Before Sunday's matchup against the Colts, DenverBroncos.com caught up with CBS' Phil Simms about his early Broncos impressions, the challenges the Colts pose and underrated story lines.
Aric DiLalla:What did you see last week from the Broncos, and what are your early impressions of the team?Phil Simms:Well my early impressions are probably the exact same as they were last year when they won the Super Bowl. The defense is terrific. It's deep. You know, Trevor Siemian – I think he was every bit of what I thought he would be and more. The offense, I just loved the suddenness of it. A little faster, just getting up, letting some plays go. Hey, they played, if it's not the top teams in the NFL, it's one of the top three in the Carolina Panthers, so there's a lot of good. What I think impresses me too, the last thing, is they look hungry still. I don't know if that's because they're that driven or because there are so many good players on this team that you know that if you don't do your job, you might lose it. I think that has a lot to do with it, too.
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AD: This Indianapolis Colts team has been successful against the Broncos, and some say they've had the Broncos' number the last few years. What is it about this team that poses challenges for the Broncos?PS: **I'm not a big guy year-to-year … because so many things change in the NFL from one year to the next. I mean, just look at Denver. They won the Super Bowl and they're basically, in my eyes, running a brand new offense. They've got new offensive linemen, a new mentality. Indy, hey, they played their best game of the year without question against Denver last year, and Andrew Luck was ready to do whatever it took to win the game. We saw the price he paid. I don't know if they have their number, it's just come up [that] they've had some good breaks. Listen, there's no doubt about it, I'll say it first thing on the air, this is going to be tough for Indianapolis. A lot of people hurt. A lot of moving pieces. Coming here, another home game [for the Broncos] against a team that – I'm not going to say it's better than last year but it sure is every bit as good.
AD: What might be an underrated storyline for this weekend?PS:This game, it's not underrated, can Andrew Luck have time to throw the football down the field, because watching him play and watching what they do, it's like watching a team out of the '80s. Every play is John Elway at quarterback: a 20-yard throw, a 25-yard throw, 30 [yards]. I've never seen anything like it. That doesn't usually fit well against a Denver team that can rush so well. And on the other side, really I think the big question is the offensive line for Denver. A little new, working together, communication is truly a big thing with them. Can Indianapolis find a way to make Trevor Siemian throw the ball before he's ready? If some of those things don't happen, it's just going to be a tough day for Indianapolis.
