Former USC star Casper Brinkley eyes spot on NFL roster

SPARTANBURG — As defensive end Casper Brinkley put his left hand onto the soft turf at the Carolina Panthers training field, he stole a quick glance to his right and caught the eye of Julius Peppers.

For an instant, Brinkley was thrust back to his days at Thomson (Ga.) High School when the former South Carolina star idolized Peppers and marveled at the All-Pro's freakish athletic ability.

"It wasn't that long ago when I was watching (Peppers) on TV. He was my favorite player," Brinkley said. "When I was in high school, I think I was like everyone else — I was in awe of what he could do on a football field. I tried to do some of the same moves he did. I wanted to be just like him.

"Growing up I was always a Carolina Panthers fan because they had the best defensive line in the league. They had Julius, Mike Rucker and Kris Jenkins. So, it seems like one minute I'm watching Pep and those guys on TV and the next I'm lined up right next to him on the line of scrimmage."

Brinkley said he nearly laughed out loud at the thought of playing shoulder-to-shoulder with Peppers, but then the ball was snapped and the moment was gone.

"I had to catch myself," Brinkley said. "You can't be starry-eyed like some high school kid and survive in this league. It probably took me that whole first practice to come back down to earth. It was cool when it happened, and I think about it from time to time, but you want to put that behind you and get to work. In the end, everyone has the same goal and that's making that final 53-man roster."

For an undrafted free agent like Brinkley, making the Panthers' 53-man roster will not be easy.

"I know it's going to be an uphill battle," Brinkley said. "I know the odds are against me, but that doesn't bother me. As long as I can make plays, I'll hang around."

In the past, the Panthers have carried five defensive ends on their active roster. With Peppers and Charles Johnson penciled in as starters at defensive end, and Stanley McClover and Tyler Brayton

established veterans in the NFL, the fifth and final spot will come down to Brinkley and former North Carolina star Hilee Taylor. The Panthers took Taylor, a rookie, in the seventh round of last April's draft.

"I don't think about it like that it's me against (Taylor)," Brinkley said. "I'm competing against everyone out there."

Like Taylor, Brinkley is a little undersized for a defensive end in the NFL at 6-2 and 260 pounds. But what Brinkley lacks in size he makes up for with speed and quickness.

"I know what my strengths are," Brinkley said. "I know I'm going to bull rush too many offensive tackles in this league."

At USC, Brinkley played both outside linebacker and defensive end. A year ago, he started the season for the Gamecocks at outside linebacker, but was moved to defensive end when brother Jasper suffered a season-ending knee injury.

"I'm comfortable playing both linebacker and defensive end," Brinkley said. "Looking back on last season at South Carolina, I think it was almost a blessing in disguise to move to defensive end because it helped prepare me for this season."

Brinkley knows to make the roster he'll have to make his mark on special teams.

"That's what rookies have to do in the NFL, especially free agents," Brinkley said. "I'm on every special team and I'm trying to make a name for myself there."

The biggest adjustment from college to the NFL hasn't been the size and speed of the players, but the thickness of the playbook.

"It's not like the defense is that much more complicated here, but there's just a lot more to it," Brinkley said. "You see so many more formations in the NFL and then you've got to respond to everything that the offense is doing. You've got think a lot more in the NFL.

"Everyone talked to me about the size and speed of the guys and it's not that big of a difference. The biggest difference there is the guys who are big can all move pretty good."

While Brinkley has shrugged off his school-boy adoration for Peppers in the last few weeks, he has started to develop a friendship with his former idol.

"Pep is a great guy, nothing like you'd think he would be," Brinkley said. "He has been a great teacher for me. He pulls me aside and gives me pointers all the time. It's been a great experience for me getting to know him."

Reach Andrew Miller at apmiller@postandcourier.com.