Marcus Peters: Making a Strong Statement for Defensive Player of the Year

Marcus Peters: Making a Strong Statement for Defensive Player of the Year

When the Kansas City Chiefs’ general manager John Dorsey drafted Marcus Peters, in May of 2015, it was definitely to mixed reactions. Many felt that because he was kicked off his college team, the Washington Huskies, he was a liability to head coach Andy Reid’s locker room. Apparently, those detractors didn’t know their head coach very well, as Andy Reid has made a career out of providing a “home for wayward boys” rehabilitating such troublesome players as Michael Vick and De’Sean Jackson in the past. As last season wore on, and Peters showed what kind of player he was by ultimately winning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, many of the naysayers stopped…well…naysaying.

When the 2016 season began, there was talk that Peters couldn’t possibly maintain the rate at which he picked off opposing quarterbacks last season. He would have to put the defensive secondary on his back with the departure of his teammate Sean Smith to the Oakland Raiders. Many questioned his ability to stand on his own as a clear “shutdown corner.”

First, let me say that I don’t believe Peters is a “shutdown corner” at all. He doesn’t have the skill set or the playing type to blanket a receiver. This is evidenced by the fact that when he’s matched up against some of the elite receivers in the NFL, they get their yards. One only has to look at games against the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this year to see that. Those teams have two of the best receivers currently playing on those rosters and both teams were able to get significant gains through the air. However, for the big yardage plays Peters does surrender from time to time, he makes up in game-changing, momentum-swinging, ball-hawking play-making. 

In fact, Peters has made such a name for himself that even though he isn’t a true “shutdown corner” in the mold of Darrelle Revis in his prime, NFL quarterbacks have completely turned away from even looking at his side of the field. For him to control the game in that manner, just because he might–okay, let’s be honest, he will–pick off a pass eventually, is saying something about how other teams look at him. In fact, he has already picked off five passes this season. Because the quarterbacks on other teams aren’t going anywhere near him, he has had to figure out other ways to become involved in the turnover game. He did just that today, recovering a fumble in the Chiefs’ end zone, taking away a sure score from the Jacksonville Jaguars.

This is simply a case of Peters being in the right place at the right time. Some may call it a lucky play, and perhaps there is some luck involved with it, but when he continues to find himself in position time after time to make plays, one has to look past the luck and begin to call that skill.

When looking at Peters, comparatively speaking, I think it’s fair to match him up to other cornerbacks from the past. Two hall-of-fame cornerbacks come to mind. Deion “He Has So Many Nicknames If You Need One, He’ll Lend One to You” Sanders, and the man Peters considers a personal hero, former Raiders great, Charles Woodson. Let’s see if you believe this stat.

Yes, that says that it took “Neon” Deion Sanders nearly twice the games to get as many picks as Peters and well over three times the amount of games for Woodson. Sanders is already enshrined in Canton, Ohio and Woodson is surely headed there in the next several years. 

Am I saying that Peters is a hall-of-famer less than two years into his career? Absolutely not. I am saying though that Peters is showing a nose for the ball that hasn’t been seen in a long time. You combine his penchant for picking off passers with his ability to get turnovers in other ways and I think he’s definitely in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year.