05-06-2019, 07:37 AM
(05-05-2019, 03:33 PM)fredtoast Wrote: One of the most underrated bengals ever. Key cog in several top 10 defenses.
In the 8 years from '07 to '14 peko finished in the top 10 in tackles by an interior defensive lineman 6 times. Twice ('08, '11) as high as 2nd in the league when he was 4th among all D-linemen.
Some people act like it is easy to rack up tackle numbers, but if you look at the league eladers they are usually among the best players. Shedding blockers and getting to the ball carrier is a valuable skill.
And Peko didn't rack up a lot of stats like sacks, so he was not appreciated here. The hole he left has still not been filled. Billings shows flashes and Glasgow was trending nicely, but Peko was a huge part of some of those strong defenses during the playoff run.