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  • Uncomfortable being comfortable: How Lions' Kyle Peko navigated hardship and found unusual stability in ninth season


    Justin Rogers
    Aug 22





    NFL player Kyle Peko.jpg

    Allen Park — Only twice during his nine-year career has Kyle Peko not played in the preseason. In 2017, his second season after going undrafted out of Oregon State, he was sidelined by a broken foot. And in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the league’s exhibition slate entirely.

    So when Peko found out the Detroit Lions wouldn’t be dressing him for the preseason opener earlier this month, he panicked.

    “I'm thinking, 'Why am I not playing? What in the hell is going on?'


    What’s going on — probably for the first time in his career — is there’s no lingering doubts about his roster status heading into cutdown day. It’s something that should bring peace of mind to Peko, but he’s a man uncomfortable with being comfortable.

    “I don't think I've ever made an assumption and being out during the preseason has been kind of crazy. It’s different for me,” Peko said. “I've always played in the preseason games. I'm taking this for what it is. I don't know anything yet, not until (the season opener on) September 8th.”


    That’s a reasonable viewpoint for someone who has had to scrap every step of the way during his career. Peko’s story is one of perseverance and persistence. Detroit is his eighth stint with six different teams.

    Between demotions and promotions to and from practice squads at those stops, he’s lost track of how many contracts he signed. We took the liberty of counting them up for him.


    Since signing with Denver as an undrafted free agent in May, 2016, the one-year pact he signed with the Lions this offseason was the 18th of his career.

    Football is difficult enough, physically and mentally. It’s worse when you add the emotional toll of not having stability. He hasn’t spent more than two consecutive years in one place since going pro.


    But in 2019, Peko's perspective on his challenging lifestyle changed when his wife, Giuliana, was diagnosed with stage three Hodgkin's lymphoma. The couple had just welcomed their second child into the world weeks earlier, adding to the chaotic and emotional hurricane.

    Peko’s first reaction was to give up the football career he had been fighting so hard to keep afloat, year after year. Giuliana wouldn’t hear it. “My wife was all in for me going back (to camp), kick ass and make the team. And she was going to stick to her plan.”


    In the end, both completed their assignments. Peko stuck in Buffalo that season, while Giuliana’s scans showed no signs of cancer six treatments into her scheduled 12 cycles of chemotherapy.

    Teammates in Buffalo awarded Peko the franchise’s Ed Block Courage award after the season. But they told him the honor wasn’t for him as much as it was for Giuliana.


    This September will mark five years cancer-free, which doctors consider the benchmark for permanent remission. The way Giuliana took her fight head-on remains a lingering inspiration for Peko.

    “Her perseverance and how she handled it, having a plan, sticking with the plan, doing anything extra she could to help with the process,” Peko said. “Ultimately, it was a success and she beat cancer. I learned a lot from her during that time.


    “I get to play football,” Peko said. “It's difficult, it's physically taxing, but nothing compared to what she went through.”

    This year, Peko will get to play football in Detroit. His signing this May barely moved the needle, but he’s quickly climbed the depth chart and he’s been working with the starting defense the past couple of weeks, filling a hole that will eventually be filled by DJ Reader, once he’s medically cleared from his torn quad.


    But Peko isn’t just a body. Aided by his previous experience playing under Detroit’s new defensive line coach Terrell Williams, and welcomed with open arms by his new teammates, Peko is flourishing in his new surroundings.



    Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone recently said there are practices he feels he’s been untouched by an offensive lineman because Peko does such a good job absorbing multiple blockers. But while the thankless job of eating space is the nose tackle's primary responsibility in Detroit's defensive scheme, Peko showed during Wednesday's full-contact scrimmage he’s more than capable of being disruptive when given the chance, regularly penetrating the offensive line to make multiple plays in the backfield.

    Peko isn’t expected to be in uniform for Saturday’s preseason finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers, capping what’s become a surreal offseason for the veteran defender. His formal introduction to Lions fans will come next month, potentially in a starting role, when the team opens the regular season at home against the Rams.



    There will undoubtedly be fans in the stands who haven’t paid attention to that point, only hopping on the bandwagon for the official start toward a hopeful Super Bowl run. There’s a good chance they’ll say, ‘Who?’ when Peko is introduced or after he chips in on his first tackle.

    They might never realize what Peko has been through to get to that moment. But his story and his experiences will fuel him that night and every time he laces the cleats and straps on the pads the rest of his career.


    Email: jrogers@detroitfootball.net

    X: Justin_Rogers

    Last edited by whatever_gong82; August 22, 2024, 01:26 PM.
    "I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
    My friend Ken L

    Comment


    • Originally posted by wcfwtf View Post
      Saw yesterday Campbell said starters would be good to go for week 1 against Rams
      That was after Sewell injury
      If that was his presser, that was before Sewell's injury.

      Comment


      • I have this vague memory of the Lions signing someone this off season who was kicked off his previous team for fighting during practice or something. Does that sound familiar to anyone or did my mind just make it up?
        "This is an empty signature. Because apparently carrying a quote from anyone in this space means you are obsessed with that person. "

        Comment


        • Expectations were already high for the Lions this season, and they perhaps rose even more with Sports Illustrated featuring them on its season preview.
          "I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
          My friend Ken L

          Comment


          • "I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
            My friend Ken L

            Comment


            • Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said he tries to simulate as many high-stakes game situations in the preseason to improve his coaching decisions.
              "I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
              My friend Ken L

              Comment


              • ESPN ranked Dan Campbell and Detroit Lions coaching staff as second-best in the NFL heading into the 2024 season, just behind the Kansas City Chiefs.
                "I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
                My friend Ken L

                Comment


                • Originally posted by mason reese View Post
                  I have this vague memory of the Lions signing someone this off season who was kicked off his previous team for fighting during practice or something. Does that sound familiar to anyone or did my mind just make it up?
                  You heard correctly but I cant remember which guy it is either lol

                  Comment


                  • Lions' Manu hoped to scale Everest in first offseason, but quickly realized he needed to learn to walk before he could climb

                    Justin Rogers
                    Aug 23



                    Allen Park – The night Giovanni Manu was drafted by the Detroit Lions, the Tongan native coming from the Canadian collegiate ranks detailed how All-Pro offensive tackle Penei Sewell served as an inspiration.

                    Manu was a sophomore at the University of British Columbia when he watched a short video documenting Sewell's draft night experience. At the end of the mini doc, Sewell looked directly into the camera to tell Polynesian kids it's possible to accomplish any goal if you set your mind to it.


                    That's all Manu needed to hear.

                    "It really motivated me," Manu said. "I told myself, ‘If one of my fellow Polynesian brothers can make it …and he’s giving me words of motivation, there’s no reason why I can’t do it either.’"


                    After realizing his initial goal of making it to the NFL, Manu quickly devised another. He was determined to reward Detroit's faith for trading a future third-round pick to select him, so he set his mind to emulating Sewell once again.

                    "They took a chance on me, they traded up for me, so I told myself as soon as I get there, I'm going to try to be the best I can be," Manu said. "I had expectations to be Penei Sewell on Day 1."


                    That one hasn't gone according to plan.

                    Instead of being one of the best players on the field the moment he arrived, Manu has been every bit the developmental project the Lions anticipated while making the rarely charted jump from Canadian college football to the NFL.


                    And while it might seem Manu's ambition was naive, it's more reflective of the lofty standards he sets for himself.

                    "I'm a person who is never satisfied," he said after the team's final training camp practice on Wednesday. "I knew what I was getting myself into. As soon as I got drafted, I was happy, but knew there was another mountain I had to climb. There was a Mount Everest I needed to climb."


                    Invoking Everest is appropriate. Long epitomizing a great obstacle to overcome, the natural wonder has conquered many climbers who had vigorously trained to reach its summit. When Manu arrived at his version of base camp, Detroit's rookie minicamp held a couple of weeks after the draft, he quickly realized he wasn't making it to the top of the mountain any time soon.

                    At 6-foot-7, 352 pounds, with immense physical gifts to match his enormous frame, he'd grown accustomed to overpowering the competition. But in Detroit, he was losing as many reps as he was winning in those early practices, and even that assessment might be generous.


                    As those initial struggles mounted, Manu struggled to hide his frustration. It was enough that the man tasked with his development, position coach Hank Fraley, pulled the rookie aside and established a mantra for Manu to live by the remainder of his first offseason; baby steps.

                    There's humor in the mental image of a gargantuan human taking baby steps, but it makes more sense when you consider Manu's footwork is occasionally reminiscent of an infant giraffe learning to walk.


                    What has slowed Manu even more has been the mental component of his adjustment. The way he describes his college playbook – with only four run plays – might make one think of Super Tecmo Bowl for the Nintendo. And the quarterback's cadence, which was binary at UBC – go on one or go on two – is so much more nuanced at this level.

                    There's a cliche in football that the game is 90% mental and 10% physical. That's obviously ridiculous. An average person could know every aspect of a play call, and every fundamental technique of the position, and still get squashed like a bug on a windshield if they don’t possess the necessary physical gifts to match their opponent. Still, the heart of the cliche finally hit home for Manu when he arrived in Detroit.


                    "I remember in college thinking, 'What? That's not true. All you have to do is go out there and run through someone's face,'" Manu said. "Then you get here and it's like, 'Oh my God, it's true.' You can be the strongest, fastest guy on the field, but if you don't know what to do against this certain front on this certain play, then you're toast."

                    Manu has been toasted by Detroit's defensive linemen more than he'd care to admit. But from his May arrival until the end of his first training camp this week, there's been clear progress. He can feel it and we can see it. Even between the first and second preseason games, the improvements were noticeable.


                    "We knew when we acquired him, this was going to be a bit of a ride here before he would be ready to go," Lions coach Dan Campbell said. "We just want this gradual improvement; every day just focus on one thing and get better at that.

                    "I thought he was better in the game the other day, I thought he improved," Campbell continued. "He’s figuring it out. He’s getting there. Now, I can’t give you a timetable, but he has improved, he’s beginning to look like he belongs.”



                    As Manu continues to chase the ideal of Sewell, the rookie is putting in the necessary work. Manu is staying longer in the meeting room and going out to the practice field approximately 30 minutes early each day to work with Fraley and assistant offensive line coach Steve Oliver. Manu is also soaking up every morsel of knowledge he can get from the team's veterans, led by Sewell, who offers constructive criticism after every drive Manu plays during the preseason.

                    Even though there's a reasonable chance Saturday's preseason finale against Pittsburgh will be the last time Lions fans see Manu until next offseason, as his development shifts behind the scenes, his ambitions remain higher than just about anyone else's.

                    "That extra meeting time and extra work before practice, I feel like that's helped accelerate my growth," Manu said. "It's a long season, it's 20-something weeks. My development within that time, maybe halfway through the year, I could be the player I expected to be."


                    Email: jrogers@detroitfootball.net

                    X: Justin_Rogers

                    "I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
                    My friend Ken L

                    Comment


                    • "An average person could know every aspect of a play call, and every fundamental technique of the position, and still get squashed like a bug on a windshield if they don’t possess the necessary physical gifts to match their opponent. Still, the heart of the cliche finally hit home for Manu when he arrived in Detroit."
                      -----------------------------------Who remembers CLB?????
                      GO LIONS "24" !!

                      Comment


                      • This pick was kind of wierd for me....Giving up a future 3rd when both tackles are already locked up for several seasons? Maybe Decker hadnt resigned yet at this point? Also is there a point where they get to be too big? 352 pounds?

                        Comment


                        • Manu and Martin were big mid-round gambles they took with some not insignificant draft capital. Holmes really feeling himself on those guys. I'm not super-optimistic on either, but with a track record like Holmes has, he gets to take some swings.

                          On another note - chatter out there amongst the various Lions writers that Houston is possibly on the bubble. I have a hard time seeing him get the axe, even if he's just a pure situational pass rusher - that's a skill they desperately need. But if he's not going to make the team, they need to trade him. Somebody should be willing to swap for a guy who has shown he can get to the passer. Even if it's just recouping the 5th rounder they used to pick him up, just don't dump him for nothing.

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                          • Nick Baumgardner had a 20 minute video breaking down his game versus KC. Big thing that stands out is his closest RAS score comparison is Jonathan Ogden. Watch the whole video as it is very interesting. Going by the analysis, his technique is raw especially with the hands. His kick step is amazingly fast. He was doing good things because of physical traits even when the technique was suspect.

                            I'm not sure it's the same type of gamble as Martin because Manu is much more athletic. Martin's RAS score was 2.14 whereas Manu's is 8.83. it's a much higher floor than Martin. That's not to was Martin has no chance but elite traits were height and weight, which work for a gap plugging NT.

                            Manu was a 4th round pick but his RAS score is up by the scores of the guys in the top of the third round. But he's just really raw. So you have to see how well the offensive line coaching does with him

                            ​​​​​
                            Nick Baumgardner has a great breakdown of the early progress of Giovanni Manu and the places he still needs to improve upon.

                            Comment


                            • I haven’t watched the preseason, but my buddy who’s a coach texts me to complain about how Martin doesn’t look like he belongs in the NFL. I don’t know if I’ve heard anything about him since the spring when he got some “he knows how to be a pro now” off season glow up articles.

                              Comment


                              • I thought Martin looked disruptive in the Giants game, I didn't watch the Chiefs game. It looks like Peko is going to get the snaps so clearly Martin is not that far along. Who knows, he is definitely a project and I kind of feel like the position he is playing is an older guy position, but I'm not sure with 4 year contracts that a long term project is that great for that position. It's kind of where the difference is with Manu. If you can take a physically raw toolsy guy and make him into a LT by year 3, the juice is worth the squeeze there

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