Last week, nobody gave the Broncos a chance to beat the Steelers. We're not exaggerating. Outside of immediate Tebow family members, everybody was riding the Steelers. It wasn't unreasonable -- Pittsburgh was 12-4, had a potent offense and the league's best defense.
But they were also wrecked with injuries and their best player, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, was hobbling around on an high-ankle sprain. That coupled with Tebow suddenly discovering the the effectiveness of the forward pass and the Broncos suddenly morphed into a offensive juggernaut. Or at the very least: a team capable of scoring in fewer than 15-play drives.
But aerial success may be fleeting for Denver, even as they prepare to face one of the league's worst defenses. The Patriots are relatively healthy, are coming off a bye and are playing at home. They also have Tom Brady, a Hall of Fame quarterback who continues to play like one of the NFL's best players even though he's been around for 12 seasons.
Which might explain that while Tebow just appears happy to still be playing, Brady has the laser-like focus of a grizzled veteran well aware that Super Bowls aren't a rite, even for an organization that won three in five years earlier this century. Chad Ochocinco, who is in his first year with the Patriots and is still looking for his first playoff win, was so worried about Brady that he asked teammates Deion Branch and Wes Welker. Details via Yahoo.com's Jason Cole:
“I was like, ‘Is Tom OK?’ You know, he’s intense, but this was like a whole new thing, man. They were like, ‘It’s that time of the year, you just have to understand,’ ” Ochocinco said. “I’ve been around a lot of really competitive people and I’ve had Carson Palmer and Jon Kitna as my quarterbacks. You know that quarterbacks are a little different. They have to act a little different because of the position. But Tom has taken that to a whole different level.”
Cole writes that a confluence of events has Brady on edge this time of year, the least of which is that the Patriots haven't won a postseason game since 2007. Cole offers this up as evidence of just how tight Brady is.
Put all of that together and perhaps you understand what makes Brady so edgy these days. On Tuesday, his weekly news conference was a study in terse focus. Brady had little time or energy for the questions or thoughts about anything but the challenge that Denver presents. Here’s a notable exchange:
Reporter: “I know you take losses very hard. How long did it take you to get over that Jets loss last year in the playoffs?
Brady: “I don’t know. I don’t remember.”
Reporter: “Has that been on your mind this season?”
Brady: “No. I haven’t thought about anything about last year or last week. I’m trying to think about today and talking to you guys and get done with this and then go back to work.”
And that's the thing: if Brady is on, the Broncos won't have a chance. Which explains why every analyst is again picking Denver to lose. And this time, the opposing quarterback is not only healthy, but has the singular focus of a million suns. If that sounds like an exaggeration … well, it isn't. Just ask Ochocinco.
