All nonsense aside, getting Peppers would be one hell of a pick up for this team. Let's wax the hypothetical for a second, shall we? First, looking at the contributions he could make in the 34 if he was able to convert fairly quickly. Second, his anciliary value. Third, what it would mean to the rest of the front seven.
Should Peppers make the transition effectively, he represents the most athletic LOLB this team has had under Belichick. His pass rushing skills are no secret, and he will be able to apply tremendous pressure from the various LB positions in the 34, 33 and 23 sets. He is also adept at setting the edge and controlling the outside shoulder of the blocker from the three point. Personally, I feel that engaging blockers is easier from the two point, and should this correlation hold, we will have top-flight edge setter and play stringer. In coverage, first you have a guy who is 6'7. He has the height to disrupt passing lanes, go up and challenge for the ball and press the tight end. He also will have the athleticism to run with most TE's in the league. Something we haven't seen from the left side of the line in a long time.
Should the transition prove to be more difficult than ideal, he presents tremendous value in both the 5-technique out of the 34 and rushing out of the three-point all along the line. With the addition of Peppers, there would be four players on this team that can rush very well with their hands down. He would be a focus point for opposing offenses, alleviating pressure from our current rushers. He could drop into a simple zone from having his hand down, stunt, loop and present a myriad of other complexities for other teams to gameplan for.
Last, he would enable the other playmakers in the front seven to better utilize their abilities. Obviously, Thomas would benefit greatly from this. Teams would be forced to retain additional blockers, to play more honest in their jet cracks, chips and doubleteams. I have a theory about pass rushers and athletic linebackers. It is that the utility of the existing capable rusher increases exponentially with each subsequent addition. This is similar to the "crunch bunch" theory. Carson, Van Pelt, Kelly and Taylor all benefited from individual matchups. If Peppers were to be added to this team, I think Belichick would once again be schematically liberated and capable of unleashing some of his most complex, intricate and effective defenses.
