How's he a luxury? So your take is he can't read offenses?? McCourty was a CB who busted in his second season and was switched By BB to salvage his career. He didn't come into the league as a FS he learned to become one and did well! Peppers when healthy is a borderline all pro caliber player. In 2023 he was a borderline all pro and was the playmaker in the secondary. Last season he got hurt and had the legal issue. That's all behind him. The guys a Rodney Harrison type enforcer in the secondary. Dugger is also a great player and played injured last season. They both are NEEDS. Veterans that have been here that can carry vrables messaging on the field.
If you can't read plain English, you'd do everyone a courtesy by not responding. I never said he couldn't read the offense. I said he couldn't read them AND Call out the Secondary Adjustments.
I know exactly how McCourt transitioned from CB to FS. It doesn't change the fact that McCourty became a Field General with the ability to make the Pre-Snap Read and Adjust the Secondary. So please, stop with your nonsensical regurgitation of things that are common knowledge. It shows that you don't actually understand what's being said.
Neither Peppers nor Dugger is a FIELD GENERAL. Neither had shown the ability to adequately make the Pre-Snap reads and call the Defensive adjustments for the Secondary. Neither was capable with BB there. Neither has been capable since. You'd know this if you paid attention and didn't over-inflate their individual play.
You're yammering about "borderline ALL-Pro" play ignores the fact that Peppers was one of the guys who was freelancing. Not playing within the system. Peppers was out of position on plenty of plays during BBs final year and plenty during the 6 games he was available last season.
There are HUGE assumptions by you to think that Pepper's drug issue is magically behind him. Yes. I said it. Peppers has a drug issue. Which is why he had a baggie of Coke in his wallet. If you think that his arse isn't going to be tested regularly, you aren't paying attention. That's also the sort of distraction that a new coach doesn't need from Vets.
So yes. In my opinion, Peppers is a LUXURY. A guy that the Pats really can't afford to have around because he's redundant to Dugger. Maybe you weren't paying attention, but the Free Agency signings say that we're not going to see a lot of time with both on the field. With Vrabel's/Williams' 4-3, they're going to be using 3 traditional LBs. Not using a Peppers/Dugger to play in the box. With Landry, Chaisson, and Ellis, you've got 3 of the 4 OLBs that you'd rely on. I'd put money they'll be adding someone in the draft by the 3rd round. That doesn't leave a lot of snaps (if any) to put an extra Box Safety on the field. And the Pats have 3 of them in Dugger, Peppers and Mapu. And that's only if they don't move Mapu to OLB or use Gibbens there.
Peppers was a BB reclamation project. He pushed Phillips out, but he has his warts. Any unbiased person would admit that instead of ignoring reality the way you are doing.