Play Chicken; Get Eggs

OK....so no one did anything "wrong". It's "business".

Julius Peppers wanted to leave the Carolina Panthers. General manager Marty Hurney didn't want to let him go without compensation, and no one offered what he considered an acceptable deal for Peppers' rights.

Hurney uses the franchise tag, which means the Panthers offer Peppers more than $1 million per game. Peppers signs the franchise tender, guaranteeing himself almost $17 million dollars for the 20009 NFL season. It's just business.

That's what happened over the summer.

Now, the fruits of their collective labors are coming to bear.

Ma'ake Kemoeatu is lost for the season. He ruptured his Achilles' tendon during the first drill of training camp. Then, in the second preseason game, Pro Bowl linebacker Jon Beason injures his knee. The severity is not known, but rumor has it that he may have damaged his medial collateral ligament, which would likely mean several weeks (minimum) of recovery time.

The Panthers have no one to replace either player. The depth chart is full of players who have little to no NFL experience. The long snapper is a young kid, brought in to save a few hundred thousand dollars, who is replacing Jason Kyle who was outstanding but expensive. Long snapping is one of those things that ideally is never noticed. Hopefully, the Panthers long snapper will remain anonymous this season.

The reason for the lack of depth? Julius Peppers' contract. Since he is playing under the franchise tender, his entire salary counts against the 2009 cap. If he had signed a long-term deal, he would have probably had a cap number closer to $8 or $9 million (but still gotten a huge signing bonus), and the team would have had another $8 or $9 million to sign backups.

Ask any player, and they'll say that Peppers' contract squabble is "business". However, if you could give them truth serum, I bet they would say something different. Peppers said he wanted to go somewhere else to reach his full potential. That is a shot at his coaches and his teammates. Now, those same teammates (except for the injured players and the ones who had to be cut because of Peppers' contract) are playing with Peppers.

If there aren't some chemistry issues, then the Carolina Panthers have the most professional group of players in the history of pro sports.

There are veterans available who could help the Panthers. Thanks to Julius Peppers (along with Marty Hurney), the Panthers just can't afford them.

Philip Rivers = Trash Talker??

There's been a lot of media attention on Philip Rivers lately. It would seem like a normal thing, since he's the starting quarterback of the San Diego Chargers, who face the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game Sunday afternoon.

However, Philip isn't getting the positive attention that should go with where he's led his team. He's being labeled a trash-talker. He's being told he should grow up. Everyone seems to have Philip pegged as the NFL's new bad-boy QB.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

It all started with a Monday night game against the Denver Broncos. Near the end of the game, the ESPN crew showed Philip out on the field, looking at Broncos QB Jay Cutler, and saying some things. They called it unsportsmanlike, and unnecessary, for Philip to be talking. Following the game, when asked, Philip said that he was saying "'Atta baby, 'atta baby" to his defense, which had just made a play. Watching the video backs up Philip's explanation, as he can be seen saying exactly what he claims to have said.



What you may have noticed, even though ESPN didn't mention it, is that Cutler is talking also. So I guess that means it's OK for the losing QB to talk, but not the winning QB? When did the losers get the right to talk? Champ Bailey said that Philip wasn't "a respectable guy right now." I'm sure the fact that Philip is 4-0 as a starter against the Broncos didn't influence Mr. Bailey's opinion at all. So that's what got it all started.

The rhetoric had lightened up somewhat until last weekend, when the Chargers faced the Colts at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. At the end of the 3rd quarter, Philip left the game with a knee injury. As he was walking to the locker room, a camera followed, and Philip was seen talking to the crowd. He was saying "Thank you, I appreciate it" and "I'll be back."

At the end of the game, the cameras cut to Philip again, and he had his back to the field, saying something to the Indianapolis fans. What was he saying? Only Philip and the fans he spoke to know for sure.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Philip talking to the fans is what you should teach your children. However, having watched Philip for four years at North Carolina State, I can tell you that the talking he does is just the product of his spirit. He talks to anyone who will listen, and also to anyone who just happens to be near him. Non-stop.

The people who know more about Philip than just what ESPN reports know that he is a great husband, great father, and devout Christian. The words coming out of his mouth are not profane, and not insulting. As Philip described, "If you've followed me around since I was 5 years old, you'd see the same thing every Saturday afternoon in the backyard."

Former New York Giant quarterback and current broadcaster Phil Simms had this to say: "Some of the stuff on the field doesn't bother me the way it seems to bother other people. It's an emotional game. He's been an emotional quarterback. "

This Sunday, the Chargers travel to Gillette Stadium to face the unbeaten Patriots for a trip to the Super Bowl. Rivers, nursing a sprained knee, has been listed as doubtful by Coach Norv Turner, but most people, including Philip, expect him to play. Will he keep quiet? Philip had this to say:

“You saw it for 51 games at (North Carolina) State, and you'll probably catch something this weekend.”

Based on that quote, CBS should keep "Philip-cam" on alert this Sunday. - Daniel