Julius Peppers got his 150th sacks on Thursday night, and he has put himself squarely into the Hall of Fame by passing this amazing landmark. Peppers is one of the most impactful people at his position in his generation, and we will look back at how amazing he has been over many years and many teams. We often forget that Peppers is so good, but he continues a very long tradition of great defensive players from a particular little school.
The North Carolina connection
The North Carolina connection between Peppers and other greats such as Lawrence Taylor is very important.
That school seems to put out a generational player every generation, and Peppers has been fantastic every second that he has been in the league. He has been with the Panthers twice, the Bears, and the Packers, and he has starred for each team. He is very wanted around the league, and he is the guy that people come to when they need a much better pass rusher. It is hard to amass 150 sacks when you have so many different teams and defenses to play in, and Peppers has adapted to them all.
His consistency
Peppers has been very consistent, and he has been able to keep his level of play very high over a long period. Most players who play a high impact position for that long have to stop before this point, and they never get to 150 sacks.
This magical number has been very important for Peppers because it allows him to make a strong case to go to the hall of fame. A title has deluded this man, and he has been very good at making sure that he has helped each team he has played for. We assume that he would go to the hall of fame as a Panther, but he was just as good for the Bears and the Packers.
Can the Panthers get him a title?
Do we remember when the Panthers went to the Super Bowl and Peppers came so close to winning a title? This team does not seem as though it is set up to give him the best chance to win a title. He went to the Packers when he must have thought that he could win a title, and now he is back in Carolina hoping that the Panthers can get back there.
They missed Cam Newton last year, and now they have to catch up the Falcons. It is going to be very difficult for this guy to get that title that he was hoping for, and we might not see if before he chooses to retire. He cannot get to 200 sacks considering how long he has been playing, but he can definitely help this Panthers team make one more push for a title before he retires. We should at least applaud Peppers for a great career.
