Denver offense vs. New England defense

	BRONCOS OFFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	Run	17
	Pass	13
	Tot. Yds.	18
	Scoring	22
	Int's allowed	10
	Sacks allowed	9
	PATRIOTS DEFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	vs. Run	17
	vs. Pass	16
	Total yds. allowed	16
	No. of INTs	8
	No. of Sacks	20
	Turnover differential	-4

Ironically enough, QB Brian Griese's last two starts by default were exactly what the sophomore needed in order to grow within the system and gain the confidence of his teammates. Because he was not supposed to start in the last two contests, Griese played with a lot less pressure on his shoulders and was finally able to go out and perform the way he was originally intended.

Griese still makes some mental mistakes, but continues to cut down on them every week and has done a much better job of moving around in the pocket and knowing when to take the sack instead of throwing into coverage. Griese has also proven to defenses that he can go up top, which is forcing the safeties to back off and the linebackers to blitz with less frequency because of their responsibilities in coverage.

The Patriots, however, have been successful with their aggressive style on defense and will not change their philosophy because of one good game out of the Denver quarterback. The Patriots love having eight men close to the line of scrimmage for a couple of reasons, and they are able to because of the exceptional play from their cornerbacks, Ty Law and Steve Israel.

What defensive coordinator Steve Sidwell does is bring hard-hitting SS Lawyer Milloy up tight to generate more of a 4-4 look. Milloy becomes an extra linebacker, which allows Teddy Bruschi to move inside where he can help rookie MLB Andy Katzenmoyer against the run. Milloy has done an excellent job of stacking up around the line of scrimmage and taking away a lot of the cutback lanes where runners are now generating a lot of production. This 4-4 look also gives Sidwell an extra man to bring on the blitz in pass rush situations.

The key for the Broncos passing game will be to get the ball to TE Byron Chamberlain, forcing the Patriot linebackers into coverage. Chamberlain is not a fast tight end, like injured starter Shannon Sharpe, but he does have a knack for stretching the seam and shows excellent hands for his size. The more attention Chamberlain draws off the line of scrimmage, the less personnel New England can bring on the blitz.

Because Greise made some successful throws downfield and the Packers were forced to respect the passing game last week, Denver was finally able to open up some running lanes. Rookie Olandis Gary has taken over for the injured Terrell Davis and Derek Loville, and is taking advantage of his opportunity. Gary has run the ball hard, made some people miss and, more importantly for the Denver team, he has not fumbled. Gary is the type of runner that could have success against New England's defensive front.

The Patriots, because of their lack of depth on at defensive tackle and linebacker, have been wearing down late in games against teams that continue to run at them and are able to sustain drives and keep the defense on the field. Gary proved he can carry the load last week, running the ball 37 times for 124 yards against Green Bay. This is the type of effort that it is going to take in order to hang around in the 4th quarter at New England and have a shot of winning the game against a tired Patriot defense.

New England still claims to be confident about the future of its running attack because of the return of Kevin Faulk to the lineup and the fact that veteran Terry Allen is getting closer to being in game shape, but the problem lies deeper than just the condition of its running backs.

The team has rotated Max Lane, Zefross Moss, Heath Irwin and Todd Rucci for the last couple of weeks without finding an effective combination. By reshuffling the line each week, offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese is not allowing one unit to gel and get accustomed to playing together, resulting in way too many miscommunication errors and breakdowns in assignment.

Heading into Week 5, the Broncos ranked 28th in the league on run defense, but have mended some of their problems up front. Trevor Pryce and Alfred Williams have been extremely active on the right side of the line -- stunting and twisting to get each other better angles, and working as a twosome to confuse the left guard/tackle chemistry. Meanwhile, rookie MLB Al Wilson and veteran OLB Glenn Cadrez have been focusing on staying home and containing the opposing running back. Expect to see the Bronco linebackers more active on Sunday, rushing the passer, and trying to get in Drew Bledsoe's face to disrupt the timing of the Patriot passing game.

In the second half of last week's game versus the Dolphins, New England finally showed the tempo on offense that they should be using throughout the season. After a stagnant first half offensively, Pete Carroll decided to turn his offense loose and run more of a two-minute drill in the middle of the game. With the talent that New England has at the receiver and tight end positions, coupled with the fact that Bledsoe is one of the top two pure passers in the league, there is no reason to put the clamps on the passing game.

The Patriots are at their best offensively when they throw the ball 45-50 times a game with 3- and 4-receiver sets; TE Ben Coates coming off the line of scrimmage to work the middle of the field and one of its athletic backs out of the backfield working the flat area.

The Broncos are playing more aggressive against the pass and will do so on Sunday until Bledsoe proves he can consistently take advantage of the one-on-one matchups with pressure in his face. Defensive coordinator Greg Robinson is playing more single-man coverage on the outside receivers, allowing his linebackers and even SS Tyrone Braxton to concentrate on the blitz on passing downs. CB's Ray Crockett and Dale Carter have responded brilliantly in the last two games alone on an island, but will need some help in the deep third this week from FS Eric Brown against WR Terry Glenn.

The Broncos will match Carter up with Glenn and look to make this a physical matchup underneath, taking away the quick slant and out routes. Brown will cheat to the right side and give Carter help in the deep third if Glenn breaks free off the line. The key matchup in the equation will be front side, where Shawn Jefferson will have a honest man-to-man matchup against Crockett all afternoon.

Besides missing the potential game-winner against the Chiefs, Adam Vinatieri has been solid, connecting on 12-of-15, including two game-winning boots. P Lee Johnson has been outstanding for New England, making the Pats forget about the loss of Tom Tupa with an average of 44.4 yards per punt. New England needs to get better production out of its return units. Troy Brown is last in the league with a 7.6-yard punt return average, and Kevin Faulk is only averaging 22.9 yards per kickoff return.