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The seattle strategy
and Peyton Manning.w
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http://online.wsj.com/articles/the-problem-facing-peyton-manning-1415130924The Problem Facing Peyton Manning
The NFL Is Increasingly Built to Combat the Denver Broncos’ Attack
Kevin ClarkSince the Denver Broncos were destroyed in the Super Bowl nine months ago, they’ve been assembling a team to match up with the reigning champs, the Seattle Seahawks.
But at the same time, something else has been going on around the NFL: Everyone has been building a team to beat Peyton Manning.
In the constant personnel chess match that goes on among the NFL’s 32 front offices, this is the trend that has defined the past year. Manning, the Broncos’ record-setting quarterback, was neutralized in the Super Bowl by Seattle’s huge, hulking cornerbacks, who disrupted his receivers’ timing. The rest of the NFL—which has a long tradition of mimicking the Super Bowl champion—decided they needed some disruption of their own.
The spread of these monster defensive backs, and the fast-changing way defense is played in the NFL, is now the norm. And that’s bad news for Manning.
At first glance, it seems crazy to say that the deck is stacked against Manning. The Broncos are 6-2, they remain atop the AFC West division and Manning, 38, is in the midst of one of his best seasons statistically. But between the way that defenses are loading up on big defensive backs and how referees are calling the game, the general direction of the league this season doesn’t favor Manning. In a sense, the effects of the Broncos’ 43-8 Super Bowl loss are ongoing.This was obvious on Sunday, when the New England Patriots frustrated Manning and the Broncos, turning a much-anticipated showdown into a surprisingly lopsided 43-21 victory.
Under Manning, the Denver offense is based on precise timing and effective route-running. Defensively, there is one prescription: impeding the Broncos’ receivers at the line of scrimmage. Not every team is equipped to do it, but when it’s done right, Manning becomes mortal. Only one other time this season have the Broncos been held to so few points: their 26-20 overtime defeat in Week 3 to Seattle.
This isn’t an accident. The Patriots spent the off-season trying to emulate the Seahawks, going so far as to sign 6-foot-4 cornerback Brandon Browner, who was part of Seattle’s dominating defense last season until a substance-abuse suspension kept him out of the playoffs. Not surprisingly, he was the key to stopping Manning on Sunday. According to Pro Football Focus, a statistical tracking service, Manning had a 49.4 quarterback rating when throwing toward Browner.
The Broncos might have made the game more competitive, but they failed on four crucial fourth-down plays. The common thread in three of those: a physical cornerback disrupting the play.
“A team like [the Broncos], who have so many weapons and their passing game can get going…it’s big to try to throw off the timing,” said Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty.
The changing defenses have hurt Manning’s ability to run some of his signature plays. Manning threw an NFL-record 55 touchdown passes last season, in large part, thanks to a scheme known as a “pick” play, in which a receiver runs a route designed to knock an opposing defender off his course, rendering him unable to defend a second receiver.
Akeem Ayers’s second-quarter sack of Manning was one of several failed fourth-down attempts by the Broncos. ENLARGE
Akeem Ayers’s second-quarter sack of Manning was one of several failed fourth-down attempts by the Broncos. Steven SenneTeams noticed—the play became widely used. But referees noticed, too. NFL officials are on pace to call 125 offensive pass-interference calls this season. That would be a 64% increase from last season.
The play has a target on its back, and whether through coincidence or strategy, the Broncos’ production off that and similar plays has plummeted. Last season, Denver led the league in yards after catch. This season, the Broncos are 18th in that category, and only three teams have a fewer percentage of their receiving yards coming after the catch.
While there was an off-season rule change that favors offenses, Manning and the Broncos can’t really take advantage of that, either.
After the Seahawks were criticized last season for making too much contact with receivers downfield, the NFL announced a renewed emphasis on the illegal-contact penalty, which bars defenses from making significant contact with a receiver more than 5 yards downfield. But the Broncos throw most of their passes within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage, where such contact is allowed. Denver has been the beneficiary of only one illegal-contact call all season.
To be sure, Manning will almost certainly have another MVP-caliber season. The Broncos look like locks to win the AFC West—their top competition, the San Diego Chargers, came into the season with the shortest cornerbacks in the league.
But the league’s top teams seem to have found a way to stop Manning when it matters most. Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s masterstroke, according to New England players, was jamming Denver’s receivers at the line but playing enough zone coverage as to confuse Manning.
It was clear that Manning was discombobulated when the Patriots occasionally shifted to zone defense. His low point of the day was a dreadful second-quarter interception thrown to pass-rusher Rob Ninkovich, who had dropped back in coverage.
It was an awful day for Manning, but it could yet get worse.
Write to Kevin Clark at kevin.clark@wsj.com
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harold bonnikson
harold bonnikson 8 days agoHow about no more articles on Peyton Manning for awhile? The WSJ does at least one a week and it has gotten quite boring. For awhile they were doing an article a day on the Kansas City Royals too. They need to not get so pigeon-holed on subjects. How about a hiatus on Royals and Peyton Manning articles?
DAVID ROY
DAVID ROY 9 days agoNot often you have a quarterback throw for 438 yards – and it’s an awful day for him……..
JOHN DEBELLO
JOHN DEBELLO 9 days agoSo Kevin’s most recent column tabbed the use of tablet technology for creating unstoppable NFL offenses (Steelers), and today’s column celebrates defenses stopping the League’s best (apparently tablet-free) offense. Uh, sure, Kevin. And you get paid how much?
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