Blame Peppers

[slumdogmillionaire]

This is Peppers fault:

Panthers NT Ma'ake Kemoeatu will miss the entire 2009 season after tearing his Achilles' tendon in Monday's practice.

This is an enormous blow to a defensive line extremely short on depth. For perspective, Kemo's backup is undrafted FA Marlon Favorite. The Panthers took an obvious risk entering camp so thin on both lines, but there wasn't much they could do because Julius Peppers swallowed up so much salary cap space. They may have a hard time just affording a street free agent tackle.

Source: Darin Gantt on Twitter

How can the Panthers management and players not be mad at Peppers?When injuries like Kemo's happen we are screwed because there wasn't any money to sign decent backups. The same thing is going to happen if Kalil, Otah, Gross, etc get hurt....we had no money to sign any of our good backups. Peppers has handcuffed this team.....if he would have signed a long term contract his base would have been so much lower that we would have had at least 7 million if not more to play with. Does he not feel bad knowing that he has screwed the team before the season has even started? We have to be very lucky and hope for no injuries if we are going to compete with that tough azz schedule.

Also, it isn't just this year that we haven't been able to sign more players because of Pepp. He's been wanting to get out of here for a while so he hasn't signed an extension for the last 3 years. Very few if any star players play there whole contract out without agreeing to a restructure or extension. Peppers was one player who never restructured or he didn't sign an extension....he has been carrying a gigantic cap number all those years preventing us signing a couple of more players. We probably could have gone a lot further if Steve had an elite receiver next to him or we had another elite player.

I'm a carolina grad and love Peppers but he's really screwed us the last couple of years.

[KillerKat]

F*ck you!

[Kevin Greene]

Blame Peppers

I do.

[Zod]

The other players don't blame peppers one bit for doing whats best for him. Not sure why any fan would.

[R0CKnR0LLA]

Gantt can suck my f*cking d*ck

[beastson]

He do get a lil blame, but damn Kemo... on your first run. Did he stretch enough. Or maybe its because he's getting older and is big as hell

[bleys]

Jangler predicted this, quietly..

OP, you're an idiot. Thanks for playing...

[Kurb]

The latter more than the former.

Cap space can always be created, no worries.

[1789Cardiac Cats9020]

Yeah...Pep is the only one on the team taking up cap space....yep yep indeed indeed. someone close this thread

[slumdogmillionaire]

Peppers is the only top 5 pick the last 10 years that has played his entire rookie contract out without restructuring. His cap numbers were huge towards the end of that deal....the Panthers never thought he would see those numbers without restructuring or extending. Then on top of that he gets the tagged number now....he's handcuffed this team.

[grateflday]

I have said this in other threads and I will say it here. The part about Pep that bugs me is the whole "I dont want to hurt the franchise crap". The Panthers lost they entire backup O-line. Sure some wanted to start elsewhere, but with the freed up money who knows what players that might have stayed and who might have been signed.

The only consolation for me is that I trust Fox and Hurney knew what they were doing. I felt they were confident enough in the other O-linemen on the roster. I can only hope they had similar thoughts and contingencies if they lost players on the defense.

But not matter how anybody wants to sugar coat it,,,,,,, dont bash Gantt for point this out. I wonder how long it will be at home games before they announce the Defense instead of the Offense to run out, and when they do the Defense it wont be Pep the last player as in the past. I wont be booing but I wont be standing up screaming like I have in the past.

[KillerKat]

Yeah blame Peppers for giving us 10+ sacks a season. Blame Peppers for making offenses design plays that goes the opposite direction he is at. Blame Peppers for pressuring the QB. Blame Peppers for disrupting the backfield.

Some of you are really ridiculous. Each NFL team has a salary cap. Each team is going to pay their stars the amount they deserve! Peppers is worth every penny he gets! Without him our line is even weaker than before and instead of having 1 area of the line weak, we would now have 2. If you want someone to blame, its not him. Blame Fox and the FO for ignoring the biggest weakness of the entire team.

[Panthro]

Trade Peppers for Seymour

[Kevin Greene]

The other players don't blame peppers one bit for doing whats best for him. Not sure why any fan would.

A fan has the right to think the best thing would be sign a 5 or 6 year contract for 75 million with 40 million dollars of it guaranteed and help the organization in a huge way cap wise. I mean, he is a Panther at least one more year and hopefully wants to win.

But I guess fug 'em, me me me.