RYObroncosfan
On the Game Day Roster
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2006
- Messages
- 277
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Good to be back here, after last season I'm much happier seeing my Broncos take on the Pats with an actual quarterback playing the position. I had a feeling we could've been competitive last year, but deep down knew you guys were far and away the better team.
This year is something totally different, with the Peyton-Brady rivalry taking new form with Manning growing from a Colt to a Bronco (I didn't make that up, don't blame me for the corniness).
I've been to one game in Denver and caught all the others on TV, and living in MA, I've caught all the Pats games as well. I'll go ahead and break down the Broncos for you, and as always, feel free to ask me anything, agree, disagree or just dismiss me as a Broncos fan and move on.
Peyton
Obviously, QB is the most important position, and without question Peyton had the most hype (good/bad, can play/can't play) heading into the season.
I watched him progress during pre-season, and then each week has been something a little different during the season. The first quarter of that Falcons game was an aberration, no other way to describe it. There were important things to take away from it however, namely that he's not the QB he once was.
If you watched him recover the rest of that game, or have seen him since, you may not be willing to dismiss him as a washed up old-timer quite yet. The Steelers performance was very encouraging and analysts were quick to overreact and declare him the same MVP winning QB he once was, and then were just as quick to mark him done after Atlanta.
While the truth is somewhere in between, I'm telling you it is closer to what he once was. Similar to how Brady isn't the same QB he once was but is still dominant, I think Peyton will be back at that point the second half of the season.
He was very solid against the Texans but his numbers were hampered a bit by dropped passes, miscommunications, etc. The Raiders suck, but he was pretty close to perfect yesterday. A few really well-thrown balls, a lot of vintage Peyton throws and a dominating performance.
Overall
--The velocity is down, but I'm not overly concerned. He's still a top 10 QB in the NFL, if not borderline top 5.
The Running Game
McGahee has been surprisingly impressive this season. He's finding the holes and hitting them hard, breaking off big runs and picking up big first downs. Last game was probably his best, and as long as he's healthy he's a solid running back. Not elite, but he gets the job done.
Knowshon Moreno has been relegated to the bench. A few too many mistakes and he's pretty much considered a bust at this point in his career.
Lance Ball gets a little playing time, he's not much to worry about aside from the occasional 10 yard catch or five yard run.
Look for Hillman to get a few more carries this game. He was a popular late round fantasy pick, especially in keeper leagues because Denver drafted him to be the younger speedy back to counter McGahee. He was hurt the first few games, saw limited action against the Texans, but looked good last week. He showed the flashes of speed Denver drafted him for, and as he gets healthier, he'll likely become the official #2. Watch out for him on screens and especially in the open field.
The O-Line
Our starting center was hurt last week, but you'll be familiar with his replace, Dan Koppen. Koppen seemed a little rusty last week, but overall did a better than expected job. The rest of the o-line is probably slightly above average.
Tight Ends
Our tight ends aren't great, but so far Manning has been able to find them and utilize them almost as much as they were utilized all of last season combined. No scary names, but don't be surprised if Manning finds one of them in the end zone.
D-Line
We've been able to get more pressure than we have in the past few years, but the D-Line overall is still a bit of a weakness. Derek Wolfe, our high round draft pick, has looked promising, but overall we just haven't been getting consistent pressure and it starts with the line.
LB
We really need DJ Williams back from suspension, our LBs haven't been great. Von is still a monster, but I'm sure the Pats will focus enough attention his way to limit his productivity. He'll impact plays for sure, but the rest of our LBs won't.
Secondary
Tracy Porter is really hit and miss. He takes a lot of risk, and playing opposite Champ, he sees a lot of action. He's had a few NEAR picks, a pick six, and a few whiffs that have led to big plays for the offense.
Champ, regardless of how old it may seem he is, is still a top-tier CB. He's a particularly good tackler for a CB and is above-average in coverage. He's definitely lost a few steps though as he's gotten older.
Our safeties aren't anything special.
We're an old team, no doubt about it. Our window for a super bowl run is...this year or next year, then we start over. I predicted a 2-3 start for us going into the season, followed by an 8-3 or 9-2 finish. I'm still standing by that.
The beginning of our schedule is absolutely brutal. Already played the Texans and Falcons. Beat the Steelers. Got a break with the Raiders, but then we play you guys, the Chargers, the Saints, etc. Granted the Saints aren't nearly as intimidating as they are on paper, but our schedule eases up a whole lot after the bye week. I truly believe we're a good team, and it's almost entirely because of Peyton. He'll keep us in the game, even if he does throw an ill-advised INT.
What to expect
Having watched both teams a lot, I do like Denver's chances in this one. We'll probably be down at the half, but I see us fighting back and it finishing in the same classic fashion NFL fans have come to see from these two QBs the last 10 years. If you're gambling...we play really poorly in the first half (at least we have all season), and not in terms of overall offense, but in scoring offense. We've settled for far too many field goals in the first half, before capitalizing in the second half with TDs. I'm taking the Pats first half line no matter what the spread is, but I'm taking Denver to win.
Denver 34
New England 31
Here's too hoping for a good, injury-free game :eat2:
This year is something totally different, with the Peyton-Brady rivalry taking new form with Manning growing from a Colt to a Bronco (I didn't make that up, don't blame me for the corniness).
I've been to one game in Denver and caught all the others on TV, and living in MA, I've caught all the Pats games as well. I'll go ahead and break down the Broncos for you, and as always, feel free to ask me anything, agree, disagree or just dismiss me as a Broncos fan and move on.
Peyton
Obviously, QB is the most important position, and without question Peyton had the most hype (good/bad, can play/can't play) heading into the season.
I watched him progress during pre-season, and then each week has been something a little different during the season. The first quarter of that Falcons game was an aberration, no other way to describe it. There were important things to take away from it however, namely that he's not the QB he once was.
If you watched him recover the rest of that game, or have seen him since, you may not be willing to dismiss him as a washed up old-timer quite yet. The Steelers performance was very encouraging and analysts were quick to overreact and declare him the same MVP winning QB he once was, and then were just as quick to mark him done after Atlanta.
While the truth is somewhere in between, I'm telling you it is closer to what he once was. Similar to how Brady isn't the same QB he once was but is still dominant, I think Peyton will be back at that point the second half of the season.
He was very solid against the Texans but his numbers were hampered a bit by dropped passes, miscommunications, etc. The Raiders suck, but he was pretty close to perfect yesterday. A few really well-thrown balls, a lot of vintage Peyton throws and a dominating performance.
Overall
--The velocity is down, but I'm not overly concerned. He's still a top 10 QB in the NFL, if not borderline top 5.
The Running Game
McGahee has been surprisingly impressive this season. He's finding the holes and hitting them hard, breaking off big runs and picking up big first downs. Last game was probably his best, and as long as he's healthy he's a solid running back. Not elite, but he gets the job done.
Knowshon Moreno has been relegated to the bench. A few too many mistakes and he's pretty much considered a bust at this point in his career.
Lance Ball gets a little playing time, he's not much to worry about aside from the occasional 10 yard catch or five yard run.
Look for Hillman to get a few more carries this game. He was a popular late round fantasy pick, especially in keeper leagues because Denver drafted him to be the younger speedy back to counter McGahee. He was hurt the first few games, saw limited action against the Texans, but looked good last week. He showed the flashes of speed Denver drafted him for, and as he gets healthier, he'll likely become the official #2. Watch out for him on screens and especially in the open field.
The O-Line
Our starting center was hurt last week, but you'll be familiar with his replace, Dan Koppen. Koppen seemed a little rusty last week, but overall did a better than expected job. The rest of the o-line is probably slightly above average.
Tight Ends
Our tight ends aren't great, but so far Manning has been able to find them and utilize them almost as much as they were utilized all of last season combined. No scary names, but don't be surprised if Manning finds one of them in the end zone.
D-Line
We've been able to get more pressure than we have in the past few years, but the D-Line overall is still a bit of a weakness. Derek Wolfe, our high round draft pick, has looked promising, but overall we just haven't been getting consistent pressure and it starts with the line.
LB
We really need DJ Williams back from suspension, our LBs haven't been great. Von is still a monster, but I'm sure the Pats will focus enough attention his way to limit his productivity. He'll impact plays for sure, but the rest of our LBs won't.
Secondary
Tracy Porter is really hit and miss. He takes a lot of risk, and playing opposite Champ, he sees a lot of action. He's had a few NEAR picks, a pick six, and a few whiffs that have led to big plays for the offense.
Champ, regardless of how old it may seem he is, is still a top-tier CB. He's a particularly good tackler for a CB and is above-average in coverage. He's definitely lost a few steps though as he's gotten older.
Our safeties aren't anything special.
We're an old team, no doubt about it. Our window for a super bowl run is...this year or next year, then we start over. I predicted a 2-3 start for us going into the season, followed by an 8-3 or 9-2 finish. I'm still standing by that.
The beginning of our schedule is absolutely brutal. Already played the Texans and Falcons. Beat the Steelers. Got a break with the Raiders, but then we play you guys, the Chargers, the Saints, etc. Granted the Saints aren't nearly as intimidating as they are on paper, but our schedule eases up a whole lot after the bye week. I truly believe we're a good team, and it's almost entirely because of Peyton. He'll keep us in the game, even if he does throw an ill-advised INT.
What to expect
Having watched both teams a lot, I do like Denver's chances in this one. We'll probably be down at the half, but I see us fighting back and it finishing in the same classic fashion NFL fans have come to see from these two QBs the last 10 years. If you're gambling...we play really poorly in the first half (at least we have all season), and not in terms of overall offense, but in scoring offense. We've settled for far too many field goals in the first half, before capitalizing in the second half with TDs. I'm taking the Pats first half line no matter what the spread is, but I'm taking Denver to win.
Denver 34
New England 31
Here's too hoping for a good, injury-free game :eat2:
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