Domata Peko News

For a team that went 4-11-1 last season, the Bengals had all the cameras of a playoff team when they opened their minicamp Thursday morning across the street from Paul Brown Stadium.

The third Friday in June on the practice fields at Paul Brown Stadium felt more like the first weekend in August at Georgetown.

When the Bengals' three-day, mandatory minicamp ended at Paul Brown Stadium on Saturday, June 20, defensive tackle Domata Peko made a promise.

But it is his strength with the intangibles that has him doing things at center not seen in these parts since, dare we say it, Richie Braham.

The Bengals' Domata Peko plays in a division known more for its nose tackles than its nose for the end zone, but he is quietly building a resume to pit against the Casey Hamptons, Haloti Ngatas and Shaun Rogers of the world.

Chris Henry has gone from a marked man to Carson Palmer's X Man. The guy once on the poster of NFL Players Gone Wild has become a picture of serenity this spring.

Domata Peko was born and raised in American Samoa, a sun-soaked island in the rugby-crazed South Pacific.As the son of a preacher, Peko - a devout Christian - always envisioned joining the ministry... by Jason Singer 34 reads Preview/Prediction Domata Peko was born and raised in American Samoa, a sun-soaked island in the rugby-crazed South Pacific.

Bob Bratkowski was once The Next Big Thing.Mike Zimmer is currently The Next Big Thing.But the Cincinnati Bengals' offensive and defensive coordinators have much more in common than that.Both are the sons of coaches... by Jason Singer 25 reads Opinion Bob Bratkowski was once The Next Big Thing.

If you were at all like me during those golden moments just before the Bengals pulled the trigger on the 38th pick of the 2009 NFL draft, the "Pick Maualuga! Pick Maualuga!" shout shook loud ... by Robb Hoff 36 reads If you were at all like me during those golden moments just before the Bengals pulled the trigger on the 38th pick of the 2009 NFL ...

For a player known for his swagger, Rey Maualuga was humble and even a little nervous as he walked off the field at Paul Brown Stadium for the first time.

We can all breathe easy now. Shayne Graham has signed his franchise tender and will not hold out from the Bengals off-season activities.

Rey Maualuga takes pride in his ability to snap-crackle-and-pop with passion on the field and then turns the switch off the field with a click of soft-spoken words.

After getting beat up on both sides of the ball to the tune of 1-5 in the AFC North last year, the Bengals threw a couple of haymakers on both sides of the ball Saturday in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft to get back into the division clinches with the selections of left tackle Andre Smith 's power and middle linebacker Rey Maualuga 's pop.

"I looked at the defense that they have here. It's a good group of young guys," Johnson said.

New Bengals defensive tackle Tank Johnson said he knows his past will come up -- he was suspended for eight games to start the 2007 season after serving a 60-day sentence in jail for a probation violation stemming from a gun charge -- but he has moved on.

Tank Johnson has been in the same position as some of the other Bengals on the defensive line - young and talented but yet to realize their full potential.

To get better on defense, the Bengals knew they needed someone on the line who could pressure the quarterback.

The Bengals' sojourn for a center could lead them right back to their own roster, where five reside, where two are heading into their third year in the system, and where they may decide they don't have to dip into the higher end of the draft.

The Cincinnati Bengals have spent their most recent drafts trying to upgrade a defense that badly needed it.

The Cincinnati Bengals and Tank Johnson have reached a deal , writes Bengals.com. This gives Cincinnati five defensive tackles; with Johnson, we have Domata Peko, Jason Shirley, Pat Sims and Orien Harris.