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Sam Adams' Open Mic: Defensive mauling a treat

By Sam Adams, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published January 5, 2009 at 2:24 p.m.
Updated January 5, 2009 at 2:24 p.m.

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Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington is sacked by the Baltimore Ravens' Terrell Suggs on Sunday.

Jeffrey M. Boan/Associated Press

Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington is sacked by the Baltimore Ravens' Terrell Suggs on Sunday.

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Offense wins games. But watching the Baltimore Ravens play defense on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins sure was fun.

Wasn’t it?

What, you didn’t enjoy seeing guys like Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Bart Scott, Ed Reed and Trevor Pryce maul and mug quarterback Chad Pennington and the Dolphins offense?

The visiting Ravens intercepted Pennington four times in Sunday’s 27-9 AFC wild-card game win. The Broncos finished the year with six interceptions — tied at third lowest in NFL history for a 16-game season.

Soon we’ll find out if a Steve Spagnuolo, Raheem Morris, Josh McDaniels, Rick Dennison or whoever gets Denver’s head coaching job can implement a more aggressive, intimidating, blood-smelling, fear-ringing, predatorlike, point-prevention scheme of defense.

Is it as simple as a new coaching staff converting the current group of players, or can the Broncos be savvy enough to draft immediate impact players?

Or will the Broncos have to spend in free agency — and do they have the money if a hefty sum is required to assemble new parts needed to repair the defense?

Until those questions are answered, keep watching the playoffs. More defense is on the way. ...

Last week, I was reminded that Dolphins coach Tony Sparano was head coach at New Haven (Conn.) in 1998. His team lost 51-0 to Northern Colorado in the Division II championship game. ...

Would it have been fun to watch a playoff game played in the cold and snow at Invesco Field at Mile High on Saturday night? Or would the cold weather (like that 17-degree chill for the home finale) have kept Bronco Fan seated inside by the fireplace? ...

Nine wild-card teams have reached the Super Bowl. Five — including the 1997 Broncos — have won it. Could this be the first year we see a Super Bowl played between two wild-card teams? Sunday’s winners — Baltimore and Philadelphia — would have to meet. Wild-card teams have won two of the past three titles.

Click here to join the discussion on Sam Adams' blog.

Comments

  • January 6, 2009

    12:50 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    liesandpropaganda08 writes:

    Sam- You can open your eyes real wide. We get it.

    I never read your articles, but I just read this one and realized I wasn't missing anything. Oh yeah, I just left a comment so you have 1 now.

  • January 6, 2009

    4:02 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    liesandpropaganda08 writes:

    {8^I