I thought this series would give up the ghost with the start of camp... but with some major changes to the squad already, I figured I would give a go at one "in camp" dispatch about a higher profile player. If it goes well, maybe I can fit a couple more in before cut downs begin.

For this episode, we are going to look at Kenny Peterson, who is vying for a spot on the defensive line, most likely as a Defensive Tackle. Although he mostly played end in college, switching to tackle his senior year, Peterson seems to fit best at the tackle position in the NFL. He has some shown flashes, but hasn't started a game, in 5 NFL seasons

After a rough year last year, Kenny has been very active in the offseason and OTA's, garnering the following mention from coach Shanahan after Sunday's practice:

At the end of the OTA days, Kenny earned a chance to be our starter. We have a lot of competition. We will evaluate this day-by-day, and he is doing a good job.

Read on to find out more about why Kenny will Make The Team!

Tale of the Tape

Height: 6-3

Weight: 292

Born: Nov 21, 1978

College: Ohio State

The Criticisms

For many reasons, Kenny Peterson has taken it on the chin in his NFL career. Starting with his refusal to participate in the Draft combine and then getting injured and not being able to workout for teams. Despite an apparently strong Senior Bowl showing, this man who moved from DE to DT his senior season and anchored a BCS Championship winning defensive line and many predicted as a first round pick, fell to the Packers in the 3rd round. Scouts questioned his technique and his size. The press handed him the always dangerous "tweener" mantle, one he has had to fight off throughout his NFL career.

After 3 mostly uneventful years (although he logged a few sacks his final season, including one in the postseason) backing up Cletidus Hunt at tackle in Green Bay, he was released. The Packers seemed to think he had reached his potential - as a backup to a not that strong plater. He made his way to Denver as a stop gap option in the middle of 2006 when Courtney Brown went down with a left knee injury. He was active for only a couple of games, and began to get labeled as a journeyman player who would never start in the NFL. Still he came into camp was ready to compete for a DT position in 2007. 

Alas, it wasn't to be as he was suspended for the first 4 games of the 2007 season due to a positive test of a banned substance. Upon his return, he was cut - the cloud of banned substance suspension hanging over him. He was brought back a month later to shore up a mess of a defensive line. He ended the season on a high note, notching a sack of Rex Grossman and a pass defended against the Bears, and 3 tackles in the finale against Minnesota.

Detractors hang on the tweener label, and suggest Peterson's technique and understanding of the game leave much to be desired. They also question his pass rush, and physicality.

The Response

After joining the chorus of detractors after it looked like Peterson blew his chance with the Broncos with a positive banned substance test, I had my eyes opened when Kenny returned to the team and addressed the fans directly via Mason's Morsels. He defended his character, and responded to attacks by explaining his banned substance came from something in a fat-burner he was using that included a chemical on the banned list. He insisted that he never used, or would use, steroids and that the coaching staff's faith in him when they resigned him was proof positive of his high character. From that moment on, I was rooting for the guy.

Peterson's drive is really hard to assail, if you look at the facts. The guy played high school ball in Canton, Ohio, literally next to the (much decried around here) HOF. That team won USA Today's "national championship" in 1997. He logged 101 tackles and 15 sacks and was named was an All-American that season. While there he also played basketball. He then matriculated at Ohio State, where he had 3 injury plagued seasons at DE, before being moved inside for his senior season. That final year, he started at DT, anchoring the line for an undefeated championship squad despite weighing only 265 pounds. In the BCS title game, he registered two sacks and a forced fumble - he has no fear of being under the lights, that is for sure. He was named second-team All-Big-Ten and set a number of weight room records for the storied program. Peterson has had success throughout his career.

As for his character - Peterson doesn't drink or smoke to this day. and didn't throughout college. He started a youth mentoring program while in Green Bay. while many of his peers are out spraying champagne and carousing, Kenny spends his free time building and refurbishing computers to give to family and friends or playing  his piano. In an interview as a Packer he talks about wishing he could go back in time and teach people that "racism is ignorance." He cites his parents as his best influences and his young cousin who has persevered through a kidney transplant as a personal hero. The knocks against his character due to his suspension clearly hurt him, as seen in his blog post, because he is a genuinely kind and honest person. His "blowing off" of the combine and banned substance test were anomalies, not the norm for him - although most critics focus on those hiccups, rather than the whole package.

The journeyman tag is clearly unfair. Kenny has played two places - and has risen against all odds to fighting for a starting DT spot this year. The coaching staff sees something they like, and have kept with him through inactive stretches and a suspension. Journeyman, or a guy seeking the right environment?

Looking at the criticisms of him as an athlete, many do seem unwarranted. Admittedly his playing weight in college was low for a DT, which his bull-rush style fits far better than the end position. He gained 25 pounds between the college season and combine, but since an injury which kept him from working out for teams he was never able to put the increased strength and power on display. the Broncos website actually lists him as pushing 300 now, which wouldn't be a surprise given his weight room ethic and past performance.

His technique may have left something to be desired entering the league. He played DT for a single season, after having played 7 seasons of high school and college ball on the end. At this point, with the time he has spent out of the league due to injury and suspension, he is really only in his 6 season as a tackle. Clearly the technique is coming around, as evidenced by his big games last year, his flashes of pass rushing brilliance and sacks and the fact the coaching staff has him running with the ones this year in camp.

The Prospects

Kenny Peterson is not suddenly going to become the second coming of Joe Greene, but he is finally beginning to realize the potential that made him a top-25 prospect in high school. He has fought through a lot to get to where he is, and as Coach Shanahan has underscored, has earned a shot at a starting position in Denver. He is not a danger off the field, or in the locker room, but rather an asset.

His name has appeared in reports out of training camp reports as starting alongside Robertson. Although many players have gotten that chance, and Kenny was the first man in based on an outstanding performance in the offseason and OTA's.. He is saying and doing all the right things - including noting his excitement about being part of a versatile unit that works together to use everyone's strengths. Despite early success, he doesn't sound complacent. He talks of being a student of the game, and is very complementary of the talent surrounding him.

Lastly, his playing style and athleticism lends itself to the single-gap scheme the Broncos will use this year. He should be a really nice addition alongside Robertson's gap plugging girth, McKinley's experience, Ekuban's rush skills and Mallards finesse up the middle. Especially after the loss of Carlton Powell Jr. (who he resembles in many ways) for the season, I expect a career year from Peterson. Thomas and Ekuban, and maybe even McKinley will certainly press him for a starting position. But he should be in the mix at the end of camp, and a key component of what is shaping up to be a multi-faceted DT rotation this season, and hopefully many seasons to come.