2011 HIGHLIGHTS: GENERAL: Started at NT in all 16 games and Wild Card playoff, one of seven Bengals to start every game ... His 91 regular season tackles ranked fourth on team, and he had 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pass defensed ... Had four tackles-for-loss and three QB pressures ... Saw brief time as a lead-blocker with the offense in short yardage situations, due to injury to FB Chris Pressley ... Supported effort for Bengals defense to finish season ranked seventh in NFL in fewest yards allowed per game (316.3), 10th in fewest rushing yards allowed (104.7), fourth in fewest yards allowed per offensive play (5.0), eighth in fewest yards per rushing play (3.9) and fifth in total sacks (45).
2011 GAME-BY-GAME: Four tackles Sept. 11 at Cleveland and helped hold Browns to 83 rushing yards on 26 attempts (3.2) … On Sept. 18 at Denver, had seven tackles and recovered a Kyle Orton fumble at Broncos 14, setting up a field goal … Had four tackles Sept. 25 vs. San Francisco, along with a forced fumble against FB Bruce Miller (recovered by San Francisco) … Led line with eight tackles Oct. 2 vs. Buffalo, including one for a loss … Tied for line lead in tackles (seven) Oct. 9 at Jacksonville … Three tackles Oct. 16 vs. Indianapolis … Seven tackles (led line) Oct. 30 at Seattle… Tied for line lead with four tackles Nov. 9 at Tennessee ... Five tackles Nov. 13 vs. Pittsburgh, including a shared sack, and also had a QB pressure … Five tackles Nov. 20 at Baltimore … Four tackles Nov. 27 vs. Cleveland ... Led line with eight tackles Dec. 4 at Pittsburgh, and had his first solo sack of season, dropping Ben Roethlisberger for five-yard loss … Led line with seven tackles Dec. 11 vs. Houston, and had one pass defensed … On Dec. 18 at St. Louis, played normal defensive snaps and also played offense, filling in during short yardage situations as a lead blocker for injured FB Chris Pressley ... In FB role at St. Louis, helped clear way for a four-yard Cedric Benson TD in fourth quarter ... Led line and tied for team lead Dec. 24 vs. Arizona with six tackles, including an 11-yard sack and an additional QB pressure ... Led line and second on team with a personal season-best nine tackles Jan. 1 vs. Baltimore, including one TFL ... Had line-leading eight tackles (second on team) in Wild Card playoff 1-7-12 at Houston.
In his sixth Bengals and NFL season, Peko filled starting NT role ... Led D-line in tackles (91) for second straight year and for third time in last four years ... Came back strongly in 2010 after weathering injury problems in ’09.
2011 HIGHLIGHTS: GENERAL: Started at NT in all 16 games and Wild Card playoff, one of seven Bengals to start every game ... His 91 regular season tackles ranked fourth on team, and he had 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pass defensed ... Had four tackles-for-loss and three QB pressures ... Saw brief time as a lead-blocker with the offense in short yardage situations, due to injury to FB Chris Pressley ... Supported effort for Bengals defense to finish season ranked seventh in NFL in fewest yards allowed per game (316.3), 10th in fewest rushing yards allowed (104.7), fourth in fewest yards allowed per offensive play (5.0), eighth in fewest yards per rushing play (3.9) and fifth in total sacks (45).
2011 GAME-BY-GAME: Four tackles Sept. 11 at Cleveland and helped hold Browns to 83 rushing yards on 26 attempts (3.2) … On Sept. 18 at Denver, had seven tackles and recovered a Kyle Orton fumble at Broncos 14, setting up a field goal … Had four tackles Sept. 25 vs. San Francisco, along with a forced fumble against FB Bruce Miller (recovered by San Francisco) … Led line with eight tackles Oct. 2 vs. Buffalo, including one for a loss … Tied for line lead in tackles (seven) Oct. 9 at Jacksonville … Three tackles Oct. 16 vs. Indianapolis … Seven tackles (led line) Oct. 30 at Seattle… Tied for line lead with four tackles Nov. 9 at Tennessee ... Five tackles Nov. 13 vs. Pittsburgh, including a shared sack, and also had a QB pressure … Five tackles Nov. 20 at Baltimore … Four tackles Nov. 27 vs. Cleveland ... Led line with eight tackles Dec. 4 at Pittsburgh, and had his first solo sack of season, dropping Ben Roethlisberger for five-yard loss … Led line with seven tackles Dec. 11 vs. Houston, and had one pass defensed … On Dec. 18 at St. Louis, played normal defensive snaps and also played offense, filling in during short yardage situations as a lead blocker for injured FB Chris Pressley ... In FB role at St. Louis, helped clear way for a four-yard Cedric Benson TD in fourth quarter ... Led line and tied for team lead Dec. 24 vs. Arizona with six tackles, including an 11-yard sack and an additional QB pressure ... Led line and second on team with a personal season-best nine tackles Jan. 1 vs. Baltimore, including one TFL ... Had line-leading eight tackles (second on team) in Wild Card playoff 1-7-12 at Houston.
PREVIOUS SEASONS: 2010 - Six tackles Sept. 12 at New England … Three tackles Sept. 19 vs. Baltimore … One tackle Sept. 26 at Carolina, and helped hold Panthers rushing duo of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart to 77 net yards … Seven tackles and QB pressure Oct. 3 at Cleveland … Seven tackles Oct. 24 at Atlanta, tied for line lead and third on team … Led line with five tackles Oct. 31 vs. Miami … Four tackles Oct. 8 vs. Pittsburgh, including one for loss, and was lead blocker on one-yard TD run by Cedric Benson … Four tackles Nov. 14 at Indianapolis … Combined with Pat Sims to sack Ryan Fitzpatrick for eight-yard loss Nov. 21 vs. Buffalo … Personal season-high nine tackles (led line) Nov. 25 at N.Y. Jets, and had pass defensed … Led line with five tackles (two for losses) Dec. 5 vs. New Orleans … Seven tackles (two for loss) Dec. 12 at Pittsburgh … Four tackles (tied for line lead) and a pass defensed Dec. 19 vs. Cleveland … Two tackles and a QB pressure Dec. 26 vs. San Diego … Three tackles Jan. 2 at Baltimore.
2009 - Posted season-high six tackles in two games, Sept. 27 vs. Pittsburgh and Oct. 4 at Cleveland … On Oct. 25 vs. Chicago, took on brief action as a blocking FB in goal-line situations and provided key block on Cedric Benson one-yard TD run in fourth quarter … Had four tackles Nov. 15 at Pittsburgh as defense limited Steelers to 226 net yards, 156 yards below their average entering the game (382.0) … On Nov. 22 at Oakland, tied for line lead with four tackles, despite leaving game in second half with a knee strain.
2008 - Led line in tackles in Games 1-3, with eight tackles in each contest ... Recorded five tackles and two QB hurries Sept. 28 vs. Cleveland ... Had five tackles and shared sack Oct. 5 at Dallas ... Led line Oct. 12 at N.Y. Jets with a personal season-high 10 tackles, and his season-best seven solos included stop of RB Leon Washington for a four-yard loss ... Led line with seven tackles Oct. 26 at Houston ... On Nov. 2 vs. Jacksonville, tied for line lead with six tackles, including one for a loss ... On Nov. 20 at Pittsburgh, led line with nine tackles (tied for second on team), including one tackle-for-loss ... Led line Dec. 7 at Indianapolis with nine tackles, including one for minus yardage ... Led line with nine tackles in shutout win Dec. 21 at Cleveland ... Tied for line lead with six tackles Dec. 28 vs. Kansas City, and had two passes defensed.
2007 - Had five tackles Oct. 14 at Kansas City, and he forced Chiefs to settle for a FG on their opening drive when he batted down a third-down pass by Damon Huard from Cincinnati 14 ... On Oct. 21 vs. N.Y. Jets, his fumble recovery of an aborted shotgun snap gave Bengals possession at midfield in fourth quarter, setting up TD drive that extended Cincinnati's lead to 31-23 ... Posted four tackles Oct. 28 vs. Pittsburgh, including a sack when he ran Ben Roethlisberger out of bounds for no gain in third quarter ... Had a season-high eight tackles Dec. 15 at San Francisco, including shared sack when he teamed with Dexter Jackson for seven-yard drop of Shaun Hill in third quarter.
2006 - Had two tackles in NFL debut Sept. 10 at Kansas City ... Posted five tackles Sept. 24 at Pittsburgh ... On Oct. 29 vs. Atlanta, had a season-high seven tackles that included a piece of his first NFL sack, on which he combined with Justin Smith for an eight-yard drop of Michael Vick in fourth quarter ... Had six tackles Nov. 5 at Baltimore ... Had two tackles Nov. 30 vs. Baltimore, and in fourth quarter, had a key penetration that forced an offensive holding call to help turn back a Ravens scoring threat ... Had his biggest impact game Dec. 24 at Denver, as his six tackles included two sacks, and he added a forced fumble that Bengals recovered at Broncos 30 in second quarter, setting up TD drive for a 17-14 halftime lead ... His sacks at Denver included nine-yard drop of Jay Cutler to Denver one-yard line on third down in the first quarter, setting up short punt that led to Bengals' first TD.
COLLEGE: Played at Michigan State in 2004 and '05, after spending 2002-03 at College of the Canyons (Santa Clarita, Calif.) ... Played as a reserve for MSU in '04, and broke out as a senior, starting every game at LDT ... Posted 53 tackles as a senior, with a sack, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and a blocked PAT ... Had one of the 2005 college season's most publicized plays, a 74-yard fumble return for a TD vs. Michigan that tied score in fourth quarter before Michigan pulled out 34-31 overtime win.
PERSONAL: Hometown is Pago Pago, American Samoa … Played both offensive and defensive line at Samoana High School … Married (wife Anna), with two sons, Domata Jr. and Joseph … Brother, Tupe, played OL at Michigan State and played in NFL with Indianapolis Colts … Lifelong friend of Bengals DE Jonathan Fanene, who is also from American Samoa … Sociology major at Michigan State … His name is pronounced “DOE-mah-tah PECK-o.”
