[p.” despite the fact that Sam Hubbard has been a Paycor Stadium fixture for six seasons.
That’s because No. 94 belonged to “The Big Uso,” the popular nose tackle who anchor three AFC titles during 11 solid seasons in the middle as “The Cincinnati Kid” was growing up. In Samoan, “uso” means “brother,” and Peko was the older brother of four of the top seven defenses.
“I really like (Hubbard).” He’s more than simply an edge. He is an excellent runner. Peko described him as “holding up the 94.” “He was telling me how he had grown up watching me and how nice it was to have a legend in the house.” He was quite respectful to me.”
Peko also had the opportunity to meet for the first time during Saturday’s walkthrough a pair of teammates he encouraged while playing with the Bengals who are now backups on his old defensive line, Josh Tupou and Jay Tufele.
“I told them how really great it was to see a couple of Polynesians holding it down,” Peko went on to say. “We talked a little football, and I told them how proud I was.”
Whether at training camp or at community gatherings, the Peko family always seemed to be together. On Sunday, however, wife Anna was back in Hollywood, Calif., operating their restaurant, while Domata Jr., a 6-5 wide receiver/tight end, was back at UCLA. Joseph, a sophomore in high school, traveled with his father.
“When you see him, you’ll think he’s my freaking twin,” stated Peko. “He’s a two-gapper, 6-3, 295 pounds.” We’ll be returning here as a family next year. It’s wonderful to be back. A lot of wonderful recollections.
The sight of the Steelers on the other sideline only added to the memories. It transported him back to a Monday night game at Paycor in 2010, when Peko took a snap and paved the way for a Cedric Benson fourth-quarter score that trimmed Pittsburgh’s lead to 27-21.
“My favorite memory is when I got the chance to run over Troy Polamalu, my friend.” “They put me at full back, which we needed,” Peko explained. “I thought I’d be on a linebacker, but I wound up on my good friend Troy and one of the best safeties ever.” There was some Samoan-on-Samoan criminality going on.”
Peko recalls how the games would almost always start with brawls before they ever started. He assumed the 2015 squad would win the Super Bowl, but that hope was dashed when backup quarterback AJ McCarron’s stunning fourth-quarter comeback against the Steelers in the Wild Card round vanished at the gun.
“He’s still around. “He was another guy I got to see, and it was awesome,” Peko, Ruler of the Jungle, said on a day when another backup quarterback hits the field against the Steelers. “I’m all in with Jake (Browning).” The team appears to have his back. What a disaster for them and for the city.”
MORE JAKE: Browning thinks he’s learned a lot by watching Joe Burrow, which could mean a little more than demeanor on Sunday. Don’t expect him to keep the ball either.
T.J. Watt, the Steelers’ three-time All-Pro game wrecker, is precisely where you’d expect him to be, tied for third in the NFL with 11.5 sacks. And he’s made things difficult for Burrow and any other Bengals quarterback since 2017 by strip-sacking one-third of his nine career sacks versus them. Browning understands where he’s going after six tipped throws and two interceptions.
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