Chicago Herald-American

The Tribune's Brad Biggs said the Bears "didn't act like men at the head of a regime in peril" when they signed Julius Peppers, Chester Taylor and Brandon Manumaleuna in a $121-million spree in free agency Friday. 

He must be new in town. Only in absolute desperation would the Bears act as boldly and spend as freely as they did Friday. In fact, it wasn't until they finally realized they were a regime in peril -- more specifically that their status in that regime was in peril -- that they moved as swiftly and as wildly as they ever have. The biggest news at Halas Hall on Friday was that the Bears finally got the memo. 

You have to give Ted Phillips and Jerry Angelo credit. They did what they had to do in a last-ditch effort to avoid a complete overhaul next season. How many times have the Bears settled for the second tier of anything in free agency: Blake Brockermeyer, Phillip Daniels, Muhsin Muhammad, John Tait, Adewale Ogunleye. All good, but none great. Finally, they rolled the dice like never before, signing an All-Pro pass rusher in Peppers who at his best is a legitimate "difference-maker," who will make everybody else better. If Peppers is as good for the Bears as he was in Carolina, and Brian Urlacher plays as well as he feels, the Bears just upgraded their safeties without signing anybody. 

Of course, those are big ifs. The big question is how often Peppers will be at his best for the Bears and how much gas is left in the tank at age 30 -- not ancient for a pass rusher, but awfully close to hitting the wall for all but the very best in NFL history.

It's not too cynical to wonder how well the Bears did their homework before making such a high-risk, high-yield investment. The Bears' judgment on player personnel decisions has left a lot to be desired since the Super Bowl season of 2006. Just four days before signing Peppers the Bears cut Orlando Pace, a costly swing-and-a-miss from 2009 that hurt the Bears at three positions last season -- moving Chris Williams (left tackle to right tackle) and Frank Omiyale (right tackle to left guard) into positions where they underachieved. Though former pro personnel director Bobby DePaul had his hands on that move and others that failed in recent years, his absence during the Peppers courtship probably didn't help. 

Peppers impact by the numbers

The knock on Peppers is that he "takes plays off" and padded his impressive sack totals by dominating weaker competition. Seven of his 10.5 sacks in 2009 came against non-playoff teams: the 4-12 Redskins (2), 3-13 Buccaneers (3), 6-10 Bills (1) and 8-8 Giants (1).

But his impact is pretty clear. In nine games where Peppers had a partial sack or more, the Panthers held their opponent below its season average in offensive yards eight times. The only exception was against the Buccaneers, when the Panthers' allowed 469 yards, but won 16-6. For what it's worth, the Panthers were 6-3 when Peppers had a sack and 2-5 when he didn't (including a win over the coasting Saints without Drew Brees).

Peppers isn't a Tasmanian Devil like the Vikings' Jared Allen. Where Allen revs his motor even higher vs. a double team, Peppers is more likely to accept the fact that it's freeing up a teammate to make a play and save his energy for the next one. But he's not a sack-or-nothing defensive end. He's capable of filling the stat sheet of impact defensive plays -- tackles-for-loss (10 in 2009), quarterback-hits (18), pass breakups (five), interceptions (two), forced fumbles (three) and fumble recoveries (one). In the last four seasons, when Peppers has at least three of those "impact plays," the Panthers are 19-5. 

It's unlikely Peppers will have the impact of the Packers' Reggie White -- the free-agent pickup of all-time. White had 68.5 sacks after signing with Green Bay at age 32 in 1993, including 16 in 1998, when he was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year at age 37. It remains to be seen if he's closer to the next level of upper-echelon pass rushers who had two or three double-digit sack seasons after turning 30 Michael Strahan, Richard Dent, Simeon Rice and Jason Taylor) or the worst-case scenario guys, who were all but done at 30 (Neil Smith, Kevin Carter, Dexter Manley).

Rod Marinelli's presence as the Bears' defensive coordinator, and his league-wide renown as a defensive line coach helped sway Peppers to sign with the Bears. It gives the Bears a chance to maximize a talent the likes of which they haven't had in years. But Marinelli is no miracle worker. Most of his main guys were past their prime at 30 -- Chidi Ahanotu, Brad Culpepper, Marcus Jones and even Warren Sapp. Only Simeon Rice had any kind of staying power.

The pressure is on Peppers

Kudos to the Tribune's David Haugh, who, in explaining the Chicago media's penchant for blowing things out of proportion when it involves marquee players like Peppers, tacitly acknowledged his own role in a prime example of that with Jay Cutler last season.

After a Cutler pass for Devin Hester was intercepted in the Bears' first exhibition game, Cutler tried to explain that his unfamiliarity with Hester led to the pick. "Devin is more of a go-get-it guy," he said. "He's not really a back-shoulder, jump-up-and-get-it [guy] and ... you learn from it. You make some mistakes. It's a preseason game."

It sounded like a reasonable analysis. But the Tribune ripped Cutler for blaming Hester for the interception instead of taking the blame himself. 

That's the kind of pressure Peppers will find himself in, Haugh wrote in this column in Sunday's paper. 

It took Jay Cutler exactly one preseason exhibition to realize he wasn't with the Broncos anymore.

Some of us in the Chicago media interpreted Cutler's comments after a meaningless interception against the Bills as unnecessary finger-pointing in Devin Hester's direction. Whether it was misses the point now. Seven months later, the lasting impression was how unprepared Cutler seemed for having his words parsed and his actions dissected as quarterback of the Bears.

Any struggle adjusting to new teammates or a scheme paled in comparison with Cutler's difficulty adapting to the realities of life in a passionate, tough football city prone to overzealousness.

Welcome to that city, Julius Peppers.

David's point is well-taken. Peppers is a low-key guy who might be a perfect candidate to falter under the microscope. 

As much attention as Peppers has received throughout his amateur and professional career, as Cutler can attest, nothing will match what he will experience as a Bear. He may be used to being the big fish in the small ponds of North Carolina. He never has lived in the fishbowl that will be his new home.

It doesn't have to affect performance or change a player. But let's be honest. It can and likely will.

Or maybe not ...

ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas, a longtime NFL writer, saw the "fishbowl" issue a little different. Well, actually a lot differently. Just the opposite, in fact. 

This is a chance for a fresh start for Peppers and I’m not just talking about on the football field. 

For most people, being Julius Peppers in Charlotte would have been a dream come true. But Peppers isn’t like most people. He’s shy and extremely private. He despises being the center of attention. Pure geography dictated that Peppers was under the microscope the whole time he was in Charlotte. After all, he was a local kid and a No. 2 overall pick. 

Peppers is going to be under the microscope in Chicago – for a day or two. That could be a big difference and could be a reason why this new marriage may work. Chicago’s very different from Charlotte and that’s not meant as a slap or a compliment to either city. It’s just a fact. 

Chicago is a city where they’ve also got the Cubs, White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks. There are a lot of spotlights out there and one will shine on Peppers, but it won’t be nearly as big or constant as the one he had on him in Charlotte. The Panthers really are the only game in Charlotte. NASCAR'S important, but the NBA franchises that have come and gone and come again aren't nearly as important as the Panthers. 

Even in the Bears’ locker room, there are lightning rods (Brian Urlacher and Jay Cutler, just to name two) to take attention away from Peppers. 

Yeah, I know this all may sound weird. But, like I’ve said, Peppers isn’t like most people. 

Maybe, by finally getting out of the intense spotlight, Peppers can truly shine.

It depends on your perspective, I guess.