The hybrid safety has had an up-and-down rookie year, like every member of the 0-8 Browns. Sunday’s game against the high-flying Lions passing attack will present a challenge.
ALLEN PARK — Jabrill Peppers has only played six games since making what he called the toughest decision of his life to leave Michigan for the NFL.
Much like the Wolverines, his season hasn’t gotten off to the most roaring of starts. The 25th pick in this year’s draft, the safety has missed the past two Cleveland Browns games due to a toe injury. When he has been out there, he’s been on the wrong part of some passing plays when he lines up with an extremely deep alignment.
And his team is 0-8.
«Just not playing as well as you would like to,» Peppers said on a teleconference. «… If I make the plays that I normally make and that I’m supposed to make, no one is talking about how deep I am.»
The pro game has been a change for him in many ways, including personally. He’s playing with the weight of a first-round draft pick for a team in the home state of Michigan’s arch rival, Ohio State. It’s made for quite the adjustment.
«Most of the people here don’t like me anyways because of how they felt about me in Michigan, or they felt I went too high, or you know, they wanted (Malik) Hooker out of OSU,» Peppers said. «The true Browns fans have been showing me a lot of love, and even though things aren’t going right for us right now, still showing up to the games.»
Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field presents a nice opportunity for the hybrid safety to take a big step in his rookie season. He’s still just 22 years old, and he’s shown flashes of the athleticism that made him a top prospect, particularly on punt returns.
The Lions will challenge him with a passing game that is in some kind of zone right now. Matthew Stafford is coming off his best game in completion percentage (79) and quarterback rating (132.4) in more than a calendar year. Marvin Jones and Golden Tate both went for more than 100 yards in that game, too, a 30-17 win over the Green Bay Packers. And Detroit’s passing game has totaled 423 and 361 yards the past two weeks.
And with No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett returning to Cleveland’s defensive line after a brain injury and a Browns run defense that leads the league, it’s likely the Lions will have to play right through Peppers for the win.
Here are other highlights from the Browns’ teleconference with Detroit media:
A desire to avoid the fate of the 2008 Lions
The Browns enter this game at 0-8 and have one win since Hue Jackson took over as coach to start last season. They’ve been carrying out an extended rebuild that featured three first-round picks this season and future draft selections still to be made. The prospects of winning games has been that much harder with a young team and a revolving door of players.
They want to win, in part to enjoy what that feels like again. They beat the Chargers in Week 16 last season to avoid going winless, keeping the 2008 Lions as the only team in NFL history to do so.
«That’s the name of the game in this league, win a ballgame,» Peppers said. «Every week, that’s the most important thing, have one more point than the other team. I don’t care how you do it. Just get it done.»
High praise for a familiar face in Marvin Jones
Before Jones signed a hefty contract to try to fill the shoes of Calvin Johnson on the Lions, he rose as the No. 2 receiver behind Pro Bowler A. J. Green in a complex offense run by Jackson in Cincinnati.
He flirted with the Browns in free agency when Jackson took the head job in Cleveland, though the money was much greater in Detroit. Jackson used to be the offensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals, who drafted Jones in the fifth round in 2012.
«I love Marvin Jones,» Jackson said. «… (He) has a burning desire to be the best. We all have great respect for A. J. Green and what A. J. Green has done in his career, but I know Marvin feels that he can do that and then some. He just has that fire.»
Jones — who is also trying out his singing on «American Idol» — happens to be entering this game against his former coordinator in one of the best stretches of his career. He’s caught at least 96 yards in receptions in three straight games to go along with three touchdowns.
«I’m going to start praying here in a second,» Jackson said with a laugh.
For a more detailed breakdown of the matchups that will decide Lions vs. Browns, check out this week’s episode of the Inside the Lions podcast:
