2015 NFL Playoff thread

[dirk diggler]

as i stated before, he should have went with the team with the defense, but Peyton strikes me as a guy who while he wants to win, he wants to put up the gaudy numbers, going to San Fran, who was a strong running team who played defense and didnt have a lot of weapons might not have appealed to him because he wouldnt put up the big personal stats.... just my thought, could be way off base here.

[darklord700]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

I didn't catch the Broncos as much this season, what the jebus happened to that O and Manning?? They looked awful
[/SIZE]

His arm was shot. Maybe his last neck injury has something to do with it. This year all his long bombs look like ducks. Short throws were still OK thought.

I think he values his own stats more than team wins secretly. That's why there's such a big drop off between regular season and playoff performances.

[JonDuke]

Why can't people just wait a few more weeks before doing stuff like this?

[blender]

I've been a Broncos fan since they were getting regularly stomped in the Superbowl and an Elway fan as well. Was never a big Manning fan, but certainly respected his skills. When he came to the Broncos I thought if it gives them a chance to win it all fair enough. There was a window, which I think has closed. The team is bigger than the player, and it is time to turn the page.

As to the comments about the loss being on Manning or his legacy in general, I feel that even though the QB is front and center, the team has to win/lose as a unit including the coaches. Fox is a has-been (never-was?) who is consistently out-coached. The defense played way below their potential, the running game was nowhere near as effective as it should have been against one of the worst rush defenses around.
I would still give Brady (and Montana) the nod over Manning, but if he had Belicheck as a coach for his whole career, I'd bet he has more than one superbowl and is in the conversation for GOAT.
My .02.

Oh yeah. Full credit to the Colts.

[dirk diggler]

what impressed me about the colts was how their defense tackled for the most part, there wasnt a lot of YAC from the Broncos recievers.... i cant see them beating the Pats in foxboro though but stranger things have happened

[darklord700]

I wonder how much of this loss can be attributed to Indy having the book on Manning and knowing his strength and weaknessese inside and out.

[troutman]

On talk radio a point was made tonight - if Bryant extended the ball enough to break the plane it would have been a good TD.

Strange that a play that could result in a TD is not a catch?

[blender]

Originally Posted by darklord700

I wonder how much of this loss can be attributed to Indy having the book on Manning and knowing his strength and weakness inside and out.

Everyone knows how to beat Denver when Manning can't go downfield. Problem for Broncos was Fox isn't a good enough coach to come up with a game plan that accounts for this.

[Frequitude]

On the Bryant non-catch, it just doesn't seem that he's "going to the ground". It looks more like he controls it, takes a step or two (or three) then reaches for the goal line. That just doesn't seem like "going to the ground" to me.

Don't have a dog in this fight, so I don't care much either way. I just think they got it wrong.

[Red John]

7-1 so far against the spread. In hindsight there were a lot of warning signs that something was wrong with the Broncos this season and picking them to cover a touchdown was perhaps a homer pick. But the fact remains that they matched up really well against the Colts especially on the lines and this is where they somehow lost the game. They couldn't get to Luck which is weird given how bad his o-line is and that was the difference.

New England opens as a 7-point favourite and should cover easily over the Colts. Seattle will beat Green Bay but the spread seems too high at 7.5 - like the Packers to prevail on points there.

Some points on the Broncos game here as a huge Bronco fan.

-Actually kind of glad this loss happened. It'll actually make changes happen that have needed to happen. John Fox and his staff will be fired and it's a good thing.

-Del Rio can go be the Raiders coach anytime now. He has one of the best bump-n-run corners in the game in Talib and has him sitting in soft zone all season long. His 3-man rushes on 3rd and long always resulted in momentum-changing conversions by other teams.

-Gase is horribly overrated as a OC and if another team wants to hire him to be head coach it'll be laughable.

-Let Manning retire or move on. It's obvious that when the decline finally came it was going to be a sharp one. The guy still threw for 39 TDs this year but you could tell something was off. Arm strength just isn't there anymore and accuracy is diminishing.

-Throwing out the entire offensive playbook halfway through the season and starting from scratch wasn't wise. It's great to try and establish a running game but you don't start over halfway through the season. Manning never looked comfortable and never seemed to use his instincts like last season. Guy overthought everything. It's funny how getting exposed in the Super Bowl wasn't enough to try a new playbook in the offseason but losing to the Rams halfway through the next season was. Reminded me of the Flames in the Keenan era changing their entire defensive tactics after a 6-1 loss in San Jose. It's bizarre.

-If Peyton wants to stay you let him run his offense. That's it. If he goes and purchases the Titans as per rumours, then time to see what you have with Brock Osweiler and move for the future.

-Time to bring in some coaches who understand X's and O's. Fox was a real players coach and thats great but the guy gets outcoached regularly.

Oh and the Dez Bryant incomplete call was horse####.

[Sylvanfan]

Today is why Irsay made the move to let Manning, Polian and the whole old regime go. Colts did tackle well today, and thats why they are playing next week. I still think they are a bit turnover prone, but one great game and they could be in the Superbowl.

Green Bay needs Rogers calf to heal quick. He will need to be at full strength and be able to move and throw on the run if they want to hang with Seattle.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Heard the stat on Sportcenter that Manning now holds the record at 9 for most playoff one-and-done's. That pretty much sums up his legacy for me, definitely not the guy you want throwing the ball when everything is on the line

[Dion]

Inside Slant: Post-Dez Bryant, attempting to understand the point of the 'Process Rule'

There were surely some groans in the NFL office when Bryant momentarily lost control of the ball near the Packers' goal line with 4 minutes, 42 seconds remaining. The applicable rule -- known either as the "process rule" or the "Calvin Johnson rule," depending on how your team was affected -- almost always generates exasperation from players, coaches and fans. Quite simply, what appears to pass the "eye test" of a catch is superseded by a rule designed to provide officials with clarity in determining possession in such cases.

Here's how Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3, Item 1 reads:

"If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball throughout the process of contacting the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete."

When you review what happened on the fateful play at Lambeau Field, you see that Bryant leaped over Packers cornerback Sam Shields to grab a 31-yard pass from quarterback Tony Romo. Bryant took two steps toward the goal line as he stumbled to the ground.

After he landed on the ground at the Packers' 1-yard line, the ball moved as it contacted the ground. Bryant rolled over, regained control after it had touched the ground and stood up. As referee Gene Steratore saw during the ensuing challenge, the play precisely mirrored the rule. By definition, the ball touched the ground before Bryant regained control. With depressing clarity, the pass was incomplete by NFL rules.

Some would argue that Bryant satisfied the league's definition of a catch based on Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3 of the rule book. According to the wording of that Article, a catch occurs when a player has secured control of the ball in his hands, he is inbounds and he has maintained "control of the ball long enough … to enable him to perform any act common to the game."

In this case, Bryant took two steps and lunged toward the goal line. Why was this not an "act common to the game"? Because, by NFL rules, Bryant did it while going to the ground. He never established himself as "upright." Steratore, in Sunday's official pool report, said: "In our judgment, [Bryant] … continued to fall and never had another act common to the game."

If this sounds unnecessarily complicated, you're both right and wrong. It's complicated because it doesn't make intuitive sense. Anyone who saw Johnson grab the ball in 2010, put two feet on the ground, and simply leave the ball on the ground to celebrate a touchdown knows that. But the rule is in place, according to people who would know, to provide a standard and simple way for officials to rule on possession when players are going to the ground.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/po...e-process-rule

[Senator Clay Davis]

Since the QB market is so weak this year, even at his diminished level Peyton is still by far the best QB out there. I think Denver would take another run if he wanted to come back, but they'd have to invest in the running game and offensive line. If they actually committed to the the run yesterday they probably have a much, much better chance to win. Peyton Manning should not be throwing it 46 times at this time of year, really bad gameplan.

It's also worth remembering the Broncos dropped a lot of balls yesterday too in addition to Peyton's overthrows. Really no one on their team played well besides CJ Anderson. Even diminished Peyton is probably one of the top 6-8 QBs and the Broncos can't do better. Just really need better offensive gameplanning and a strong commitment to the running game.

[Hockeyguy15]

I would take Manning's noodle arm over Lindley any day!

[Senator Clay Davis]

Legit? Excuse making? You be the judge...

Adam SchefterVerified account
‏@AdamSchefter
Broncos QB Peyton Manning played Sunday’s Divisional Playoff loss and the past month of the season with a torn right quad, per two sources.

[Red John]

Explains a lot actually. He may be old but it was just too weird how he went from good to bad so quickly.

That said, if he comes back you let him run his offense his way and revamp the o-line. And coaches go no matter what.

If they trot out status quo next year it'll be infuriating. Have faith in Elway to do the right thing though.

[SuperMatt18]

That makes sense to me too.

It was like a switch flipped on his effectiveness overnight, a torn quad could explain that.

[Frequitude]

In this case, Bryant took two steps and lunged toward the goal line. Why was this not an "act common to the game"? Because, by NFL rules, Bryant did it while going to the ground. He never established himself as "upright." Steratore, in Sunday's official pool report, said: "In our judgment, [Bryant] … continued to fall and never had another act common to the game."

I can't argue with that. He did take two or three steps, but it was definitely on the way down. Good explanation.

[Cheerio]

Let's be realistic, Manning will be back for the Broncos next year and they'll be back in the playoffs again. The real question is whether Fox will be back