Top 110 Quotes & Sayings by Julius Peppers

Explore popular quotes and sayings by an American athlete Julius Peppers.
Last updated on November 7, 2024.
Julius Peppers

Julius Frazier Peppers is a former American football defensive end. He played college football at North Carolina, where he was recognized as a unanimous All-American, and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers second overall in the 2002 NFL Draft, and also played for the Chicago Bears from 2010 through 2013 and the Green Bay Packers from 2014 to 2016. After rejoining the Panthers for the 2017 season, he retired after the 2018 NFL season.

You need a certain type of balance in life and I know where to put football in its proper place. But my love for the game, I have it just like everybody else. If you don't, you're going to get yourself hurt out there.
People will hear one thing and just run with it.
I wouldn't change a thing about this journey. It was the best teacher I've ever had and was everything I could've hoped for. — © Julius Peppers
I wouldn't change a thing about this journey. It was the best teacher I've ever had and was everything I could've hoped for.
I've learned a lot. Being more compassionate.
I like to run in the offseason.
At the end of the day, the wins are the wins and the losses are the losses. But the relationships are everything.
That one thing that people say about me taking plays off, I feel like somebody said that when I was playing in college and it has followed me throughout my career. Because I feel like if we had the film and you wanted to pick one person who was taking a play off on a particular play, you could pick anybody.
You ask somebody right now who are the top two or three sack persons and they couldn't tell you. You're a professional and you want to perform and you want to achieve those goals. But being out with the people and giving back to the community, it's going to be more impactful and long lasting.
I got booed a lot of places.
When you get into the game, you're trying to win games. So you want your best players out there.
I was never focused on winning individual awards. I just tried to help the team out and do all that I could do.
Seventeen years is a long time to be playing this game. It's two careers for a lot of people.
As a pass-rusher, 100 sacks is a big milestone. My 100th sack was on Joe Webb. — © Julius Peppers
As a pass-rusher, 100 sacks is a big milestone. My 100th sack was on Joe Webb.
I'm not living my life out there trying to make everybody happy. I'm doing things that I feel like are right and things that I believe in.
A guy like Drew Brees is a guy that knows how to undress a defense. Most of the time he knows where he's gonna go before he even gets the ball. So he's ready to deliver that ball almost as soon as it comes to his hands.
Sometimes, you're on the field, you get tired. If I'm not playing as hard on play 66 as I was on play number 1, then... come on.
Basically, if I decide to retire I don't want it to be one of those situations where, you know, after a couple of months I have the itch to play again. That's not something I want to do. I want to put a lot of thought into it and make the final decision. I don't want to waver on it at all.
You think about it sometimes. I try not to think about it too much. You think about you can't play forever.
It's tough to find the words to say to someone who has lost everything. I can't imagine how it feels.
I think everybody would like to play a little more.
I never felt like my effort was a problem.
I didn't want to do media or appearances. You've got to do this and that, fly here to film something. I didn't want to cut into my time for that. You can't pay for your peace of mind and your sanity.
I get bashful in the spotlight. Even at home or at a birthday party, I hate that stuff.
I was so sheltered as a kid that when I went to college, it was like taking the chains off. That's where the trouble came from. It was the first time for me being by myself, and I got into everything you could think of.
Sometimes you've got to just dig down deep and be accountable for the role that you have on the team.
My stepdad was a farmer, so growing up, during summer breaks, I woke up every morning and went to work. Harvesting tobacco, picking cucumbers, gathering watermelons from the patch, pulling up sweet potatoes... stuff like that.
I love the game just as much as anybody else. But at the same time, I also understand that life is more than football, too. People might get that misconstrued sometimes, too, that I don't care because I'm not die-hard football, eat, sleep and drink it all day and all night.
It's one thing to play football in this league and make a living, but it's a totally different thing to come to a place with a rich tradition like the Bears.
If the opportunities are a little limited, then you've got to try to find a way to make something happen the best way you can.
The Super Bowl ring eluded me, but I don't need that to validate me. I would have loved to have helped deliver that to the fans in Carolina, but I'm content with the career that I had.
I've been doing that since college. I like to run. That's my thing.
As a player, I don't want to come off the field.
If you're playing 55 to 60 snaps, you have opportunities to pace yourself, pick spots. When you're not playing as many and you don't know necessarily when you're going to be in, you do have to sometimes make it happen when you're out there.
I was sad to leave Green Bay, and I don't think I would have left to go anywhere but home to Carolina.
I didn't grow up playing football. I wanted to be a basketball player.
Bears fans... man... I could not have chosen a better place to make my first stop outside of North Carolina.
Every game, well most of them, come down to turnovers and the turnover battle.
I'm not above criticism. — © Julius Peppers
I'm not above criticism.
There comes a time when you can't play as much.
You know, I think sometimes certain players - and I don't name names - but certain players have a certain haircut, they have certain sack celebrations. They draw a lot of attention to themselves.
There are only a few times in a man's life where you have the chance to stand up for something that you believe in and make a statement.
I just live day to day, in the present. And I try to just be that best version of myself every day - I don't look too far behind, I don't look too far forward.
I'll always love the city of Chicago.
I want to have an impact on the game. Instead of a sack, how about an interception for a touchdown? I could get 15 tackles. I'm just using those as examples, but any kind of impact would be fine, whether it's a sack or anything else.
I'm thankful that I have been able to play so long and still be healthy. I'm not all banged up and beaten down. I still feel good. But as much as I would love to play forever, I know that I can't.
Sometimes you've got to do things you don't want to do. Doing the right thing is not always comfortable; it doesn't always feel good.
I guess more than anything, Green Bay just felt like home. You know, small town, good people who love their football... it was a really great experience being a part of that culture.
I don't know too many pass rushers playing at 40. — © Julius Peppers
I don't know too many pass rushers playing at 40.
Sometimes you have to protect players from themselves.
I want to try to execute my role to help the team in the best way possible.
That's my thing. Pass rusher, yeah, you can call me a pass rusher.
If my play is not to run and chase the ball, if my play is to stay backside, then I've got to stay backside. I've got to be disciplined. I can't run across the field and chase stuff that's not mine.
Obviously, we know people aren't as fortunate and blessed as we are. I learned a little bit about the impact we have as professionals, and how we can help, how impactful it is for just your presence.
I was lucky because growing up in tiny little Bailey, North Carolina, we had a satellite dish, so we got WGN. Which meant we got almost every Bulls game.
Sometimes you get looked at harder than other people. I can take the criticism and I can take the heat.
The tough times never lasted and the tough people inspired me to be better and give more. I hope I did the same.
I know I can make plays.
I didn't know I was different athletically for a long time. I thought everyone did the sort of things that I can do.
How can you say you want to be somewhere when you're not really sure if they want you there because they're not even talking to you?
People change teams all the time. People might not go from Green Bay to Chicago or from Chicago to Green Bay all the time, but people change teams all the time.
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