High Octane Broncos Offense can Grind it out too

SUPER BOWL 

Who: Broncos (15-3) vs. Seahawks (15-3)
When: Sunday, Feb. 2, 6:30 p.m.
Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
Line: Broncos by 2
TV: Fox



ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — After hurrying Denver’s quick-strike, high-octane offense through a record-shattering regular season, Peyton Manning has turned the Broncos into a slow-grinding, clock-eating machine in the playoffs.

Denver’s three most time-consuming drives of the season have all come in the last two weeks, helping to render opposing passers short-tempered sideline spectators.

In dispatching the San Diego Chargers and the New England Patriots, Manning 'dinked and dunked' his way downfield.

“To keep Tom Brady on the sideline is a good thing,” Manning said after directing two epic drives in Denver’s 26-16 win in the AFC Championship.

Denver’s downshift, some of it by design, some due to circumstance, has thrown a new wrinkle into an already formidable test that Seattle’s stingy defense will have to prepare for in the Super Bowl.

After averaging seven plays, 65 yards and just over 3 minutes, 10 seconds on their 71 touchdown drives during the season, the Broncos have doubled the time to 6:23 in the postseason and the touchdown drives have averaged 12 plays and 79.4 yards.

With a wealth of receivers in Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, +Wes Welker and Julius Thomas and a rejuvenated running back in Knowshon Moreno, the Broncos are the first team in NFL history to sport five players who each caught 60 or more passes. Each member of this quintet also reached the end zone 10 or more times, something that’s never been done before.

Offensive coordinator Adam Gase capitalized on all that firepower, Denver’s altitude and Manning’s deciphering of defenses at the line of scrimmage to ramp up the Broncos to breakneck speed with a no-huddle offense that created mismatches in 2013 after taking over from the more conservative Mike McCoy following last year’s playoff upset.

The +Denver Broncos scored an NFL-record 606 points. Their 37.9-point average was the highest of the Super Bowl era and second only to the 1950 Los Angeles Rams, who averaged 38.8 points.

The Broncos could have beaten that mark, too, had Manning not sat out the second half at +Oakland Raiders in Week 17 after guiding Denver to a 31-0 halftime lead.

Taking away the three field goals backup Brock Osweiler led the Broncos to this season and Denver’s five return touchdowns, Manning’s offense accounted for 565 points in just over 453 minutes on the field.

AP Photo: Peyton Manning, Knowshon Moreno

Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno has carried

the ball 479 consecutive times, without a fumble

 That’s 1.25 points per minute. 

Scoring doesn’t come as easily in the playoffs, however.

The most prolific team before this season was the 2007 Patriots, who scored 589 points, an average of 36.8, in the regular season and then averaged just 22 in the postseason, losing the Super Bowl 17-14 to the New York Giants.

While the Broncos have scored on 10 of their 14 drives this postseason, not counting the two possessions that ended in victory formation, half of those have been field goals by Matt Prater after promising drives stalled at their opponents’ 27, 9, 17, 2 and 35.

In the regular season, they had 71 touchdown drives and 25 field goals.

That accounts for a lot of their dip to a 25-point scoring average in the playoffs.

Yet, they’re in greater control and their defense is better than it’s been all season, yielding just 17 and 16 points after allowing 24.93 points per game in the regular season.

Credit Manning for keeping the Broncos on the field for an average of 35 minutes, 35 seconds to his opponents’ 24:25.

Philip Rivers, whose +Chargers led the league in time of possession and had controlled the clock for more than 38 minutes in both of their regular-season matchups against Denver, watched helplessly as Manning converted 9 of 13 third downs in their divisional playoff game.

Manning had a tone-setting, 14-play, 86-yard touchdown drive that took 7:01 to start the scoring, then staved off San Diego’s furious fourth-quarter rally by converting two key third down passes to Julius Thomas to chew up the final four minutes.

“If we got it one more time, I believe deep down that we would’ve tied that thing up,” Rivers said after San Diego’s 24-17 loss. “Those are all a bunch of what ifs.”

Against +New England Patriots, Manning directed drives that lasted 7:01 and 7:08, covering 93 and 80 yards in 15 and 13 plays, respectively.

It was quite a change for the Broncos, who kicked off the NFL season against +Baltimore Ravens with a 24-yard touchdown that took all of 5 seconds, one of Manning’s record-tying seven that night.

Demaryius Thomas’ third-quarter TD Sunday capped a drive that took almost as long as those seven TD drives in the opener combined.

“Usually we score fast,” he said. “But we had a 13-play drive and I got to the sideline, that’s all everybody was talking about. I didn’t know. I just knew we scored.”
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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org
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Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton

© 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

A Few Signs in Mile High Calling Out Sherman :)

We's stop for a visit and grab an item if were in need.

Broncos Fans & Cr3w Members Will See a lot of This Guy the Next Two Weeks

Expect to be quite sick of this guy but very happy he will be on the mic and the focus of the looonngg wait for the Super Bowl and then it flies by the weekend of. Glad he portrayed 'on the field' unspoken rules on camera so Peyton and the Broncos can have a bit of the attention diverted. They've had it for 2 seasons now so it isn't anything they can handle, but it certainly doesn't hurt :D Thanks #ShermtheWorm!

+BRONCOS CR3W #HorseTrackPlaylist latest addition features +A Tribe Called Quest and one of their classic #AwardTour ! Theme for the +Super Bowl 48 Victory!

Manning Unanimous All-Pro, Makes 7th Team (AP)

UDATED JAN 3, 2014 2:08 PM ET

NEW YORK (AP)
Peyton Manning has responded to a lost season the way he reacted to all of his great seasons.

By having more great seasons.

Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team Friday. It was his seventh time as a first-teamer, tying Hall of Famer Otto Graham for the most by a quarterback.

The Denver star set NFL records this season with 55 touchdown passes and 5,477 yards through the air.

Peyton Manning (18), QB of the +Denver Broncos 

He was chosen on all 50 ballots from media members who regularly cover the NFL. Manning also was an All-Pro for Indianapolis in 2003, '04, '05, '08 and '09 and last season made it as a Bronco. He's been on the All-Pro team in both seasons since missing 2011 after several neck surgeries. 

"I think it's well documented that this is the second chapter of my career, and didn't know what to expect off that injury and new team, new players and new physical state after an injury," said Manning, a four-time league MVP who never missed a pro start before 2011. "So I had no idea what to expect, and I've put a lot of time and a lot of hard work in to it. But I've received a lot of help along the way from coaches and trainers and strength coaches and teammates. So I'm very grateful."

Manning still has a ways to go to set the record for most All-Pro appearances at any position. Among the players ahead of him is Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice with 10.

New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham and Indianapolis outside linebacker Robert Mathis each drew 49 votes. Philadelphia running back LeSean McCoy and Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman had 48.

Minnesota kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson was the only rookie on the squad.

Eighteen NFC players and nine from the AFC made the team. Carolina and Philadelphia each had three: linebacker Luke Kuechly, center Ryan Kalil and fullback Mike Tolbert for the Panthers; NFL rushing leader McCoy, guard Evan Mathis and tackle Jason Peters for the coach Chip Kelly's Eagles.

"Just when Chip came here, we knew we were going to run the ball," McCoy said. "The linemen, they've all been healthy this whole year. They've been blocking so well for me and without those guys, it's not possible."

Only two members of the top teams in each conference made the All-Pro team. Joining Manning from the Broncos (13-3) was guard Louis Vasquez. Joining Sherman from the Seahawks (13-3) was safety Earl Thomas.

"It is very special, especially in a special season," Sherman said. "If you're having a special season and your team has four wins or five wins, I'm sure it doesn't feel as good. But when your team is winning, your defense is No. 1 in every category and you're just contributing, you're not even trying to do anything special individually, you're just contributing to the entire group. It really feels special. And with the chance to do what we have a chance to do this year, it would be fantastic."

Unlike Sherman, many of the players chosen did not enjoy huge team success this season: 12 of the 27 failed to make the playoffs.

Rounding out the offense were receivers Calvin Johnson of Detroit and Josh Gordon of Cleveland; running back Jamaal Charles of Kansas City; and tackle Joe Thomas of Cleveland.

Other All-Pros on defense were ends J.J. Watt of Houston and Robert Quinn of St. Louis; tackles Gerald McCoy of Tampa Bay and Ndamukong Suh of Detroit; outside linebacker Lavonte David of Tampa Bay; inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman of San Francisco; cornerback Patrick Peterson of Arizona; and safety Eric Berry of Kansas City.

The special teamers were Patterson, kicker Justin Tucker of Baltimore and punter Johnny Hekker of St. Louis.

One of 15 first-time All-Pros, Kuechly was last season's Defensive Rookie of the Year.

"It's an individual award, but it's a representation of the team," he said. "You got to always remember that you have four guys in front of you. You got the other linebackers, the coaches and the DBs behind you that make everything possible."

Overall, 16 clubs were represented on the All-Pro team: Denver, Kansas City, Cleveland, Baltimore, Houston and Indianapolis in the AFC; Philadelphia, Carolina, Seattle, Detroit, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, New Orleans, Arizona, Minnesota and San Francisco in the NFC.