Why has Brady often struggled against Denver?

[Rob0729]

He can't get Joe Walsh's "Rocky Mountain Way" out of his head when playing in Denver.

 

[BigtimeColtsfans]

In 2003 Belichick beat Dungy in the regular season and playoffs.
ditto for 2004. The thing as to why the colts have done better since
then is that they get all the calls from the refs. Especially since Polian
made so much effort to emphasize the rules of the DB's. It must help to have your team president be the guy in charge of the nfl competition committee.

Oh of course, it's all the refs (you sound like Ray Lewis there). BTW Dungy beat the Pats in the regular season in 2006 and in the POs (did you forget?).

 

[BennyBledsoe]

It could be purely psychological. There's just some teams/stadiums where even superstar quarterbacks just can't play.

I've noticed some of Brady's most horrific games have come against the Dolphins (usually in Miami). If I recall correctly, this was the first severe beatdown Brady took as starter back in 2001. It's like he's had nightmares every time he's gone to play them down there.

Could be the same thing for Invesco.

Other QBs: Manning in his rookie season got the **** kicked out of him by the Patriots and for the longest time, no matter how good he got, he played like he still saw Slade and McGinest coming to kill him.

 

[Kontradiction]

Anyone know what it is specifically that has caused Brady problems?

Champ Bailey.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

was it mike shanahan or was it ex defensive coordinator Larry Coyer? unfortunately, coyer is the DC in Indy now.

 

[RYObroncosfan]

If Cassel and Co. could put up 41 last year against a Denver team led by Cutler who is a better QB than Orton and of course Brady who is 1,000,000X better than Cassel,I certainly am not afraid of the Orton/McDaniels combo - Shanahan/Cutler was better

I am no one blames the altitude if the Patriots lose...which I don't expect them to

Let's be fair, and don't take this the wrong way, the Pats dominated the game, BUT:

Cutler hurt his finger VERY early in the game last year, Ramsey came in and then he got hurt too, so Cutler was forced to come back in for the second half.

Not that we would have won, our defense was disgusting (in a bad way), but our O surely would have scored more than 7. Had Cutler been unaffected it probably could've been a 31-21 game or 35-24....

Of course that statement is full of ifs ands and buts, but this offense is surprisingly just as efficient as last year's, and only improving week by week.

Efficiency is determined by total points, and for as good as the O was last year, scoring just wasn't their thing, go figure.

 

[supafly]

Oh of course, it's all the refs (you sound like Ray Lewis there). BTW Dungy beat the Pats in the regular season in 2006 and in the POs (did you forget?).

As much as I respect my fellow patsfan's point of view, there are many of us here who will agree that in those games Indy was simply the better team that day. What else can you say? It's hardly fair to blame it on excuses, and that's something our coach doesn't do, and our fanbase should be just as mature too.

While I think we did have Indy's number in the past, they seemed to correctly adapt and you have to give them their due credit. I think it's one of the great NFL rivalries, and everyone enjoys the challenge of such a hard game. Peyton truly is an exceptional QB, one of the game's greats. His comments last yr regarding Brady's injury were first class all the way, and I respect him immensily for that. He is a talented and likeable guy, and a good leader.

Now, as far as Eli goes--I think he's extremely overrated, and not much more than a sub-par QB, not one of the league's greats by any stretch.

The Indy game will be one of the tougher challenges to the yr, and it's a tough game for everyone involved. You have to give an elite team the respect they deserve, and I can guarantee you Belichick respects them a great deal.

 

[MassPats38]

Dungy won 4 out his last 5 against BB, including he AFC title game and I believe they split all time.

Now if a guy splits with you, and beats you 4 out of 5, how exactly does BB have Dungy's number? BB beat Dungy once since what, 2004?

Just saying BB must have forgotten Dungy's number if he ever had it.

I believe that point was clarified by subsequent posters, but did you forget pre-2005 performances against Dungy in the Brady era? The whole "Manning can't win the big game" rap? Were those Colts teams crappy? No. Did I say the Colts were a bad team? No.

The question pertained to Denver and match-ups and the answer speaks for itself. So polish your horseshoe and enjoy the alleged "Best in the NFL" status while it lasts. At some point, the Colts will have to play a team not owning one of the top 10 draft picks for next season, so enjoy the 9-week bye week your team is presently enjoying.

As far as "losing his number," the one ring Manning came into almost wasn't against a 2006 Patriots team in Indy with no name receivers and an aging defense. The Colts beat up on the defense sans-Bruschi and Ty Law in 2005, claimed two in 2006 when the Pats had no receiver corps, and barely beat the Pats last year when there was no Brady. All but one game post-2004 came down to the wire. Let's not revise our history. The Colts have won when they should have won, and still almost didn't find ways to win those games.