Tom Brady the ‘crybaby?’ Broncos defensive star speaks about Patriots quarterback

Brady and Manning will clash again when the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots face the No. 1 seed Denver Broncos in the AFC title game on Sunday (3:05) at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

Other former Alabama players cited in the ratings included New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram, the runner-up for most elusive runner; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones, the second runner-up for offensive player of the year; and Denver Broncos guard Evan Mathis, the second runner-up for best run blocker. Still, that doesn’t mean they can’t win on Sunday.

This sounds obvious, but it’s something the Patriots have to do.

On the other hand, it might be tougher to succeed with the passing attack on the road in Denver. Falling behind early will only result in the Broncos grounding and pounding the clock away, and Broncos fans will be louder than ever. It’s been a very well rounded team this season. Shortly thereafter, Belichick’s team mismanaged the clock and forced itself into a punt that was blocked and returned for a touchdown, opening the door for a stunning succession of plays that triggered a Philadelphia win. “Each game, key defensive players stepped it up, but you have to be a good team to win these playoff games and you have to win as a team”.

Peyton Manning in the playoffs for the fifth time in their glorious careers.

And they stumbled, lest there be any doubt, because their coach – who remains the greatest of his era and arguably the greatest in the history of the game – got careless, a little too loose, maybe even a little sloppy. Last week he led a comeback victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers with zero turnovers. “You never take it for granted”.

“It’s a big football game, and he’s played in a lot of them”, McDaniels said. You can’t let Manning sit comfortably in the pocket or he will pick you apart. It has been particularly hard this season to watch Manning, who is so accustomed to greatness, as he looks just about finished.

“A lot of quarterbacks don’t like pressure up the middle, so it’s one of those things that you just have to keep doing that we’ve been doing all year”, said defensive end Malik Jackson.

And it was ugly, but especially in the playoffs, a win is a win.

“In my experience over the years, yeah, the quickest way to the quarterback is an inside guy winning”, said Smith. That was something, wasn’t it? Kicking takes on added importance in Denver given how the ball carries further due to the air quality – meaning that offenses can attempt field goals from further out than they normally would at another stadium. They won’t be able to employ that one against the Broncos because the National Football League passed a rule against such actions during the offseason. It looks like Scott Chandler is going to play, which is big because he is a great blocker.

Von Miller led the charge in the regular season, corralling opposing quarterbacks 11 times behind the line of scrimmage.