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The key is the D. We got more athletic at LB over the past couple of years which is good. Some combo of Gamble, Lucas, and Marshall need to start playing better single-cover. The line HAS to start producing more pressure, or the corners have to cover better to allow for some LB blitzing. I like the moves offensively and think we'll be a more reliable scoring team. But the D has to step it way up, in both performance and intensity.
Bottom line: Peppers needs to start earning that big contract he signed. I saw an earlier reply suggesting he was constantly doubled...no dice. My seats are 10 rows behind the Panther bench, and I watched Julius get handled by one guy most of the season. He had a miserable year by his standards, but he can also decide to take it back up to the level where he was as valuable a defender as anyone in the league. All up to him.
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