Tackling Brady

by Rodney A on Dec 17, 2011 7:55 PM MST

I interrupt your regularly scheduled broadcast for this breaking news report: The Denver Broncos go head-to-head tomorrow afternoon with Gisele Bundench's husband.

I'm no Tom Brady, and I'm no Tim Tebow, but as the consummate bachelor I generally find myself out and about on a Saturday Night - looking for my next yesterday. Not the case tonight. Split some wood for my uncle today, who's still nursing a bad back after an accident. Too late and too exhausted to get all fresh and clean to go out, so instead of Saturday Night Live after the game, I guess you get me instead.

In thinking of what to share and write about tonight, only one thing sticks out. Tackling Brady.

(Two sacks in a row? Wow. Cowboys still up, 14-0.)

DBroncs1414 and I each had a post earlier this week where we essentially named our keys to the game. It got heated a little on our back and forth, but I'd guess there are no apologies from either side. Personally, I learn nothing from someone that agrees with everything I say. I call that guy a 'yes man'. DBroncs is not one of them, and we differed on our approaches to tackling Brady. These exchanges help me learn, and I get more from these than from any kumbaya session where we all 'just get along'. So thanks to him. We don't all always have to hold hands in a circle and tell eachother how great we are. At the end of the day, we all know we're on the same side. Debate brings out the best of all of us. (Wow. Go Felix Jones on that breakaway run... Just give it to my fantasy player, Miles Austin, for the score. Please?) And to be clear, what I'm talking about here isn't to argue just to argue. I'm only saying that when you debate with a smart fan, you often end up looking up facts and challenging not only what he thinks he knows, but also what you think you know.

Anyway, this post isn't about him or me, but rather about what the discussion was about. How to tackle Brady.

(Urgh. Robinson got the TD, not Austin.)

My idea in tackling Brady is to rest on those that we've paid to do the job. With Elvis Dumervil being our highest paid player, and with Von Miller being the highest draft pick in Bronco history, I expect our defense to be able to lean on them to do their worst. With Champ Bailey being our second highest paid player, I expect him to shut down Wes Welker, er, at least as much as one man can shut down this Rudy Ruttiger of a receiver. Point being, I look at our team as a team that was built to stop a guy like Brady. Our primary pass rushers are good enough that they should be expected to handle this task. I don't care that Tom Brady doesn't get sacked much. I don't care that his O-Line is good-to-great. VonDoom are the best pass rushing duo in the leage right now. Bar none. Shouldn't we trust them to do their worst? And by that, I mean bitch-sack Brady a few times and make him hurt nearly every other time he takes three seconds or five steps.

I'm not sure who's right. Tom Brady has a higher passer rating when blitzed, than without the blitz. But Tom Brady with time equals trouble. Further, the book on Tom is that he likes to step forward in the pocket to buy time. And he's good at it. So maybe edge rushers alone aren't the answer?

Hog wash.

We have Batman and Robin on our team. And as I called out earlier in the week, the Bat Signal is being sent out in this game stronger than in any game we've ever seen. Brady needs pressured. Sure. Where DBroncs and I disagreed was how often we should blitz. To me, I say you blitz early and hit Brady early. Hit him hard. Make him feel the pain in a big way. Even if that costs a penalty or two - early on - hit him. And hit him hard. And use the blitz to do it.

But after that? Lay off. Brady's too smart for blitzing to be effective for long. Eventually, he's going to hit you where you ain't. He'll read the blitz and hit you where that blitz came from - where the coverage is weak. We need seven in coverage as often as possible. We need pressure to be created from our front-four.

Sure, blitz sometimes throughout the game. Sure, bring Von Miller in through the middle and keep moving him around. But Tom Brady is one of the smartest QBs in the league. If we need five and/or six to keep constant pressure, we're screwed, IMO. So my answer in how to tackle Brady is to absolutely bring the pain early on. Get him rattled. Make him uncomfortable. Hell, put him to sleep. But once we've established that we own his backfield, you need to lay off and keep seven in coverage. We need to be able to trust VonDoom to bring it. That's what they're here for.

Head, body, head. Once Brady realizes that the blitzes aren't coming as often, and once he starts getting more comfortable again. Then bring it again. Give him stretches without blitzing at all, followed by minimal minutes of bringing the house.

In sum, we can't outsmart Brady. Nor should we try, IMO. Get him rattled then only bring the blitzes when he starts to get unrattled - to remind him why he was rattled in the first place. After his first drive or two, we shouldn't need five and six rushers to keep him rattled consistently. We have Batman and Robin. And Tom Brady hasn't faced a duo like that all year long.

What I'd like to see in this game is one unnecessary roughness penalty on Von Miller early on. And I'd like to see 3.5 sacks between he and Doom. If we keep that pressure up all day, we'll have a pick or two. And yes, I know it's Tom Brady we're talking about. Seven in coverage is key.

There's no right and wrong here. At least not yet. I'd just like to hear other opinons on the subject. How do we tackle Brady? And look, I'm not just picking on one small point here. The plan for Tom and the execution thereof, is very likely to be the difference between a win and a loss. And a shoutout to DBroncs1414 one more time. Neither idea is dumb and neither is wrong. In fact, I won't even put a poll on this post. Debates bring out the best in us (even if it's in a bad way lol), and I'd like to keep it that way.

So what say you? Ultra agressive with the blitzing? Blitz a lot? Blitz a little? Wait, wait, i know... You'd rather be talking about tackling Gisele...

(It's halftime, so I'm posting without edit or re-read. So, sorry for the mistakes and whatnot. Maybe not my best, but hey, you'll forgive me. After all, we're on the same side:)

This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR

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Blitz early and often until they prove they can pick ot up or Tom can pick it apart.

Even then blitz some more but get exotic with it. Zone blitzes , Max blitzes, Safety Blitzes, Cheese blintzes…oops sorry getting hungry. I’m in the send 5 or 6 almost every play camp but be as unpredicttable as is possible. Make the mile high altitude and the mile high crowd be a factor. Sure Brady will get his but if we keep relentless pressure on throughout the game the line will tire as will Brady (probably not Gronk though). My thought is that if we keep the pressure on we may get some sacks as well as interceptions and he may still hit the big play, if we don’t he will almost surely drive methodically down the field and score.

"I wouldn't call it Tebow Time I'd call it Bronco Time"- Tim Tebow

by asinsoin on Dec 17, 2011 8:31 PM MST reply actions

Well, I call it Tebow Time... And I'd like to call it that in tomorrow's win ;D

I’m putting you in DBronc1414’s camp then. And like I said, no side is dumb, stupid or wrong.

There’s certainly a big school of thought that agrees with you. But again, I wouldn’t try to outsmart Brady by being ultra creative in sending blizes. I’d use that card for the rookies and the guys that have trouble with the blitz, but not Brady.

I like VonDoom. And I trust them. Maybe more than I should. ONly untold time tells that tale.
Thanks for the input!

Teams that want to bend it like Brady better be ready to get broken like Cassel. We hurt quarterbacks and we take picks to he house. It's what we do.

by Rodney A on Dec 17, 2011 9:59 PM MST up reply actions

I dont think you can outsmart him either Rodney

The key IMO is to decrease both the amount of time he has to read the D and the amount of time his receivers have to get open. Obviously you cant blitz every single play but giving Brady 2 to 3.5 seconds compared to 4 or 5 just makes sense to me.

"I wouldn't call it Tebow Time I'd call it Bronco Time"- Tim Tebow

by asinsoin on Dec 17, 2011 10:34 PM MST up reply actions

Agreed.

I think it comes down to me putting more stock into our two most elite players than most. I believe that VonDoom can by-and-large create that pressure by themselves. And if not, it’s because the Pats are keeping extra guys home to protect. Which in and of itself is a win.

Teams that want to bend it like Brady better be ready to get broken like Cassel. We hurt quarterbacks and we take picks to he house. It's what we do.

by Rodney A on Dec 17, 2011 10:40 PM MST up reply actions

Ah, blitzes on crackers with wine...

"What's better than 5 - 0?!?...[The whole locker room] 6 - 0"!!!
Head Coach John Fox in the locker room madness following a 13-10 victory over the Bears...

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by bfree2bronc on Dec 17, 2011 10:11 PM MST up reply actions

Dictate, not be dictated to....always my defensive mantra!

I say blitz until they handle it, back off, and hit em again…just like you said. M. Thomas Bunkley may play a bigger role in applying pressure than previous games. If we can manage some push up front Brady won’t be scenario! I see so much improvement with Tebow from week to week there is still the expectation he will blow someone up with the passing game. Let’s hope this is the one!

By the way, Rodney, you would make a damned good coach. Great insight into the deeper nuances of the game.

"Peace, a journey without distance to a place we have never left."

by BroncoCUbuffs on Dec 17, 2011 8:31 PM MST reply actions

Nice! Glad to hear someone agrees. Truly.

And since you’ve got two comments here… and no poll to judge by…. I’m gonna go ahead and pen that down as two points for me! lol

That’s key – that pressure up front that you talked about. And that was one of DBroncs’ key’s also, to be fair. He often went back to when the Jets beat them in the playoffs. My retort was essentially to say that we just don’t have the same tools. We don’t have those tools. Denver isn’t built, – not yet – to have a pocket collapsing presence in the middle. The only way you can create pressure from the middle, with our team, is to blitz. And even then, it’s not really pocket-collapsing like the Jets did, it’s more sheer penetration.

Von Miller gets moved all the time. Even Dumervil gets moved a lot. If the book on Brady is that he likes to step forward to avoid the rush, then ya, I’m all for us sending one of them through the middle instead of off the edge. And that goes double here considering they have a great LT, but they’re very shoddy in the middle.

Point for me always goes back to the number. Seven or six. How many do we want in coverage. Brady will pick us apart, IMO, if we continually blitz. No matter how well we try to disguise the coverage and where the blitz is coming from, it still leaves one less in coverage. Considering that a guy like Gronk essentially needs two to cover him, we need all that we can get out there.

So yeah, I say hit him hard and then back off until he starts to get his magic back. And then hit him hard and wait until he gets magic back. Rinse and repeat.

At the end of the day, I trust Batman and Robin to do the job that it takes most teams to use three or four. I trust ’em. And thank you, btw. I really appreciate seeing your comments on each of my posts. Thanks.

Teams that want to bend it like Brady better be ready to get broken like Cassel. We hurt quarterbacks and we take picks to he house. It's what we do.

by Rodney A on Dec 17, 2011 10:09 PM MST up reply actions

Geez, my fumble fingered typing sucks.

Should have been: “If we can manage to get some push up front Brady won’t be able to sit there and pick us apart. I like this scenario!”

"Peace, a journey without distance to a place we have never left."

by BroncoCUbuffs on Dec 17, 2011 8:34 PM MST reply actions

Your words carry much iron and thats exactly what the Broncos might do...

Let’s take the Pats vs Steelers as an example:

Tom Brady was held to 198 yards passing and the Steelers defense held them to 213 total net yards offense. Hard to believe when Brady has all the weapons he needs to dismantle any defense. But the Steelers don’t put just any defense on the field, they bring constant pressure from all sides just like the Broncos should do. It did help that the Steelers controlled the clock for nearly 40 minutes keeping Tom and his offense off the field.

Pittsburgh sacked him three times, held wide receiver Wes Welker – on pace for an NFL record for yards receiving in a season – to 39 yards on six receptions while limiting the Patriots to their fewest points since a 34-14 loss to Cleveland last year.

Pressure, pressure and more pressure plus solid coverage kept Tom’s receivers in check. Go Champ go! Did I mention that Deion Branch is out for this contest and Wes Welker was held to limited practice all week which might lead us to think that he is banged up. That makes no matter, Champ or whoever covers him has to be on their game.

I’m not sure if Tebow and his offense can do things Big Ben did, but who knows against a patch-quilt secondary…

Ben Roethlisberger picked apart the NFL’s worst defense and the Steelers rattled the nearly unflappable Brady in a 25-17 victory on Sunday, putting an end to the two-time MVP’s decade of dominance over the defending AFC champions.

Anytime you can stall a Brady drive that says something about the stout defensive play of the Steelers. The Broncos have been a stretch and bend but don’t break. In this game they might want to try to stop the run better than they have.

The Patriots punted four times, missed a field goal in the third quarter that would have drawn them within a touchdown and failed to recover an onside kick with just over 2 minutes remaining.

TE Rob Gronkowski is getting stronger each and every week and in this game he had a career day of receptions of 7 for 94 yards and no TDs. Tackling him at the point of the catch is paramount in defending this guy, something the Redskins failed at last week.

The Patriots punted four times, missed a field goal in the third quarter that would have drawn them within a touchdown and failed to recover an onside kick with just over 2 minutes remaining.

Pressuring Brady is the key but he has a cast of players who protect him pretty good, so the defense has to stunt to be successful. Just coming at Brady won’t do, like you said, he’s way to smart for that. Tebow and the offense have to keep the chains moving in the right direction and have a steady rthym throughout, they don’t want to get into a shooting match. It won’t work.

This game may mirror our last game against the Chargers where the defense rattled Rivers early and often just when it mattered. Out smarting Brady will lead to success…

"What's better than 5 - 0?!?...[The whole locker room] 6 - 0"!!!
Head Coach John Fox in the locker room madness following a 13-10 victory over the Bears...

Follow @bfree2bronc

by bfree2bronc on Dec 17, 2011 10:07 PM MST reply actions

Good stuff, as always

I’d say this defense of the Pats has a worse 2ndary than the Vikings. And we did well against them. The only point I might disagree on is that we need to stop the run better than they did. To me, I damn near say we should ignore it. I could use 150 words to qualify that statement to let you know I’m not literally saying to “ignore it”, but I just mean we shouldn’t respect it.

If the Patriots beat us with their run game, then they deserve to win this game. I say, bring the VonDoom phenomenon on every single potential pass play as if it’s a an absolutely certain pass play. If they burn us for rushing yards here and there, so be it. If that’s the case, they’ll be eating clock anyway, which is very un-Patriot lol

I’d treat them as a one-dimensional team. Play the pass. Play the pass. Play the pass. Hurt Brady every chance you get and leave 7 in coverage so that we can take advantage of his rushed throws. Even if they get four 1st downs in a row by running the ball…. I’d be shocked, but I’d still be OK with it.

Teams that want to bend it like Brady better be ready to get broken like Cassel. We hurt quarterbacks and we take picks to he house. It's what we do.

by Rodney A on Dec 17, 2011 10:18 PM MST up reply actions

I really didn't mean to stop...stop the run, I mean stop them when they do run which isn't much of a chore if they try a little...

The run offnese for the Patriots in that game was around 30% where tom threw 70% so there you go…One thing though, Woodhead didn’t play for some reason…

Where Big Ben had success in throwing against them was with short passes, screens, slants off the edge over the middle. Tebow has struggled in this area and with their defensive secondary banged up I could see a lot of 20 yard plus passes by Tebow to DT, Decker and Willis. I still don’t trust Eddie Royal and as it’s been I’d use him up on returns and 4 wideout groups only…

"What's better than 5 - 0?!?...[The whole locker room] 6 - 0"!!!
Head Coach John Fox in the locker room madness following a 13-10 victory over the Bears...

Follow @bfree2bronc

by bfree2bronc on Dec 17, 2011 10:37 PM MST up reply actions

Yep, you're right those intermediate throws are far from our specialties

You think Timmy’s going to come out slinging the rock, or do you think we’ll be conservative and run the ball early on?

I’ve said it before, but conventional wisdom dictates we play ‘Fox Ball’ – running a heckuva lot to keep that Pats offense off the field. I don’t agree. I think we’ve got to go to the air early.

Teams that want to bend it like Brady better be ready to get broken like Cassel. We hurt quarterbacks and we take picks to he house. It's what we do.

by Rodney A on Dec 17, 2011 10:43 PM MST up reply actions

Definitely Fox-Ball...I think thats here to stay, but that will loosen up those passing lanes as well.

Here’s hoping McGahee is 100%, because I doubt he was last week.

"What's better than 5 - 0?!?...[The whole locker room] 6 - 0"!!!
Head Coach John Fox in the locker room madness following a 13-10 victory over the Bears...

Follow @bfree2bronc

by bfree2bronc on Dec 17, 2011 10:46 PM MST up reply actions

I'm still undecided if it was more Willis, or if it was more the Bears doing it to him

Well, I’ll tell ya what…. I’m either going to be a genius, or I’m going to be incredibly stupid, cuz I think we’ve got to bunk conventional wisdom and throw the ball 40+ times, especially early.

Teams that want to bend it like Brady better be ready to get broken like Cassel. We hurt quarterbacks and we take picks to he house. It's what we do.

by Rodney A on Dec 17, 2011 10:49 PM MST up reply actions

Oh, and I've changed my initial 'on the fence' stance on this game

I do predict a victory.

Teams that want to bend it like Brady better be ready to get broken like Cassel. We hurt quarterbacks and we take picks to he house. It's what we do.

by Rodney A on Dec 17, 2011 10:19 PM MST reply actions

Man if we win this game the media will never leave poor Timmy alone...LOL

31-28 Denver…Oops, I said it….Dang.

"What's better than 5 - 0?!?...[The whole locker room] 6 - 0"!!!
Head Coach John Fox in the locker room madness following a 13-10 victory over the Bears...

Follow @bfree2bronc

by bfree2bronc on Dec 17, 2011 10:42 PM MST up reply actions

lmao

It’s OK…. Timmy’s got big shoulders to carry the weight.

Truly, though, win or lose, this game says a lot about our post-season aspirations. Win and we’re pretty much the team to beat in the AFC. (Although I still think we’d match up badly against both the Steelers and the Ravens.) Lose by a little, and we’re pretty much going to be a team that’s got a lot of potential but that might be too young and too new to really go far – to be expected. Lose by a lot, and well, it pretty much takes the wind from our sails. It means we’re probbly not gonna win much in the playoffs, if at all.

Teams that want to bend it like Brady better be ready to get broken like Cassel. We hurt quarterbacks and we take picks to he house. It's what we do.

by Rodney A on Dec 17, 2011 10:47 PM MST up reply actions

All in the gameplanning my man...

Remember coach Fox only lost to them by a field goal in the Super Bowl and I think our team is better than that one was. At least I hope so.

"What's better than 5 - 0?!?...[The whole locker room] 6 - 0"!!!
Head Coach John Fox in the locker room madness following a 13-10 victory over the Bears...

Follow @bfree2bronc

by bfree2bronc on Dec 17, 2011 10:53 PM MST up reply actions

BB's offensive game plan will likely dictate how much the Broncos blitz.

I’m expecting Brady and company to attack with quick draws, bubble screens and quick slants mixed in with their running game. Add a dose of Gronk and a plethora of quick slants…..in other words, they might try going no-huddle as well. All things this Pat offense does well. So, somehow, Brady has to go down hard and down a lot. Somehow our boys have to be very disruptive (obviously) to this expected O-plan. Pressure will be paramount! A couple of turnovers would be a difference maker especially if TT is effective all 4 qtrs and consistantly scores against a defense that is weaker than most we have seen this year! Just my opinion!

by Tim4Tebow on Dec 17, 2011 10:31 PM MST reply actions

I agree that they'll come out with quick timing throws

We’ll just need to knock off their timing. That comes down to hitting them at the line. You mentioned Gronk, and he’ll be a major thorn in our ass. But Gronk can’t catch if he’s constantly having to help their RT against Miller at the line. Like I said, the Pats have never seen an edge rusing duo like VonDoom. Not this year. Creating pressure early not only gets Brady to act un-Brady-like, but it also makes them go into a near max protection mode… which keeps Gronk home more than they’d like.

Teams that want to bend it like Brady better be ready to get broken like Cassel. We hurt quarterbacks and we take picks to he house. It's what we do.

by Rodney A on Dec 17, 2011 10:37 PM MST up reply actions

"un-Brady-like" is ambiguous to me.

I’ve never liked this guy! The Giants in their SB win over the Pats proved how punked-out Brady can get when the pressure hits him! I was certain I saw fear in his eyes in that game as he started screaming at his O-line (so, “un-Brady-like” is equal to ala Cutler, in my book) PUNKS! Sorry – don’t like either QB!! Anyways……I’m just hoping you’re right, Rodney and we manifest the “true Brady” via delivery of one powerful defensive rush all game long—-somehow?!?!?……eerrrr, however! Go Broncos!

by Tim4Tebow on Dec 17, 2011 10:48 PM MST reply actions

I hate Cutler

Somehow, saying that has sort of become like kicking a hungry orphan while he’s down on all fours picking up change for his next meal. To me, I hate Cutler. I always will. I’m still hugely disappointed that we weren’t able to sack him last week. I think Dumervil, especially, was probably looking forward to that.

Fans support a rocket-armed QB nearly unconditionally. I get it. We had it once. But the kid is just tough to like. After the trade, for about a year, I had a big blown up picture of him lamenated (so it wouldn’t break) and stiched into a pillow for me to throw footballs at. The hatred hasn’t changed.

I once had someone ask me – or maybe they were insinuating that the reason I hate him is because I’m jealous. Why wouldn’t I have let it go otherwise? I can tell you this: I don’t hate him because I want him back. He’s not the girl that got away. He’s the bitch that cheated on me and I’ll always look and hope that his life sucks. He was a baby. He was disloyal. And that to me is worse than worse. Guess that was a rant, but yeah, I hate that guy and I wish we were able to introduce him to VonDoom. Good riddance!

Teams that want to bend it like Brady better be ready to get broken like Cassel. We hurt quarterbacks and we take picks to he house. It's what we do.

by Rodney A on Dec 17, 2011 10:56 PM MST up reply actions

I just had the best laugh with that!!! ;D

Thanks, Rodney!

by Tim4Tebow on Dec 17, 2011 11:04 PM MST reply actions

I think getting pressure with the front 4 will be key.....

W-L record doesn't matter to me.... I just want to see a team on the rise at the end of the year!

by Broncotodd on Dec 18, 2011 7:18 AM MST reply actions

Get pressure up the middle. Thats the best way to rattle brady.

Outside is good and all, but the pats have had great success against pass rushers on the outside, and Brady seems to know how t evade outside pressure. But by all means, send VonDoom after him. Get after him as much as possible, but limit the blitzes. He dials up on those quickly. BUT the pats offense has been known to start out slow at first, but pick right up as well.

Put Champ on Welker. Best way to try and stop him. Try and scheme against both Herndo and Gronk, and win the one on one matchup on the #2 WR. Keep in mind the TEs can also split out wide and in the slot. And don’t forget about the RB getting in a few catches.

Get points up early, and force the pats to be one dimensional to the passing game. The Pats will try and balance out their offensive attack, so making them one dimensional in the passing game against your passing defense will be good for you (you don’t want a balanced pats offense. lol).

I’ll take 11 players with heart on the field over 11 guys with just talent. Talent is fleeting, it goes away over time. Heart is what drives you to be better. To push yourself beyond what you think your capabilities are. To show us that when you strive, all things are possible.- SMP

by Jack'sAxe on Dec 18, 2011 11:08 AM MST reply actions

1) Well the pats contained the rush on the outside very well for the majority of the game. Not very many pressure on Brady.

2) Guys focused on Gronk and Welker, and let our Herndo with one on one matchups as well as having our RBs make a few catches.

3) Started out fast, but the pats caught up, and the defense dialed in on denver’s offense. The pats went from just passing, to a balanced offensive gameplan with 28 rushes (just from RBs Ridley, BJGE, and Woody) for 122 yards. Woody and Ridley were especially good.

by Jack'sAxe on Dec 18, 2011 5:40 PM MST up reply actions

Yo, Jax

I was proven incredibly wrong. So pick me. Put me in coach…

Hindsight is always graeat. But we didn’t have it.

Get off the fence and then talk

I feel like the Broncos did what we thought they would. I feel like they laid off the bliz to kep seven in coverage, and the offense started early. Hindight, though? Shit happens. No battle plan survives contact with the enemy

Teams that want to bend it like Brady better be ready to get broken like Cassel. We hurt quarterbacks and we take picks to he house. It's what we do.

by Rodney A on Dec 18, 2011 11:16 PM MST up reply actions

0.o I was just relaying what I saw. Nothing more.

And what are you talking about hindsight? I didn’t use hindsight.

The pats are a tough team, and you guys are still ahead in the division (I’m a Raiders fan as well so obviously I’m rooting against ya. lol). And hey, I have been proven wrong before as well. I’m not going to attack ya for it (like I said was just relaying what I saw). We all make predictions, and most of us see something we didn’t expect to.

by Jack'sAxe on Dec 18, 2011 11:33 PM MST up reply actions