Domata Peko - Once and current great?

[orangeandblackblood]

I have seen numerous references in other threads, so I thought I would start one for the purposes of debate/discussion of D Peko's contributions and strengths/weaknesses and role moving forward.
He has been one of my favorite players since being drafted in '06. I feel that he has, while never actually being a superstar, made some significant contributions to some very good defenses. Also a model citizen and family man.
I noticed tho, second half of the '14 season, he seemed to be getting just mauled by O linemen.

[Brownshoe]

(06-11-2015, 03:02 AM)orangeandblackblood Wrote: I have seen numerous references in other threads, so I thought I would start one for the purposes of debate/discussion of D Peko's contributions and strengths/weaknesses and role moving forward.
He has been one of my favorite players since being drafted in '06. I feel that he has, while never actually being a superstar, made some significant contributions to some very good defenses. Also a model citizen and family man.
I noticed tho, second half of the '14 season, he seemed to be getting just mauled by O linemen.

I think that we need to replace Peko soon. He played well for us, but I think he's getting too old. If I had to guess 2015 will be his last year playing.

[magikod]

Pat Sims will replace him I think.

[BritishBengal]

He gets a lot of stick because people don't properly understand the position and role he plays. He has been a crucial locker room presence and becomes a father figure to a lot of the young players, only have to look at Henry, Jones etc. Most importantly he is NEVER hurt and as a coach if you have a guy you know will always be there, it is invaluable.

[djs7685]

I'd rather take my chances putting an average or better player on the field instead of a "great locker room guy".

Peko hasn't been a decent player in at least 2 years. A lot of us that aren't big Peko supporters aren't just clueless morons that don't know what his role is supposed to be as some like to suggest. We just happen to watch the games and see him getting consistently blown off the line and completely destroyed by the guys he's supposed to be at least keeping up with. If you don't realize that Peko has been getting blown up at an alarming rate over the last 2 seasons, then it's apparent that you don't pay any attention to the line while you watch the games.

Peko has never really been GOOD, but he was once a working bee that filled the NT role at an acceptable level, I guess. Even that time has passed though. I think a lot of people put waaaay too much stock into "locker room guys", looking "cool", and being a genuinely nice person.

Silly me, but aren't football games usually won by putting talented athletes on the field?

[*bengalfan74*]

Peko has been solid and at times really good. And he didn't deserve a lot of the hate he's received on here thru the years. But yes his game has been declining fairly quick these last couple seasons. I, like Brownshoe think he's probably in his final season here. I wouldn't be totally floored if he's cut this season.

[BFritz21]

Love Peko, love his locker room presence, and love what he's done for the team, but I think he's lost what made him a good NT.

He gets blown up too much now and can't hold his ground and occupy blockers, which is a NT's job.

I do think that he was very underrated for the role he played, but he just doesn't seem like he has the ability to be that stout force in the middle.

I'm liking Sims to hold the ground and Hardison to come in on passing downs to get to the quarterback.

We need to cut him and use that 4.5(?) to put towards AJ's contract.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

To those who have played, you know how important a vocal leader and role model can be to a locker room can be.......but, unfortunately, when you're paying guys millions of dollars, it's more about the performance.

I love Domata....he is a GREAT human being, and very hard worker, and a leader for younger guys to look up to as far as work ethic and how to be a professional away from the game. Unfortunately, watching his game film is not gonna be role model material. It happens, the time comes to go......maybe a more dynamic rotation this season helps him some, but he is still on his last legs in my opinion.

[RoyleRedlegs]

(06-11-2015, 07:49 AM)BritishBengal Wrote: He gets a lot of stick because people don't properly understand the position and role he plays. He has been a crucial locker room presence and becomes a father figure to a lot of the young players, only have to look at Henry, Jones etc. Most importantly he is NEVER hurt and as a coach if you have a guy you know will always be there, it is invaluable.

People understand. 
It's just that he hasn't been good at it for 2+ years now. 

[Ricky Spanish]

Pay him and play him like a locker room guy then.

Backup, and get a better starter in there

[GreenCornBengal]

(06-11-2015, 09:02 AM)djs7685 Wrote: I'd rather take my chances putting an average or better player on the field instead of a "great locker room guy".

Peko hasn't been a decent player in at least 2 years. A lot of us that aren't big Peko supporters aren't just clueless morons that don't know what his role is supposed to be as some like to suggest. We just happen to watch the games and see him getting consistently blown off the line and completely destroyed by the guys he's supposed to be at least keeping up with. If you don't realize that Peko has been getting blown up at an alarming rate over the last 2 seasons, then it's apparent that you don't pay any attention to the line while you watch the games.

Peko has never really been GOOD, but he was once a working bee that filled the NT role at an acceptable level, I guess. Even that time has passed though. I think a lot of people put waaaay too much stock into "locker room guys", looking "cool", and being a genuinely nice person.

Silly me, but aren't football games usually won by putting talented athletes on the field?

I'm just curious, who DO you like on this team?

list the players you would replace by putting better talent on the field
(this isn't some salty comment I just notice you don't seem to like many of the players on this team)

I just sometimes feel you want to revamp the entire team lol

[Stormborn]

They don't seem to urgent to replace him tbh.

Think about how this team replaces impending free agents/vets, the only acquisition we've made is signing Sims for vet min.

Unless we're secretly switching to more of an attacking 43, I think it's likely we'll see him out there just as much as this year.

[djs7685]

(06-11-2015, 11:25 AM)GreenCornBengal Wrote: I'm just curious, who DO you like on this team?

list the players you would replace by putting better talent on the field
(this isn't some salty comment I just notice you don't seem to like many of the players on this team)

I just sometimes feel you want to revamp the entire team lol

QB - Is both overrated and underrated by some goofballs on here, but general consensus says Andy is an average QB and I have no problem with him here in 2015. IF he stinks it up this coming season, I do think we should look into a potential replacement. Depth seems okay but lacks experience.
RB - Looks good to me, good starters, solid and young depth
WR - Looks good to me, good starters, good depth
TE - Not much playing time here, I would have liked to see them retain Gresh for this reason. The paper talent is real at TE, let's see if it translates.
OT/OG/C - Top 5 in the league as a unit, got deeper in the draft, hopefully Bodine improves from his rookie season

DE/DT - Looks like the feared 2013 unit, the band is back together. Peko still sucks though, he hasn't been good for a couple of years now.
LB - Yikes if Burfict is out, but even if he's out then we have an issue. Maualuga is mediocre, Lamur was flat out bad in 2014 (let's hope for improvement since he's young), Hawk is past his prime, Vinny Rey is mediocre at best. The good news is this D lives and dies by the line and secondary, we don't need All-Pro LBs to succeed, even though it would surely be nice to see improvement in that area.
CB - Looks good. Jones + Kirkpatrick on the outside with Leon in the slot? Sign me up, assuming Dre Kirk is ready to start full time. Dennard seems promising for the future.
S - Most underrated starters in the league, sketchy depth. Let's hope these guys continue to both play almost 100% of the snaps.

P - Awesome
K - Meh, whatever, maybe the rookie will be good? If not, Nugent is serviceable.
It's worth noting that the Bengals had/have excellent punt and kick coverage units. This goes unnoticed for a lot of fans, but ST is a big part of the game.

Overall, I like the looks of the Bengals' roster. I'd have loved to see 1 solid addition to the LB corp other than an aging Hawk, and I'd like to see a better NT on the field than Peko. I'd hardly call that "revamping the whole team", or me not liking most of the team. Lamur had a shitty 2014 and Peko flat out sucks now. Other than that, I don't really bash any/many of our players. I find that some people think that me pointing out that Andy isn't Dan Marino means that I "hate" the guy. Or when I say that Rey Maualuga isn't a 3 down LB that doesn't deserve 3 down LB money that it means I want him cut from the team.

[jj22]

I like Peko, but the truth is his effort and relentlessness stood out when we lacked talent on the line. Even if his production wasn't eye-popping, his effort was always top notch. Now that the talent of the line is what it is, Peko doesn't really bring that much on the field. Off the field and in the lockerroom he probably has a spot. But on the field he's pretty much done.

[Hoofhearted]

(06-11-2015, 11:11 AM)Ricky Spanish Wrote: Pay him and play him like a locker room guy then.

Backup, and get a better starter in there

This.

I am all for a good locker room guy, but why pay and play him like he's more than that? Oh, that's right, the staff thinks he's the best NT in the league.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(06-11-2015, 11:51 AM)djs7685 Wrote: QB - Is both overrated and underrated by some goofballs on here, but general consensus says Andy is an average QB and I have no problem with him here in 2015. IF he stinks it up this coming season, I do think we should look into a potential replacement. Depth seems okay but lacks experience.
RB - Looks good to me, good starters, solid and young depth
WR - Looks good to me, good starters, good depth
TE - Not much playing time here, I would have liked to see them retain Gresh for this reason. The paper talent is real at TE, let's see if it translates.
OT/OG/C - Top 5 in the league as a unit, got deeper in the draft, hopefully Bodine improves from his rookie season

DE/DT - Looks like the feared 2013 unit, the band is back together. Peko still sucks though, he hasn't been good for a couple of years now.
LB - Yikes if Burfict is out, but even if he's out then we have an issue. Maualuga is mediocre, Lamur was flat out bad in 2014 (let's hope for improvement since he's young), Hawk is past his prime, Vinny Rey is mediocre at best. The good news is this D lives and dies by the line and secondary, we don't need All-Pro LBs to succeed, even though it would surely be nice to see improvement in that area.
CB - Looks good. Jones + Kirkpatrick on the outside with Leon in the slot? Sign me up, assuming Dre Kirk is ready to start full time. Dennard seems promising for the future.
S - Most underrated starters in the league, sketchy depth. Let's hope these guys continue to both play almost 100% of the snaps.

P - Awesome
K - Meh, whatever, maybe the rookie will be good? If not, Nugent is serviceable.
It's worth noting that the Bengals had/have excellent punt and kick coverage units. This goes unnoticed for a lot of fans, but ST is a big part of the game.

Overall, I like the looks of the Bengals' roster. I'd have loved to see 1 solid addition to the LB corp other than an aging Hawk, and I'd like to see a better NT on the field than Peko. I'd hardly call that "revamping the whole team", or me not liking most of the team. Lamur had a shitty 2014 and Peko flat out sucks now. Other than that, I don't really bash any/many of our players. I find that some people think that me pointing out that Andy isn't Dan Marino means that I "hate" the guy. Or when I say that Rey Maualuga isn't a 3 down LB that doesn't deserve 3 down LB money that it means I want him cut from the team.

Pretty damn spot on to me....

[GreenCornBengal]

(06-11-2015, 11:51 AM)djs7685 Wrote: Overall, I like the looks of the Bengals' roster. I'd have loved to see 1 solid addition to the LB corp other than an aging Hawk, and I'd like to see a better NT on the field than Peko. I'd hardly call that "revamping the whole team", or me not liking most of the team. Lamur had a shitty 2014 and Peko flat out sucks now. Other than that, I don't really bash any/many of our players. I find that some people think that me pointing out that Andy isn't Dan Marino means that I "hate" the guy. Or when I say that Rey Maualuga isn't a 3 down LB that doesn't deserve 3 down LB money that it means I want him cut from the team.

I agree wholeheartedly with your analysis of the roster.

The only thing that needs revamping is the LB core (especially if Burfict doesn't recover), and we truly need some more DE's that can hold their weight

Also, Andy has this last year as his moment to either shine or go frail. If he doesn't shine, he should be replaced (as you said)

We be on the same page,

[Bengal Dude]

I appreciate what Peko does off the field, but he is really hitting a wall on the field. I remember when he was our most exciting DT on the field. He would fly around and look unstoppable. It seemed like 2010 was when he started turning into the DT we see today. Obviously he looks better in a rotation, but the guy isn't commanding double teams you'd expect from an NT. The problem then shifts that he isn't shedding blocks one on one. He looks pretty much useless during the game.

I will give him credit that he seems to do well in sniffing out HB screen passes.

[BengalsRocker]

(06-11-2015, 11:51 AM)djs7685 Wrote: QB - Is both overrated and underrated by some goofballs on here, but general consensus says Andy is an average QB and I have no problem with him here in 2015. IF he stinks it up this coming season, I do think we should look into a potential replacement. Depth seems okay but lacks experience.
RB - Looks good to me, good starters, solid and young depth
WR - Looks good to me, good starters, good depth
TE - Not much playing time here, I would have liked to see them retain Gresh for this reason. The paper talent is real at TE, let's see if it translates.
OT/OG/C - Top 5 in the league as a unit, got deeper in the draft, hopefully Bodine improves from his rookie season

DE/DT - Looks like the feared 2013 unit, the band is back together. Peko still sucks though, he hasn't been good for a couple of years now.
LB - Yikes if Burfict is out, but even if he's out then we have an issue. Maualuga is mediocre, Lamur was flat out bad in 2014 (let's hope for improvement since he's young), Hawk is past his prime, Vinny Rey is mediocre at best. The good news is this D lives and dies by the line and secondary, we don't need All-Pro LBs to succeed, even though it would surely be nice to see improvement in that area.
CB - Looks good. Jones + Kirkpatrick on the outside with Leon in the slot? Sign me up, assuming Dre Kirk is ready to start full time. Dennard seems promising for the future.
S - Most underrated starters in the league, sketchy depth. Let's hope these guys continue to both play almost 100% of the snaps.

P - Awesome
K - Meh, whatever, maybe the rookie will be good? If not, Nugent is serviceable.
It's worth noting that the Bengals had/have excellent punt and kick coverage units. This goes unnoticed for a lot of fans, but ST is a big part of the game.

Overall, I like the looks of the Bengals' roster. I'd have loved to see 1 solid addition to the LB corp other than an aging Hawk, and I'd like to see a better NT on the field than Peko. I'd hardly call that "revamping the whole team", or me not liking most of the team. Lamur had a shitty 2014 and Peko flat out sucks now. Other than that, I don't really bash any/many of our players. I find that some people think that me pointing out that Andy isn't Dan Marino means that I "hate" the guy. Or when I say that Rey Maualuga isn't a 3 down LB that doesn't deserve 3 down LB money that it means I want him cut from the team.

This is right in my line of thinking as well.

[CincyProduct]

(06-11-2015, 09:02 AM)djs7685 Wrote: I'd rather take my chances putting an average or better player on the field instead of a "great locker room guy".

Peko hasn't been a decent player in at least 2 years. A lot of us that aren't big Peko supporters aren't just clueless morons that don't know what his role is supposed to be as some like to suggest. We just happen to watch the games and see him getting consistently blown off the line and completely destroyed by the guys he's supposed to be at least keeping up with. If you don't realize that Peko has been getting blown up at an alarming rate over the last 2 seasons, then it's apparent that you don't pay any attention to the line while you watch the games.

Peko has never really been GOOD, but he was once a working bee that filled the NT role at an acceptable level, I guess. Even that time has passed though. I think a lot of people put waaaay too much stock into "locker room guys", looking "cool", and being a genuinely nice person.

Silly me, but aren't football games usually won by putting talented athletes on the field?

so many other guys fill this roll nicely, I have no issues with letting Peko go. In his prime he was exactly what this team needed.