Posted on 01/13/2006 6:47:03 AM PST by loreldan
Patriots are only 1-3 against Denver since start of 2001 season
Print By Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News January 13, 2006 ENGLEWOOD - Four times, five years. The Denver Broncos and New England Patriots are no strangers to all of this, regular stops along the way where everybody knows their names. "You would think that they were in our division," Patriots linebacker Willie McGinest said.
Saturday will be the fifth edition in the set, an AFC divisional-round game with the winner staying alive on the road to the Super Bowl.
And while the Patriots routinely have been been described as the team nobody wants to play in this postseason, the Broncos have had recent success against them.
Since the start of the 2001 season - the year that ended with the first of the three Super Bowls the Patriots have won - the Broncos are 3-1 against New England.
Of all of the teams that have played the Patriots at least four times in that span, the Broncos are the only one with a winning record.
"I have spoken to players who have been there before and they work hard and do all the things it takes to win," McGinest said. "Same here."
The Rocky Mountain News polled four NFL assistants - two offensive coordinators and two defensive coordinators - who have played New England and Denver during the past two seasons to try to get to the bottom of the matchup.
The four presented the biggest pieces of the puzzle.
• Pound away. Teams that can run the ball and keep themselves out of difficult third-down situations keep the Patriots defense from opening the exotic side of the playbook.
Keep things closer to third-and-2, third-and-3 and Patriots coach Bill Belichick plays it a little more conservatively. Give New England third-and-6 or longer and the trouble begins.
The Patriots will blitz far more in those situations in ways they might not have shown in any game in a year. They will use a variety of formations, including some with eight defensive backs, which make it difficult for an offense to read things.
With all of those defensive backs milling around before the snap, the quarterback has to try to decide which are playing with linebacker responsibilities and which are not. Make a bad read and the Patriots usually end up with the ball.
The Broncos ran for 178 yards in the Oct. 16 game.
"(The Broncos) can play however they want to play," Belichick said. "They can play the game however you want to play it. If they want to control the ball and march it down the field, they are good at that. You want to get up there and play them real aggressively, they can take it down the field for big plays. They're good at that, too."
• Look outside. When the Patriots defense wants to dictate things, they do it with outside linebackers Rosevelt Colvin and Willie McGinest.
Both are powerful players at 250 and 270 pounds, with quickness. Also, few teams break down an opposing offense's pass protection and find the gaps such as the Patriots.
They also predict the adjustments well. The Patriots will pound a weak spot with extra rushers, then the offense makes the adjustment and they go almost immediately to the spot where the help came from.
And often that means McGinest and Colvin will find themselves rushing against a running back or tight end. Both usually win that matchup.
People wonder why more teams can't take advantage of New England's injury-riddled secondary. These two are why; quarterbacks usually can't hold the ball long enough to find the open man.
• Don't press. Everybody talks a good game about not getting rattled by the Patriots' championship résumé, but opponents repeatedly don't heed their own advice. Knowing they need points to keep up with the Patriots offense - quarterback Tom Brady led the league in passing yards - several teams have left the running game behind and pushed for too much, too early in the game.
Then those offenses get in third- down trouble and the Patriots turn up the heat. Their defense gets more aggressive and their offense gets better field position as a result.
The Broncos have played with the lead more than others have against New England, especially this season when Denver led 28-3 in the third quarter.
"They're ahead of everybody by two or three touchdowns," Belichick said. "Being able to withstand the onslaught in the first quarter, the first half, whatever it is, it sure is going to be important. . . . They get off to a fast start and they keep it rolling and they just run out the clock in the second half."
• The Brady factor. Brady has big- time mojo. He gives his team the swagger, has yet to lose a postseason game and has thrown only three playoff interceptions - none in last season's playoff run.
Give him the ball too many times and you don't win.
"Guys like that, they just don't get rattled," said Broncos defensive end Marco Coleman, who was a teammate of Hall of Famer Dan Marino earlier in his career. "They always think they can win the game no matter what the scoreboard is telling them. They have that competitiveness. You can't give them the chance."
The Patriots lean on Brady a lot. In 10 playoff games, he has attempted at least 33 passes in five, at least 27 passes in eight.
They let him wing it because they know he rarely will throw it to the wrong spot.
The best defense, the coaches said, is always making him stand and watch his own defense play.
"The tougher it gets, the better he plays," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. "He gives them a lot of confidence; you can see it in how they play."
Pat on the back
Since the start of the 2001 season, the Broncos are the only team in the league that has played the Patriots at least four times and still have a winning record.
Team Record Win pct.
Broncos 3-1 .750
Dolphins 4-6 .400
Steelers 1-4 .200
Jets 2-8 .200
Colts 1-6 .143
Bills 1-9 .100
Seems like most people outside Colorado and especially east of the Mississippi are already giving this one to the Patriots. That's fine. I can't wait to hear all the obnoxious New Englanders whine when the Broncos win by at least a TD.
I agree. Broncos are playing at home which gives them a good advantage with the altitude. I think it will be close.
Yep, NE is one of the trendy picks, but Denver, Indy, and Seattle all win this weekend.
Go Broncos! :)
The Patriots don't stand a chance against Denver.
Y'all have more faith than I do. I was crushed when Pitt beat Cincy sending NE to Denver instead of Indy. The Pats are healthy and rolling, and Invesco isn't Old Mile High. I see Tatum Bell as a key here. I don't think Anderson will have a good day. The Pats are going to press our secondary from the git go . . . and Chump has a way of folding under pressure. We'll see. I smell a 24-23 game, which stinks for Denver since Elam isn't 100%. At least Kubiak looks sure to get a job. I used to love him.
Anybody going to the game?
I'm taking the Pats...... How can you pick against them? Two strikes against them - they had a game last week and have to play in Denver at altitude. However, I can not go against Brady and Company. And Plummer is the wild card here. What kind of game will he have? Will the old Jake show up?
You're probably correct.The main thing working against the Patriots will be the weight of all those Super Bowl rings that they'll be wearing tomorrow and the fact that that extra weight will affect their manual dexterity....
(end sarcasm)
The defense has got to stop the pass and stop the run, the running back has to play well, the offensive line has to do it's job well and the quarterback has to have time to throw the ball and not get banged up? I would think that just about any team that can do that can win the Super Bowl.
Sorry, Cleveland... I said just about any team.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but this Pats team is nothing like the Pats team that the Broncs beat last time around.
Willie and Teddy are gonna be in the Snake's face all game (at least 5 sacks, setting up those dreaded long 3rd downs)......and they're gonna be shutting down the running lanes.
Don't forget that Richard Seymour also did not play in that game. Along with Dillon and Faulk. The Pats ran a 4-3 formation on Defense, not the 3-4 that they usually incorporate. The secondary has gelled and Tedy with turn Jake into a Rag Doll.
Well, since you put it THAT way... LOL, I suppose my post seems a bit silly now, doesn't it. I guess the point is that the Pats need to be hitting on all cylinders for this to work. Some great teams can afford to have a weak spot. This Pats team doesn't have that luxury.
I was trying to detail out my thoughts rather than just saying "it's gonna be close".
Cheers!
Outstanding post.I'm a huge Pats fan and would not be a bit surprised to see the Broncos win.People are saying that the Pats are healthy again.If you call missing a starting all pro saftey Rodney Harrison and a starting corner,center and left guard healthy. They are playing with a rebuilt offensive line defensive secondary.If they beat Denver in Denver it will be pretty amazing.
I'm a life long Broncos fan. I can't watch!
EXACTLY. The Herald has a great "That was then, this is now" graphic showing the differences. Instead of Pass, we get Faulk and probably Dillon. Branch, Givens, and Brown in the WR. Seymour in the RE slot. The addition of Bruschi.
I wouldn't wanna be the Snake with Tedy, Willie AND Seymour in my face at all times....
I agree - the Patriots are coming into Denver where it is unusual to have a road win. And the denver defense is for real. The defense has got to make the difference, and if they do, Denver will crush the Patsies.
That won't happen now. A good game is assured.
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