Are You Ready for Some Football - Play Offs

[Ben Kenobi]

Pleased to see Flutie get to play again for the Chargers! That was a real treat. Might not see him play again if he retires this year.

As for the AFC, I think the Chargers can beat PIT and Indy can beat NE. Everyone seems to be stamping the Steelers ticket, but we'll see whether a rookie can make it to the Superbowl, given the competition.

As for Green Bay, it depends on how competitive the NFC is with Philly losing TO, and whether Atlanta can translate their record to the playoffs.

Certainly not out of the realm of possibility, since they were built for a Superbowl run this year to give Favre another chance.

[Frozzy]

Imran is right. Fans always sabotage polls. I remember being part of a war with the Buc fans to get Bob Sanders voted ROW over Michael Clayton.

[Frozzy]

Now, I wrote this for another site's forums, but I'll post it here for your enjoyment and critiquing. Hopefully you enjy. I also made a Packers/Vikings one if you want to see that one.

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Sunday, January 9th - RCA Dome, Indianapolis, IN

Prior Meeting - Indianapolis 14 - Denver 33

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Denver Broncos

Broncos' Offense

The Denver Broncos offense revolves around their running game from QB Jake Plummer, and their RB tandem of Tatem Bell, who brings quickness and pure speed to the backfield, and Reuben Droughns, a solid, dowhill runner who will produce consistent yardage. The latter two make their trade using a one cut and go running style, which usually works because consistent holes produced by the offensive line.

The Broncos offensive line is intentionally small because of the zone blocking scheme mastered by Mike Shanahan, and Atlanta Falcons Offensive Line Coach Alex Gibbs, who was with Denver until this year. This scheme relies upon quickness into the linebacking corps of the opposition, allowing a slashing runner like Tatem Bell to hit the hole at pace and gain quick yards, or a downhill runner such as Rueben Droughns to gain enough speed to bounce off any tacklers. Both runners are fine fits for this scheme.

One weakness to the zone blocking scheme is small, quick defensive linemen on the opposition. If the defensive line can get the faster first step than the offensive line, this leaves a double team on a small defensive tackle, and hence an offensive lineman who is not in the hole he should be. With the one cut and go running style all Denver backs have, this can potentially leave the MLB and the OLB unblocked as the offensive line do not have time to adjust, nor does the runner.

Denver only has one running play which is used on 90% of plays, which is all that is necessary in their style of offense. The key to the Denver running game is not fooling of second guessing the defense, but sheer quickness to the opposition. That gone, the Denever running game finds itself relying on big breaks, which a back like Reuben Droughns simply does not do. It will be interesting to see which back Denver goes with to try to negate Indianapolis' speed up front. One potential gameplan is to use Droughns to tire out the defense, put together a multi-play drive, and then later in the drive bring in Tatem Bell.



Jake Plummer vs. Colts front four

The key to the Denver passing game succeeding is getting Jake Plummer on the run, getting him in a rhythm and keeping the game off his shoulders. The Colts have quick defensive linemen who can keep up with Jake, and they need to keep him in the pocket to get him uncomfortable. A few early pressures or sacks will get Jake out of his depth, and he simply is not accurate in the pocket. If they can secure the outsides with their defensive linement, he will have to either step up and force the ball into zone coverage, or he will have to go down for the sack. Because he is short he needs to move around to see the passing lanes, and with young receivers around him who may not finish their routes, he will not play well if he is forced out of his style, and that leads to a mortal wound for this offense as we have seen in the past couple of months.

Spotlight on The Opposing Defense

The Colts, as well publicised, are based around a Cover 2 scheme. However this is misleading, as to begin a game, the Colts use an agressive Cover 3 scheme, which brings SS Mike Doss into the box to handle the opposing runner while CBs Jason David and Nick Harper fall into deep coverage along with FS Bob Sanders. This forces the running game of the opposition to face another defender, while it also allows the box defenders to disguise their coverage, sending blitzes or dropping into coverage. This has helped the Colts become the leaders in the league in takeaways and the up there in the leaders in sacks as they confuse and hurry QBs who throw it into the zone coverage. One of the reasons for the Colts defense's good play is their nickel defense. DE Raheem Brock moves into DT, and light-out pass rusher Robert Mathis comes into DE. This allows the Colts to generate a ferocious pass rush, and when athletic LBs such as Gary Brackett and Cato June are left in the middle, it allows them to pick off bad throws.



Droughns vs. Colts Defensive Line - Droughns should be able to have his way with Freeney and the Colts D-Line, who are not large enough to handle a bruising back like Droughns and an offensive lineman one-on-one with ease. However, as previously stated, the zone-blocking scheme will be going head to head with the quickest first steps in the league and a one-gap scheme which can make a zone-blocking scheme like Denver uses into a total disorganised mess up front, so the key for the D-Line is to either beat their man in a one on one situation. If the D-Line has to occupy the blockers will face in the running game, that leave Cato June and Rob Morris to deal with Droughns, and together they should be able to bring him down. However, Droughns yards after contact pose a problem there, so the key will be getting early contact and sheer speed in numbers on the ball carrier, otherwise Droughns will consistently get 3 or 4 yards a pop, which is enough to keep the Colts offense off the field, and move the chains.

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Indianapolis Colts

Colts Offense

The Colts offense is far from as complicated as the media and the average fan make it out to be. Only three plays are called in the huddle, two runs and one pass. However, Manning is rather a paranoid individual, and whenever he fears the TV has picked up one of his audibles, he'll call a huddle and change all three plays. Otherwise, they'll dictate the tempo to an extent that no other team in the league is close to. They'll grind it out and maintain a slow and steady drive, and when you substitue or get tired after a big play, they'll step right on the gas and force a timeout of a penalty. A lot of their success, though partly due to the sheer ability of their players, is in their flawless execution and their ability to make the situation as uncomfortable as possible for the opposing defense.

A lot of the offensive showings in the last 4 weeks should be disregarded. Though they have not performed particularly well, this should not be taken as the true measure of their ability, because their play selection has been awfully vanilla, running their playaction very few times a game, when their usual offensive playbook is littered with the plays. Therefore, they haven't been operating to the best of their ability, keeping their game very close to their chests indeed.

Personnel wise, they create many problems matchup wise. Slot WR Brandon Stokley has the flat-out pace to burn safeties and even athletic LBs, and hence force teams to change to a nickel defense, which opens up holes up the middle for Edgerrin James. Denver should not fall into the trap of underestimating his speed, otherwise Manning will have a field day against a secondary who he burned last year for an insane amount of yards.

Edgerrin James has the athletic ability and agility to run past linebackers and defensive linemen with ease, but often gaping holes are left by the Indianapolis offensive line, and James' ability to cut back can negate the Denver speed up front.

The Colts offensive line is one of the best in the league, and their pass protection has given up less than 3/4 of a sack a game. As Gregg Easterbrook of NFL.com put it, against Detroit "Indianapolis started two rookie guards, and no one on the Lions' defensive line even got close enough to ask for an autograph". One problem for the Colts offense has been self-destructing at pivotal moments in the game, such as false starts. The main culprit for this is Tarik Glenn, who has the bulk but incredible quickness and technique to bolster the left side, but mental blocks are his main problem.

Spotlight on the Opposing Defense

The Denver defense consists of a quick and agile linebacking corps, led by Al Wilson in the middle, and speed on the outside in D.J Williams, and Donnie Spragan. This agility will come in handy when they face Edgerrin James and the Colts stretch play. They also have quick linemen who can penetrate gaps easily



Colts Stretch Play vs. Denver Front Seven

This playwhich involves the entire offensive line shifting left or right, and eventually the disproportion in momentum should lead to a large hole being caused as the linemen do not push their opposing lineman at the same speeds. If there in no hole, however, the back bounces the ball to the outside and turns up field. Quick linebackers should be able to chase down Edgerrin as he turns upfield, but have they careful not to overpursue and leave open a hole for James to cut back into and turn upfield. James has the quickness to escape into the secondary if Denver do not clamp down on holes in the stretch play, and force him to the outside



Indianapolis Colts WRs vs. Denver secondary

Let's take a trip down memory lane to the Wildcard weekend a year ago, when Indianapolis torched the Denver secondary for 5 scores in one half. That Sunday barbecue at the RCA Dome led to the trade for Champ Bailey and the acquisition of John Lynch in the seconday from Tampa Bay. However, what is not good news for this secondary is that Champ Bailey has been awful lately, and Kenoy Kennedy has not helped him either with inconsistent help over the top. In addition, they will be relying on Kennedy to cover Stokley, and will simply not be able to match him for speed. If Denver double covers Marvin Harrison, they will be forced to leave Kennedy in over-the-top coverage on Harrison, which means a linebacker will be on Stokley which, as fast as the Denver linebackers are, cannot hope to match him after 5 yards. There simply is no depth in the Denver cornerbacks, so they will have to remain in a base defense for much of the game against the three-WR formation the Colts run. Another interesting point to watch for is if Dallas Clark sneaks out of the TE spot and become a 4th WR, stetching the Denver secondary far past its breaking point.



Indianapolis

Gilbert Gardner, LB, Shoulder
Marcus Pollard, TE, Ankle
Rick DeMulling, G, Ribs
Idrees Bashir, FS, Hamstring
Gary Brackett, LB, Thigh
Dallas Clark, TE, Head
Jason David, CB, Foot
Nick Harper, CB, Back
Robert Mathis, DE, Groin
Rob Morris, LB, Head
Brandon Stokley, WR, Foot

Denver

Triandos Luke, WR, Concussion
Trevor Pryce, DE, Back
Kyle Johnson, RB, Ankle
Dan Niel, G, Abdomen
Tatum Bell, RB, Shoulder
Sam Brandon, S, Ankle
Reuben Droughns, RB, Neck
Cooper Carlisle, G, Ankle
John Lynch, S, Thumb




Quite frankly, the Denver secondary has no hope of holding the Colts to under 30 points, and expect the Colts to mistake the RCA Dome carpet for the parking lot tailgate zone as they torch it yet again. They simply pose too many matchup problems for Denver to contend with. When you also take into account that Denver have a turnover differential of -9, as opposed to the Colts league leading +21, we get an idea of the difference consistency wise in these teams.The only hope Denver have is containing the Indianapolis defensive line, getting Jake Plummer on the move, getting Reuben Droughns 3 or 4 yards a pop, keeping Edgerrin James down, putting the Colts in 3rd and long, putting pressure on Manning, and hoping the Indy receivers drop some key balls.

It really is a lot to ask, isn't it?

Final Outcome: Indianapolis 38 - Denver 21

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Kalius
Imran is right. Fans always sabotage polls. I remember being part of a war with the Buc fans to get Bob Sanders voted ROW over Michael Clayton.

Bob Sanders? (Just checked out his stats, btw) That's classic

[Frozzy]

He had a good week IIRC. He's been injured for all but 4 weeks(Rehab from a foot stress fracture, and then sprained MCL vs. CHI)

[Frozzy]

That's right, 9 tackles and a INT returned for a TD in one half. Better than Claytons 80 yards and 1 TD.

[Tassadar500]

Show your Packers-Vikings one.

[Frozzy]

Okay. It's not as long and in-depth, but it is sufficient.

[Frozzy]

Sunday January 9th, 4:15pm - Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI

Prior Meeting - Green Bay 34 - Minnesota 31

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Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings' offense relies on a running back by committee, keeping players fresh, and utilising a vast array of pace. Michael Bennett is easily one of the fastest players in the league in the open field, whereas Moe Williams is a downhill, bruising back used in goal-line situations. Onterrio Smith and Mewelde Moore also often find themselves in the mix. However, this has been an ineffective force in recent weeks and has been left wanting on many occasions.

Due to this, the pressure is lumped on the backs of the passing game, and Daunte Culpepper. Randy Moss finds himself double covered in virtually all situations, and this has allowed Nate Burleson to sneak up and gain 1006 yards in the regular season. However, this too is not always an effective force, and is riddled with self destructions, and poor decision making on all parts of the offense.

One big part of the passing game often looked over is Jermain Wiggins, a young TE. With double and sometimes triple coverage on Moss, Wiggins suitibly finds himself in good matcups against smaller linebackers.

As previously stated though, a huge problem with the Vikings are they are far too streaky, and constantly kill themselves with dumb penalties and turnovers. Having said that, with such a potent offense like the Vikings you never know when they'll go mad on you, like Indianapolis in the playoffs last year after a dodgy few weeks, or Minnesota to begin the previous two years after appaling seasons to end. It'll be interesting to see what their attitude is when they come out against the Packers after being totally demolished by the Redskins defense last week, and whether they let off some steam that was bottled up from last week.



Minnesota Running Game vs. Packers Front Seven

As previously stated, the Minnesota running game has been awful lately, and they'll need to control the clock to rest their defense, who will be facing a competant running back in Ahman Green. As maligned as the Packers defense has been, their linebackers, and NT Grady Jackson, are key resons for Green Bay's resurgence from a dismal start to the year, and if they can force 3rd & long for the Vikings, they'll force Culpepper to either force it to Moss in double coverage, with Al Harris and Darren Sharper covering him, or pass to sub-par receivers in Burleson and Robinson.

Having said that, the way to beat the Packers is to negate the linebackers athleticism and run the ball right at them, which is something they don't do well with speed backs like Bennett, and to a lesser extent Onterrio Smith.

Eitherway, the Minnesota running game needs to get going to help out the inconsistent passing game, and get Culpepper some rhythm, and more importantly keep their defense on the sideline, resting while trying to contain Ahman Green. It's a plan the Vikings have needed to do in the past few weeks, but as we've seen, they simply haven't been able to get it done.

Spotlight on the Opposing Defense

The Green Bay Packers have swift linebackers headed by Nick Barnett in the middle, with Darren Sharper leading the secondary having been moved to SS in the off-season. They have on of the NFC North's best pass rushers, Kabeer Gbjama-Biamila on the defensive line, and a good run stopper in Grady Jackson



Daunte Culpepper vs. Packers secondary

The Green Bay Packers have been criticised indefinately for horrific play in their secondary since Week 3 when Manning torced them, and rightly so. Adding insult to injury, Minnesota has been able to have its way against the Packers, with Culpepper throwing 7 TDs this year against them. Culpepper has been able to get 416 yards in both meeting either without Moss or with Moss taken out of the game. The Packers are young and Al Harris is the only CB with a respectable amount of experience, and Ahmad Carroll has given up an incredulous amount of penalties this year. They've given up 33 TD passes. Yes, thirty-three. Darren Sharper is playing with a knee injury, and has done all year. Sharper hasn't been able to cover as much as he is expected to, and a healthy Sharper is neccessary to help out the young CBs. To add to their problems, they don't know whether to use man-to-man or zone as their base defense. Quite frankly, they're horrible at both.

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Green Bay Packers

The Packers' playcalling was taken over by Mike Sherman in Week 6, and since then the Packers have gone on an offensive tear, going 9-2 in that period of time. The receiving corps were deep to begin the year, and Javon Walker has had a monster year.

The offensive line is one of the best in the NFC, but Ahman Green has not matched last year's performance which led to him being arguable the third best NFL back behind Tomlinson and Holmes. The key to the game will be keeping the Vikings offense off the field, and they have the ability to really strangle the Vikings in the clock. They are the antagonist to the Vikings when it comes to clock control, having a solid run game, and facing a depleted rushing defense. They should be able to sustain long, methodical drives and with the Vikings not being able to do the same, they will be able to run play-action effectively and stretch a already sub-par secondary, which is now missing Corey Chavous.

Brett Favre has 7 TDs this year vs. the Vikings, with over over 250 yards in both encounters. Suffice it to say, they can move the ball on the ground and in the air if they need to. An interesting tidbit regarding Favre, is that around 80% of his INTs come in between the 40s.

Spotlight on the opposing defense

The Vikings have a young pass rusher in Kenechi Udeze who has helped out, young linebackers in Chris Claibornes and Henderson, however, Corey Chavous is done with a broken elbow. However, they have given up too many yards and hevn't been able to get their offense on the field enough to realise its potential.



Packers running game vs. Vikings linebackers.

We'll cut out the namby pamby hoity toity nonsense about it being young, etc. It's bad. It has been all year and is even worse now their linebacking corps, a "strength" to begin the year, resemble a marching division in the Somme, and defensive leader Corey Chavous is done. They allowed 450 yards in both contests versus the Packers, and they are horrible against the run in both contests, giving up 200 yards in Week 16. The linebackers have been awful against the run. They consistently line up incorrectly, and are a majority of the time out of position, especially on cutback plays like the Giants used to kill them. Don't get me wrong, Henderson and company are good. But they make mistakes early and force the offense to play catch-up, which means they can't keep themselves off the field for that long at all. The linebackers aren't bad talent wise, and being young they will make mistakes. Having said that, it's the playoffs, and really, they can't afford to have any mistakes.



Green Bay Packers

Mike Flanagan, C, Knee
Robert Ferguson, WR, Concussion
Paris Lenon, LB, Elbow
Hannibal Navies, LB, Shoulder
Javon Walker, WR, Head
Najeh Davenport, RB, Shoulder

Minnesota Vikings

Aaron Elling, K, Ankle
Ken Irving, CB, Achilles
Corey Chavous, S, Elbow
Kelly Campbell, WR, Shoulder
Terrence Shaw, CB, Ribs



I'll give you three stats which should tell you who will win this game. Vikings have 925 yards given up in two games versus the Packers. The Vikings are on a 1-4 streak. Since 2000 the Vikings are 2-20 on grass.

Final Score: Packers 31 - Vikings 20

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Kalius
Another interesting point to watch for is if Dallas Clark sneaks out of the TE spot and become a 4th WR, stetching the Denver secondary far past its breaking point.

Do they do that? I thought Clark goes in when they are in double TE formation. Do they send both TEs out? I always thought they just sent out one.

[Tassadar500]

You told it like it is.

[Kidlicious]

Indy may be good with 4 recievers, but they will never be able to go with 5 reciever formations. The're too dependent on play action.

[Kidlicious]

Actually you can do play action from 5 reciever formations, but I haven't seen it done.

[Frozzy]

Do they do that? I thought Clark goes in when they are in double TE formation. Do they send both TEs out? I always thought they just sent out one.

Indianapolis have, in the past, tried to catch teams in a base defense and send in Clark as opposed to Pollard as the TE in a 3 WR set. Then, Manning, reading the base defense, will motion Clark out to the slot left, and they'll change the play to a 4 receiver play and run from there.

They don't do it often, but that's because a) Teams have had the depth and/or linebackers athletic enough to keep up with Clark (who is exceptionally quick for a TE) or b) they've had the division sewn up so they haven't wanted to tip their hat. I'd expect to see it a lot this post season.

[pchang]

Kalius, you just need an editor to polish up the english and your posts would be worthy of any newspaper's sports section or sports oriented web site.