Wilfork wants Pepper as DC

According to Reiss

Re: Wilfork wants Peppers as DC

I assume you mean Pepper. Good for Vince, when he's a HC he can make that decision.

Re: Wilfork wants Peppers as DC

Pepper Johnson has earned the respect of the players he's coached for the New England Patriots. - ESPN Boston

Re: Wilfork wants Peppers as DC

I wouldn't be opposed to it.

Wilfork probably won't be around unless he's willing to play for about 70% of market though.

Re: Wilfork wants Peppers as DC

Well, he's a defensive lineman, so he works with Pepper pretty closely. I'm fine with either Pepper or Patricia honestly, so long as we add some talent to the front seven I think we'll be fine.

Re: Wilfork wants Peppers as DC

It's definately a good sign and progress for Johnson that he's now had some experience as a positional coach at DE as well as LB - but Belichick's defense is pretty complex.

No one questions that Pepper is a perfect guy to get in guys' faces and to drive them to excel - and obviously he "gets it" about Belichick's philosophy of how the sum of the total can be more than the parts... everyone needs to play their role etc...

But DC under Belichick requires a major jump in football IQ and strategic thinking compared to a positional coach. Johnson might not be that guy for the Patriots under Belichick even if he might do well as a DC on another team.

Whoever Belichick chooses is fine by me... though if Johnson is passed up for DC I wonder if there's some other title - like Assistant Head Coach - that would appease him and give him the ability to roam beyond positions, being the guy to push players to work harder and produce more, even if he's not the one developing and calling the X's & O's.

Re: Wilfork wants Peppers as DC

While Julius might be able to make the transistion from player to coach, personally I would rather see Peppers playing DE for NE than being on the sidelines coaching.

Re: Wilfork wants Peppers as DC

I doubt one will be named, I expect O'Brien to be named OC (sorry everyone) and for Patricia to be the unnamed DC. Patricia seems to be in the middle of things more than Pepper, including signalling in the calls when Pees went into the booth.

Re: Wilfork wants Peppers as DC

What some people will do for a nickname.

"Thomas "Pepper" Johnson was born July 29, 1964 in Detroit, Mich. He was nicknamed "Pepper" by an aunt who observed his ritual of sprinkling pepper on his breakfast cereal as a youngster."

Re: Wilfork wants Peppers as DC

JoeSixPat said:

It's definately a good sign and progress for Johnson that he's now had some experience as a positional coach at DE as well as LB - but Belichick's defense is pretty complex.

No one questions that Pepper is a perfect guy to get in guys' faces and to drive them to excel - and obviously he "gets it" about Belichick's philosophy of how the sum of the total can be more than the parts... everyone needs to play their role etc...

But DC under Belichick requires a major jump in football IQ and strategic thinking compared to a positional coach. Johnson might not be that guy for the Patriots under Belichick even if he might do well as a DC on another team.

Whoever Belichick chooses is fine by me... though if Johnson is passed up for DC I wonder if there's some other title - like Assistant Head Coach - that would appease him and give him the ability to roam beyond positions, being the guy to push players to work harder and produce more, even if he's not the one developing and calling the X's & O's.

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Great way to put it.

Re: Wilfork wants Peppers as DC

we know the pats are not going to get a big name coach cause BB is all ways going to have the last say in how the D is run its all ways BB working with the D on the side line not the DC and thats not a bad thing.


the DC is comeing from the staff thats all redy here so why not give johnson the DC job.

Re: Wilfork wants Peppers as DC

patsfan-1982 said:

we know the pats are not going to get a big name coach cause BB is all ways going to have the last say in how the D is run its all ways BB working with the D on the side line not the DC and thats not a bad thing.


the DC is comeing from the staff thats all redy here so why not give johnson the DC job.

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I hope they do pick peppers, he's a smart guy with the experience. He can stand up to BB when he says crazy things like "let's trade a 3rd for Burgess" or "Let's put Crable on IR for another year, no way could he be a pass rush specialist".

Re: Wilfork wants Peppers as DC

Lets see Peppers was the coach when it was said the pats had a great DL.Its not all players and also he did work with Ty ,Vince and Sey on a day to day basis more than BB.

Matt patricia the 2 season we had bad LB play but i guess it does not matter.

Re: Wilfork wants Peppers as DC

I also think Pepper can stand up to BB, and he has ton's of experience with BB and the Pats

Pepper was playing for him as a Linbacker for the Gaints and the Browns, making the calls I believe. After reading the Reiss Piece he took over some of the defenseive duties for the Browns as a player when the coach became ill.

He's been here since 2000, Coached both the Linebackers and the DL. He's a Leader, and the team needs more leaders now.

I'm sure he can call plays, knows when to call plays. I don't know if he can design plays. He wont give up when his contract is up either.

I'll take Pepper over Matt

Re: Wilfork wants Peppers as DC

I want N E M as OC

Re: Wilfork wants Peppers as DC

Come on everyone, PEPPER... PEPPER

Pepper "No S" Johnson

Re: Wilfork wants Peppers as DC

Good sign that Wilfork is concerned about who the DC is next year. Shows that he is really interested in coming back

Re: Wilfork wants Peppers as DC

ice said:

I also think Pepper can stand up to BB, and he has ton's of experience with BB and the Pats

Pepper was playing for him as a Linbacker for the Gaints and the Browns, making the calls I believe. After reading the Reiss Piece he took over some of the defenseive duties for the Browns as a player when the coach became ill.

He's been here since 2000, Coached both the Linebackers and the DL. He's a Leader, and the team needs more leaders now.

I'm sure he can call plays, knows when to call plays. I don't know if he can design plays. He wont give up when his contract is up either.

I'll take Pepper over Matt

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Totally agree. Right now the defense needs someone who can provide emotional leadership and teach them to master the fundamentals of the game, like tackling. From what I've read, neither of those things are Patricia's strength. He is another young, brainy coaching candidate in the mold of Mangini, McDaniels, and O'Brien. We have enough of those guys.

As a former NFL linebacker, Johnson immediately commands respect from his players. With all of his experience in Belichick's system, both as a player and a coach, it should be a no-brainer for him to get the job. As much potential as Patricia might have, it certainly couldn't hurt him to develop as a positional coach for a few more years, or even get into the personnel side of things.

It seems to me that selecting Pepper Johnson to be the next DC of the Pats makes more sense than the other option. Just basing my observations on a few articles, it appears to me that some of the players would further lose their trust in BB should he appoint his binky candidate, Patricia, over a guy who by all accounts deserves a promotion. This is a guy that other teams wanted as their DC.

I'd like to see the defense play with some emotion next year. I think Pepper brings that.

Re: Wilfork wants Peppers as DC

i would be fine with it, i just hope wilfork will stick around for a couple years

Re: Wilfork wants Peppers as DC

TheComeback said:

Totally agree. Right now the defense needs someone who can provide emotional leadership and teach them to master the fundamentals of the game, like tackling. From what I've read, neither of those things are Patricia's strength. He is another young, brainy coaching candidate in the mold of Mangini, McDaniels, and O'Brien. We have enough of those guys.

As a former NFL linebacker, Johnson immediately commands respect from his players. With all of his experience in Belichick's system, both as a player and a coach, it should be a no-brainer for him to get the job. As much potential as Patricia might have, it certainly couldn't hurt him to develop as a positional coach for a few more years, or even get into the personnel side of things.

It seems to me that selecting Pepper Johnson to be the next DC of the Pats makes more sense than the other option. Just basing my observations on a few articles, it appears to me that some of the players would further lose their trust in BB should he appoint his binky candidate, Patricia, over a guy who by all accounts deserves a promotion. This is a guy that other teams wanted as their DC.

I'd like to see the defense play with some emotion next year. I think Pepper brings that.

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Excellent post. The Pats, aside from Welker and some hungry rookies, were an unemotional, uninspired team this year. I'm sure Johnson is more than capable of doing the job, and his promotion would signal a shift in the defensive philosophy that once worked for the Pats but is now causing them to be the team equivalent of a JAG. I'm sorry, but even after a 10-6 season this team needs a shakeup. Hiring Patricia would be a huge mistake--BB might as well let Ernie Adams give it a go.