Peyton Manning prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals. (Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE)

Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau will turn 75-years-old on Sunday. Who knows if he will be celebrating or if he will simply just live out another day in the life of arguably the league’s greatest defensive mind of all time.

Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos could easily blow out all his birthday candles for him and shut the party right down.

LeBeau told Peter King of Sports Illustrated that even though Manning is aging too, it doesn’t make it any easier to play against him.

“That’s not a real appetizing part of this birthday, trying to defend one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. “But honestly, playing the game Sunday soothes the fact that it’s my 75th a little bit.”

“I don’t see much difference in him, quite honestly,” LeBeau said of Manning. “I had a chance to play Bobby Layne, Y.A. Tittle and Norm Van Brocklin late in their careers, and the reason they stayed so dangerous as players is because they knew how to play the position.  I believe the quarterback position is more how you manage the game anyway.  And I saw that with Peyton in the preseason:  He did everything he needed to do to show he still can play the position at a high level.” – Dick LeBeau (Sports Illustrated)

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Mike McCoy congratulates Tim Tebow. (Chris Schneider / AP)

The hot seat is occupied in Denver. The person sitting in it? Offensive coordinator Mike McCoy.

It hasn’t necessarily been Tim Tebow who has been taking the heat for the Broncos passing woes, it’s been the brains of the beast – McCoy.

The team has averaged 13.3 points in their three straight losses. The last touchdown they scored came in the third quarter of the Buffalo game.

McCoy has taken a lot of  heat for his play calling in terms of not getting Tebow into a rhythm with slants and screen passes, and not utilizing the tight ends more.

“That’s all part of the business,” McCoy said of the criticism flying his way. “When you get in this business as a coach, you’re either hired or fired. There’s a lot of people out there, my wife included, and everybody else, they’ve got an opinion. That’s why as coaches we work endless hours.”
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