Casey Wiegmann: Giving Credit Where It's Due

Casey Wiegmann is not a household name. The only fans who are likely to remember him off the top of their head are those in Kansas City and Denver. I believe that all offensive lineman are underrated and should be recognized for the integral role they play in helping their team win games.

Wiegmann is a 35-year old center who has 13 seasons of experience under his belt. He has spent time with Indianapolis, NYJ, Chicago, and Kansas City before signing with Denver this past offseason.

He was brought in as a backup to mainstay Tom Nalen, but it soon became apparent that Nalen's season, and possibly his career, were going to be over before the season even started.

That was no problem for Wiegmann, however. He comes into Week 12 riding the NFL's longest streak of consecutive starts and most consecutive snaps played. This man is incredibly durable. He has not missed a game since 2001 (knock on the proverbial wood) and has 7,062 snaps since then. 

He has served as the anchor (as a center often does) for the stellar Broncos offensive line. He has helped quarterback Jay Cutler stay "clean" all game, who has only been sacked seven times all season, compared to 27 last season. 

Cutler, with the wall-like blocking of Wiegmann and the rest of the offensive line, is currently third in the league in passing yards and touchdown passes.

Wiegmann has done a tremendous job coming in as a backup and meshing immediately with the young tackles, Ryan Clady and Ryan Harris. He and fellow veteran right guard Ben Hamilton have brought experience to the rest of the younger lineman.

Casey Wiegmann has played an important role as the leader of a world-class offensive line and has contributed to Denver's passing success this season. For that, I believe that he should be recognized.