BRONCOS: NT Domata Peko eager to play his first game against his former team, Cincinnati.
If it’s difficult for a 325- pound man to walk gracefully along the high road, you wouldn’t know it by listening to the Broncos’ Domata Peko.
The veteran nose tackle passes out gratitude quicker than a Tom Brady spiral. So it was little surprise that a meeting Sunday with the Cincinnati Bengals, the team for which Peko played the first 11 seasons of his career, become an occasion this week for Peko to give thanks.
“I’ve got nothing but respect for the Bengals,” said Peko, who signed a two- year, $ 7.5 million deal with the Broncos as a free agent in March. “They’re the ones who gave me my first shot. I have nothing but love and respect for them.”
But Peko also made it clear this week that under the long hair that flows out of his helmet and covers his shoulders, there is a proverbial chip that sprouted when the Bengals closed the door on a player who had been a staple of the franchise. Peko helped the Bengals to six playoff appearances, including five in a rowfrom 2011 to 2015, but Cincinnati decided to turn to younger, cheaper options at the position after missing the playoffs in 2016.
“My time was up there,” Peko said. “There is a little bit of a chip on my shoulder because they had a chance to get me back there, but it’s just the way the business works. But I’m excited. It’s a chance to go against the old team, just like when ( offensive guard) Ron Leary played Dallas. He realget ly wanted to get after them and get a ‘ W.’ It means a lot to me. It means a lot to my family. I’m excited for an opportunity to go out there and play against my old team.”
Sunday’s game, though, has little to do with Peko proving he still has something left in the tank. He’s already done that in his first nine games with the Broncos by becoming a stabilizing anchor of a run defense that ranks fifth in the NFL ( 89.6 yards per game allowed) after finishing 28th against the run ( 130.3) last season.
Peko has described his arrival in Denver as a “second wind” in his career. Some of that, he said, comes with a change of scenery. But there has also been a schematic difference in the way he’s able to play his position that has helped.
“I feel like ( the Broncos) are better using me to my strengths because I’m a bigger dude, 320 pounds, but I’m not just going to sit there,” Peko said. “I could run around. That’s what they’re letting me do here. Being able to not just sit on the blocks and hold offensive lineman down. I’m able to off blocks and be more attacking, and I’m loving it. It’s a great fit for me here.”
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said he is not surprised Peko has found success in Denver. Durability was never an issue. Peko is set to start his 122nd consecutive game Sunday, the longest active streak by any defensive lineman.
“I really think he’s done a nice job being on his feet, staying strong in the middle and playing the blocks and combinations each week,” Lewis said.“We knowhow hard he plays. He’s a great guy out there on Sundays for you— awarrior.”
The reunion with the Bengals on Sunday for Peko and Broncos coachVance Joseph, who coached under Lewis in Cincinnati in 2014 and 2015, has taken a backseat to the crisis at hand. The Broncos have lost five straight games, all by double digits. Though its next six games are against teams sporting losing records, that guarantees nothing for a team that hasn’t been competitive since early October.
“We’re really just back to square one, working on hand placements, working footwork andworking on technique and getting off blocks to swarm the ball,” said Peko, who has 16 tackles and is on pace for his highest single- season total since 2011.
“That’s what I love about Denver’s defense. You’re able to swarm and fly around and play fast. That’s what we need to do to get back to where we were.”