Most seasons, games between teams with ones and zeroes in their win columns don’t get much attention. But then, as we well know by now, this isn’t really most seasons, and most games don’t feature Tim Tebow finally getting the starting nod as their headline.
Denver Broncos fans have been clamoring for Tebow to take the helm ever since he closed out last season nabbing a respectable stat-line in what most non-Broncos fans consider the season’s equivalent of garbage time. After an inauspicious 1-6 start to the season with Kyle Orton under center, head coach John Fox finally conceded and the buzz since the announcement has been loud.
Tebow definitely brings a certain skill set to the table. And the Dolphins’ defense has been the largest chink in what’s shaping up to be pretty ragged armor. Head coach Tony Sparano is mindful of the weapons he possesses though.
“Obviously he’s a guy that you can’t let get out of the pocket,” Sparano said in a press conference this week. “He can hurt you that way. From our end we got to try to keep him in the pocket.”
Tebow will get his highly anticipated opportunity at SunLife Stadium when they face the Dolphins in Miami this Sunday. The reason? Gator Appreciation Day at SunLife stadium…on the same field their hometown rivals the Miami Hurricanes pay rent to call home. How the Fins’ marketing gurus didn’t see this as a conflict is anyone’s guess, but the end result will be a crowd presumably packed with Tebow supporters on hand to see their collegiate star make his debut as an NFL starter this season. Against the winless home team, no less
The Dolphins, meanwhile, have been struggling on all fronts, and though it’s a big one, defense has been only one of the concerns. They lost starting quarterback Chad Henne in a week 4 loss to the San Diego Chargers, just when it was starting to look like he was getting his bearings, opening the door for second-year offseason acquisition Matt Moore from the Carolina Panthers. Both RBs, rookie Daniel Thomas (hamstring) and the veteran from New Orleans, Reggie Bush (groin), could be playing through injury. That is, if Bush isn’t a scratch. And, of course, star wideout Brandon Marshall sustained a quad injury in the team’s Monday Night loss to the Jets this week. Even when everyone was healthy, their offense wasn’t really putting points on the board though.
Still, even with all the aforementioned, and the short week following the Monday Night game, Moore remains confident.
“I think guys are aware of the situation and are aware of the issues that have occurred,” he said. “But the only way I believe that you can play in this league and have a chance is if you have that confidence.”
DolFans, meanwhile, aren’t as confident that Miami has much of a chance this season. Some, in fact, are already vocally in support of the Suck For Luck campaign, hoping the team can keep their losing streak alive for the remainder of the season, and position themselves to nab the most promising QB out of college since Peyton Manning.
Coach Sparano has been equally vocal in his response.
“What bothers me about it most is that we have…one agenda and that agenda is to win, period. So we have no other agenda here. It’s to win and those players go out there every single week and they put themselves at risk. I think that part of it; yeah that angers me a little.”
Sparano, meanwhile, is sitting on the hot seat, and not many more losses away from losing his job. It’s believed defensive coordinator Mike Nolan would take over head coaching duties in the interim. But we’ll need to wait and see how it plays out.
With weapons like wide receiver Eric Decker and running back tandem Willis McGahee and Knowshon Moreno, the Broncos aren’t exactly a pushover, contrary to what their record might indicate. But, aside from a week 9 visit to Kansas City to face the Chiefs, they have few favorable matchups in their foreseeable future, with the Giants, Redskins, Raiders, Bills (twice), Patriots and Jets all left on the docket.
