Dagmar
01-10-2006, 11:25 PM
(Disclaimer : if it's been posted, delete. Sorry, looked and couldn't find)
http://www.superbowl.com/news/story/9156860
Patriots-Broncos game full of intrigue Click here to find out more!
Cris Collinsworth By Cris Collinsworth
Special to SuperBowl.com
(Jan. 10, 2006) -- Every game is interesting in the playoffs, but the one that sticks out for me this weekend is the Patriots traveling to Denver to take on the Broncos on Saturday. There are so many different compelling storylines that make this game interesting, but the first one that jumps out to me is the battle of the coaches.
Normally, New England has the edge in coaching against most opponents. Bill Belichick has proven with his unique plans in championship games that he is almost impossible to beat. Belichick has built a reputation by saying why waste your time watching film when the game plan you are going to get won't resemble the previous week in any way. Each Belichick game plan is so unique there is no way to prepare for it. That plan has won three Super Bowls in the past four years.
Mike Shanahan will match wits with fellow mastermind Bill Belichick.
Mike Shanahan will match wits with fellow mastermind Bill Belichick.
But Belichick is going to have to match wits with Mike Shanahan this week. Shanahan --who has won two Super Bowls on his own -- is just as talented as a head coach. Since taking over the Broncos in '95, Mike Shanahan's offenses have the most yards, rushing yards, first downs and points in the NFL. Shanahan also has the added benefit of the bye week and hosting the first playoff game at Invesco Field, where the Broncos are undefeated this season. One of those home victories includes a 28-20 win over the Patriots in Week 6.
However, after watching some tape, the Broncos beat the Patriots uniforms, but not the actual Patriots. New England had so many missing players including Corey Dillon, Kevin Faulk, Richard Seymour and Tedy Bruschi. And even role players such as Ellis Hobbs had not cracked the starting lineup yet. It was a very different Patriots team from the one that has now won five of its last six meaningful games.
The key on defense has been the return of Seymour, which makes it nearly impossible to run against the Patriots. If you follow football, you know that Shanahan has based his offense on the ability to run against anybody. The Broncos rushed for 178 yards against New England in Week 6. It is hard to imagine them reaching that total again on Saturday. Will Shanahan insist on trying to pound the football against a team so good against the run? Or will he take the easy way out and try to pass the ball against an inexperienced secondary?
That leads to our second interesting matchup between quarterbacks Tom Brady and Jake Plummer. Both quarterbacks are fine players, but their reputations are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Brady has won all 10 of his playoff games, three Super Bowls and has reached success unparalleled since Otto Graham in the 1950s. Brady is considered a clutch quarterback, the ultimate winner and destined for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, despite his relative youth. Brady has carried his team on his back while waiting for his teammates to heal. This has been his most impressive season, in my opinion.
It's hard not to like the Patriots at quarterback with Tom Brady at the helm.
It's hard not to like the Patriots at quarterback with Tom Brady at the helm.
Plummer is a different story. Plummer is 1-3 in his playoff career with his lone victory coming when he led the Cardinals to a 20-7 victory over Dallas in 1998. Of course, you could argue that leading the Cardinals to a playoff victory is just as impressive as winning three Super Bowls. But Plummer is forced to wear the same yoke around his neck that Shanahan has worn since John Elway retired -- the Broncos have not won a playoff game without Elway since. It will remain there until they win. But can you imagine how different the reputations would become if Plummer and the Broncos win? Brady would become human, and Plummer would remind us of that clutch quarterback we remember from his days at Arizona State -- where he nearly led the Sun Devils to a national championship in 1996.
Can Plummer, with Shanahan's game plan, outgun Brady and the Patriots, who could have a hard time protecting the former Super Bowl MVP? I called the Super Bowl last year, and this offensive line features only two linemen in their original positions. Russ Hochstein is a backup guard who has replaced Dan Koppen at center. Logan Mankins is one of two rookies on the left side of the offensive line. And the Broncos had a field day against Mankins in the first meeting, lining up Trevor Pryce to overwhelm him. I've talked with coaches that tell me Mankins is going to be a star in this league, but on that day against the Broncos, he struggled.
The Broncos won that first meeting with big plays on offense, but that should be shut down. Along with the return of Bruschi, the duo of Chad Brown and Monty Beisel have improved dramatically since that first meeting, where they were too anxious and overpursued on running plays.
The difficult part here is trying to pick a winner. Do you go with the slightly better team on the road? And remember, the Patriots have not had to win a divisional playoff game on the road during the Bill Belichick era. Denver has been unbeatable at home this year, too. Yet I still believe the world champs have enough to go into Denver and win this one, IF they play a better game than they did against Jacksonville. They say that to be the champ, you have to beat the champ. Until I see somebody do it, I'll still go with New England.
http://www.superbowl.com/news/story/9156860
Patriots-Broncos game full of intrigue Click here to find out more!
Cris Collinsworth By Cris Collinsworth
Special to SuperBowl.com
(Jan. 10, 2006) -- Every game is interesting in the playoffs, but the one that sticks out for me this weekend is the Patriots traveling to Denver to take on the Broncos on Saturday. There are so many different compelling storylines that make this game interesting, but the first one that jumps out to me is the battle of the coaches.
Normally, New England has the edge in coaching against most opponents. Bill Belichick has proven with his unique plans in championship games that he is almost impossible to beat. Belichick has built a reputation by saying why waste your time watching film when the game plan you are going to get won't resemble the previous week in any way. Each Belichick game plan is so unique there is no way to prepare for it. That plan has won three Super Bowls in the past four years.
Mike Shanahan will match wits with fellow mastermind Bill Belichick.
Mike Shanahan will match wits with fellow mastermind Bill Belichick.
But Belichick is going to have to match wits with Mike Shanahan this week. Shanahan --who has won two Super Bowls on his own -- is just as talented as a head coach. Since taking over the Broncos in '95, Mike Shanahan's offenses have the most yards, rushing yards, first downs and points in the NFL. Shanahan also has the added benefit of the bye week and hosting the first playoff game at Invesco Field, where the Broncos are undefeated this season. One of those home victories includes a 28-20 win over the Patriots in Week 6.
However, after watching some tape, the Broncos beat the Patriots uniforms, but not the actual Patriots. New England had so many missing players including Corey Dillon, Kevin Faulk, Richard Seymour and Tedy Bruschi. And even role players such as Ellis Hobbs had not cracked the starting lineup yet. It was a very different Patriots team from the one that has now won five of its last six meaningful games.
The key on defense has been the return of Seymour, which makes it nearly impossible to run against the Patriots. If you follow football, you know that Shanahan has based his offense on the ability to run against anybody. The Broncos rushed for 178 yards against New England in Week 6. It is hard to imagine them reaching that total again on Saturday. Will Shanahan insist on trying to pound the football against a team so good against the run? Or will he take the easy way out and try to pass the ball against an inexperienced secondary?
That leads to our second interesting matchup between quarterbacks Tom Brady and Jake Plummer. Both quarterbacks are fine players, but their reputations are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Brady has won all 10 of his playoff games, three Super Bowls and has reached success unparalleled since Otto Graham in the 1950s. Brady is considered a clutch quarterback, the ultimate winner and destined for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, despite his relative youth. Brady has carried his team on his back while waiting for his teammates to heal. This has been his most impressive season, in my opinion.
It's hard not to like the Patriots at quarterback with Tom Brady at the helm.
It's hard not to like the Patriots at quarterback with Tom Brady at the helm.
Plummer is a different story. Plummer is 1-3 in his playoff career with his lone victory coming when he led the Cardinals to a 20-7 victory over Dallas in 1998. Of course, you could argue that leading the Cardinals to a playoff victory is just as impressive as winning three Super Bowls. But Plummer is forced to wear the same yoke around his neck that Shanahan has worn since John Elway retired -- the Broncos have not won a playoff game without Elway since. It will remain there until they win. But can you imagine how different the reputations would become if Plummer and the Broncos win? Brady would become human, and Plummer would remind us of that clutch quarterback we remember from his days at Arizona State -- where he nearly led the Sun Devils to a national championship in 1996.
Can Plummer, with Shanahan's game plan, outgun Brady and the Patriots, who could have a hard time protecting the former Super Bowl MVP? I called the Super Bowl last year, and this offensive line features only two linemen in their original positions. Russ Hochstein is a backup guard who has replaced Dan Koppen at center. Logan Mankins is one of two rookies on the left side of the offensive line. And the Broncos had a field day against Mankins in the first meeting, lining up Trevor Pryce to overwhelm him. I've talked with coaches that tell me Mankins is going to be a star in this league, but on that day against the Broncos, he struggled.
The Broncos won that first meeting with big plays on offense, but that should be shut down. Along with the return of Bruschi, the duo of Chad Brown and Monty Beisel have improved dramatically since that first meeting, where they were too anxious and overpursued on running plays.
The difficult part here is trying to pick a winner. Do you go with the slightly better team on the road? And remember, the Patriots have not had to win a divisional playoff game on the road during the Bill Belichick era. Denver has been unbeatable at home this year, too. Yet I still believe the world champs have enough to go into Denver and win this one, IF they play a better game than they did against Jacksonville. They say that to be the champ, you have to beat the champ. Until I see somebody do it, I'll still go with New England.