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Green Bay — All spring, players have marveled at the athletic specimen that is Julius Peppers.

For good reason, too. At practice, the other outside linebackers look like JV players passing the Varsity letterman in the hallway. Peppers is every bit 6 feet 7 inches tall, 287 pounds.

He’s also 34 years old. He has played 196 total games. The Chicago Bears bid adieu.

Last season, on a historically porous run defense, Peppers showed possible signs of decline.

Green Bay either found its missing pass-rushing threat for Clay Matthews or signed a fading star. Coaches and teammates left no room for debate through the spring.

Too old?

“That’s what you all think,” cornerback Tramon Williams said. “This is the perfect place to be to fly underneath the radar. Obviously Julius is probably not going to fly under the radar but what I see out of him is the same guy that he’s always been. Obviously he’s in a different scheme, so he’s going to be utilized and do what he’s been doing over the years. It’ll definitely make the defense better. Instantly.

“You just see a lot of athleticism. You look at our D-line and you look at some of our linebackers, no one’s built like him. He’s a different type of specimen. A rare, unique guy.”

Review the tape and the one-step explosion off the edge of seasons past isn't what it was in 2003, 2004. But Peppers could still use that powerful, athletic frame to his advantage — as defensive coordinator Dom Capers noted — playing different positions on the front seven. Peppers has often overwhelmed blockers in totaling 18.5 sacks the last two seasons.

In a 23-20 win over Baltimore last fall, he embarrassed Eugene Monroe on pure strength for a sack. That same game, he rushed inside on Monroe, collapsed the pocket to flush Joe Flacco left, spun and then caught the quarterback from behind.

Two weeks later at Minnesota, on a third and 7, Peppers looped from his right defensive end position three gaps back inside untouched for a sack. And on a third and 4 that same game, he lined up at defensive tackle and overpowered Charlie Johnson for a takedown.

Two games, four moves, four sacks.

The other 14 games, Peppers managed only 3.5 sacks — and as noted by former NFL GM Charley Casserly — “You see some inconsistency with him where he doesn't necessarily finish plays. He's kind of a 'flash' guy at this point.”

Casserly elaborated a week ago. Peppers, he says, is the "wild card" on Green Bay's defense.

“You just have to see what happens with him," the former Washington Redskins and Houston Texans G.M. said. "What does he have left in the tank? He’s going to give it his best shot. This is the end of it. So I’m just as curious as anybody to see how that’s going to work out. Getting a rusher opposite Matthews is huge. They’ve got to get that done.

“Guys get rejuvenated. They get excited. Dom Capers is a very creative coach. He will put him in the best position to succeed.”

Even up to last year, Peppers was at his best against Green Bay. If not for a timely John Kuhn chip, he would’ve been the hero in that Week 17 game.

Capers will likely try to scheme Peppers into 1-on-1 situations. That’s how he wasted Monroe outside and Johnson inside on those sacks. The coach said Peppers “falls into that hybrid category” and will “play at a number of different spots.” Having Matthews on the same field — assuming there are no hamstring/thumb injuries — helps.

Both players said they’ve never played with a talent of that caliber in their careers. If they can draw single blockers, there's a good chance the Packers' 25th-ranked defense improves.

“I haven't really played with a guy like Clay my whole career,” Peppers said after Green Bay’s first OTA practice. “Early in my career, I played with a guy in Mike Rucker who was a threat on the other side. But a really dominant player on the other side, I really haven't had that, ever."

Thus, Peppers is central to the Packers’ whole less scheme/more personnel direction. They want individual players who can do multiple things — players who can rush outside, rush inside, stand up, get into a 3-point stance during a game.

In theory, Peppers is precisely what the Packers need.

If he can hang on.

In addition to what he said during OTA’s, here’s more from linebackers coach Winston Moss on Peppers…

On Peppers' credibility in the locker room… “His walk is stronger than his talk. That’s what this team needs more than anything. They’ve heard a lot of things before. But when you bring a guy into that building that he doesn’t have to say anything, his resume speaks for itself, it’s pretty strong.”

On if there’s a new energy with his arrival… “He’s impressive that a guy that has done so much, he’s so quiet, he’s so reserved, he has so much poise, but he is so attentive and so professional and he tries to get it right. There’s a diligence about him to where…he doesn’t say a word, he simply just nods that head. If he has a question, he asks. He wants to get on the same page. That’s being a true professional.”

On what signs he sees that Peppers isn’t aging… “Nobody talks about how sharp he is. And what I mean by that is when a player understands how to anticipate so that he can avoid and he can get to things the most efficient way possible, he avoids a lot of things. He’s able to obviously expend the least amount of energy. So if he’s not getting beat up or banged up or anything that is similar in nature to that, he’s allowing himself to be as efficient as possible. That’s why he’s been able to be productive over the course of his career.

“His ability to see things and react to things to where his athleticism and his ability to work and to find creases and to work moves from a run standpoint and a pass standpoint, he’s able to anticipate and play so well on things, he avoids a lot of madness. He avoids a lot of crash, avoids a lot of issues based on the way he plays.”

10 QUESTIONS HEADING INTO TRAINING CAMP

10. After pick-less 2013, are the Packers better at safety?

9. Who will be the Packers' No. 2 quarterback?

8. Who starts at tight end for the Packers?

7. Has the revolving door at center finally stopped?

6. Does Aaron Rodgers remain the one-man difference in the NFC North?

4. Which Packer breaks out in 2014?

CineSport's Noah Coslov discusses how the Packers could use Peppers with Tyler Dunne below...