 |  |
 |
|
| Monday, October 28 Updated: October 30, 12:04 PM ET Peppers succeeds while team loses By James C. Black ESPN.com |
|||||||||||||||||||
|
Defensive end Julius Peppers has certainly silenced the skeptics. When and how often he can get the Carolina Panthers back in the win column is a different story. The No. 2 overall draft pick, after two sacks against the Buccaneers on Sunday, leads the league with nine halfway through his inaugural campaign. However, Carolina is in the midst of a five-game losing streak -- the longest skid Peppers has experienced since his first season at North Carolina in 1999. "That's great, all the stats and all that, but I want wins instead of stats," Peppers said prior to his team's 12-9 loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday.
"It's going to be nice to watch him grow," fellow Panthers defensive end Mike Rucker said. "Being a rookie, you don't know everything. So you have (nine) sacks not knowing everything ... guess what happens when he starts to figure stuff out?" At the very least, critics have figured out Carolina knew what it was doing when it selected him instead of Harrington in April. Prior to the draft and particularly afterward, there were concerns about Peppers' abilities and mentality. He had a reputation for taking plays off in college. A bigger concern was whether he had the bulk and good enough use of his hands to play defensive end for a whole game. Two weeks into the season, he answered the questions with a resounding "yes." In a win over the Lions, he sacked Mike McMahon three times. He did the same four weeks later to Quincy Carter. In fact, he has registered at least one sack in four of Carolina's eight games, has forced four fumbles, has knocked down four pass attempts and has an interception. "If there is a rookie playing better in the league, you'll have to show him to me," Panthers first-year coach John Fox said. "I think he is outstanding and he's going to continue to get better." But Peppers' biggest concern is making the team better. Each Tuesday during the regular season, ESPN.com reviews rookie performances. Here are some others who had a significant impact (or not so great outings) this past week:
The Lions have managed to provide more of a pass rush over the past month, and Edwards has made some contributions. The second-round pick from South Carolina had 1½ sacks in the Lions' loss to Buffalo. In addition to another sack, he has forced a fumble and has scored a safety this year.
Days after being released by the Jaguars, Epstein enjoyed his first game for the Vikings. The seventh-round pick from Michigan, relegated to kickoff duty for the Vikings, wasn't placed in a pressure situation unlike the previous week. In Week 7 for Jacksonville against the Ravens, coach Tom Coughlin chose to go for it on fourth-and-seven early in the final period because Epstein had been 0-for-3 on field-goal attempts of more than 40 yards.
The Panthers' hope of rejuvenating their running game ended when Foster was placed on injured reserve last Friday. The second-round pick from UCLA is out for the season with a left knee injury suffered in the preseason. "DeShaun is obviously a guy that we thought would bring a dimension to our offense that we were excited about," coach John Fox said. "When you find out that you are not going to have that possibility for this season, it is disappointing."
What a way to start an NFL career. Hutchinson, who hadn't started at quarterback since he played for Stanford in 1997, replaced Quincy Carter on the day that Emmitt Smith broke the NFL's career rushing record. All festivities aside, it was an average debut for Hutchinson, who was 12 of 24 for 145 yards with one touchdown. However, he did remind onlookers of his minor league baseball days, throwing a few balls at the receivers' feet. "I felt pretty good," Hutchinson said. "(Offensive coordinator Bruce) Coslet said let's just stay in a position to win. I tried to throw it only to where our receivers could catch it, or I threw it away."
Portis is about another three or four good games away from becoming Denver's fourth 1,000-yard rusher in the past five seasons. The second-round pick from Miami surpassed the century mark for the third time this season, totaling 111 yards and two touchdowns in the win over New England on Sunday. "I think I have left a lot of yardage on the field," Portis said in The Denver Post. "By that, I mean I don't think I've played my best game. But it's the smaller things I have learned." Portis has 114 carries for 562 yards and four touchdowns in eight games.
Shockey labeled the Eagles secondary as "overrated" and "lucky" prior to Monday night's contest. However, his opinion was changed during the Giants' loss. The first-round pick from Miami had six catches for 69 yards but was penalized three times and left the game on a couple of occasions because of turf toe. "I was just trying to get the team pumped up and get myself pumped up," Shockey said of his comments about Philadelphia.
Unlike his namesake in Miami, not much noise was made when the Saints traded Williams this offseason. However, the undrafted first-year player from Texas Tech made an impact during his brief outing in the Colts' loss to the Redskins. Williams, replacing an injured Edgerrin James, carried three times for 21 yards and then capped the possession with a 20-yard scoring reception. "We practice this over and over again," Williams said in the Indianapolis Star. "It was just time for me to take it out to the field." James C. Black is the assistant NFL editor for ESPN.com. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
