KICKOFF
TODAY: 6 p.m. at Invesco Field at Mile High.
BROADCAST: The preseason game will be televised on ABC (Channel 7) with Al Michaels (play-by-play), John Madden (color) and Lisa Guerrero (sideline). The radio broadcast will be on KOA (850 AM) with Dave Logan (play-by-play), Scott Hastings (color) and Alan Roach (sidelines). The radio pregame show, hosted by Mike Rice, begins at 4 p.m.
THE SERIES: Denver leads the preseason series 6-5, including a 5-4 edge at home. Indianapolis beat the Broncos 23-20 in overtime during the 2002 regular season.
KEY MATCHUP: Denver cornerback Lenny Walls vs. Indianapolis receiver Marvin Harrison. Walls, an undrafted free agent, has never started a regular season game. Harrison, arguably the best receiver in the game, is the only player in NFL history to have four consecutive 100-plus catch seasons.
UP NEXT: The Broncos host the Seattle Seahawks on Friday at Invesco Field (7 p.m., Channel 9).
TODAY: 6 p.m. at Invesco Field at Mile High.
BROADCAST: The preseason game will be televised on ABC (Channel 7) with Al Michaels (play-by-play), John Madden (color) and Lisa Guerrero (sideline). The radio broadcast will be on KOA (850 AM) with Dave Logan (play-by-play), Scott Hastings (color) and Alan Roach (sidelines). The radio pregame show, hosted by Mike Rice, begins at 4 p.m.
THE SERIES: Denver leads the preseason series 6-5, including a 5-4 edge at home. Indianapolis beat the Broncos 23-20 in overtime during the 2002 regular season.
KEY MATCHUP: Denver cornerback Lenny Walls vs. Indianapolis receiver Marvin Harrison. Walls, an undrafted free agent, has never started a regular season game. Harrison, arguably the best receiver in the game, is the only player in NFL history to have four consecutive 100-plus catch seasons.
UP NEXT: The Broncos host the Seattle Seahawks on Friday at Invesco Field (7 p.m., Channel 9).
At some point in the preseason, a team must check to see where it is. Historically the second to last preseason game is the weekend. If a team plays four preseason games, the first two are used as an opportunity to use a lot of players and to get the backups some reps. Then the third is a chance to play your starters into the third quarter to gauge where your team is. This also allows the team the chance to make adjustments at halftime. Of course this plan is negated if your starters are banged up because there's no reason to risk their health for a preseason game.
It's perfect the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos are matched up against each other Monday night (ABC, 8 p.m. ET) for several reasons. They both have offenses capable of scoring a lot of points and they also have exceptional talent at the quarterback, running back and wide receiver position. When Edgerrin James is healthy and running well, he is very dangerous and has to be respected, once they run play action to him, a team must react or he'll burn them. The other side of the coin is if they overreact, then Peyton Manning will hurt you through the air.
The Colts like to use two tight ends a great deal. Two years ago they had Ken Dilger and Marcus Pollard and now they have first round pick Dallas Clark. The Colts realize they need other receivers to compliment Marvin Harrison. Obviously Harrison is going to catch more balls than anyone else, and he will always be Manning's go to guy, but a secondary receiver is needed to prevent the other guys from making plays.
Indianapolis is making some moves in their offensive line, switching some of the players into other positions. When you have a top quarterback, protection has to be at the top of your priority list.
Defense is also an area the Colts need to improve. Tony Dungy came in as the head coach with a heavy emphasis on defense and used the same defense the Tampa Bay Buccaneers created and the St. Louis Rams use. But they just don't have the players. One player they have is defensive end Dwight Freeney, a first round draft pick in 2002 out of Syracuse. Towards the end of last year he played well and after watching him in preseason it's obvious he's going to be a good player. Chad Bratzke is coming back and he will play some defensive tackle and some defensive end. I think they have a good scheme on defense, they just need some more good players.
The biggest question concerning the Broncos is how will Jake Plummer adapt to coach Mike Shanahan and offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak's system. I' sure he'l play well, because he has good players around him. Running back Clinton Portis is a heckova back, he has good moves in the hole and good speed. As a rookie last year they didn't throw to him much, but this year he'll be thrown more screen passes. The Broncos have very good, reliable outside receivers in Rod Smith, Ed McCaffrey and second year pro Ashley Lelie challenging for playing time. Tight end Shannon Sharpe, a 14-year veteran, is back and looks like he still has some gas in the tank. One of Plummer's problems in Arizona was he felt he had to shoulder the load by himself. He shouldn't have that problem in this offense.
But this season may dictate on how the defense will play. They have a new defensive coordinator and a new defensive philosophy. They want the front four to be dominant, like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But with the exception of Trevor Price, they have no dominant players up front. The linebackers are solid, fast and good tacklers. The other question for the defense will be the defensive backs, cornerback Deltha O'Neal didn't have a great year last year and is fighting for a starting job on the defense with Lenny Walls and Kelly Herndon.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/madden/story?id=1602277
It's perfect the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos are matched up against each other Monday night (ABC, 8 p.m. ET) for several reasons. They both have offenses capable of scoring a lot of points and they also have exceptional talent at the quarterback, running back and wide receiver position. When Edgerrin James is healthy and running well, he is very dangerous and has to be respected, once they run play action to him, a team must react or he'll burn them. The other side of the coin is if they overreact, then Peyton Manning will hurt you through the air.
The Colts like to use two tight ends a great deal. Two years ago they had Ken Dilger and Marcus Pollard and now they have first round pick Dallas Clark. The Colts realize they need other receivers to compliment Marvin Harrison. Obviously Harrison is going to catch more balls than anyone else, and he will always be Manning's go to guy, but a secondary receiver is needed to prevent the other guys from making plays.
Indianapolis is making some moves in their offensive line, switching some of the players into other positions. When you have a top quarterback, protection has to be at the top of your priority list.
Defense is also an area the Colts need to improve. Tony Dungy came in as the head coach with a heavy emphasis on defense and used the same defense the Tampa Bay Buccaneers created and the St. Louis Rams use. But they just don't have the players. One player they have is defensive end Dwight Freeney, a first round draft pick in 2002 out of Syracuse. Towards the end of last year he played well and after watching him in preseason it's obvious he's going to be a good player. Chad Bratzke is coming back and he will play some defensive tackle and some defensive end. I think they have a good scheme on defense, they just need some more good players.
The biggest question concerning the Broncos is how will Jake Plummer adapt to coach Mike Shanahan and offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak's system. I' sure he'l play well, because he has good players around him. Running back Clinton Portis is a heckova back, he has good moves in the hole and good speed. As a rookie last year they didn't throw to him much, but this year he'll be thrown more screen passes. The Broncos have very good, reliable outside receivers in Rod Smith, Ed McCaffrey and second year pro Ashley Lelie challenging for playing time. Tight end Shannon Sharpe, a 14-year veteran, is back and looks like he still has some gas in the tank. One of Plummer's problems in Arizona was he felt he had to shoulder the load by himself. He shouldn't have that problem in this offense.
But this season may dictate on how the defense will play. They have a new defensive coordinator and a new defensive philosophy. They want the front four to be dominant, like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But with the exception of Trevor Price, they have no dominant players up front. The linebackers are solid, fast and good tacklers. The other question for the defense will be the defensive backs, cornerback Deltha O'Neal didn't have a great year last year and is fighting for a starting job on the defense with Lenny Walls and Kelly Herndon.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/madden/story?id=1602277
