The last time the Broncos played the Giants, it was October of 2005.
It was my first month working at News 2 and we made the trip to New Jersey to cover the game. The Broncos went on to finish the regular season at 13-3 and advanced all the way to the AFC Championship Game, but on that day, the Giants, behind Eli Manning, rallied to defeat Denver with a fourth quarter scoring drive.
Prior to Sunday, the way that the "other Manning" (until yesterday) was treated and perceived, it seemed his last meaningful moment was that triumph over the Broncos.
We should all face it, all right, most of us, I'm exempting the Manning family here. As Tom Brady hit Randy Moss to put the Patriots up late in the fourth quarter, it seemed like quintessential Patriots, and set up what many thought would be quintessential Eli--and until Sunday, that meant not coming up big in the biggest of moments.
Broncos supporters knew better than that. They saw Manning hit Amani Toomer to defeat Denver in October of 2005 and last night hit Plaxico Burress in February of 2008.
That said, the question becomes, what can the Broncos learn from this?
I think two distinct ideas come to mind.
1) The defensive pressure the Broncos lacked, especially up front in 2007, more than anything made this team a relative afterthought. They had injuries, they had their share of controversy, but more than anything, it's more than fair to say, any pressure up front would have been a mitigating factor to offset their other problems. If you can pressure the opposing quarterback--any quarterback--even as one as cool and calm as Tom Brady, he will become rattled. The Broncos consistently failed to get pressure on the opposing quarterback, and partly due to that, they missed the playoffs. The Giants had an incredible defensive front and got pressure on Tony Romo, Brett Favre, and Brady--and they won it all.
2) In his fourth year, Eli Manning won the Super Bowl. In 2008, Jay Cutler will enter his third year in the NFL. You can win with a young quarterback, but as any Giants fan will tell you, even with Eli, you need defensive help. The Broncos have Cutler, but the question remains, do they have anything else?
-"Z"
