#25: ATH, Jabrill Peppers

What a block by that guy.

MRMsix6 said:

What a block by that guy.

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His hand must be so strong to block Peppers's entire momentum with it without holding/facemasking!

Dammit, Jabrill!

Soda said:

His hand must be so strong to block Peppers's entire momentum with it without holding/facemasking!

Dammit, Jabrill!

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It really is incredible that they missed that one. It wasn't even concealed by him blocking properly. Jabril tried to dart around him and the lineman's arm flails out as he gets spun around by the face mask.

Total "whiff" by Peppers there.

Hooker would dipped and stripped that ball in one perfect motion before picking it up and taking it back to the house. Facts

Might be another Wimbley or Mingo. Guy with no natural position just like the pundits thought. Also, Brady aside, Michigan players don't usually translate to great pros.

It's early but he hasn't impacted the kicking game and has been a negative on defense.

ok what am I missing with the Hooker meme

It would make sense if Hooker was playing like trash too and people were taking jabs at the guys who wanted him. But Hooker is actually playing extremely well. 3 picks in 3 weeks and a PFF grade of 83 while Peppers has one of 37. I know we only selectively care about PFF, but they are an objective source.

And I know. Can't argue Peppers vs. Hooker. Because "THE FIRST ROUND PICK!!!"

I've heard that so many times before. Can't judge Julio vs. Phil Taylor, you have to take into account the extra late first round and second round picks that became Greg Little and Brandon Weeden! Can't judge Khalil Mack vs Justin Gilbert you've gotta take into account that extra first round pick that became Cam Erving!!! Etc

For once can we stop trying to outsmart everyone and just take the elite talent that falls into our laps. The extra first round picks always sound a lot better in theory than they end up being.

I'm an OSU fan & graduate. I didn't like the Peppers pick, I like the way we're using him less.

It's fine to criticize Peppers, but criticizing him on that Gio Bernard TD is ridiculous. To claim as much makes me question if he's even watching the games.

Sorry I can't make jokes about this miserable team

Mr. Orange said:

Might be another Wimbley or Mingo. Guy with no natural position just like the pundits thought. Also, Brady aside, Michigan players don't usually translate to great pros.

It's early but he hasn't impacted the kicking game and has been a negative on defense.

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This is a stupid take.

The Wizard of Moz said:

ok what am I missing with the Hooker meme

It would make sense if Hooker was playing like trash too and people were taking jabs at the guys who wanted him. But Hooker is actually playing extremely well. 3 picks in 3 weeks and a PFF grade of 83 while Peppers has one of 37. I know we only selectively care about PFF, but they are an objective source.

And I know. Can't argue Peppers vs. Hooker. Because "THE FIRST ROUND PICK!!!"

I've heard that so many times before. Can't judge Julio vs. Phil Taylor, you have to take into account the extra late first round and second round picks that became Greg Little and Brandon Weeden! Can't judge Khalil Mack vs Justin Gilbert you've gotta take into account that extra first round pick that became Cam Erving!!! Etc

For once can we stop trying to outsmart everyone and just take the elite talent that falls into our laps. The extra first round picks always sound a lot better in theory than they end up being.

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We also had so many holes on this roster getting extra picks and talent spread out makes a ton more sense this off season. Hooker is also a better coverage guy but doesn't have the tackling talent that Peppers does. We all feel Peppers is out of position right now and we aren't sure why he is.

Sincerely though next season I think they will go with BPA for needs in the draft whether that means moving up or down, they will get it. Like if we get the number one pick I expect us to be trading down since we aren't drafting a QB with that pick probably, but then we will get the RB/WR/S guy we end up liking the best. Jackson's coaching career will likely be on Kizer and how he ends up playing next season. I don't expect the trade downs like in years past. Outside of getting a ton for the first pick since it will be a QB likely spot, we are drafting the best talent at the spot.

Let's face it.

We'd all rather have Hooker right now.

Chris said:

Let's face it.

We'd all rather have Hooker right now.

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Yes. That's not an indictment of Peppers, though... Hooker is playing great & the Browns could use a rangy center-fielder. Plenty of teams would love to have him.

We would all love to have Hooker, but we needed to build this roster and we cannot do that with one player alone. My question is how well are the safeties that got drafted after Peppers doing?

Let's get the Hooker thing out of the way. Yes, we could have taken him at #12, but the Texans trade was certainly enticing enough to move out of that spot. This shouldn't be a Hooker vs Peppers any more than it should be a Hooker vs Peppers + (insert 2018 first round pick here). As an OSU alum it has been mind-boggling how we haven't drafted any Buckeyes given their recent pedigree in the NFL as being ready to play immediately, but that's a different story for the front office.

Anyways, I'm concerned with how Gregg Williams is choosing to play Peppers. He's not a Hooker-type ball hawk and takes poor tackling angles at times. I do like his willingness to hit hard and his attitude toward the game, so maybe Williams is trying to develop his coverage skills and he is taking his lumps in the process. I really can't see him being a bust with his passion though so let's not give up on yet another rookie 4 games into his rookie season with no veterans to learn from.

The Wizard of Moz said:

ok what am I missing with the Hooker meme

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It's not really about Hooker, it's about the Browns. The Browns picked Peppers and everything the Browns do is right, obviously.

The Wizard of Moz said:

I know we only selectively care about PFF, but they are an objective source.

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This is the funniest part. I haven't seen PFF questioned on here in years, especially since it has evolved into what it is today which is a pretty damn reputable player evaluation source. It is routinely posted on here, especially as a way to shine a positive light on Browns players.

For instance, this post after a preseason game had no problem getting smashed with likes:

howler1313 said:

S JABRILL PEPPERS, 83.6 OVERALL GRADE
Peppers caught Winston’s misfire for the interception and he closed quickly for a third-down stop in the passing game, but perhaps the big story for Peppers is how much deep safety he’s playing. 35 of his 37 snaps came at free safety, making it 77 of 81 snaps so far this preseason. Peppers was expected to be more of a box safety coming out of college, but he’s showing well in more of a true free safety role.

Really interesting tidbit from PFF. I absolutely love what I've seen so far, his sure tackling is a welcome change from last year's disastrous safety play.

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And when asked to provide evidence for Peppers' poor play, I delivered the same way evidence is always provided for good play. Sometimes the truth hurts. Even triggers.

The Wizard of Moz said:

For once can we stop trying to outsmart everyone and just take the elite talent that falls into our laps. The extra first round picks always sound a lot better in theory than they end up being.

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Preach.

Urban said:

It's fine to criticize Peppers, but criticizing him on that Gio Bernard TD is ridiculous. To claim as much makes me question if he's even watching the games.

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I'm assuming this was directed to me? Honestly, I had not seen the replay until it was posted here after my comment. All I remembered was that play, which was an awful look for our defense, was on Peppers' side of the field. After watching the replay, obviously, he was not at fault.

Anyway. The worst part about all this is how Peppers is being used right now. It's just wrong. And it kills me because there were exceptionally better players for that role for the Browns to pick.