Jones: Deck Stacked Against Denver, New England Built To Beat Broncos
BOSTON (CBS) -- With their offseason pickups of Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner, the New England Patriots built their team to beat the offensive attack of the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos meanwhile went out and built their team to beat the Seattle Seahawks, who embarrassed Manning and company in the Super Bowl.
With the NFL's preseason emphasis placed on illegal contact with wide receivers, there was some concern that the Patriots and other teams wouldn't be able to play a physical defense this season, and Manning would once again be the prime benefactor of a new rule.
But as Kevin Clark of The Wall Street Journal pointed out this week, the rules aren't having as big an impact, and when big corners are allowed to do their thing, it keeps Manning from having the success he's known for:
Under Manning, the Denver offense is based on precise timing and effective route-running. Defensively, there is one prescription: impeding the Broncos' receivers at the line of scrimmage. Not every team is equipped to do it, but when it's done right, Manning becomes mortal. Only one other time this season have the Broncos been held to so few points: their 26-20 overtime defeat in Week 3 to Seattle.
98.5 The Sports Hub's Adam Jones discussed this on Wednesday night, and isn't shedding any tears for Manning.
"I'm not crying a river for Peyton Manning; the guy has gotten every single break along the way from who his dad was to where he was drafted, to rules changing for him. He's gotten every single break imaginable in life, and he hasn't won as much as I think he could have. I'ts not like every break on the football field has gone his way, but most breaks in life has gone his way," said Jones.
"But now the rules aren't working in his favor, or at least not as much as we anticipated. I thought the Denver Broncos would thrive from these rules more than any other team in the league. What's nice, even with these new rules, a physical team -- a physical defense -- can still thrive in the NFL," he said.
While the Patriots have had their share of flags thrown for defensive holding, it really isn't impacting the game as much as many anticipated in the preseason.
"We're all used to how the game is officiated, but I love that Sunday was a referendum on that, and really, the first eight or nine weeks were a referendum on that. You can be physical, you can be tough, and you can throw around these receivers and still win in the NFL," said Jones. "That's one of the things 48-72 hours (after New England's win over Denver) you can take away from that game. You can still play physical."
Rich Keefe was quick to point out that while Manning and the Broncos didn't fare well in New England, they still have very little problems putting up points.
"It's not like we've seen a nose-dive in the Broncos' offense. There are three teams averaging over 30 points a game and Denver is one of them," said Keefe. "[Manning] is one pace for 48 touchdowns and 5,100 yards. He set a record last year with 55, and I still feel like they're the high-powered offense. Yeah, there are a couple of teams who can slow them down, but you also need that personnel. Every team can say they want to get really good corners, but there are probably 10 really good ones in the league, or 12 total."
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