Julius Peppers Vital To Green Bay Packers’ Hopes In NFC Championship Game
By Brian Brennan
@b2brennan
John Konstantaras – Getty Images
When the Green Bay Packers signed Julius Peppers this offseason, the game he has in yesterday’s NFC Divisional game against the Dallas Cowboys was what they were expecting. He was the oldest player in that game and it showed with his veteran leadership and playmaking ability.
Peppers came into the NFL in 2002 and has been a dominant force ever since. He’s had only one season with less than seven sacks and each year he’s almost always among the leaders in forced fumbles, interceptions and touchdowns for defensive linemen. Arguably the most athletic player to ever play the defensive end position, Peppers showed what true talent he has on Sunday.
In one of the biggest plays of the game, DeMarco Murray seemingly had a wipe open running lane for an untouched run, maybe a touchdown if he had won the foot race. Dallas was leading Green Bay 14-10 in the third quarter and could have easily stretched the lead to 21-10. Instead, Peppers got off his block, dove and stripped Murray of the ball. The Packers recovered in what was a huge turnaround and a big reason why Green Bay came back to advance. For Green Bay to beat the Seattle Seahawks, they’ll need more of this type of Peppers.
Seattle features the well-known mobility of Russell Wilson. Luckily for the Packers, Peppers has been dealing with this more than most defensive ends throughout his career. For the Carolina Panthers, where he spent the first eight years of his career, Peppers was tasked with controlling Michael Vick. He was one of the few players I’ve ever seen keep Vick under some control. Green Bay is hoping this experience didn’t go away.
On Sunday, Peppers will be lining up in his second NFC championship game. It will also be his 35th birthday. We will see what happens, but I expect Peppers to perform big and the Packers will truly see what importance the old man has against the Seahawks. There aren’t many better birthday gifts to a pro athlete than a trip to the Super Bowl.
Brian Brennan is a writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @b2brennan.
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