The realization that Panthers DE Julius Peppers will never play for the Green Bay Packers doesn't break my heart. I briefly wrote about Peppers last week. While any team can always use a good pass rusher, Peppers would be without a clear role in Green Bay (a 4-3 DE on a 3-4 defense, he's never played outside LB). Plus he'll cost a lot of money.
But his idea of attracting interest as a free agent is already comical. Even before free agency has begun, he's crossed two teams off his list: the Panthers and the Packers. From Andrew Brandt:
Peppers wants out. He knows the Panthers can place the franchise tag on him again, but the cash number would be prohibitive. Peppers wanted to make a preemptive strike against the Panthers to dissuade them from trying to retain him in case they had an interest...We can also scratch Green Bay as a potential home for Peppers. The Packers’ defensive line coach is Peppers’ former coach with the Panthers, Mike Trgovac. To put it conservatively, Trgovac is highly disliked by Peppers. I worked with Mike in 1999 with the Packers and found him to be a good person and coach, but Peppers feels differently. He’ll steer clear of Trgovac at all costs.
Aren't you supposed to strike up a bidding war for your services? It's not a good sign he's already refused to work with the teams and coaches that know him best. From Greg Bedard:
What a waste of talent. That was Trogs prob with him
Jaxon at Cat Scratch Reader doesn't expect Peppers to return, and he's just confused by Peppers's comments. Where is Peppers going to play in 2010? Are either Daniel Snyder or Al Davis desperate enough to break the bank for him?