The truth about Peyton

[barryr]

Let's face it, through most of his career, he has led teams that in reality were not that talented into the playoffs and even beyond. The year the Colts won a Super Bowl, I think the Colt defense was either last or near the bottom in rush defense. It seems rare for teams that are that bad against the run even making the playoffs, much less winning a Super Bowl.

So the Broncos winning a Super Bowl, for me at least, is not about what Manning does. He will do his thing. It is up to the rest of the team and to show are they really that talented or is this another example of Peyton leading a team that really isn't that talented and it's more showing how great Manning is.

Heck, John Elway himself led 3 Bronco teams to the Super Bowl that in reality, maybe weren't that good but got there because of how great Elway was. It wasn't until they truly added some good talent did they win their Super Bowls.

So that is the big question: Is this Bronco team really that talented or is Peyton once again take a team farther than it normally would go?

[FireFly]

Without a doubt he's taking them further then they would otherwise go. There are maybe 5 other QB's in the league that would have got us to the AFCC game next week.

Chiefs would have probably had home field advantage for the playoffs and given the late season run the chargers made, we might not even have gotten a playoff birth!

[ZONA]

I think we're "talented" enough and lord knows our "depth" is being tested beyond normal limits, especially if we lose Harris. It all comes down to making plays vs making mistakes. We made enough plays today to offset our stupid mistakes. That has to continue if we want to win it all.

[Guess Who]

All that stuff is overblown. Manning played on a Dome TEAM. Now Manning is playing on a team that plays in the cold open air. His previous record in the cold is irrelevant. What is his record in the cold in Denver? That is the only stat that is relevant.

[spiralism]

Without a doubt he's taking them further then they would otherwise go. There are maybe 5 other QB's in the league that would have got us to the AFCC game next week.

Chiefs would have probably had home field advantage for the playoffs and given the late season run the chargers made, we might not even have gotten a playoff birth!

Tom Brady, maybe. Nobody else would with that defence.

[BroncoMan4ever]

Without a doubt he's taking them further then they would otherwise go. There are maybe 5 other QB's in the league that would have got us to the AFCC game next week.

Chiefs would have probably had home field advantage for the playoffs and given the late season run the chargers made, we might not even have gotten a playoff birth!

what 5 other QBs? Brady...maybe. Brees is good, but I don't think he elevates the team to the AFCCG. Rodgers is hard to say, he is one of the best in the game, but injuries have limited him this year.

those are the best in the game after Peyton, and I have serious doubts any of them could have done what he has done.

[stoxman]

Tom Brady, maybe. Nobody else would with that defence.

Agreed. This defense is an embarrassment and a stain on our front office's roster management skills. It will be so very interesting to see Elway make the necessary moves to keep DRC and so many other necessary pieces to the puzzle with the cap situation.

[Archer81]

Agreed. This defense is an embarrassment and a stain on our front office's roster management skills. It will be so very interesting to see Elway make the necessary moves to keep DRC and so many other necessary pieces to the puzzle with the cap situation.

The defense held SD's "hot offense" to 1 passing yard in the first half and 4 first downs. They had less then 150 yards of offense through three quarters of play and no points. Injuries to Nacho and Harris gave the Chargers an opening.

Good God...we won a playoff game and our team is a disgrace.

Jesus...

[BroncsCheer]

No team gets to the conference championship without the QB they have starting

you really thing NE, SEA, and SF would be playing without the QB's they have?

if you do, you're either missing something or are suffering from severe confirmation bias

this league is a QB league - all QB's 'drag' their teams where they go, either to good places like 2 playoff games (Rivers) or to bad places like picking 1st next year (Houston)

It seems like you're asking, "are we enjoying this deep playoff run because of Manning?" and the answer is unequivocally "Yes"

that's a surprise to you now?

[Powderaddict]

Denver's defense performed very well against a good offense today.

They deserve some credit for this win.

[M-G]

If you're one of the greatest QBs of all time that's what you do; carry your team deep into the playoffs. More times than not. Hell, Elway did it three times.

But you have a good coach, team, and luck to win it all.

[Guess Who]

Agreed. This defense is an embarrassment and a stain on our front office's roster management skills. It will be so very interesting to see Elway make the necessary moves to keep DRC and so many other necessary pieces to the puzzle with the cap situation.

The last four games this defense has played very well. .

[ColoradoDarin]

The truth is, if we don't win the SB it will be because the injuries on defense were just too much to overcome.

[OBF1]

The truth is, if we don't win the SB it will be because the injuries on defense were just too much to overcome.

With this logic, New England has zero chance to win a game. They have lost more on D than we have and since last season they have lost more than any other team between injuries, losing players to other teams and murder charges.

[ColoradoDarin]

With this logic, New England has zero chance to win a game. They have lost more on D than we have and since last season they have lost more than any other team between injuries, losing players to other teams and murder charges.

Note I didn't say we'd lose. Just that *if* we do, the logical reason is going to be the defense and injuries to that defense. Of course Peyton could throw 6 ints including 3 pick 6s and we'd could lose that way, but it's just not probable.

And yes, all this applies to Brady and the Pats, and I would agree that Brady and the Pats do have more to try and overcome.