Beating the Broncos/Recipe for beating Broncos (Merge)

[Jonathan24]

I was trying to think of a defensive game plan that would work against the Broncos and I was thinking the Colts should try to make manning throw the ball.  His arm is not what it use to be, he is floating a lot of his passes now and the running game has been winning them games lately.  What do you guys/girls think?

[Yoshinator]

A few years ago I would call you crazy, but the simple truth is that the more Manning throws against us and the less they run, the better chance we have of winning. CJ Anderson is more dangerous than Jeremy Hill for the simple fact that we have to respect Manning and not put 8 in the box against the run every play. We will get burned by the run and pass, we just have to limit the times it happens and keep them out of the end zone. I have confidence that Vontae Davis will shut down Demaryius Thomas, it's Julius Thomas that's the threat. I'm also wondering how our other CB's will handle Emmanuel Sanders and Wes Welker. We will have to force Manning to pass, as you said, and hope to force him to make a mistake. The problem is that he gets rid of the ball quick, and we don't have a great pass-rusher. 

[Moopsiepuffs]

Isn't every game plan to make the opposing QB throw? No defensive coach says, "Okay guys, let them run all over us!"

Getting a quarterback into 3rd and long is the goal against any team.

[Jonathan24]

Isn't every game plan to make the opposing QB throw? No defensive coach says, "Okay guys, let them run all over us!"

Getting a quarterback into 3rd and long is the goal against any team.

 Im sure dallas game plan wont be to make aaron rodgers throw. Im sure when peyton had a strong arm the game plan was not to make him throw.

[Ryan Pelley]

I was trying to think of a defensive game plan that would work against the Broncos and I was thinking the Colts should try to make manning throw the ball.  His arm is not what it use to be, he is floating a lot of his passes now and the running game has been winning them games lately.  What do you guys/girls think?

LOL. Over the course of one month, Manning has gone from being "on fire" to "not what he used to be." I'm sure Manning will be throwing a lot, whether it's good or bad news for us.

[ColtsHoosiersBB]

Pressure pressure pressure on Mr. Happy Feet and this game is winnable, and run the

ball efficiently. The more we control the tempo of the game the better.

[Coffeedrinker]

I would not normally respond this way but you asked "What do you guys/girls think?"

 

I think that is probably one of the dumbest ideas I've heard.

[Jonathan24]

I would not normally respond this way but you asked "What do you guys/girls think?"

 

I think that is probably one of the dumbest ideas I've heard.

 

please explain why if you dont mind.

[cdgacoltsfan]

Our O-line has to perform as well if not better than they did against the Bengals but in my opinion the key will be Arthur Jones. He has to create pressure up the middle and make Peyton uncomfortable.

[Coffeedrinker]

please explain why if you dont mind.

Because when you are playing against one of the best ever to play the game, you don't force him to do what he is best at.  I like the Colts secondary but Toler, Davis, Butler and Adams will not be able to consistently stop Sanders, Thomas, Thomas and Welker.  And during this time when he has been "floating" a lot of balls he is still completing 66% of his passes for 250 yards per game.

 

No matter what the media says the Broncos will win or lose based on Manning's arm and it's not smart to gamble on the hope that arm will fail.

[krunk]

I think the Colts will have to establish some long drives controlling TOP in the hopes of limiting his possessions.

Defensively if we can get the run stopped I think we mix up the looks, but playing more two deep coverage and

mixing in some timely blitzes in the right situations.  Like Pagano says, we won't get them totally stopped but more

focus on slowing them down.  Settling for field goals rather than TDs.

[Steamboat_Shaun]

I'd say more specifically make him throw to the outside, as opposed to letting him attack the middle of the field. He'll still make some plays, but YAC won't be as much of a factor, and I also think that'll be our best bet to create turnovers.

[Moopsiepuffs]

Im sure dallas game plan wont be to make aaron rodgers throw. Im sure when peyton had a strong arm the game plan was not to make him throw.

Lol what are you talking about?

Dallas are going to let Eddie Lacy run for first downs because they don't want Rogers throwing on 3rd down?

You are making no sense whatsoever. Of course you want to make the QB throw, otherwise the opposition will just run for touchdowns over and over.

Seriously, think about what you are saying.

[cbear]

I think the game plan is the same for us and every team.  Try to confuse him with disguised blitzes and coverage.  Trouble is, though everyone has tried to do that, he still became Peyton Manning.  I think the only way we win this game is to score 30 and hope for the best.

[Ja'Crispy]

It's tough. Currently the strength of that team is its running game. But I have a hard time saying we need to force Peyton flipping Manning to beat us with his arm, because he probably will. But that's why I'm on the couch and not on the sidelines ;)

[cbear]

LOL. Over the course of one month, Manning has gone from being "on fire" to "not what he used to be." I'm sure Manning will be throwing a lot, whether it's good or bad news for us.

 

Reminds me of earlier in the season when Brady was supposedly washed up and should be benched, retired, etc., and that the Pats were through.  Everyone has an opinion, it's easy to voice, and for some reason, folks seem to take opinions as fact very easily nowadays.

[Superman]

Just watch the regular season game from last year. Or watch the Super Bowl. It's about playing tight coverage, making him hold the ball a little longer than he wants, and getting pressure without sending extra defenders (we blitzed him just 4 times, the Seahawks blitzed him just 6 times).

 

And now, they run the ball better than they did last year, so you also have to stay tough against the run. 

[runthepost]

Just watch the regular season game from last year. Or watch the Super Bowl. It's about playing tight coverage, making him hold the ball a little longer than he wants, and getting pressure without sending extra defenders (we blitzed him just 4 times, the Seahawks blitzed him just 6 times).

And now, they run the ball better than they did last year, so you also have to stay tough against the run.

Both teams have good pass rushing is the reason they won. This year we don't have a pass rush and if we dont get to peyton it will be a repeat of the steelers and cowboys game

[Superman]

Both teams have good pass rushing is the reason they won. This year we don't have a pass rush and if we dont get to peyton it will be a repeat of the steelers and cowboys game

 

Good luck trying to blitz him. If we can't get there with four, then it doesn't matter.

[Solon]

I highly doubt we'll blitz, but if we do, steal a couple of blitzes from Detroit. Man them blitzes were good.

[Corndog]

Reminds me of earlier in the season when Brady was supposedly washed up and should be benched, retired, etc., and that the Pats were through.  Everyone has an opinion, it's easy to voice, and for some reason, folks seem to take opinions as fact very easily nowadays.

Big difference, the Pats took a few games to figure it out, but Brady wasn't hurt.  Manning is clearly hurt, throwing lemons off his back foot.  His short/intermediate passing game is still there, but when he throws it down the field they are ugly.   He has been this way for the past three or four games in the regular season, you just had to watch him. 

 

So I would say, try to limit the running game and passes down the middle.  Try to force Manning to throw it down it the field and it gives us the best chance defensively. 

[SilentHill]

It's tough. Currently the strength of that team is its running game. But I have a hard time saying we need to force Peyton flipping Manning to beat us with his arm, because he probably will. But that's why I'm on the couch and not on the sidelines ;)

 

Well history tells us vs Tom Brady we sell out to stop the pass and get trucked, so let's hope that is not the game plan.

[Mitch Connors]

Because when you are playing against one of the best ever to play the game, you don't force him to do what he is best at.  I like the Colts secondary but Toler, Davis, Butler and Adams will not be able to consistently stop Sanders, Thomas, Thomas and Welker.  And during this time when he has been "floating" a lot of balls he is still completing 66% of his passes for 250 yards per game.

 

No matter what the media says the Broncos will win or lose based on Manning's arm and it's not smart to gamble on the hope that arm will fail.

Lot of coincidences here.

john elway won his super bowls by doing exactly what the poster said (and u ridiculed). Matter of fact he passed for like 125 yards in his last game and won a Super Bowl. John elway and Peyton manning have a lot in common these days.

250 yards per game is low in today's nfl and really low for Peyton on the broncos. Matter of fact peyton passed for about that In the Super Bowl he won. Also ran the ball more than he passed too.

But you're right. Aging QBs who pass endlessly win big games all the time. We could count all of them in the last 20 years with one number. 0

[dgambill]

I think you crowd the line of scrimmage. Make Manning hit passes on the outside. By crowding the box you hopefully take away the run game and throw timing off on his routes with his receivers. You have to be very physical. Definately have to push the pocket back into his face. If he has room to step into his throws he is still deadly. If he can't fully step in that has been when you see those ducks. Lately the poor throws have come when Manning has had people at his feet or in his face. The OL has changed up a lot....and its helped their running game but Vasquez isn't a natural RT and he has been beaten quite a bit. The pass protection has CERTAINLY taken a step back in the second half of the season....but this team still can run the ball. IMO tackling is key. Get them down with the first guy or hold them up til another guy gets there. Missed tackles give up crucial yards and first downs....if they get the chains moving constantly that will be a problem...keep them at 2nd and 3rd and long and keep them in front of the sticks.

 

Offensively we have to protect Luck. He has to hit the check down again this week and his TEs. Also no turnovers! There is no certainty we win....but we can...if we play well on all sides of the ball.

[krunk]

Good luck trying to blitz him. If we can't get there with four, then it doesn't matter.

 

 

We threw in some timely blitzes in the first game which were effective.  Not a whole bunch, but I remember Walden getting a sack on Peyton off a blitz.

[krunk]

Just watch the regular season game from last year. Or watch the Super Bowl. It's about playing tight coverage, making him hold the ball a little longer than he wants, and getting pressure without sending extra defenders (we blitzed him just 4 times, the Seahawks blitzed him just 6 times).

 

And now, they run the ball better than they did last year, so you also have to stay tough against the run. 

 

With the way the Broncos have been pass blocking lately it wouldn't shock me if some of our 4 man rushes are effective, depending on the personnel we use to get to him.

[krunk]

I want to see in this game how long the Broncos actually stick with the running game.  It's one thing to stick with it during the regular season, but when the pressure starts building I want to see if Fox and Manning will stick with their new found running game. Or will they get back to status quo and throw the ball all over the place?

[oldunclemark]

I was trying to think of a defensive game plan that would work against the Broncos and I was thinking the Colts should try to make manning throw the ball.  His arm is not what it use to be, he is floating a lot of his passes now and the running game has been winning them games lately.  What do you guys/girls think?

The problem with the Colts beating Denver is that the only teams that have won at Denver in recnet years have run the ball well and the Colts don't do that..

If you think Manning cant throw the ball well anymore you have been misled... Peyton floated passes last year, too.

His arm is fine. What you see is that near the goal line, Peyton doesn't throw 2-yard passes to Julius Thomas anymore. They hand it

Anderson.

To win,. the Colts must win the time of possession battle...They have to get 100-125 yards rushing even if it takes 30 carries.

They have to shorten the game. I'd even get into some read option with Andrew .

[BOTT]

Lot of coincidences here.

john elway won his super bowls by doing exactly what the poster said (and u ridiculed). Matter of fact he passed for like 125 yards in his last game and won a Super Bowl. John elway and Peyton manning have a lot in common these days.

250 yards per game is low in today's nfl and really low for Peyton on the broncos. Matter of fact peyton passed for about that In the Super Bowl he won. Also ran the ball more than he passed too.

But you're right. Aging QBs who pass endlessly win big games all the time. We could count all of them in the last 20 years with one number. 0

Elway passed for 336 yards on was named MVP in his last game

[NagelHausForge]

On Defense: Do what you can to limit their TDs.  You aren't going to stop this offense all game.  Just do enough to make it through. Blitz, don't blitz, man or zone coverages... change it up, try to confuse your looks... definitely lock down the middle of the field and make them throw to the outside where our strength is at CB.

 

On Offense: Score and score frequently.  FGs wont win this one.  Use the short passing game like we did last week.  RB dump offs or TE screens worked very well.  Take shots downfield as well from time to time to help open up the box.  If we can gain 3 to 4 YPC we can extend drives and limit Manning's possessions.

 

In the end all we have to do is score 1 more point than they do.  That's my philosophizing for the day.

[Superman]

We threw in some timely blitzes in the first game which were effective.  Not a whole bunch, but I remember Walden getting a sack on Peyton off a blitz.

 

He did. I don't remember the game situation, though.

 

Manning wants to nullify pressure by getting rid of the ball quickly. If he throws 40 times, he'll probably only take 7-10 shots further down the field where he holds the ball longer than a couple seconds. So you only get a chance to really rush him 20-25% of the time, if it's up to him. 

 

That's why coverage is so important. If you take away his quick options with tight coverage, he has to hold the ball a little bit more, giving your pass rush time to push the pocket back a little bit. Maybe you even get to him. But more importantly, you get him to either throw it to well covered receivers, or you get him to throw a little high or a little soft because he's got pressure in his face. For all the talk about how the Seahawks got so much pressure on him, they only sacked him once, only hit him five other times. But no one was open, receivers were getting wrecked, and the pocket was collapsing quickly with mostly 4 man rushes.

 

Blitzing weakens your coverage. That's especially true of our defense, since we already struggle to cover the middle of the field (although Freeman was excellent against the Bengals). We couldn't cover Julius Thomas in the opener. I think we can work in some well-timed blitzes, but only sparingly. It's up to our four main rushers, wherever they come from, to get pressure.

[Coffeedrinker]

Lot of coincidences here.

john elway won his super bowls by doing exactly what the poster said (and u ridiculed). Matter of fact he passed for like 125 yards in his last game and won a Super Bowl. John elway and Peyton manning have a lot in common these days.

250 yards per game is low in today's nfl and really low for Peyton on the broncos. Matter of fact peyton passed for about that In the Super Bowl he won. Also ran the ball more than he passed too.

But you're right. Aging QBs who pass endlessly win big games all the time. We could count all of them in the last 20 years with one number. 0

Wow, good points.  Well, except that Elway threw for 336 yards in his last Superbowl and won.  I'm sure Atlanta was thinking that he was floating a lot of balls lately and they best chance of winning the game was to let Elway do what he did best.

[krunk]

He did. I don't remember the game situation, though.

 

Manning wants to nullify pressure by getting rid of the ball quickly. If he throws 40 times, he'll probably only take 7-10 shots further down the field where he holds the ball longer than a couple seconds. So you only get a chance to really rush him 20-25% of the time, if it's up to him. 

 

That's why coverage is so important. If you take away his quick options with tight coverage, he has to hold the ball a little bit more, giving your pass rush time to push the pocket back a little bit. Maybe you even get to him. But more importantly, you get him to either throw it to well covered receivers, or you get him to throw a little high or a little soft because he's got pressure in his face. For all the talk about how the Seahawks got so much pressure on him, they only sacked him once, only hit him five other times. But no one was open, receivers were getting wrecked, and the pocket was collapsing quickly with mostly 4 man rushes.

 

Blitzing weakens your coverage. That's especially true of our defense, since we already struggle to cover the middle of the field (although Freeman was excellent against the Bengals). We couldn't cover Julius Thomas in the opener. I think we can work in some well-timed blitzes, but only sparingly. It's up to our four main rushers, wherever they come from, to get pressure.

 

 

Knocking off the timing will certainly be key. It will be interesting to see what wrinkles Manusky throws in there to get to him.

[Mitch Connors]

Elway passed for 336 yards on was named MVP in his last game

You're right.

Correction. I mixed up my years. He passed for 123 yards in the 1997 Super Bowl and 336 in the 1998 Super Bowl. My point is still the same they won those by running the ball.

[Mitch Connors]

Wow, good points.  Well, except that Elway threw for 336 yards in his last Superbowl and won.  I'm sure Atlanta was thinking that he was floating a lot of balls lately and they best chance of winning the game was to let Elway do what he did best.

He passed for 123 in his first Super Bowl win the year before. He as #6 in passing yards that year too. But like I said, you're right they won both of those superbowls by passing all over the field and Davis had no factor on the outcome.

Good job pointing out my stat mistake (from memory 20 years ago) instead of addressing the point. Who wins super bowls by throwing all over the place with old QBs?

[BOTT]

You're right.

Correction. I mixed up my years. He passed for 123 yards in the 1997 Super Bowl and 336 in the 1998 Super Bowl. My point is still the same they won those by running the ball.

The first one yes. And they are far from alone in that regard.

[Mitch Connors]

The first one yes. And they are far from alone in that regard.

Which was my issue with this thread. Belittle a poster because they say don't let a team run on us and try to make them pass. According to some people it's stupid and never works especially with a great Qb (thus the elway comparison who did exactly that).

[Stephen]

Stop the run and force manning to beat us with his weak arm is a good plan. I also think our defenders should get their hands up every play because manning passes can be tipped.

[BOTT]

Which was my issue with this thread. Belittle a poster because they say don't let a team run on us and try to make them pass. According to some people it's stupid and never works especially with a great Qb (thus the elway comparison who did exactly that).

Well, Davis ran for 2k that year, stopping the run was obviously paramount.

[SilentHill]

We just need to go back to the fundamental Manning defense... Keep Luck on the field for long TD drives.