Yahoo Sports: Broncos Team Report
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/teams/den/report
Broncos Team Report
Yahoo! Sports - Oct 13, 2:21 am EDT
Last year, the Denver Broncos allowed 41 points to the New England Patriots and it seemed like it could have been much more.
By this point, comparing last year's Broncos to this year's team isn't fair. The defense has undergone a startling transformation under new coordinator Mike Nolan, and the latest display was a second-half shutout of the Patriots on Sunday.
"They played well and made the plays when they needed to make them," New England quarterback Tom Brady said. "They really tightened down in the second half."
The Broncos allowed Brady to throw for only 63 yards after halftime. A big key was sending a few more blitzes at Brady in the second half and disrupting him. The Broncos aren't a heavy blitzing team but after watching Brady carve them up in the first half, they had to change the approach a bit.
Denver got pressure on him without allowing too many big plays. New England had only one 20-yard pass after halftime. The Broncos have allowed only seven points in the second halves of games this year, and for the third straight game they didn't allow an opponent to convert on third down after halftime. New England was 0-for-7 on third down conversions in the second half.
"You can't let any quarterback sit in the pocket and have his choice of receivers," Broncos safety Brian Dawkins said. "Coming out after halftime, we didn't have to say anything. The guys up front let us know they were going to go out and get him down the second half."
Reply With Quote
