Chicago Bears Insider: Julius Peppers As Defensive Player of the Year?
Published by Bryan Dietzler on December 1, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Call me crazy, but there are some whispers around the league that have Chicago Bears defensive end Julius Peppers tagged as a candidate for the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year honor.
Sure, he may not be racking up the kind of stats like Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews, but what he does “behind the scenes” may be worth the honor much more than what stands out to many fans and the media—raw numbers.
The Bears brought Peppers into Chicago to help fix an ailing pass rush. In 2009, the Bears pass rush was horrid and since their defense, the Cover Two, is based on a solid pass rush (from the front four), they had to find someone to help them get that much-needed pass rush. Knowing what they had to do to make the defense work, they went out and spent a lot of money on one player they hoped would help turn the tide for them on defense.
Peppers didn’t have that strong of a preseason, but what player who’s normally a starter generally has a strong preseason? So there were no worries there.
He did start off the 2010 season with a little bit of a bang, though, sacking Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and, in the process, knocking the ball out (creating a turnover that was recovered by the Bears). He even injured Stafford to the point that he missed some time.
Peppers’ next big effort came against the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football. While he didn’t have a great game statistically, just the “threat” of his pass rush was enough to contribute to false start and holding penalties on the Green Bay offense. With his presence alone causing problems, Peppers proved he can have a big impact even if he isn’t racking up the stats.
Peppers did a couple nice things in the Bears game against the New York Giants, but nothing that had a lot of impact. We saw more great play out of him when they traveled to take on Peppers’ former team, the Carolina Panthers. Peppers had a stellar game against his old teammates and was a big part of Chicago’s ability to win that game.
The Bears suffered two straight losses after their win in Carolina, and in both losses, Peppers was pretty quiet. It appeared as if he was struggling against a rookie left tackle in each game (the Seahawks had Russell Okung while the Redskins had Trent Williams), and he didn’t have that much of an impact on either game.
Following the Bears bye week, Peppers had another game where he didn’t have that much of an impact (against the Buffalo Bills). Were we seeing the start of a period of decline for Peppers? Some fans and members of the media felt that he wasn’t doing enough to help the team win, and perhaps at that time, he wasn’t.
The Vikings visit to Soldier Field allowed Peppers and the rest of the Bears defensive line to get some good pressure on Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre, but Peppers didn’t have any sacks in that game. He did have an impact on it, however, and that cannot be discounted.
Peppers’ “breakout” game finally came during the Bears Thursday Night game against the Miami Dolphins in Miami. He collected three sacks to go along with five tackles. With Peppers having that kind of game, fans and teammates were encouraged and felt that he had finally “arrived.”
Peppers strutted his stuff once again on Sunday against the Eagles, as he and the rest of the Bears defense kept quarterback Michael Vick from tearing up the Bears defense. On the day, Peppers had four tackles, one sack and a forced fumble, and his speed on the edge helped keep Vick in the pocket and allowed his fellow defensive linemen to make plays.
Peppers’ play has been a huge part of why the Bears have been successful on defense this season. Remember that the Cover Two defense works best when just the front four get pressure on the quarterback, allowing the linebackers and secondary to cover and keep the play in front of them. It worked to perfection against the Eagles (and the Dolphins), and it should work well in the future.
NFL MVP awards are given to individual players who affect the overall play of the team. They are given to those players who make a big impact on their team during the season. Can Peppers be considered the kind of guy who has made a big impact on his team? He most certainly should be.
Peppers has done a lot to help his team’s defense be successful and without him, they wouldn’t be where they are at today.
Going into the voting for the NFL’s Defensive MVP, it looks like the favorite, right now, is Green Bay outside linebacker Clay Matthews. If Peppers has a solid ending to the season, he could move ahead of Matthews and be selected as the NFL’s Defensive MVP.
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