Plummer Will Be At MetLife Stadium Rooting For Broncos
NEW YORK, Colo. (CBS4) - During the 15 years that the Denver Broncos spent looking from the outside in at the teams that made it to Super Bowls, there was one quarterback between John Elway and Peyton Manning who nearly got them there.
That was Jake Plummer. In the 2005 season Plummer and Coach Mike Shanahan guided the Broncos to the AFC Championship Game, but they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Plummer told CBS4 in New York on Wednesday that he's rooting on the Broncos despite his ties to the Pacific Northwest, where the Seattle Seahawks are wildly popular.
"I'm from the Northwest. I like the Northwest. I'm from Idaho, so I do have a little bit of Seattle in me from being a kid, but I'm hoping the Broncos pull it off," he said.
The forecast for the game is a cold one, but Plummer says the conditions will be ripe for some football.
"This is football weather. I grew up in Boise, Idaho. We still played tackle football. It hurt to go down on that frozen ground. That's what it's going to be like in this game," Plummer said.
The former Broncos quarterback said he will be at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. on Sunday to "witness history."
"Something about that crisp cold air makes it smell like football, so I'm excited to be at the game and see what happens," he said.
As far as strategy in the Broncos-Seahawks matchup, Plummer said he thinks it will "come down to the defensive front sevens on both teams."
"I know there's a lot of offense with the Broncos, but it's going to be about our defense for the Broncos. They (will have to) get after Russell Wilson, keep him contain and stop Marshawn Lynch. They've got a big job to do," Plummer said.
Plummer described the meeting between the two teams as a "perfect matchup." He said the Seattle defensive backfield will have to be on top of their game to keep Manning and the explosive Broncos offense in check.
"I think you've got to get up and jam (the Broncos receivers) and get them off their rhythm off the line. You're going to get beat doing that a few times, but I think more times than not they're going to get them off that rhythm and that rhythm Peyton is used to, like, hey, Wes Welker, you need to be across the hash at this point in my drop, or when I hit my first pitch.
"If they can jam them off the line and throw them off rhythm, then maybe you get a chance to get to Peyton."
Manning was only sacked 18 times during the regular season and hasn't been sacked once in the postseason. We'll see if that changes on Sunday.
"The gloves come off in this one," Plummer said.
The Broncos will play the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII on Feb. 2 at MetLife Stadium.
