Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Peppers signs

After much deliberation, I have come to the conclusion that Julius Peppers is NOT a paycheck player.

Peppers camp made overtures about him playing for another team, saying he wanted to be a part of a 3-4 defense, and then allegedly listing 4 teams he wished to go to.

The Panthers didn't want to let their guy go for nothing, as is their right. They placed the franchise tag on him, basically saying, if you want to go, fine. We want something in return. Once that happened, Peppers wasn't going anywhere.

It was basically a foregone conclusion Peppers would be back in Carolina colors in 2009, but the price is steep. $16.7 million (with an "m") for 1 year of football. The number has been planned for, according to GM Marty Hurney, so it's already in the budget, so to speak.

Is Peppers worth that money? Well, who is worth that money? For an entertainer, that kind of tag means top notch performance. When you break it down, Peppers will make $1 million and changer per game.

He will be worth that kind of money if he has a repeat of his 2008 season, where he was ripping through blockers, recording sacks, and being a force on defense. If he fades into the 2007 Houdini act, there will be a lot of unhappy folks in the stands, and in the front office. The Panthers seem top believe that Peppers will follow up his 2008 with a similar 2009. A lot of folks hope they are right.

NBA Draft coverage comes your way Thursday night from Time Warner Cable Arena, as the Charlotte Bobcats hold the 12th overall selection (at least they do as I write this). We'll keep our eyes on their status, along with Stephen Curry's move to the bigs. Should be a big night--hope you check it all out.

Mike Solarte

1 comment:

Hotboy said...

I hope that Julius Peppers can lead them to the superbowl. Anything short of the superbowl would be a disappointment. A waste of time and money !!
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