Peppers confirms release was scheme related:

[Joey007]

lol. Welp

 

[signbabybrady]

Assuming this is directed at the coaches/GM but I want to believe he's just complaining about the media treatment after his release but that's probably a stretch.

Hard to believe he couldn't have been of value even if the system wasn't a good fit so he's seemingly not wrong but at least wait until you're hired before you go after the last guys.

 

[Ross12]

The fact he’s chirping about it online kind of goes to show the concern in the first place. I’m sure he had value but Vrabel likely had concerns that he may become a malcontent if he is no longer a starter and isn’t used a lot. So he looked at his roster and said “I can get most of what Peppers is giving me from Dugger and Pettus, I may as well save the headache and a little cap too”.

 

[Patriot Missile]

That answers that. We’re on to Las Vegas.

 

[billdog3484]

Couldn’t we have received at least a 6th rounder for him

 

[Joey007]

The fact he’s chirping about it online kind of goes to show the concern in the first place. I’m sure he had value but Vrabel likely had concerns that he may become a malcontent if he is no longer a starter and isn’t used a lot. So he looked at his roster and said “I can get most of what Peppers is giving me from Dugger and Pettus, I may as well save the headache and a little cap too”.

Still interesting teams aren’t lined up to sign him. He’s been available several days now. Maybe that’ll change in the next couple days.

 

[maust]

Couldn’t we have received at least a 6th rounder for him

???
Do you really believe he wasn't aggressively shopped? Why else would he have been on the 53?

 

[Patriot Missile]

Still interesting teams aren’t lined up to sign him. He’s been available several days now. Maybe that’ll change in the next couple days.

Thought for sure he was a lock to go to Cincinnati.

 

[Joey007]

Thought for sure he was a lock to go to Cincinnati.

Safety is probably the valued position in football today that’s not special teams related/Fullback.

There’s a good reason there’s multiple quality starters still sitting on the market. Teams are not valuing them the way they once did.

 

[maust]

Thought for sure he was a lock to go to Cincinnati.

The Bengals are probably hamstrung from making anything more than a vet minimum contract offer, what with cheap ass Mike Brown in a coma from all the cash he's had to part with this year

 

[Brotherblues]

The fact he’s chirping about it online kind of goes to show the concern in the first place. I’m sure he had value but Vrabel likely had concerns that he may become a malcontent if he is no longer a starter and isn’t used a lot. So he looked at his roster and said “I can get most of what Peppers is giving me from Dugger and Pettus, I may as well save the headache and a little cap too”.

Mapu is another LB/S hybrid who's gone unmentioned in the whole (now very long) conversation.

I've just always felt these hybrids are easier to find than most other positions. We got Adrian Phillips off the scrap heap. Same with Peppers. These guys are good, but their type is just devalued accross the league. I think BB recognized that and that's why he loaded up on them, seeing it as good value. Zigging when others zag. Solid principle, but I'll leave the results for others to argue.

 

[stinkypete]

It’s good value in theory, yes, but, realistically, Belichick had been looking for these LB/S hybrids since, what, Tank Williams in 2008, and it never once amounted to any payoff on the field.

I’m ready to move on from the experiment. We don’t need an entire roster of these guys.

 

[Ross12]

Mapu is another LB/S hybrid who's gone unmentioned in the whole (now very long) conversation.

I've just always felt these hybrids are easier to find than most other positions. We got Adrian Phillips off the scrap heap. Same with Peppers. These guys are good, but their type is just devalued accross the league. I think BB recognized that and that's why he loaded up on them, seeing it as good value. Zigging when others zag. Solid principle, but I'll leave the results for others to argue.

Mapu definitely could factor in but since he “moved” to more of a LB role this summer, I haven’t really considered him as a safety. That said, he certainly could still do that in small doses.

Dugger, Pettus, Mapu - they’re certainly not lacking for options in this player archetype even after releasing Peppers. And these 3 remaining are good soldiers.

 

[TheRainMaker]

Vrabel is slowing clearing these hybrids/tweeners out which Albert Breer predicted he'd do when he was hired.

Dugger is a backup, Peppers was released, Jennings and White have been demoted and Mapu has done enough to stick at LB (he should've never been a S). The defense will have a new look and attitude come Sunday.

 

[DoubleDeluxe]

The fact he’s chirping about it online kind of goes to show the concern in the first place. I’m sure he had value but Vrabel likely had concerns that he may become a malcontent if he is no longer a starter and isn’t used a lot. So he looked at his roster and said “I can get most of what Peppers is giving me from Dugger and Pettus, I may as well save the headache and a little cap too”.

Gott give him some leeway on this.
Those are relatively benign comments from him.
He's a vet, and proud player.
I don't see his comments as him being a malcontent at all.
I'm sure his pride was hurt, I'm not gonna piss on him when he's down.

 

[Ross12]

Vrabel is slowing clearing these hybrids/tweeners out which Albert Breer predicted he'd do when he was hired.

Dugger is a backup, Peppers was released, Jennings and White have been demoted and Mapu has done enough to stick at LB (he should've never been a S). The defense will have a new look and attitude come Sunday.

A “tweener” is only really worth it, IMO, if they truly are big enough to be a small linebacker but also fast enough to play free safety. That type of player is rare though. What we’ve ended up seeing mostly are guys who are a little too small to be an LB and also a little too slow to be a good safety.

I understand why Bill chased after it, because getting a guy who can be both really lets you go wild with defensive schemes, but he never truly found it.

 

[Ross12]

Couldn’t we have received at least a 6th rounder for him

Clearly not. Mike Reiss reported that the team had shopped him but didn’t get anywhere. The fact that he’s been cut and is still available days later tells you there’s little interest.

 

[WhatJustHappened]

Hopefully Mapu can cover his assignments, he's a small LB IMO.

 

[Mack Herron]

 

[UGAPatsfan]

So, basically they think he’s lost a step.