South Charlotte Today

CHARLOTTE—The numbers bounced all over the place.

"He has 125," Shy Tuttle guessed off the top.

"I'm going to say 82," Nick Thurman countered, trying to aim for what he still thought was an extremely high number but more realistic, then deciding even that was too high and quickly adjusting. "I'm switching it now. I'm thinking 56."

The question: how many sacks did Julius Peppers have with the Panthers?

"I think 63," Nick Scott offered. Then, when told it's higher, "seriously?!"

His franchise-leading number just during his 10 seasons with the Panthers comes in at 97 sacks (99 including playoffs). For his career, the defensive end had 159.5 sacks, the fourth-highest total in league history (166 including playoffs).

"I don't even know if I have 150 something tackles," Scott scoffed. (For the record, Scott has 220 tackles.) Still, what Peppers was able to do in his career throughout the NFL and especially as a Carolina Panther has become legendary, to the point of reading like a football epic.

"That boy got 97 sacks," Sam Franklin Jr. whistled before reeling off a few more Pep stats he has heard over the years, ending with, "And like (four) picks 6's. That gets you in the (Hall of Fame) quick."

It did in fact get Peppers in the Hall of Fame quick, as a first ballot in fact. As has been well documented, that enshrinement took place this past August. Now, on Sunday, the Panthers will give a tip of the Hall of Fame hat to Pep in Charlotte with a Ring of Excellence Ceremony.

The halftime ceremony will commemorate Peppers becoming the first player drafted by the Panthers to enter the Hall as the 90th first-ballot Hall of Famer in the 378-member Hall.

It also gives defensive players on this 2024 Panthers team like Thurman an opportunity to play in front of the luminary.

"One of the greats not only in Panthers organization but just overall; just a great player. So just having him around and just picking his brain," said Thurman.

"Man that's a legend right there," LaBryan Ray said at that thought of playing in front of Peppers against the Bengals." That's what a legend does. That's one of the GOAT's. So be dope. You got to ball out for him."

The idea led to a conversation about what it would have been like to actually play with the Hall of Famer.

"That was probably lovely; lovely and annoying," joked Claudin Cherelus. "You know he's making the play (instead of you) but you know you covered."

Someone who does know what it's like to play with Peppers is linebacker Shaq Thompson who suited up with Pep in 2017 and 2018 when he returned to Charlotte to finish his career with them after being drafted No.2 overall by them in 2002. With their notoriously quiet leader back for weekend there are things Thompson recalled learning from Pep which current teammates can pick up on too.

"Just how to carry yourself," Thompson said." Julius was guy when he came here didn't really say much but worked hard; that's why I took lot from Julius…how come work present yourself professional on off field he's Hall Famer good learn from."

Sunday is about remembering honoring one greatest ever don Panthers helmet but as numbers tossed around locker room week another activity day offered

"Surprised he didn't get100" JJ Jansen noted." He could probably get three game."

He could probably get three on Sunday.

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