Denver Broncos, 24 Carolina Panthers, 10
The last 10 years have been a golden age of passing offense for the NFL. The rules are tougher on an NFL Defense than they have ever been. Holding, targeting, launching, expanded definitions of interference and roughing- it is tough to be an elite defense now-a-days. The highlight reels of the 70s Steel Curtain, 1985 Bears, 2000 Ravens are filled with plays that today would be flagged as roughing the passer, hitting defenseless receiver, illegal contact, or simply personal fouls for unnecessary roughness. In this context, to see two elite defenses go toe-to-toe for 60 minutes of Super Bowl 50 was a real treat.
When you watch football live, you watch it for the big plays. Maybe this Super Bowl was short on the big highlights, but now that we know the result this game is worth a re-watch to appreciate what both defenses did all game. As the years go by, it's possible we may look back at this game as one of the greatest collections of defensive talent to play in a Super Bowl.
For the Panthers, 3-time 1st team All-Pro LB Luke Kuechly played one of his best games ever and still wasn't even the top LB in the game. CB Josh Norman shut down 100-catch man Demarious Thomas. LB Thomas Davis played every snap through a broken arm for 7 tackles. Backup DE Kony Ealy had 3 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble. DT Kawaan Short was impossible to block. The Panthers shut down Peyton Manning and RB C.J Anderson's hard running from the opening whistle to the final confetti. The Broncos managed only 11 first downs and 194 yards. So why wasn't the confetti blue and silver? Because the Broncos defense was even better.
For the Broncos, LB Von Miller played his 2nd-straight game of Lawrence Taylor-esque dominance. DE Malick Jackson and DE Derek Wolfe were an absolute force all game. The inside was clogged, the outside had DE DeMarcus Ware and Miller. There was nowhere to go. The Broncos forced 4 fumbles, recovered 3 of them, had 7 sacks and a crucial interception. The big names Ware and Miller combined for 4.5 sacks, but D-Coordinator Wade Phillips also brought blitzes from the secondary, CB Chris Harris Jr and S Darian Stewart each took part in the feeding frenzy.
2015 MVP QB Cam Newton still got a few plays in, he found a slicing WR Ted Ginn Jr for 45 yards, he hurled a deep ball to WR Philly Brown that S T.J Ward mis-played for 42 yards, Newton and WR Devin Funchess had two impressive over-the-middle 20-yard connections. However, none of these plays were part of sustained drives. The Broncos pass rush was simply too furious, Newton landed a punch or two but was no match against the onslaught. As I talked about in my preview blog, the Panthers line needed all the resources they could commit to contain DEs Derrick Wolfe and Malick Jackson and move the ball against under-rated LBs Danny Trevathan and Brandon Marshall. As as result of that devotion of manpower to the middle, they couldn't consistently double-team Ware and Miller on the outside, All 7 sacks were a product of inevitability. It was just a matter of time.
QB Peyton Manning didnt have a Manning day, more of a Dilfer day, but he deserved this. For all the mediocre, subpar or injury-depleted defenses he dragged to the playoffs over the last 18 years, Peyton Manning deserved a 2001 Tom Brady type Super Bowl. His career has now taken a remarkable ark, the 200-win 2-time Super Bowl Champion. The man with the repuation for playoff losses and "choking" in big games is the only QB to win a Super Bowl with two different teams. Add in the All-Time Records for passing yardage and TDs and it's safe to say Peyton's career is now complete.
KEY PLAY: The score was 16-7 with 5:57 remaining in the 3rd quarter, the Panthers driving towards the red zone, Cam Newton overshot Ted Ginn Jr into the waiting arms of S T.J Ward. Ward has been the Tasmanian devil of this defense full of energy but unpredictable. In this case, he couldn't find his footing but was stubbornly determined to run it back. Predictably, the ensuing hit caused a fumble that LB Danny Trevathan, at a full sprint, recovered at the 10 yard line. That fumble was the break the Panthers needed, and it didn't bounce their way.
MVP: Von Miller sped around RT Mike Remmers to force the fumble that bounced into the end zone for the first Touchdown of Super Bowl 50. Von Miller bulled through Remmers to force the fumble the sealed the game with 4 minutes remaining. Two perfect bookends to a dominating performance.
Monday, February 8, 2016
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
The Denver Defense
The Panthers convincing playoff victories are fresh in everyone's minds. They are currently favored by 6 in Vegas and soon Cam Newton will win MVP. I'm here for the 2nd time in 3 years to tell you, the Defense is being overlooked.
It was only two years ago that Peyton dragged a decimated Denver Defense into the Super Bowl only to be blown out by a Seahawks Defense that everyone knew was "really good" but didn't know the extent until the actual game. It's happening again only this time Peyton is being dragged by a Defense that everyone knows is "really good'. Why will the Denver Defense became great on Sunday?
#1 - 100-tackle men MLB Brandon Marshall and MLB Danny Trevathan are having their career years in the middle of this Denver Defense. They are smart, quick and powerful against the run and work well together. Their relentlessness combines with the unexpectedly elite level of play from D-Linemen Derrick Wolfe and Malick Jackson. Wolfe and Jackson have been consistently bad match-ups for interior O-linemen- both have quick first steps, yet they are powerful enough to hold the middle. The offensive line can take no liberty, they must scheme and account for these four in the middle. Thus, they have less resources to devote to problem #2…
#2 - Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware. When you have elite talent on the field, it will shine through. Miller is becoming a superstar as we speak while Ware has been one of the best players in the NFL for a full decade. The Broncos move both around to find the best match-ups, usually on opposite ends of the formation. You've seen enough highlights to know what these guys can do in a 1-on-1 situation. However, if an offense devotes double teams to both Miller and Ware, then 2 key blockers are taken from the ongoing battle with Marshall, Trevathan, Wolfe and the muddy middle. This is not an easy puzzle to solve, this is why Denver's been so good on defense this year.
But there's more. We've seen excellent front 7's with match-up nightmeares before- they don't all win the Super Bowl. Why not? Even all-time great front 7's can be overcome through the air - yes, you're facing a tough pash rush, but a good QB (such as the reigning MVP Cam Newton can claim to be) could make quick enough decisions to hit his playmakers in space. The key to Denver's truly dominant defense, is that there's elite defensive talent within that space as well...
#3 - CB Aqib Talib, CB Chris Harris Jr and CB Brandon Roby. The Denver Broncos have 3 of the top corners in the league. They have allowed next to nothing to opposing WRs this season. It has been so utterly hopeless that teams have all but sacrificed their WRs as options (as the Patriots chose to target RB James White 18 times to Amendola & Edelman's 11 total targets)
#4 - S T.J Ward. Another key piece to the Denver puzzle - the frentic play of S T.J Ward. He's the rapid fire support that comes in on the run and flys out into pass protection. In this modern day passing world of the NFL, the Safety has become more and more important. T.J Ward is having a great year, the Broncos have elite pass-rushers, elite run-stoppers, elite corners- all of whom don't need help from T.J Ward. Ward is free to do what he does best, find the ball and make things happen.
#5 - Wade Phillips. It's been a long and befuddling road for Wade Phillips who has is most remembered for his blank expressions during his Buffalo and Dallas head coaching tenures. But he's still a top shelf Defensive Coordinator. He doesn't have a fancy scheme that he forces on his players, Phillips is taking this personnel and maximizing it.
-miles.
It was only two years ago that Peyton dragged a decimated Denver Defense into the Super Bowl only to be blown out by a Seahawks Defense that everyone knew was "really good" but didn't know the extent until the actual game. It's happening again only this time Peyton is being dragged by a Defense that everyone knows is "really good'. Why will the Denver Defense became great on Sunday?
#1 - 100-tackle men MLB Brandon Marshall and MLB Danny Trevathan are having their career years in the middle of this Denver Defense. They are smart, quick and powerful against the run and work well together. Their relentlessness combines with the unexpectedly elite level of play from D-Linemen Derrick Wolfe and Malick Jackson. Wolfe and Jackson have been consistently bad match-ups for interior O-linemen- both have quick first steps, yet they are powerful enough to hold the middle. The offensive line can take no liberty, they must scheme and account for these four in the middle. Thus, they have less resources to devote to problem #2…
#2 - Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware. When you have elite talent on the field, it will shine through. Miller is becoming a superstar as we speak while Ware has been one of the best players in the NFL for a full decade. The Broncos move both around to find the best match-ups, usually on opposite ends of the formation. You've seen enough highlights to know what these guys can do in a 1-on-1 situation. However, if an offense devotes double teams to both Miller and Ware, then 2 key blockers are taken from the ongoing battle with Marshall, Trevathan, Wolfe and the muddy middle. This is not an easy puzzle to solve, this is why Denver's been so good on defense this year.
But there's more. We've seen excellent front 7's with match-up nightmeares before- they don't all win the Super Bowl. Why not? Even all-time great front 7's can be overcome through the air - yes, you're facing a tough pash rush, but a good QB (such as the reigning MVP Cam Newton can claim to be) could make quick enough decisions to hit his playmakers in space. The key to Denver's truly dominant defense, is that there's elite defensive talent within that space as well...
#3 - CB Aqib Talib, CB Chris Harris Jr and CB Brandon Roby. The Denver Broncos have 3 of the top corners in the league. They have allowed next to nothing to opposing WRs this season. It has been so utterly hopeless that teams have all but sacrificed their WRs as options (as the Patriots chose to target RB James White 18 times to Amendola & Edelman's 11 total targets)
#4 - S T.J Ward. Another key piece to the Denver puzzle - the frentic play of S T.J Ward. He's the rapid fire support that comes in on the run and flys out into pass protection. In this modern day passing world of the NFL, the Safety has become more and more important. T.J Ward is having a great year, the Broncos have elite pass-rushers, elite run-stoppers, elite corners- all of whom don't need help from T.J Ward. Ward is free to do what he does best, find the ball and make things happen.
#5 - Wade Phillips. It's been a long and befuddling road for Wade Phillips who has is most remembered for his blank expressions during his Buffalo and Dallas head coaching tenures. But he's still a top shelf Defensive Coordinator. He doesn't have a fancy scheme that he forces on his players, Phillips is taking this personnel and maximizing it.
-miles.
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