Julius Peppers stacking sacks at a 'phenomenal' pace at 37

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Julius Peppers avoided interviews for six months after returning to the Carolina Panthers in March because he didn't want to discuss why he left in 2010 to sign with the Chicago Bears.

The 37-year-old defensive end still avoids discussing the breakup as he prepares to face the Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field, where he played from 2010 to 2013.

"There will be a period for reflection, but not right now," Peppers said. "Right now the priority will be getting ready for the game Sunday."

When will be the right time?

"Probably after the season," Peppers said.

Peppers is focused on what could be his final season in what has been a Hall of Fame career. He already has 6.5 sacks, one shy of his total last season when he played for the Green Bay Packers. He only had three sacks at this point in 2008 when he had a career-high 14.5 for the Panthers.

He is the oldest player to record 6.5 sacks through the team's first six games since sacks became an official statistic in 1982, according to ESPN Stats and Information.

With his next sack Peppers will have 151, surpassing Chris Doleman (150.5) for fourth place on the NFL's all-time sack list.

"It's phenomenal," defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said of what Peppers, ranked sixth in the NFL in sacks this season, is doing.

Wilks isn't surprised Peppers wants to avoid talking about the past -- this week in particular.

"It's going to be a little sentimental from the standpoint of being there," he said. "But Pep is a professional. It'll be just another game for him just like it will be when Green Bay comes in here."

With the exception of a few gray hairs, Peppers doesn't look much different now than when the Panthers (4-2) selected him with the second overall pick of the 2002 draft. His workout routine hasn't changed much other than he doesn't practice every day like he once did.

He doesn't have to. He's learned more in 15-plus seasons as a player than many coaches will in a lifetime.

"He doesn't have to go out there and run around no more," 36-year-old strong safety Mike Adams said. "He's seen it once. He's seen it many times. He watches film, studies and then takes everybody out and it's showtime."

'Walks for nothing'

Chicago coach John Fox, the coach of the Panthers during Peppers' first eight seasons, like many in the organization didn't want to see his star defensive player leave after the 2009 season.

"Anytime you have the second player in the draft and he walks for nothing, I don't think that's ideal," Fox said. "I don't write those checks. I just know I liked the player. He's proved pretty worthy since."

Peppers spent his entire football career in North Carolina before bolting for Chicago.

He was born in Wilson and raised in nearby Bailey, where he became a star in football, basketball and track. He played defensive end at the University of North Carolina from 1998-2001 and also was a forward on the 1999-2000 basketball team that reached the Final Four.

Peppers fell to Carolina in 2002 after quarterback David Carr went No. 1 overall to the Houston Texans.

So when he left it was like losing the prodigal son.

Peppers told the Charlotte Observer in a 2010 interview that he and the Panthers were $6 million apart in negotiations the summer of 2009. He wanted a four-year, $60 million deal and they were offering a four-year, $54 million deal.

Peppers, who played the 2009 season at Carolina under the franchise tag, told the paper the organization should have come up with the extra money if they really wanted him.

"My feeling is they could have done that," he said at the time. "If they wanted me to stay, it wouldn't have been that big of a deal."

The Panthers almost got Peppers back after the 2013 season, but he opted for Green Bay to see what he could do as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. He excelled there, too, collecting 25 sacks in three seasons.

Peppers returned to Carolina in March, agreeing to a one-year, $3.5 million deal with then-general manager Dave Gettleman, who was fired the week before training camp.

Gettleman was replaced by interim general manager Mary Hurney, who was the general manager when Peppers left Carolina. Hurney declined a request to talk about the 2009 breakup, saying it was more important to talk about how well Peppers is playing now.

Only center Ryan Kalil, outside linebacker Thomas Davis, nickel back Captain Munnerlyn and defensive end Charles Johnson on the current roster were here when Peppers left.

None, like Fox, wanted him to go.

"Julius is one of those guys you're glad he's on your team, so obviously when he left it was frustrating for all of us because we lost a great player and a great teammate," Kalil said. "Two, being an offensive lineman we're going to have to face him somewhere down the road."

Less means more

Peppers smiled when asked how his workout approach has changed with age.

"Just do less," he said. "Really, that's it. Do less and maintain."

Fans on Sunday likely won't see Peppers on the field an hour to 90 minutes before kickoff like most of the defensive linemen. He'll be in the locker room stretching and alternating between hot and cold stints in the tub to get his body ready.

It's part of a process the Panthers and Peppers settled on during the preseason.

"When you get through training camp and you go through a normal week young guys recover and are ready to go on Sunday," said Carolina defensive line coach Eric Washington, who spent the 2010 season with Peppers at Chicago. "We had to tweak that for Julius.

"The older you are the smarter you have to be, which he is."

Peppers also spends less time on the field in practice and in games. He's played 49.2 percent of the defensive snaps so far. He played 73.9 percent of the snaps at Green Bay in 2014 and 56.8 last season.

"We've got a set number of plays to keep him fresh," Washington said. "We have to make sure the first snap he's in the game that he's sharp. The rush angles are good. Everything about that particular rep gives him a chance to be successful and be a factor."

Peppers has been more than a factor. He's been an inspiration on and off the field -- particularly in the weight room.

Nobody on the team is more dedicated to finishing the prescribed repetitions when defensive linemen lift on Thursdays.

"Some guys leave the weight room early," Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kawann Short said. "He's like, 'Yo, you ain't done.' When I saw that, like getting mad because guys were leaving the weight room early, it showed how much he cares."

Peppers cares about making a good showing in Chicago even if he doesn't like talking about why he left to go there. He'd probably like to show he still can make freakish plays like the diving interception he had for the Bears in his return to Carolina in 2010.

Peppers had a little fun after that one, putting a finger to his lips to indicate the crowd should "shush."

He was booed.

"I got booed a lot of places," Peppers said when asked about that moment.

Yes, he remembers.

No, he isn't focused on the past. He's focused on, as he calls it, "stacking" wins for the Panthers and trying to win that elusive Super Bowl that he almost won at Carolina during the 2003 season.

Asked one last time if he might talk about his departure from Carolina before the end offseason, Peppers left the door slightly cracked.

"We may get to it before the end of the season," he said. "Right now we've got to win a game. We need to win a game."