How do you like the Pats' chance @ Mile High (poll)

MainePatsFan26 said:

We might not rely on time of possession, but given the Steelers today in the 4th quarter AND our own meltdown in the 4th quarter/overtime of the Broncos game earlier this season, maybe we should concentrate some on clock management. I am not saying become super conservative, but it is worth trying to pound the ball every so often with Jackson to give our defense some rest. Sure, run or pass the time during the possession won't change, but just make sure we don't run out of bounds and extend the game - milk 40 seconds each possession and get the game done faster before we run out of gas. If we don't give our run blockers/pass rushers some time to cool off, it is likely Denver will score 10-14 points in the 4th. If we aren't blowing them out by then, fatigue could easily cost us the game.

Beyond milking clock, I would urge lots of defensive players to suddenly go gimp for the Pats between plays and try to slow the game down. Waste time and give our guys adjusting to altitude a bit more time to recoup between plays. Call timeouts in the first half when we don't need them as badly towards when Manning is about to hike. That means, if the clock is running, we get the run down time to milk clock and the extra time once the timeout is called to rest our guys.

This all might sound paranoid, but it seems the lesson from the Patriots and Steelers loses is to watch out for Denver to eek back in because of conditioning issues more than the stellar play of the Broncos.

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As someone who's been pounding the table to get the run game going for about 2 months now, I agree with some of your points. We cannot continue to have games like the one last week where the opposition hold the ball for 38 minutes. It limits the amount of drives that we get, while obviously giving more chances to the opposing team. I'm not sure that I've ever seen a game where another team attempted TWENTY third down conversions, let alone saw a 60 percent success rate while doing so--and yet still lost the game.

As far as overall conditioning goes, I think we're one of the best conditioned teams in the league, so while the thin air will always pose an issue, I don't think it's quite at the level of most other teams.

Either way, I think this is something that Belichick will be very familiar with, and he may choose to leave a day earlier than usual, should he see fit.

Foxypats said:

So , no one living outside the Rocky Mountain States can buy tickets on Ticketmaster ! Are the Broncos that scared that they want no Patriot fans at the game ? I hate it when teams do that !

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Still have a hard time seeing as how that's totally legal, when it's coming from the biggest public ticket outlet available in Ticketmaster.

I've obviously heard of stuff like this, but I was not aware that it actually involved Ticketmaster. That surprises me a bit. I always assumed that the tickets were limited through other measures, such as limited sales to home fans via their own team outlet(s), etc. How the hell can a major provider tell you that you can't purchase tickets if you're not from an address in 2-3-4 of the "mountain states?" What if you're a Broncos fan who happens to live in another area and wishes to travel?

Cautiously optimistic. Gronk and edelman look healthy enough to be effective and for the most part i liked what i saw in the chiefs game. Still nervous, I always hate going to denver. Unless tebow is the QB. Should be a tough hard fought game, can't wait.

supafly said:

Still have a hard time seeing as how that's totally legal, when it's coming from the biggest public ticket outlet available in Ticketmaster.

I've obviously heard of stuff like this, but I was not aware that it actually involved Ticketmaster. That surprises me a bit. I always assumed that the tickets were limited through other measures, such as limited sales to home fans via their own team outlet(s), etc. How the hell can a major provider tell you that you can't purchase tickets if you're not from an address in 2-3-4 of the "mountain states?" What if you're a Broncos fan who happens to live in another area and wishes to travel?

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Use a Virtual Private Network and set it to somewhere in the Rockies. Some VPN's are free, others are $5-10 a month and can be used with torrents and stuff like that.

Pregame talk is all about the refs. What the hell is going on here?

MainePatsFan26 said:

Use a Virtual Private Network and set it to somewhere in the Rockies. Some VPN's are free, others are $5-10 a month and can be used with torrents and stuff like that.

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Thanks, I am not in need of tix, though. I was just commenting on how it's a bit bizarre that a major ticket outlet can choose to deny potential customers a product that they have every right to buy.

Again, if this was the through the team then I'd understand. That's what I assumed all of these yrs when I've heard of examples. I didn't know that freaking Ticketmaster can choose to deny you.

FreeCourtroomBrady said:

Pregame talk is all about the refs. What the hell is going on here?

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I'm obviously not expecting the borderline calls, but I never do, to be perfectly honest. I think we're all used to dealing with that.

Some seem to be taking it too far, but it's probably due to an extra helping of hometown cooking that we saw back there in Nov. when some of the worst calls all year took place.

Hopefully, it won't be a factor.

What's Osweiler's health like at the moment?

My biggest concern would be Manning being benched for Osweiler.

Also a little concerned about dirty play by Broncos and the refs!

Shed83 said:

What's Osweiler's health like at the moment?

My biggest concern would be Manning being benched for Osweiler.

Also a little concerned about dirty play by Broncos and the refs!

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I wouldn't mind Manning getting benched for Osweiler considering that probably means we are kicking their ass.

60-80%. Not so much because of the team matchup but because of the , ahem, "external factors".

From what I saw this weekend the Pats are the best of the four teams --- so long as they play like they did against the Chiefs.

Todd Bradley said:

I saw Manning fall to avoid a sack, go untouched, get up and throw a pass.

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Bill coaches that up this week, I think.

If htat game yesterday was in Pittsburgh, we'd be playing the Steelers, no question. Denver has the strongest home-field advantage in football.

4th quarter fumble/meltdown? No kidding. it's the air. It's concentration. Every year, no matter who is coaching them or playing for them, Denver always gets "lucky" wins. Except, they're not lucky in Denver. it's opposing teams playing lightheaded and winded.

My biggest worry is that bend-don't-break keeps the D on the field too long.

I hope the Pats are flying in early this week. And yeah, they are the better team. After watching the four games this weekened, I think they're clearly the best team in football.

If we go in as healthy as we were vs Chiefs with no set backs, I like our odds vs all comers.

Confident. This time around we have no excuse to lose. I think the Pats are the better team by a significant margin, HFA be damned. This is our game to lose. And this is coming from someone who was feeling iffy going into the KC game.

Time to get the monkey off our back and win big in Mile High.

If the OL continues to play decent, they Pats have a great shot at winning this game. They'll want a 7+ point lead going into the 4th quarter though. It may actually be worth not deferring to get out to an early lead in that thin atmosphere.

RIpats88 said:

and the nfl wants the superbowl to be another embarrassment for manning like 2 years ago? because I guarantee either arizona or carolina would destroy denver.

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ABBB


(Aanybody But Bbrady & Belicick)

All we really need is our O-line to show up against their pass rush, and we're good. Brady will shread that donkey *** defense to pieces, and our defense will take care of HGH.

The other thing that concerns me is our defense's stamina in that thin air. Every opponent's D looks gassed and lightheaded by the end of the third quarter, which is magically when Denver usually takes over the lead (Re: our match-up from earlier this season, last night's Steeler's 5hitting the bed late in the 4th, etc.).

The only way to account for that thin air, is to pound points on these a55holes early on and open up a big lead, because say what you want, physics WILL take over our defense in the second half. You can bank on it. We need a big lead early on to wash off the late donkey comeback.

A couple of things...

First, right now the weather is predicted to be rather mild. We have to see if that holds.

Next, as long as our D stays healthy and holds, any perceived advantage in the Broncos' running game should be negated.

Do not be surprised if Gary Kubiak tries to pull a fast one and starts Osweiler. If at any point, any point, in the game Manning is in, that's a pretty definite sign Denver is getting desperate.

The Pats have to make minor changes in their pass routes to help lessen the likelihood of OPIs being called.

Unless Steven Jackson has an amazing resurrection this week, I don't see the Pats' running game being much of a factor. It's not so much a case of revving up the passing game to open up the running game,, but a case of of establishing the passing game to open the passing game. In other words, expect a replay of Saturday's game plan!

All other things being equal, I really like the Pats' chances Sunday. I mean, Denver is a good ball club, but so is KC, and I always felt if it was Denver KC was playing, they would have won that.

And lastly, I want the Patriots to win Sunday so Goodell can spend the next 2 weeks sweating bullets!!!

Enjoy this week, guys and gals. I'm sure going to!

(In this vein, let me relate the following to you:

Yesterday my wife and I went out to mall out here, and I resolved to wear very obvious Patriots' regala. I wasn't sure how that would work out, what with potential dirty looks or worse, but as it turned out, it seemed people were making a conscious effort not to look at me. I even met a couple of Pats' fans in Brady shirts there!

And to top it off, we went out to eat afterwards, in a steakhouse full of big screen TVs showing Pitt/Denver, and our lovely waitress was wearing a Pittsburgh jersey! Several tables away there was a rather loud, boisterous Pittsburgh party whooping it up. No, really - they were pretty loud!

So, of course, all this week I'm doing the same, and really looking forward to it!)

dannydyn said:

The other thing that concerns me is our defense's stamina in that thin air. Every opponent's D looks gassed and lightheaded by the end of the third quarter, which is magically when Denver usually takes over the lead (Re: our match-up from earlier this season, last night's Steeler's 5hitting the bed late in the 4th, etc.).

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I feel Chandler's status could have a huge impact on this game. A liberal rotation along the DL should keep them fresh for Q4.