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Giants vs. Broncos 2013: 'Five Questions' with Mile High Report

Talking Giants-Broncos with Mile High Report.

By Ed Valentine
Ronald Martinez

For our 'Five Questions' segment this week I had the opportunity to exchange questions with David East of SB Nation's Denver Broncos web site, Mile High Report. Here are his answers to my questions.

Ed: Let's get the Manning question out of the way. How much do you actually care about the Eli vs. Peyton element of this game? Obviously, it is what the national media will focus on.

David: To be honest? Not really. I mean, it's an interesting situation, but they won't be on the field at the same time. I'm more interested in knowing who will cover Victor Cruz.

Ed: How different is the Denver defense without Von Miller? What are they doing to cover for his absence?

David: It's still the same defense, but Jack Del Rio has to get a bit creative. Del Rio knows he can't just replace Miller with one guy so they run all different sorts of packages to replace his loss. Shaun Phillips provided a nice rush in the last game, but it could easily be someone else next time.

Ed: John Fox was here with the Giants as defensive coordinator for several years. What are your thoughts about the job Fox has done in Denver?

David: John Fox is a solid coach, no doubt. He has done a great job of working a 4-12 team to a 13-3 team in just a couple of years. Yes, Peyton Manning is here now but the real difference I've seen is in the defense. Denver had a big problem not too long ago getting a solid defense in place (remember the 2008 meltdown that got Shanahan fired). So to see a solid defense on the field for the past three years has been a real treat.

My only complaint with John Fox is when he gets into "Foxball" mode. This usually happens when the Broncos are ahead and they blindly try to run the clock out. I personally attribute the playoff loss against the Ravens to when they ran it on 3rd and 7 only to give the ball back for that hail-mary.

Ed: My favorite question. If you could take one player off the Giants' roster and put him in a Denver uniform Sunday who would it be? Why?

David: Victor Cruz. The Broncos are already stacked at the receiver position, but just having him off the field will be help enough. Cruz is an absolute demon and I fully expect to be cursing his name on Sunday.

Ed: Tell us about two or three under-the-radar player on Denver's roster we may not know about who could be significant factors on Sunday

David: I would start with Danny Trevathan, but everyone knows him after that dropped-six against the Ravens. That being said, he'll be on Brandon Myers, I guy I watched closely in Oakland last year, and that will be a nice match up.

Defensive end Malik Jackson is a rising star on the Denver defense. He was a fifth round pick a year ago and he has really started to blossom. With Miller suspended, Jackson will get more chances to provide some needed pressure.

You may have already heard of Duke Ihenacho, but I'm going to list anyways. Duke was an undrafted player last year and spent his time on the practice squad. This camp he rose to the top of the depth chart for the strong safety position. In his first game he tallied up 12 tackles. The guys has some serious heart and some skills to back it up.

MHR has not yet posted my answers to David's questions. Be sure to check over there for those, and behave while you visit with Broncos fans.

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