Broncolts

[Fx Stryker]

I see your point. I don't even think Peyton ever had a D as bad as this years Pats D though. It was the worst in the AFC....switched places actually in the last week with the Packers when the Packers let the Lions wrack up the yards and points they did. Packers and Pats had the stud QBs all year but the horrible Ds.

Probably wishful thinking by many to have had a Packers/Pats SB. I thought one might get there but both....no way. No way would the two worst Ds in the league both make the SB.

They weren't as bad as perceived. They were still in the top half of the league. Which is around Peyton's average defense.

Edit: They gave up a lot of yards, worst, but didn't surrender points.

[supremecoltsfan300]

I see your point. I don't even think Peyton ever had a D as bad as this years Pats D though. It was the worst in the AFC....switched places actually in the last week with the Packers when the Packers let the Lions wrack up the yards and points they did. Packers and Pats had the stud QBs all year but the horrible Ds.

Probably wishful thinking by many to have had a Packers/Pats SB. I thought one might get there but both....no way. No way would the two worst Ds in the league both make the SB.

the stats were misleading though. while both defenses gave up yards they didnt give up a ton of points. the scoring defense was actually average. and the defenses would always make the key turnover to end the game. both teams were tops in generating turnovers.

[Jules]

They weren't as bad as perceived. They were still in the top half of the league. Which is around Peyton's average defense.

This Pats D IMO was simply awful.. They did get it together for the playoffs but they were playing Tebow and Flacco. I felt Eli was ripe to have a few moments vs. them. The Giants played better competition I felt in the NFC playoffs with the Packers and Niners; one being the biggest test offensively and one defensively.

The NFC IMO will probably win the SB again next year. They are the stronger conference and have been in recent years.

[Jules]

the stats were misleading though. while both defenses gave up yards they didnt give up a ton of points. the scoring defense was actually average. and the defenses would always make the key turnover to end the game. both teams were tops in generating turnovers.

The Pats probably faced a few above average/good/great etc. QBs this year. Ben....who they lost to. Eli twice......who they lose to. They always beat Rivers. When the Bills were hot they carved em up too.

The Packers actually got by some good QBs this year in Brees/Stafford etc. but they had to outscore them to do it.

Both the Pats and Packers Ds were dreadful and historically bad in the passing D. I feel they were both worse then some D's Peyton had. Turnovers are nice but you can't always rely on them vs. the good QBs.

Guys it's okay, Peyton can take some blame at SOME times. Gosh.......

[pacolts56]

Miami & Arizona don't have the cap room that Denver, KC ,Tennessee and Seattle have to bring Peyton Manning & The Castaways in. He might end up in either place but it will take more work to fit 18, 87 & 44 and/or others in at Mia/Ari.

FJC.... I don't know if the Dolphins can "cut and paste" the entire cast of departed Colts.... but I bet you Reggie would give them a "U" discount so him and Peyton could team up again.

I'm still thinking Miami on this but who knows?

[Malakai432]

What if the Broncos brought in all those guys and then Peyton has an arm issue two games into the season?

O that would suck for Denver but then they would just simply use Tebow lol.....

[supremecoltsfan300]

This Pats D IMO was simply awful.. They did get it together for the playoffs but they were playing Tebow and Flacco. I felt Eli was ripe to have a few moments vs. them. The Giants played better competition I felt in the NFC playoffs with the Packers and Niners; one being the biggest test offensively and one defensively.

The NFC IMO will probably win the SB again next year. They are the stronger conference and have been in recent years.

Imo, the afc has had the strongest best teams in the league, the colts pats and steelers. but the nfc over the last few years had had more top tier teams in their conference (like 5 or 6 really good teams)

[Jules]

Imo, the afc has had the strongest best teams in the league, the colts pats and steelers. but the nfc over the last few years had had more top tier teams in their conference (like 5 or 6 really good teams)

Not enough competition in the AFC lately to me. Some new blood has got to get going to make things interesting again.

The NFC team who has made it out of the NFC just has seemed more battle tested to me.

[supremecoltsfan300]

The Pats probably faced a few above average/good/great etc. QBs this year. Ben....who they lost to. Eli twice......who they lose to. They always beat Rivers. When the Bills were hot they carved em up too.

The Packers actually got by some good QBs this year in Brees/Stafford etc. but they had to outscore them to do it.

Both the Pats and Packers Ds were dreadful and historically bad in the passing D. I feel they were both worse then some D's Peyton had. Turnovers are nice but you can't always rely on them vs. the good QBs.

Guys it's okay, Peyton can take some blame at SOME times. Gosh.......

turnover are actualy a great stat. Teams that can cause a lot of turnovers usually do get them against the great qbs and usually they do go on to win the sb or at least get to it.

[supremecoltsfan300]

Not enough competition in the AFC lately to me. Some new blood has got to get going to make things interesting again.

The NFC team who has made it out of the NFC just has seemed more battle tested to me.

yea houston might become one of those teams as well as the ravens and cin.

[Jules]

turnover are actualy a great stat. Teams that can cause a lot of turnovers usually do get them against the great qbs and usually they do go on to win the sb or at least get to it.

Turnovers are great but it's nice if you get them and also can make stops without getting them too, like this years Niners. Living and dying by the turnover can be very dangerous. Like the Pats of the last two seasons. The Packers of this year. The Saints did it in 2009 though......

[supremecoltsfan300]

Turnovers are great but it's nice if you get them and also can make stops without getting them too, like this years Niners. Living and dying by the turnover can be very dangerous. Like the Pats of the last two seasons. The Packers of this year. The Saints did it in 2009 though......

packers did it last year too. turnovers helps at least get u to the sb, like it helped us in 09.

[supremecoltsfan300]

Let's end the manning and brady (and eli) thread now lol. back to the broncos (or colts west as we might call it).

[Jules]

packers did it last year too. turnovers helps at least get u to the sb, like it helped us in 09.

Yeah. They did.

Packers 2010 D was pretty underrated though. Like really underrated. They could make stops and get turnovers and limited yards/points....everything. Got sacks. I don't know what happened but it slowly became an enigma this year for thier fans. Maybe losing Nick Collins in the secondary was that big. Some of the young guys regressed back there as well. And Cullen Jenkins was a loss Packers fans feared for the d line and it might have been a big factor. They did have enough pass rush outside of Clay.

They have work to do for sure to improve that unit or I don't see them in the SB again soon.

[subvet]

1 game below freezing in 3 years.. Of course that doesn't mean that the next 3 years they don't have 10.

OK here is a hypothetical situation: lets say you are a 36 year old quarterback who gets hit by men weighing between 200 and 300 pounds and then thrown to the ground on an irregular basis. Then lets say you have a history of neck injury that bothers you more in the cold--a reasonable assumption as I have bad knees that hurt like crazy when I have to work outside. Finally assume you can work where you like, either a place where the temperature in December is 61-74 deg, or where it is 16-46 degrees. Assuming the pay and work conditions are similar, which would you choose?

Realistically it's either Miami or Arizona but I'm not Peyton Manning, I'm not an expert and I'm only discussing possibilities......

[FireJimCaldwell]

FJC.... I don't know if the Dolphins can "cut and paste" the entire cast of departed Colts.... but I bet you Reggie would give them a "U" discount so him and Peyton could team up again.

I'm still thinking Miami on this but who knows?

He might.... But this is also Reggie's last chance at a pay day.

OK here is a hypothetical situation: lets say you are a 36 year old quarterback who gets hit by men weighing between 200 and 300 pounds and then thrown to the ground on an irregular basis. Then lets say you have a history of neck injury that bothers you more in the cold--a reasonable assumption as I have bad knees that hurt like crazy when I have to work outside. Finally assume you can work where you like, either a place where the temperature in December is 61-74 deg, or where it is 16-46 degrees. Assuming the pay and work conditions are similar, which would you choose?

Realistically it's either Miami or Arizona but I'm not Peyton Manning, I'm not an expert and I'm only discussing possibilities......

I was surprised that on game days for the past 3 years KC was colder than Denver. I knew it wasn't going to be warm, but was surprised it was colder.

Arizona has the dome and Larry Fitzgerald and weak division. Outside of that it's a little lacking. Miami has warm weather, and some weapons but not much cap space to bring 87/44 along for the ride, if that is even in Manning's thought process.

I'd want to evaluate it longer than he has to evaluate it which is one reason I believe he wanted Irsay's decision sooner rather than later.

All things equal you take the dome/warmer weather but I'm not sure if all things are equal.

[Jules]

Might also be tougher to get to the SB from the NFC. In the AFC if you can win the West you put yourself in a position to battle teams like NE/Houston/Baltimore/Pittsburgh. Peyton has experience vs. all those teams. Of course a suprise team or two might be in the mix.

In the NFC he has lesser experience vs. all those squads. Niners/Saints/Packers/Lions/Giants/Eagles/Cowboys/Bears........

[chad72]

Turnovers are great but it's nice if you get them and also can make stops without getting them too, like this years Niners. Living and dying by the turnover can be very dangerous. Like the Pats of the last two seasons. The Packers of this year. The Saints did it in 2009 though......

Saints turned the turnovers into points in 2009, that is the key difference. Packers in 2010, 3 turnovers in SB, short field, 3 TDs for Rodgers in the SB. In NFCCG, B.J.Raji pick six for the 21-14 win on the road for the difference maker vs the Bears. 2008 - James Harrison made a pick six in the SB, Polamalu had a pick six in the AFCCG vs Flacco if I remember right. 2006 - Hayden made a pick six. The only game the Colts forced less than 2 turnovers, the AFCCG where we gave Brady 34 pts, out of which 7 was Peyton's pick six.

Turnovers are one thing, cashing in on them for TDs (either on D as a defensive TD or on O with a short field) makes a whole world of difference.

[subvet]

Might also be tougher to get to the SB from the NFC. In the AFC if you can win the West you put yourself in a position to battle teams like NE/Houston/Baltimore/Pittsburgh. Peyton has experience vs. all those teams. Of course a suprise team or two might be in the mix.

In the NFC he has lesser experience vs. all those squads. Niners/Saints/Packers/Lions/Giants/Eagles/Cowboys/Bears........

Playing a tougher schedule would prepare a team better for the ultimate game each year and we know how Peyton likes to prepare for every situation so the NFC West isn't at the same level as the AFC East--yet.

I see Miami just because it is the tougher road.

[chad72]

Guys it's okay, Peyton can take some blame at SOME times. Gosh.......

Yep, I agree. I do believe it is also the make up of our team offensively that fell flat vs elite Ds in the playoffs. One, we ran it only when we HAD to, and that made us predictable in the playoffs. Whether it was O or D, when it is a single elimination, "we do what we do, just do it better" does not work a lot of times. Lets give some credit to other teams that spend time on film too. I did not see us taking checkdowns to RBs till 2006, after the brutal 2005 loss.

To me, Peyton, as a playoff QB, actually got better after the Steelers loss. Just his ability to take what the D gave him, ability to roll out and throw, and staying patient with the run if the run game was working, did improve a bit after the 2005 loss. Unfortunately, the 2 games Peyton played real well and solid were against Charger teams that we matched up terribly against in 2007 & 2008. In 2009, I still believe that the only good passing team we beat was the Pats on a failed 4th & 2 and if the Jets had not taken down the Chargers, we would have lost to the Chargers again at home. The Saints showed us why we were vulnerable to good passing teams. For all the good pass D we played, Brady never had issues putting points on us all those years, IMO.

Scoring D is also misleading, IMO. If our ST put our D in a hole with bad coverage, there is only so much our D can do. Plus, if our D goes bend but don't break but allows an 8 minute drive for a FG, it is as devastating as taking 1 possession away from Peyton and the offense.

I read a stat that was telling - Peyton had 7.5% drives in playoffs start in opponent territory while Brady & Big Ben had 14.5% and 38.5% of the time, Manning started inside the 20 while it was 27.5% for Big Ben and 29% for Tom Brady.

http://www.pro-footb...om/blog/?p=8700

Yes, Peyton had his deficiencies but there were consistent breakdowns on D and ST that did not help his task. Peyton is not Superman, we may like to think he is but he is not Superman in the playoffs and he needs help just as any other QB. Think about this. From my recollection, Peyton might be the only QB among Brady, Brees, Rodgers, Big Ben, Eli to win 2 playoff games where his team gave up 30 plus points (the no punt 38-31 win vs Chiefs and the 38-34 win vs Patriots). I just felt Polian ignored the ST as an ugly stepchild, got the team so top heavy in salary that there was not enough left to fill the roster beyond a certain 25-30 out of the 53 with quality contributors. The same ST co-ordinator goes to Jacksonville and they have better numbers because they paid for better players like Osgood etc.

But I will say this about Aaron Rodgers, he is the best gunslinger I have seen in playoff football so far that takes enough chances but with his zip on the ball is hard to intercept and he keeps balling, even if he loses 45-51 at Arizona. He plays like a warm weather QB. His two worst outputs in the playoffs might have been the Giants game and the game in the NFCCG at the Bears, and to an extent the game vs the Eagles at Philly too. He is from California, like Mark Sanchez, there might be somethng to it. Put him in Arizona, Atlanta, Dallas (SB), his numbers were off the charts.

Brees also goes down swinging even in his playoff losses to Seahawks and 49ers recently. Those 2 QBs, they are wired differently. The game vs the Giants was the biggest egg I have seen Aaron Rodgers lay so far, we will see how things go in the future.

[MAC]

OK here is a hypothetical situation: lets say you are a 36 year old quarterback who gets hit by men weighing between 200 and 300 pounds and then thrown to the ground on an irregular basis. Then lets say you have a history of neck injury that bothers you more in the cold--a reasonable assumption as I have bad knees that hurt like crazy when I have to work outside. Finally assume you can work where you like, either a place where the temperature in December is 61-74 deg, or where it is 16-46 degrees. Assuming the pay and work conditions are similar, which would you choose?

Realistically it's either Miami or Arizona but I'm not Peyton Manning, I'm not an expert and I'm only discussing possibilities......

Your knees probably hurt from arthritis. Peyton doesn't have arthritis. Also I had the same surgery as Peyton, and I DO have some arthritic degeneration in my neck - but cold weather is of no consequence what-so-ever. Frankly I never even gave it a thought until seeing your comment.

I would think that he would prefer the warmer weather as well, but as has been mentioned a couple of times in this thread, Denver isn't as cold as most of us assume. And for all we know Peyton is relishing the chance to proof that he is more than a dome QB. It sounds like they have a lot of positives that the competition doesn't.

It is hard to anticipate what it would be like to be hit however - even with my neck issues. I get hit by a flying cat occasionally, but fortunately they are considerably smaller than what mentioned. Once the bleeding stops, it's usually not a problem.

[subvet]

Your knees probably hurt from arthritis. Peyton doesn't have arthritis. Also I had the same surgery as Peyton, and I DO have some arthritic degeneration in my neck - but cold weather is of no consequence what-so-ever. Frankly I never even gave it a thought until seeing your comment.

I would think that he would prefer the warmer weather as well, but as has been mentioned a couple of times in this thread, Denver isn't as cold as most of us assume. And for all we know Peyton is relishing the chance to proof that he is more than a dome QB. It sounds like they have a lot of positives that the competition doesn't.

It is hard to anticipate what it would be like to be hit however - even with my neck issues. I get hit by a flying cat occasionally, but fortunately they are considerably smaller than what mentioned. Once the bleeding stops, it's usually not a problem.

Well, you didn't dissect the age part of my hypothetical so can I assume you partially agree???

[MAC]

Well, you didn't dissect the age part of my hypothetical so can I assume you partially agree???

Reminds me of what they did to my neck. "disk-ect(tomy).

I have concerns about all of this, I'm just trying to find reasons why it might work, and to have a little fun (I do get hit by a LOT of flying cats, for what it's worth. It adds up after awhile).

A dome in a smallish city, in the AFC, in a weaker division would probably be best.

I know, how about the Indy! (Sigh).

[subvet]

Reminds me of what they did to my neck. "disk-ect(tomy).

I have concerns about all of this, I'm just trying to find reasons why it might work, and to have a little fun (I do get hit by a LOT of flying cats, for what it's worth. It adds up after awhile).

A dome in a smallish city, in the AFC, in a weaker division would probably be best.

I know, how about the Indy! (Sigh).

I was just kidding.....

[MAC]

I was just kidding.....

Oh I know, and I got a kick out of it - but I still wanted you to know that I really wasn't interested in refuting your points as much as seizing an opportunity to talk about my neck (and my cats) - something that I do at every conceivable opportunity.