Broncos vs. Patriots: Examining the Coaching Matchup

The Broncos and Patriots may be on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of style of play, but they do share one thing in common: they are both well-coached teams. 

Although they are both defensive guys, it is their innovations on the offensive side of the ball that have led to their success this season. Belichick re-vamped his offense in the 2010 offseason by drafting Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. These players create mismatches that made Randy Moss expendable. 

This season, John Fox was presented a more difficult challenge than giving Tom Brady toys to play with. He was the first coach in the modern game to utilize the option as a base offense. For years, it was said that the option would never work in the NFL, but as it turns out, no one really bothered to give it a fair chance. 

As the season has wore on, the Broncos are using the option less and less, but without it, the Broncos would not be where they are today. 

However, as big as their contributions have been on the offensive side, how they play this game defensively will determine the winner. 

Belichick now knows that Tebow can actually make some throws when given time, so he will not play strict man coverage like Dick LeBeau did. I would expect him to treat Tebow like more of a "regular" quarterback. The Patriots will mix coverages and try to confuse Tebow, who is used to seeing easy reads. 

Conversely, how Fox decides to match up against will be huge in determining the outcome of this game. His biggest problem is Rob Gronkowski, who is too big for a corner and too quick for a linebacker. He will probably keep Champ Bailey on Aaron Hernandez and use some kind of bracket coverage for Welker and Gronkowski. Fox needs to be weary of showing the same look over and over, as the Patriots are terrific at dictating matchups in their favor. 

Whatever way you look at this coaching matchup, these are two veteran coaches (who have faced off in the Super Bowl) that are going to ensure that their teams are ready to play.