you’d have to call him a break even quarterback at best. Could see a draft pick going to the quarterback right here in a second or third rounder like Boise St’s Kellen Moore. A year ahead of myself…but you get the picture

Offensive Backfield: An identity needs to be forged here also. Right now the Bears are working between two 3rd down backs in Matt Forte and Chester Taylor. They need a more physical franchise back here to help this offense field an identity. Too often the Bears had to kick the ball back to their opponent because they couldnt power the ball down teams throats on 3rd and 2. The Bears missed a few years back when they let Rashard Mendenhall of Illinois get away, this time they need to grab Illini RB Mikel Leshoure. He’s a 6 ft 230lbs bruiser who is a perfect Bear back. Forte and Chester Taylor are 3rd down backs at best. Sure Matt Forte ran for 1,069 yards on 237 carries for a nice 4.5 yards per carry, yet all too often the Bears couldn’t establish a traditional running game. They would rely on running out of passing formations and draws to catch the defense off guard. A bigger back can make a hole and be able to fall forward and pick up another 4 1st downs a game allowing the Bears to run out the clock.

There are 6 physical running backs coming out in this draft that the Bears would be better served replacing Forte as the every down starter. This way they can close out ball games, have Cutler become a second option and play to the strength of the team; defense and special teams. Stand pat…below average going into this season. Could see the Bears using two draft picks on runners if need be. Taylor needs to be released…just an enigmatic signing that needs to be rectified.

Receivers: Many pundits are calling for a splash to be made at receiver to help out Jay Cutler, I think they could use a quality guy here but strategically running back would pay immediate dividends where a receiver would not . Johnny Knox is serviceable and could be this year’s Miles Austin if the Bears can find the running game to make teams play more 8 in the box. The reduced screen passes to Forte and bubble screens that supplement the running game would be thrown here. He has speed and good hands, evidenced by his 51 rec. for 960 yards and 5TDs. His whopping 18.8 yds per reception plus additional 1 on 1 opportunities would turn him easily into a 70 catch 1,300 yard receiver like that. Think about it. Only receiver to give you impact like that as a rookie was Randy Moss in ’98, so picking that up in the draft is not likely.

Furthermore use Earl Bennett and Greg Olsen’s big bodies a little more and DO NOT rely on passing formations (3 / 4 receivers) so much. The Bears telegraphed too often when they were going to throw and that clogs too many passing lanes for them. Olsen (from the U) could have a breakout year with linebackers paying attention to the run. We saw evidence of this in the divisional playoff win against Seattle when we watched Olsen get deep and scorch safety Lawyer Milloy on a 58yd TD on the second play of the game. Seattle expected run and from a traditional set got on top of their linebackers. The Bears could have two , 1000 yard receivers in Olsen and Knox, with Bennett a chain moving intermediate supplement at the other receiver. Bennett caught 41 rec. for 561 yards and could catch a few more with this offensive premise. Devin Hester and Aramashodu would be wild cards to be used for special plays or three receiver sets. The dependable Desmond Clark should be used more in 2 TE sets and this team would really best utilize Cutler with intermediate throws on defenses in traditional sets.

Offensive Line: This team could use an upgrade in several spots. This team allowed for the most hits on their quarterback and sacks with 56. Not good! We have already mentioned the inability to move the ball on the ground in critical opportunities. The Bears were 23rd in the league in rushing average with 3.9 yds per rush and 21st in the league with 10TDs rushing as an offense. Instead of really coming down hard on individual players lets just say this is an area that needs upgrading. A few draft picks here and in a few powerful backs could band aid an offensive approach that would allow offensive line coach Mike Tice to take some young linemen and get on the 7 man sled and run the football. This is how they can cover deficiencies on their line, Cutler at quarterback, and rush the ball more effectively. Young lineman can run block easier than pass block. Stand pat…below average…

Defensive Line: Julius Peppers tilted the field in 2010. His sacks and subsequent pressure caused numerous holding penalties against Green Bay that were key in a Monday Night win. He reworked his contract to allow some cap relief and hopefully they will get him some help now that they have released the underachieving Tommie Harris. Peppers sack total wasnt as high as he would have hoped with 8, but the attention afforded him allowed Israel Idonijie to match him with 8 sacks and an overall defensive ranking of 9. This team was 5th in 3rd down % allowed at 35% which kept the field short for Devin Hester in the return game…yet I digress. Peppers should get 12-15 sacks this year.

The Bears had a shuttle of defensive tackles in the game to take place of the underachieving Harris. Matt Toeaina #75, just signed an extension started 10 games had 28 tackles and had 2.5 sacks last season. Immovable on the point which allows Bear linebackers to flow to the ball. Look for a breakout year with teams unable to gameplan for this 6ft 2 305 lbs plodder. Anthony Adams #95 (take that off…its Richard Dent’s) was the other tackle who also had a good year with 37 tackles while tying up blockers. Peppers and Idonijie are in their prime and the tackles are young and immovable. A Super Bowl defensive front

Linebackers: Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs are probably the best 1-2 punch at Middle and Outside Linebacker in the NFL. Urlacher really benefitted from missing the entire season before and he looked fresh all through the 2010 season. “If only he had legs to get that 3rd quarter interception of Aaron Rodgers in the NFC Championship to the endzone” is echoing through the minds of Bears fans everywhere. Yet that play showcased his skills entirely. His drop, read and react skills, quickness to catch the ball in traffic and make a play when his team desperately needed one. Urlacher was 1st on the team in tackles with 126, 3rd on the team with 4 sacks and was one of the leaders of a punishing defense.

Briggs came in second with 88 tackles, had 2 sacks and 2 interceptions in a fine all around performance. He along with Urlacher were able to roam free with offensive line attention placed on the D-Line. Briggs is as good against the run as he is against the pass. A sure tackler who is also in the prime of his career. Briggs is entering his 10th season and Urlacher his 13th so its imperative the Bears make a move on the defensive side of the ball in next years draft. The Bears should be even better with the return of Hunter Hillenmeyer #92 from injury. A solid linebacker who is best on the outside can play inside in a pinch as evidenced by his 2009 performance. A solid group that is getting up there in years but going into this season is still a Super Bowl set of ‘backers.

Secondary: First and foremost Charles “Peanut” Tillman was robbed of an NFC Pro Bowl spot in 2010. Get this; he was 3rd on the team in tackles with 83 behind Briggs and Urlacher, 1st on the team with forced fumbles with 4, and 1st on the team with 5 interceptions. All of this on a top 10 defense that made the NFC Championship Game and no pro bowl? Seriously? A great zone cornerback with cover skills and will tackle in the running game. Tillman should have a long career and is in his prime right now. Players like this are able to move to safety when they lose a step so don’t be surprised in a few years when he’s back there. Tim Jennings #26 was playing some good football the last time we saw him in the NFC Championship Game. The Bears coaching staff should have allowed the Bears corners a chance to be more aggressive on the line of scrimmage. Jennings is quick but can get muscled by stronger receivers.

At safety Harris and Daniel Manning are solid safeties. They do lack swivel hips to turn and run and require a good reroute of the receivers at the line. However against the run they each have some heft and will put the finishing touches on a ball carrier.

Overall: This team could be in for a long season if they don’t move quickly and get their hands on a few running backs and offensive linemen to give them the best chance in 2011. Spending too much for a top flight receiver to get Jay Cutler to throw more would be disastrous and showcase a line that is in serious need of a rebuild. Furthermore it could damage the psyche of the team and how they feel about Jay Cutler. They let a golden window for a Super Bowl run close on them yet with a few astute moves can keep it open one more year slightly.

This team had an esprit du corp that was second to none going into that championship tilt with Green Bay. With the defense allowing Devin Hester ample kick return opportunities they should fend off Detroit and stay ahead of the rebuilding Vikings this year. Will they catch Green Bay?? Only if they can get to an NFC Championship at Lambeau Field…now that would be full circle and will take an olympian effort to get there.

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