Defensive linemen are precious commodities in the NFL. Some do their job simply by filling space. Some do their job by stopping the opponent’s run game. Others pressure the quarterback. And occasionally, there are the rare defensive linemen that drop in to pass coverage.
Before Sunday’s Falcons Detroit Lions game, football fans were expecting to see a second year defensive tackle have big impact on the outcome of the game. That’s exactly what happened –-but the hero was one that very few fans could have expected. Detroit’s Ndamukong Suh was the second overall pick in the NFL’s 2010 draft. He has endorsements, and has quickly earned the title “impact player.” Suh’s already acknowledged as a great player in the NFL, but Sunday it was the Falcons second year defensive tackle (taken exactly 79 players after Suh), Corey Peters, that stole the show.
The Falcons defeated the Lions 23-16 thanks to constant pressure on Detroit’s quarterback, Matthew Stafford (formerly of the University of Georgia). Coming into the contest, Stafford was averaging 288 yards a game and had 14 passing touchdowns against just four interceptions. Thanks to Peters and his line mates, it didn’t go so well for Stafford on Sunday. He did find former Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson for his 15th touchdown pass and didn’t throw an interception, but he also failed to complete half of his pass attempts, did not throw for 200 yards and was far from finding a rhythm at Ford Field.
If Stafford has nightmares about all the ways Peters disrupted his afternoon, blame Peters.
Drafted two Aprils ago in the third round as a second team All-SEC player at Kentucky, Peters is doing a great job of making Falcon’s general manager Thomas Dimitroff look like a genius. Last fall, as a rookie, he started 15 of 16 games and recorded a sack in the final game of the regular season.
His sophomore season is a continuation of that early success, and signs of a slump are nonexistent. The former high school wrestler/baseball player/track athlete/ honor roll student keeps finding a way to help his team improve. Last week against the Carolina Panthers, Peters reached up a arm and intercepted a pass from Cam Newton, contributing to Atlanta’s 31-17 win.
Against Detroit, Peters did a little bit more of everything. He had two tackles for a loss of yardage, helping to discourage the Lions from running the football. He forced a fumble from the hands of the Lions’ wide receiver Stefan Logan. Peters added a sack, his second in three weeks. While defensive ends and linebackers are paid very well to sack the quarterback, the value of a defensive tackle pressuring a passer is priceless.
Another way an interior defensive lineman can alter the offensive game plan is to alter the throwing lanes of the quarterback. Peters was credited with two passes defended Sunday (one was a tipped throw from Stafford to force a forth down while Detroit desperately driving to tie the game after the two minute warning.
Corey Peters’ stock is rising. That’s a great sign. Another great sign is that the he’s not just learning to make the big individual play, he’s buying into head coach Mike Smith’s unwritten credo, “Always, always, find a way to get better on the football field.” Peters lipped the company line in a way that must have Smith proud in a post game comment, “We had a couple plays that didn’t quite go right, to look at and get fixed.” Be happy Falcon fans, Peters is far from a finished product.
He is a Falcon in concocted and cultivated in the Laboratories of Dimitroff and Smith. A “value” pick, Peters is proving to be an overachiever, and he is all about improving every week.
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