This week, Chris Hall of DenverBroncos.com discussed the Broncos’ upcoming playoff opener against Baltimore with Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway in the latest installment of Elway Access.
The Broncos finished the season on an 11-game winning streak for a 13-3 record and the No. 1 seed in the AFC going into the playoffs. It was a year that ranked among the best regular seasons in franchise history, but those accomplishments will mean little if they are not followed by a strong postseason run. The players’ incentive for all their hard work throughout the year boils down to what happens over the next few weeks.
“Playoff football is exciting, that’s what you play for,” Elway said. “That’s what you start working out in March for and go through training camp to get in the position that we are right now.”
One of the biggest factors in the team’s success has been quarterback Peyton Manning’s record-setting regular season. With that portion of the year complete, Elway said that looking back, he’s been thrilled to see Manning perform so well after missing 2011 due to injury.
“No. 1, I’m happy for Peyton Manning, with the career that he’s had in the NFL and what he’s done for this game, for him to be able to bounce back like he has, I’m happy for him that he’s reached the level that he has again,” Elway said. “He’s pretty close to the Peyton of old. No. 2, I’m thrilled for us, the Broncos, the fact that he’s playing that well because we’re back in that No. 1 seed, back as one of the elite teams in this league. We’re able to go out and start the playoffs this week and compete for a Super Bowl championship. That’s why we play the game and why we work at this game.”
Denver is set for a rematch with the Ravens Saturday at 2:30 p.m. MST at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. In the first meeting of the season between the teams, the Broncos led 31-3 entering the fourth quarter and defeated Baltimore by a final score of 34-17. A key difference going into Saturday’s game is the health of the Ravens defense, which has welcomed back a trio of key contributors who were injured and inactive in Week 15.
“They’re a lot healthier now than they were when we played them,” Elway said. “(Linebacker) Ray Lewis was down, (Dannell) Ellerbe, their other inside linebacker, was down. So they were really banged up the last time we played them. They’re going to be at full strength, or close to full strength, this time.”
The return of those players has made one of Baltimore’s strengths throughout the season – the team’s red-zone defense – even more formidable. The Ravens’ playoff-opening win over Indianapolis in the Wild Card Round was highlighted by a bend-but-don’t-break defensive effort that yielded 25 first downs and 419 yards of total offense but only nine points.
“One thing that they are, and you noticed it last week also, was the fact that down in the red zone, they’re as good as anybody in the league,” Elway said. “I think they’re top 5, if not the best red-zone defense in the league. Last week they gave up three field goals to Indianapolis even though Indianapolis had the ball for 37 minutes. That’s why it’s going to be important for us to not only be good between the 20s, but when you get down in the red zone, we have to get it into the end zone.”
Another significant difference between Saturday’s game and the Week 15 matchup in Baltimore is the venue. Denver will have the advantage of playing in front of a home crowd that helped the Broncos win seven of their eight home games during the regular season.
“It will be great that we’re playing at Sports Authority Field at Mile High with the fans behind us,” Elway said. “It will bring back that great playoff atmosphere, which is great for the fans. We’ve played better at home. We did a better job this year, we’re 7-1 at home. We’re comfortable there and the fans have been great the whole year. But this is a different atmosphere and they’re going to be a big part of it, especially when (the Ravens are) on offense.”
Tags: Elway Access, Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway
LMAO@LBF…………….man that is cool! as Hell!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I Wanna Be Somebody, Be Somebody Too!!
blind in texas!!
The Last Command!!!!!!!!!
WASP kicks so much ass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lets Party!!
Headless children!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ya they really, really, put on a good show too!
Speaking of metal, And Ravens week, yall remember the band Raven?
Trail of tears!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cocaine Cowboys!!!!!!!!
Ballcrusher!!!!!!!!!!!!
And Wasp is from my old neck of the woods, Orange County Calif.
yeah I remember them somewhat strand……
ya the gallaghers! my brother liked them i think. i never did really
They are a 3 piece band from Britton. They were so crazy in concert, they were insured by Llods of London. The Drummer Broke is arm in concert one night. They were psyco!
strand…….lbf….I miss you guys………I am still the Denver Broncos #1 fan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ya strand one of em got hurt pretty bad a few years ago. they werent even playing last i heard but i really dont know
ya strand i sure miss chatting with my bronco friends! its hard to even bring up the broncos in saints land without getting into an argument. they dont wanna hear about nothing but the dang aints round here!!!
once i’ve slowed down in biz and stuff i’ll get back on. imma take it easier this spring so ill be a regular on here again for the draft.
i wish cat was on here, i miss talkin broncos with her too!!
Hey lbf…you got more issues than that bro……..I think 3 outta the 4 starting DLinemen for LSU are declaring for the draft…sorry bro!!!!!!
LBF, No worries dude, business before pleasure. You have a job to do. I enjoy speaking with ya also.
I miss chatting with ALL my Bronco friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it’s been like 3 months dude!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah where is tlc???????????
Cat may be on later. She knows her football!
She’s around Tennessee! Believe me, Ticat will be stoked that your on!
Hey Cat………………….I may not be here long……..you better get on here girl!!!!!!!!!!!!lol!
She’s like the #2 PFM fan behind me,lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“Hurry, Hurry!”
Less than 24 hours before the Ray Lewis retirement party ‘kickoff’, live from Mile High. Featuring Peyton Manning and his Orange Barrel Re-Route. Special guest appearances by Von, Champ, Elvis, Miles, Thunder and 76,000+ screaming Broncomaniacs… GO BRONCOS!!!
United In Orange
I know her sister lives in Nashville,but I live like 50 miles from Peyton Manning Way…(a street)……WHOOOAHH!!!!
Teneessee, your in denial! LOL! Ticats #1 love is Peyton Masnning. Your #2 bro! LMAO!!!!!
And Ray Ray will be sing the blues! NOBODY KNOWS MY SORROWS!! HeHe!!
Hey Hey sndvl……………we are ready for the Ray Lewis retirement party bro,the Broncos will be the last team to put him DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know where you’re coming from dude!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lol Strand. I gotta agree though. Ive seen some of here tweets about PFM….Only people who love him more than her is his family. Lol
Ray Lewis retirement party. I like that! Ends where it began lol
Eddie Lacy Stepfan Taylor and Montee Ball are my 3 favorite back!
strand,I been following PFM since he played at UT……..starting in 1995……….to now 2013…….18 years bro!..lol.
*backs lol
Hey AB………..Lacey or Ball…..are my choices!!!!!!!!!!!
The wayward man returns, nice to hear from ya Tbroncof. Cat is on twitter so much she doesn’t check in as often.
All in fun AB!
But WTF do I know Arien Foster was average at Tennessee,and then excellerates in the zone blocking offense of the Texans!!!!!
I’m here!!!!
Hey whaaasssuuuuuppppppppppp wolfe????????
FACT: Despite his accomplishments on the field, Lewis’ public image was tarnished following a Super Bowl party on January 31, 2000. Following this party, he was brought into the Atlanta Police Department for questioning, then arrested (along with his friends Reginald Oakley and Joseph Sweeting) and charged with the murders of Jacinth Baker and Richard Lollar. Baker and Lollar were stabbed to death outside a nightclub during a fight in the Buckhead district of Atlanta. The charges resulted in Lewis being held in custody, preventing him from playing in the Pro Bowl in Hawaii the following Sunday. Lewis then posted bail and was scheduled for a spring trial.
The trial of Lewis and his co-defendants started during the following spring. After the prosecution had presented its case, with little or no evidence that Lewis had committed any overt acts against the victims, Lewis’s attorney arranged with prosecutors to dismiss the murder charges and let Lewis plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice[20]; he also agreed to testify against Oakley and Sweeting, who were each charged with murder. Lewis accepted this plea bargain, and he was sentenced to one year of unsupervised, unrestricted probation. He was also offered expungement of this record if he successfully completed his probation, and was not suspended by the NFL. He was fined a league record US$250,000.
I, personally, get tired of the conspiracy theorist that surround any event, they get to speak without any evidence even thought the situation was reviewed in court. This is no lawyer loop hole / buy-out situation!!!!
Hey #2 PFM fan….lol.
Lacy was a monster vs ND.
Nice to hear from you tbroncof
I hear ya Teneessee! And thats something to be proud of, after all your a Vols fan, I sure know that!
Someone keyed in to let her know that Wild Man was on the blog. LOL
I’m just nervous as heck so I haven’t been around. DB doesn’t need to know how scared I about tomorrow.