With (Manning) it is every … single … thing. It’s cadence. It’s formations. It’s little adjustments he’ll have guys make in pass routes. A protection on an inside-the-20-yard-line play. The changes he’ll make on third down, or with play action. But it’s all within the context of their offense. And it’s not 50 different things. Maybe there’ll be five plays in a game that you’ll think, ‘I haven’t seen that before.’ Or: ‘I haven’t seen that in several weeks.’ But you know you’ve seen all the rest of it before, and somehow he’s still making it work.
Good read, Belichick’s respect for Manning is clear. No one knows the game better than Belichick and no one has a better appreciation of Peyton than he does.
Assuming the Broncos return most of their team from this year, even with or without Decker, you have to wonder what the Pats do this offseason, specifically with Peyton in mind. Interior pass rush and press corners are clearly what you need to have any chance.