BigPlayShay
10-04-2007, 02:27 PM
Can he make a difference? After all, he is the only D-Lineman that has played under Bates before. He can play both DT and DE. It would be nice if he could make a difference on the field and as a mentor now that he is back.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nfl&id=3048313
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Kenny Peterson's goal is twofold: he wants both his job and his good name back.
The fifth-year defensive lineman in his second season with the Denver Broncos was suspended for the first month of the season after violating the league's policy on steroids and related substances. Peterson said he took a metabolism pill that he didn't realize contained a banned ingredient.
He returned to the practice for the first time Wednesday and the Broncos have until Monday to decide whether or not to keep him.
Peterson is thankful the Broncos didn't cut him outright in the first place and he's eager to prove he can still help their defense, which has had trouble stopping the run.
What really bugs him is that he got busted for using a banned dietary supplement.
"Definitely, I'm 28 years old and never drank, never smoke, never done anything," Peterson said. "And you know, to get hit with a four-game suspension for something that unknowingly was taken, it hurts more than anything because I try to lead by example by not doing anything illegal or tampering with my body. But it wasn't done maliciously.
"It was a metabolism booster type thing and I thought it was OK but it wasn't. I couldn't even tell you the name of (the banned ingredient). It's some big, long name. It was some weird thing."
And he said he was as surprised as anybody when he learned he had tested positive and would be facing a four-game suspension that would cost him $140,000, if not his job altogether.
"Was I surprised. I was shocked and I was scared," Peterson said.
With an abundance of linemen at training camp, Peterson, who joined the Broncos after his release from Green Bay last season, worried if he had blown his chance of making the team again.
"Naturally, whenever you have a scarlet letter on you, it's always in the back of your mind," he said. "But I didn't let it affect me on the field. I can't control what has happened. I've just got to move forward from it and go out there and keep playing football like I know how to play and show the coaches what I'm about."
Actually, Peterson was indeed cut on the first day of camp but he was re-signed a day later when defensive end Carlos Hall failed to report.
Then, he had a solid camp that convinced the Broncos to give him a second chance.
"If the coaches really didn't like me, I probably wouldn't have stuck around. They wouldn't have kept me, so obviously they like something out there," Peterson said. "So, maybe I can go out there and contribute when I get a shot."
During his suspension, Peterson stayed in shape by working out at Velocity Sports Performance Center, a 20,0000-square-foot facility with an artificial-turf field not far from the Broncos' complex.
"I worked out with a couple of guys who are waiting to get their phone call" to the pros, Peterson said. "I stuck around football guys and stayed around football-minded people, so I didn't lose my edge or my abilities. I did running, lifting, everything."
And he cringed while watching the Broncos split their first four games and surrender a whopping average of 181 yards rushing.
"I wouldn't say I could be the answer," Peterson said, "but I would like to contribute."
Peterson was excited this spring when Jim Bates was hired as Denver's defensive coordinator. Peterson had worked under Bates in Green Bay.
"I knew the scheme, I knew the defense," Person said. "That's like you finding an old pair of jeans that you've been looking for. You know they're going to fit."
Peterson's style meshes with Bates' scheme.
"He played end to end tackle. He did a good job in Green Bay and we're anxious to see what kind of shape he's in and if he fits and what we can do with him," Bates said. "He is a very versatile bigger guy, lets him play a lot of roles, which is important."
Told it was his versatility Bates admired, Peterson smiled.
"And that's where I fit, wherever he puts me," Peterson said. "Wherever it itches, I'll scratch it."
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nfl&id=3048313
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Kenny Peterson's goal is twofold: he wants both his job and his good name back.
The fifth-year defensive lineman in his second season with the Denver Broncos was suspended for the first month of the season after violating the league's policy on steroids and related substances. Peterson said he took a metabolism pill that he didn't realize contained a banned ingredient.
He returned to the practice for the first time Wednesday and the Broncos have until Monday to decide whether or not to keep him.
Peterson is thankful the Broncos didn't cut him outright in the first place and he's eager to prove he can still help their defense, which has had trouble stopping the run.
What really bugs him is that he got busted for using a banned dietary supplement.
"Definitely, I'm 28 years old and never drank, never smoke, never done anything," Peterson said. "And you know, to get hit with a four-game suspension for something that unknowingly was taken, it hurts more than anything because I try to lead by example by not doing anything illegal or tampering with my body. But it wasn't done maliciously.
"It was a metabolism booster type thing and I thought it was OK but it wasn't. I couldn't even tell you the name of (the banned ingredient). It's some big, long name. It was some weird thing."
And he said he was as surprised as anybody when he learned he had tested positive and would be facing a four-game suspension that would cost him $140,000, if not his job altogether.
"Was I surprised. I was shocked and I was scared," Peterson said.
With an abundance of linemen at training camp, Peterson, who joined the Broncos after his release from Green Bay last season, worried if he had blown his chance of making the team again.
"Naturally, whenever you have a scarlet letter on you, it's always in the back of your mind," he said. "But I didn't let it affect me on the field. I can't control what has happened. I've just got to move forward from it and go out there and keep playing football like I know how to play and show the coaches what I'm about."
Actually, Peterson was indeed cut on the first day of camp but he was re-signed a day later when defensive end Carlos Hall failed to report.
Then, he had a solid camp that convinced the Broncos to give him a second chance.
"If the coaches really didn't like me, I probably wouldn't have stuck around. They wouldn't have kept me, so obviously they like something out there," Peterson said. "So, maybe I can go out there and contribute when I get a shot."
During his suspension, Peterson stayed in shape by working out at Velocity Sports Performance Center, a 20,0000-square-foot facility with an artificial-turf field not far from the Broncos' complex.
"I worked out with a couple of guys who are waiting to get their phone call" to the pros, Peterson said. "I stuck around football guys and stayed around football-minded people, so I didn't lose my edge or my abilities. I did running, lifting, everything."
And he cringed while watching the Broncos split their first four games and surrender a whopping average of 181 yards rushing.
"I wouldn't say I could be the answer," Peterson said, "but I would like to contribute."
Peterson was excited this spring when Jim Bates was hired as Denver's defensive coordinator. Peterson had worked under Bates in Green Bay.
"I knew the scheme, I knew the defense," Person said. "That's like you finding an old pair of jeans that you've been looking for. You know they're going to fit."
Peterson's style meshes with Bates' scheme.
"He played end to end tackle. He did a good job in Green Bay and we're anxious to see what kind of shape he's in and if he fits and what we can do with him," Bates said. "He is a very versatile bigger guy, lets him play a lot of roles, which is important."
Told it was his versatility Bates admired, Peterson smiled.
"And that's where I fit, wherever he puts me," Peterson said. "Wherever it itches, I'll scratch it."