Thoughts on the Denver Broncos Wild Win over the Dolphins

Thoughts on the wild comeback victory over the Miami Dolphins (In no particular order):

• I still think it is too early to tell if Tim Tebow is the long term solution at quarterback, but one thing is for certain: It is more fun to win with Tebow than it is to lose with Orton!
• It is impossible to describe just how much of an emotional roller coaster that game was yesterday. I was certain for the better part of 55 game minutes that we had hit rock bottom as a franchise. We were a hair away from getting shutout by one of the worst teams in the NFL, and then just like a switch had been flipped, we had some life. Tebow drives us 80 yards while completing some throws that he simply couldn’t make a mere 15 minutes earlier. Naturally, we get the ensuing onside kick that looks like it has no chance of succeeding. And of course Tebow converts a 2-point conversion after another TD drive when every single person in America knew what was coming. The Broncos didn’t even try to hide it. They cleared the backfield for a Tebow draw play like the old Chicago Bulls would clear the lane for Michael Jordan. Yet the Dolphins somehow failed to lay a finger on him as he strolled into the end zone for the tying points. Once the game got into overtime I was positive we would pull out the win, and our defense came up with a massive turnover when those have been hard to come by all season. That led to Matt Prater’s 52-yard field goal to win it 18-15 after he missed 2 shorter field goals earlier in the game by a wide margin. Afterwards, I was simply stunned. It took me a few hours to fully process the ending to that ball game and calm myself down from the wild finish.
• Once I came to my senses, I realized that we have to improve in a lot of areas if we are going to have any sort of sustained success this year. John Fox has to open up the offense by running more spread formation and some no huddle. He also can’t be afraid to let Tebow throw the ball downfield. I know some of his throws looked downright embarrassing at times, but we have to get him in a rhythm earlier so he plays more like the Tebow from the last 5 minutes yesterday. And seriously, what do we have to lose?? The ultra-conservative coaching style has no place in the modern-day NFL.

• Big kudos to the defense yesterday. They held Miami to less than 100-yards rushing and 200-yards passing. I know that playing the lowly Dolphins helped those statistics quite a bit, but I am not going to let their solid effort go unrecognized. They absolutely kept the team in the game when the offense couldn’t get out of their own way.
• Von Miller recorded his 6th sack of the season! I like the 1 sack per game average he has going. If he keeps that up he will be the Defensive Rookie of the Year.
• D.J. Williams may have had the play of the game. A strip-sack-fumble recovery is pretty much as good as it gets for a defensive player, especially when that play occurs in overtime. Hopefully D.J. can make those plays on a consistent basis going forward.
• Daniel Fells is also a candidate for play of the game honors. His diving catch over the middle during the final drive of regulation was spectacular and caused a huge roar at my house. It was nice to see him get rewarded with the touchdown later in the drive.
• The consistency of Willis McGahee continues to impress and it is easy to love how hard he runs. Unfortunately, his solid performance was disrupted by a fumble that killed a Broncos drive, and then it was finished by a broken right hand. According to reports he will be out 1-2 weeks after surgery to repair the fracture. The injury to one of our biggest offensive playmakers cast a big shadow over the incredible comeback win, and now we need Knowshon Moreno to fill the void.
• It was nice to have a Demaryius Thomas sighting! We desperately need him to become a big time player in this offense and catching a touchdown in his first game action since his injury was a big relief.
• The nonsensical hard line pro-Tebow and anti-Tebow segments of the fan base are both driving me nuts. Neither of those groups will be right in the long run because the final answer is always somewhere in the middle. Tebow definitely has limitations and needs to be analyzed by the front office closely over the next 10 games to determine if he is the future or not. He will never be the classic pocket passer that fans love to see, but he also brings an element to this team that no other quarterback on our roster can bring, and he gives us a chance to win football games which is all that matters in the end. Let’s not forget that even the legendary John Elway struggled in his younger days. My recommendation for everyone is to take a deep breath and relax; let’s see what happens over the next 10 games. Enjoy the wins when we get them because we haven’t seen many of those lately.
• Last thought on Tebow: I can’t stand when people throw his religion in his face. Regardless of your stance on that, who cares during a football game? Believe what you want to believe and respect other people for their own beliefs. Let’s focus on football.
• Going forward, the Broncos will face the Detroit Lions at Mile High next weekend. The Lions are coming off 2 straight home losses after an impressive 5-0 start. Playing the Broncos has usually been a cure for what ails a team in recent years, but I have a feeling the Broncos could surprise some people and keep their new found momentum going. The Lions will be limping into town and Denver should have a great week of practice after clearing some of the negativity out of Broncos Country with that win. Go Broncos!
• If you want to react real-time during the Bronco games & celebrate, complain, vent, cheer, commiserate, and have a few laughs, follow me on Twitter.

Make sure to follow Predominantly Orange on Facebook and on Twitter.