Jabrill Peppers appears to call out Patriots after surprising release originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Jabrill Peppers would like to add his two cents.
After the Patriots released the veteran safety and former team captain last Friday, Patriots Insider Phil Perry reported that the team’s surprising decision was partly motivated by Peppers’ lack of fit in New England’s new defensive scheme.
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“For some of the same reasons Kyle Dugger (who is still with the team) is not viewed as a great fit for the new Patriots defense, Peppers was not viewed as a perfect match for this scheme,” Perry wrote Friday, noting that new head coach Mike Vrabel and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams want their safeties to play more man coverage in the deep part of the field, while Peppers is more of a physical, “in-the-box” safety who can “re-route receivers and stop the run.”
Here’s how Peppers feels about the suggestion he’s not a “scheme fit” in New England:
“Going on 9 years in this league. I’ve had 7 (head coaches) & 6 (defensive coordinators) lol,” Peppers wrote Monday on X. “There is no scheme you can place me in where I won’t find a way to be effective.”
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Peppers makes a fair point. He’s been a consistently productive player over nine seasons split between three NFL teams — the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants and Patriots — and was set to play for his third coach in New England alone after the recent firings of Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo.
His former Patriots teammate, ex-linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley, made a similar argument Friday on X when a fan asked if Peppers was released due to his lack of fit in New England’s scheme.
“Where great players can’t play in it? Must be a helluva scheme,” Bentley responded.
Even if the Patriots wanted to get younger and faster at safety, it’s worth wondering why they released a player of Peppers’ caliber who was expected to be a vocal leader of the defense. (For what it’s worth, Perry reported that Peppers’ release had nothing to do with any off-field issues.)
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But Vrabel hasn’t been shy about making bold moves to model the team in his image, from trading talented backup quarterback Joe Milton to signing defensive tackle Milton Williams to the largest contract in franchise history in free agency.
We’ll find out soon enough whether Vrabel’s bold decisions paid off, but in the meantime, he’ll have to deal with a bit of blowback from Peppers and those who agree with him.
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