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Published on 06/05/2008 at Thu Jun 05 14:12.
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Ebenezer Ekuban – Denver Broncos Player Bio

Posted Thu Jun 5th by

Ebenezer Ekuban

[Ebenezer Ekuban]
Name: Ebenezer Ekuban
Height, Weight: 6’4″, 275
Position: Defensive End
Age, Experience: 10, 32
College: North Carolina

Ebenezer Ekuban joined the Denver Broncos via a trade with Cleveland in 2005, and, when healthy, has been an extremely effective player for the club. In 2005 and 2006, Ekuban only missed one game, tallying 119 tackles and 11 sacks. During a 2007 preseason game, Ekuban tore the Achilles tendon in his right heel, forcing him onto Injured Reserve and ending his season.

The Good: 2006 was Ekuban’s best career year, and the best performance by anyone on the D-line that year. In hindsight, it isn’t surprising the defense struggled so much last season. The Broncos’ strongest defenders against the run were all lost before or during 2007 due to injury – Ekuban’s heel, Al Wilson‘s neck, and John Lynch‘s neck. With Ekuban’s return, expect the defense to get a boost up front.

The Bad: With Ekuban’s age (32) and his severe foot injury, he has an uphill battle this season. He’s admitted that he’s frustrated with the healing process thus far – and if prior Achilles tears are any indication, he might not be 100% this season. While 2006 was his best year, Ekuban needs to show that it wasn’t a one-hit wonder of a season.

Status: Coming off foot surgery. Signed through 2008. Ekuban signed a one year, $1.2 million contract in March to stay with the Broncos. If his injury is healed, he’ll have a good chance to secure a starting spot. Ebenezer Ekuban was born in Accra, Ghana in Africa on May 29, 1976.

As always, we invite you, the readers, to partake. Are Ekuban’s best days behind him or does he still have fight left in him?

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  • http://broncotalk.net Kyle

    It’s a defensive end trifecta, as tomorrow the alphabet hits Mr. Engelberger. That one should be interesting, as Engelberger has always been a “fan favorite.”

    hahaha

  • orangecrush74

    Stick with the youth movement and send E packing!

  • http://broncotalk.net Jon

    i like him alot

  • flbronc

    this is the first one i have waivered on so far…. so i am one of the no votes… he has experience, aka he’s old, that is all he has on our other d ends. he’s not any better imo, just played longer. i get worried when guys his age get foot injuries- they are long to heal all the way in most cases.

  • http://broncotalk.net Jon

    poor guy has tons of disaproval

  • azbronco7

    we were a 7-9 team last year. you gotta disaprove of some guys to get better. Voting ok for everyone is like saying 7-9 is good.

    I voted approve on ekuban though. he’s hugely underrated and if hes healthy he will boost our defense.

  • http://broncotalk.net Jon

    from Rocky Mountain News, Jeff Legwold:

    ENGLEWOOD — The story is now deeply ingrained in Broncos lore.

    It’s about a game played on the other side of the international dateline and an unheralded running back crashing into the San Francisco 49ers’ Tyronne Drakeford while covering a kickoff return.

    Told almost annually in some fashion by those with the team, the story is of how that hit helped launch Terrell Davis on his Ring of Fame career.

    “That’s how you get noticed,” Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. “That’s how you can go from special teams into the lineup.”

    That’s how you can do it with one explosive play. But there are also those hoping to make the transition from part-time player to full-time starter with a long list of special-teams plays.

    Take Broncos linebacker Niko Koutouvides. Koutouvides made 60 special-teams tackles in his four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks — that total puts him seventh in the league during those years — but when he hit the free-agent market earlier this year, he had his eyes on a bigger prize.

    “Nobody comes into this league just to play on special teams, unless they’re a kicker or a returner,” Koutouvides said. “So when we spoke to teams, we told them, ‘I want to be a linebacker first, no matter what.’ Obviously, teams are always going to say, ‘We’ll give him a chance, we’ll give him a chance.’ But, realistically, I wanted to be where I thought I would have a chance to play on defense, battle for a spot.

    “That’s what I’ve waited to do.”

    On special teams, coaches can measure effort, they can see what scouts call “striking ability” in a player’s tackling, and they can see speed in the open field. For most players in the league, it is their first foot in the NFL door to make a roster and it also can earn them more playing time.

    In the end, Koutouvides did get noticed. It was by the Broncos, who snatched him up in free agency with the intention he compete for the middle-linebacker job. Koutouvides and Nate Webster are the leading candidates, as the Broncos progress through their team mini camp this week and next.

    “It can be tough to convince people you can do more,” said safety John Lynch, who was a special-teams regular for much of his early career in Tampa. “When you’re a young player, you do worry people might just think of you that way all the time. I definitely didn’t want that.

    “But the thing of it is, it’s so important to the team — you might not want to be there, but you have to be good at it if you’re going to stick with the team or play your way into the starting lineup. Don’t play it well, and you won’t get the chance at anything more because you won’t be around.”

    Koutouvides led the Seahawks with a hard-to-miss 20 special-teams tackles last year as the special-teams captain — by comparison, Jamie Winborn led the Broncos in special-teams tackles with 11 and was quickly signed to a two-year deal in the offseason. Koutouvides also had tied for the special-teams tackle lead in ’06 with 16 and led the team in ’04 as well.

    It’s just that, after his rookie season (2004), when Koutouvides started two games and got regular rotations on defense, the Seahawks drafted Lofa Tatupu, who has been selected to the NFC’s Pro Bowl team in all three of his seasons.

    “I admit, my rookie year, I didn’t play all the way up to my abilities — too much thinking, not enough reacting and just playing — but when they brought in Lofa, that pushed me to a backup spot,” Koutouvides said.

    “I want to do more, and I think I can do more. But I know if you ask any guy who has played special teams for a couple years, that’s what they’d tell you, too.”

    ETC.: Center Tom Nalen was held out of Thursday’s practice — he was wearing a wrap on his left knee — and Casey Wiegmann was at center with the starting offense . . . Tight end Tony Scheffler, who has had a foot injury and is not expected to participate in this team camp, said Thursday he expected to be 100 percent by the time the players report for training camp on July 24 . . . The team practiced on an indoor field at the South Suburban sports complex Thursday because of the rainy weather . . . Nate Webster worked as the middle linebacker with the first-team defense Thursday. He and Koutouvides will likely divide snaps in some fashion until a decision on a starter is made

  • Aerobroncos

    being the old man of the D-line that he is and considering how well he has played when healthy i see nothing wrong with keeping him around to help us out this season. its not like we are paying him a ton of money or some huge contract extension. if nothing else he will help the younger guys on our line get better.

  • http://birty.blogspot.com mikebirty

    i think we all know he’s simply keeping this spot warm for Jarvis Moss. Now either Moss steps up this year or next. But *until then* I don’t think there’s anyone else on the roster that I’d rather have in that spot.