Even if we didn’t see him on a regular weekly basis until last year’s return to Carolina, long-time Carolina Panthers fans have never lost any of the considerable appreciation they feel for what Julius Peppers has accomplished here.
When Peppers joined the Carolina Panthers there was every expectation that the defense would become a force capable of putting the team into another category of good. There was some truth to this as the Panthers went to the Super Bowl in 2003. That year, Steve Smith, Stephen Davis, Jake Delhomme et al lost to the New England Patriots 32-29.