Scouting Report: Jabrill Peppers
Wait--aren't you the guy who doesn't know what a dungeonmaster is? You can't truly appreciate a name like "Paladins" if you don't know what a dungeonmaster is.
I think Polska knew the dungeon master who could make cool maps using graph paper. Someone responded to him not knowing what a dungeon master is.
Oh, that's right. My bad. Sorry, Polska.
I had a paladin character, so yeah. I just automatically think of this movie any time I hear the word. Stand by Me is on my top 5 childhood movies list. "Chopper, sick balls" is still one of the best movie lines of all time IMHO. Then there was this (around the 1 minute mark is the best/worst part)
That was me and I got negged for it.
I'm sorry you got negged. I'm not sorry you spent your formative years doing something more productive with your life than playing RPG's with your unathletic friends like me! I thought I had died and gone to heaven when my friend Brock got a Commodore 64! Telengard was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Man, I am really thankful for that I grew a couple inches and lost like 40 pounds between 6th and 8th grade.
What is a Commodore 64? When I was a kid, N64 was the rage.
You have much to learn young grasshopper. Commodore 64 was a computer system that used 5 1/4 inch floppy disks. I don't know the specs, but it was sweet to me at the time. My gaming system, if you want to call it that, was an Atari 27.
You had floppy disks? You were lucky.
"Press play on tape"
if he was to commit, do you think he would start at nickel or just beat out Countess or Taylor for the corner spot?
it's always fun to speculate, especially before a kid even makes his announcement... so how many NCs, Heismans, and Super Bowls will he win?
In 4 Seasons
We need a new category for you: glass half empty or glass half full won't do. How about a third option: Old Testament flood.
that being premature is never a good thing.
That's what she said.
I think he would be very good at the nickel position. If Dymonte Thomas takes over Thomas Gordon's voided spot in 2014, then that would certainly open the door for Peppers to start. Taylor would be a senior in 2014, so then perhaps Peppers could start at corner as a sophomore.
IMO, that's the ideal scenario. You rarely want to start true freshman, but you don't really want to start a sophomore without any experience either. The nickel seems like a great way to get both of them on the field for a good number of snaps and take advantage of their otherworldly athleticism, while preparing them for their fulltime safety or cornerback position in the future. And as you mentioned, with Gordon and Taylor graduating when they are, it would really work out.
That being said, someone's going to break their tibia or something because it's football, rendering all of this thought process moot.
Countess played CB in high school, apparently Peppers does not. Agreed he has the ability, but not sure there is a need outside of nickel, and depends on how fast he can learn the position. It should be quite an athletic backfield. I dream of Peppers, Westphal, Wilson, and Dymonte in the same backfield.
Woodson started as a freshman in 1995, even though he played RB in high school and was recruited as a WR. I don't know specifically who else was on the roster that year for corners, but I'm pretty sure he had to beat out at least one or two decent veterans--though, probably not multi-year starters (as Countess & Taylor will be in 2014).
It's a little hard to tell but an internet search showed he at least played some defense in high school so I'd assume he played some corner too.
"While in high school, Woodson first began to play on defense, having previously focused on offense. "Once I started playing it, it just started growing on me," he later told the Los Angeles Times. "I liked it a lot. I think it's a lot more aggressive. You have 11 people running to the football, trying to get there at the same time. There's a big celebration after the hit. It's kind of hard to describe."
But, I also heard someone else on the board say Peppers played corner at Don Bosco during his first two years of high school.
Source:
Woodson played running back and safety in High School. He also returned punts and kickoffs, obviously.
And he was Charles Woodson. And he wasn't even really Charles Woodson till after the MSU game. That's when he stopped looking like a talented freshman. He was also beating out Woodrow Hankins and Tyrone Noble.
I somehow have no memory of Tyrone Noble, even though I was at M when he played. But the other day I was watching Wolverine Historian's Youtube of the 1994 ND game, and remember seeing Noble a couple times after making tackles. Thing is, from just seeing him I thought he was a LB! Different game back then.
bored at work, I usually go through what I think might happen with lineups one day. Here's how I think the secondary plays out. Peppers commits on Sunday. This fall, Raymon Taylor and Blake Countess play CB while Jarrod Wilson and Thomas Gordon play safety with Dymonte Thomas holding down the nickel. Courtney Avery is the top DB off the bench.
Then next season, Thomas slides into a safety spot, replacing Gordon. Peppers fills into the spot vacated by Thomas. Wilson, Countess, and Taylor remain in their spots.
Then in 2015, Peppers moves to a CB spot, replacing Taylor. One of the current players then moves into the nickel spot. Maybe Richardson or Ross Douglas takes that spot. Either that, or Peppers remains a nickel and someone else moves into the CB lineup. Lot's of good options for the future though, that's for sure. I'm excited about the secondarys future.
that you failed to account for in your prediction of the future. Just saying.............
Is Peppers even an option at safety? I know he plays it in HS, so if needed, I don't see why he couldn't play safety. This seems like a kid you want to have on the field as much as possible, regardless of what class he is.
Peppers could play just about any skill position on the field. Heck, he makes some decent throws, too. If he came to college to play RB/WR, he could probably even take some direct snaps as a "Wildcat" type of QB. (I doubt they would do that with a guy playing primarily CB, but you never know...)
I thought the same thing as you did in his similarities to Reggie Bush. Sure he plays a different position, but his size, speed, and fluid movement out on the field, all while blowing by chumps and making them look silly are very reminiscent of Bush. I've also said he really looks like he could play pretty much any position other than along the lines. Seems as though you see the same thing.
FTR, I am no expert; however, it doesn't take an expert to see that this kid is a rare and special talent on the football field.
/buckled
Reggie Bush "signs" with the Lions but is mysteriously missing every Saturday. When the media asks why this is, everyone just says "don't worry about it" and slide backwards, disappearing within the hedge.
Peppa
Sorry had to
Go Blue
We could possibly have Peppers, Countess and Thomas in the secondary together for two full seasons.
the crazy thing is the other half dozen guy we have gotten for the secondary also those 2 years aren't a big step back. 2015 could be 1997 level of defence, and the peaces are there to have an offence that actually is as good as the defence will be.
From Canada, eh?
defence.
You can stand anywhere you damn well please with that avatar, good sir.
I don't think he's Canadian. Look at the way he spelled "pieces." He's clearly a Namibian spy.
I hope that our defense can bring PEACE as well...
love,
jdon
ps. how crazy will our defenses be going forward? If we can get our linemen to develop i think we could be better than we've ever been. Sure, no one will ever be woodson, but the game has changed and with the speed, height, and talent we are putting in the back four/five it is gonna get real around here.
we want this backfield