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Packers vs Broncos: Previews & Predictions
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<blockquote data-quote="TOPHAT" data-source="post: 179868" data-attributes="member: 781"><p><strong>THINGS TO WATCH</strong></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=679672" target="_blank">http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=679672</a></p><p></p><p><strong>Preview: Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>FIVE THINGS TO WATCH</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>LEE ON SPOT</strong>: If Denver's defense performs as it has in recent weeks, Donald Lee might be in for a big night. A week ago, the tight ends for the Pittsburgh Steelers combined for three TD passes. <strong>In fact, tight ends have been killing the Broncos for the past month. "Jim Bates has a problem in the secondary and his linebackers aren't very good this year," an offensive assistant for a recent Broncos' opponent said. "John Lynch is a good, tough player but he's lost a step. The other safety, Nick Ferguson, is only in his eighth year but he spent one year out of football and three years in Canada. So he's a 12-year guy. He gets beat. He's lost a step. If you match him up against a good tight end he can't cover him. And he will get killed against an average wide receiver.</strong>" As for cornerbacks Champ Bailey and Dre' Bly, the coach said: "Bailey may be the best in the league. Bly is more bark than bite. If he has 40 career interceptions (he has 35), he's given up 80 bad touchdowns. It's one thing to get beat. It's another thing to get beat because you're gambling. And he's a gambler."</p><p></p><p><strong>CHANGING STYLE</strong>: Bates, the Broncos' defensive coach, went against his tendencies last week against the Steelers by crowding the line of scrimmage and blitzing Ben Roethlisberger. "They would have sacked us at least seven times (the Broncos had four) but Ben was strong enough to get away from it," one of the Steelers' coaches said. "<strong>I don't see (Brett) Favre doing that. If their defense isn't going to come after you and give you time, hey, you can throw the ball against them. But if they stack eight or nine guys on the line and they blitz you and you're not breaking some big runs, they're pretty tough, especially at home. You've got to pop a big one to get them out of their eight- and nine-man front." Generally, Bates tries to stop the run with seven in the box while keeping his safeties in a four-across look about 10 to 11 yards deep.</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>TOP THREAT</strong>: Now that WR Javon Walker has been declared out for at least a month with a knee injury, the Broncos can go about their business. Actually, they had Walker for just three games this season. In his absence, second-year man Brandon Marshall has developed into a fine player. "I think Marshall right now might be playing better than Walker," one opposing assistant said. "He's the same type of kid that New Orleans got two years ago that nobody heard of (Marques Colston)." A defensive coach for another team called Marshall "a true deep threat." Said a third assistant: "He has really stepped up his game a lot. He came into the league probably 10 pounds heavier than what he is now. He worked really hard to get his body fat down and lean up. He's a tough player."</p><p></p><p><strong>AS HE GOES, THEY GO: Second-year QB Jay Cutler </strong>is coming off his best performance. "What hurt them early in the season was Cutler was not playing well," an opposing defensive coach said. "He had a lot of air under his balls. He was throwing behind receivers. Against Pittsburgh, he got rid of the ball. The strength of their team is three positions: the quarterback, the running backs and the tight ends. Their line can't block anybody. If they let Cutler take a five- or seven-step drop he'd be dead. So they put him in the gun and three steps to keep the rush from getting him." Said another coach: "He's right where you can expect a second-year player. He's a strong-armed kid that's got pretty decent vision. He will get a little bit of tunnel vision when you pressure him. But he's athletic and he gets dangerous when he's on the move."</p><p></p><p><strong>HURTING HENRY: RB Travis Henry suffered bruised ribs against the Steelers and remains iffy</strong>. "He's just like (Frank) Gore from San Francisco," an opposing defensive coach said. "He can stop on a dime and doesn't lose one step. He's one of the best backs in the league." Henry is averaging 4.6 per carry. "He would look good in a Green Bay Packers uniform," another assistant said. "He's a nice slashing running back. I think he's still trying to figure out his identity in this offense. It's a little different than Buffalo. The zone scheme is a patient running game. You've got to let your offensive linemen do their work. You've got to let them seal and cut off and basically create your seam for you to hit eventually. It's not going to happen at the snap of the ball."</p><p></p><p><strong>VIEWS OF THE GAME</strong></p><p></p><p>McGINN: <strong>The Broncos are an aging, beat-up team with at least five starters out, including some of their best players. The Packers should be energized from their bye, they have youth on their side and all their key players will be playing. Green Bay stubbed its toe in one night game but really shouldn't this time.</strong></p><p></p><p>NICKEL: Champ Bailey and Dre' Bly have something like 75 interceptions between them, Green Bay has never won in Denver and the Broncos had a spirited victory last week. And yet there's still something about the well-traveling Packers and their defense that gives them an edge tonight. Having forever and a day to prepare for this game also means Green Bay should win the battle of the worst rushing team in the NFL (Packers) against the worst rush defense in the NFL (Denver). Packers 24, Broncos 17.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="TOPHAT, post: 179868, member: 781"] [b]THINGS TO WATCH[/b] [url]http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=679672[/url] [b]Preview: Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos[/b] [b]FIVE THINGS TO WATCH[/b] [b]LEE ON SPOT[/b]: If Denver's defense performs as it has in recent weeks, Donald Lee might be in for a big night. A week ago, the tight ends for the Pittsburgh Steelers combined for three TD passes. [b]In fact, tight ends have been killing the Broncos for the past month. "Jim Bates has a problem in the secondary and his linebackers aren't very good this year," an offensive assistant for a recent Broncos' opponent said. "John Lynch is a good, tough player but he's lost a step. The other safety, Nick Ferguson, is only in his eighth year but he spent one year out of football and three years in Canada. So he's a 12-year guy. He gets beat. He's lost a step. If you match him up against a good tight end he can't cover him. And he will get killed against an average wide receiver.[/b]" As for cornerbacks Champ Bailey and Dre' Bly, the coach said: "Bailey may be the best in the league. Bly is more bark than bite. If he has 40 career interceptions (he has 35), he's given up 80 bad touchdowns. It's one thing to get beat. It's another thing to get beat because you're gambling. And he's a gambler." [b]CHANGING STYLE[/b]: Bates, the Broncos' defensive coach, went against his tendencies last week against the Steelers by crowding the line of scrimmage and blitzing Ben Roethlisberger. "They would have sacked us at least seven times (the Broncos had four) but Ben was strong enough to get away from it," one of the Steelers' coaches said. "[b]I don't see (Brett) Favre doing that. If their defense isn't going to come after you and give you time, hey, you can throw the ball against them. But if they stack eight or nine guys on the line and they blitz you and you're not breaking some big runs, they're pretty tough, especially at home. You've got to pop a big one to get them out of their eight- and nine-man front." Generally, Bates tries to stop the run with seven in the box while keeping his safeties in a four-across look about 10 to 11 yards deep.[/b] [b]TOP THREAT[/b]: Now that WR Javon Walker has been declared out for at least a month with a knee injury, the Broncos can go about their business. Actually, they had Walker for just three games this season. In his absence, second-year man Brandon Marshall has developed into a fine player. "I think Marshall right now might be playing better than Walker," one opposing assistant said. "He's the same type of kid that New Orleans got two years ago that nobody heard of (Marques Colston)." A defensive coach for another team called Marshall "a true deep threat." Said a third assistant: "He has really stepped up his game a lot. He came into the league probably 10 pounds heavier than what he is now. He worked really hard to get his body fat down and lean up. He's a tough player." [b]AS HE GOES, THEY GO: Second-year QB Jay Cutler [/b]is coming off his best performance. "What hurt them early in the season was Cutler was not playing well," an opposing defensive coach said. "He had a lot of air under his balls. He was throwing behind receivers. Against Pittsburgh, he got rid of the ball. The strength of their team is three positions: the quarterback, the running backs and the tight ends. Their line can't block anybody. If they let Cutler take a five- or seven-step drop he'd be dead. So they put him in the gun and three steps to keep the rush from getting him." Said another coach: "He's right where you can expect a second-year player. He's a strong-armed kid that's got pretty decent vision. He will get a little bit of tunnel vision when you pressure him. But he's athletic and he gets dangerous when he's on the move." [b]HURTING HENRY: RB Travis Henry suffered bruised ribs against the Steelers and remains iffy[/b]. "He's just like (Frank) Gore from San Francisco," an opposing defensive coach said. "He can stop on a dime and doesn't lose one step. He's one of the best backs in the league." Henry is averaging 4.6 per carry. "He would look good in a Green Bay Packers uniform," another assistant said. "He's a nice slashing running back. I think he's still trying to figure out his identity in this offense. It's a little different than Buffalo. The zone scheme is a patient running game. You've got to let your offensive linemen do their work. You've got to let them seal and cut off and basically create your seam for you to hit eventually. It's not going to happen at the snap of the ball." [b]VIEWS OF THE GAME[/b] McGINN: [b]The Broncos are an aging, beat-up team with at least five starters out, including some of their best players. The Packers should be energized from their bye, they have youth on their side and all their key players will be playing. Green Bay stubbed its toe in one night game but really shouldn't this time.[/b] NICKEL: Champ Bailey and Dre' Bly have something like 75 interceptions between them, Green Bay has never won in Denver and the Broncos had a spirited victory last week. And yet there's still something about the well-traveling Packers and their defense that gives them an edge tonight. Having forever and a day to prepare for this game also means Green Bay should win the battle of the worst rushing team in the NFL (Packers) against the worst rush defense in the NFL (Denver). Packers 24, Broncos 17. [/QUOTE]
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