The Colorado Line:
NFL: Broncos 18 - Miami 15 OT
MLS: Santos Laguna 2 - Colorado 0, Vancouver 1 - Colorado 2
NHL: Chicago 2 - Colorado 0, Colorado 5 - Chicago 4 SO
Broncos Thoughts of the Week:
NFL: Broncos 18 - Miami 15 OT
MLS: Santos Laguna 2 - Colorado 0, Vancouver 1 - Colorado 2
NHL: Chicago 2 - Colorado 0, Colorado 5 - Chicago 4 SO
Broncos Thoughts of the Week:
John Fox summed up the Broncos come from behind win
quite simply at a Monday press conference. “I liked the last five minutes
better than the first fifty-five,” said Fox who captured the feeling of all of
Broncos Country and Tebow-Nation well with that statement.
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| Tebow's successful 2-point conversion to tie the game at 15 |
As terrible as the first 55 minutes of the Broncos -
Dolphins game was, you have to give Tim Tebow and the rest of the Denver
Broncos credit for making the final five minutes some of the most entertaining
football you will ever see. Mike Klis, from The Denver Post, points out that:
"According to The Elias Sports Bureau no team since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 had ever been
down as many as 15 points with less than 3 minutes remaining and won."
Not even John Elway, The King of Comebacks himself, ever
lead the Broncos out of a 15 point deficit with less than three minutes
remaining. Fourth quarter magic has found its way back to The Mile High City,
with one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history. Now lets just hope that the
Tebow led Broncos can start finding that magic in the first three quarters as
well, because most of the game against the Dolphins looked awful.
Even though Tebow does deserve his fair share of the credit for this great win, it could not have happened if not for two plays where Tebow was not even on the field. After the Broncos scored their first touch down, Matt Prater set up for an on-sides kick and everyone knew it was coming. The Dolphins oringanlly recovered the ball but couldn't hold onto it and Virgil Green of the Broncos recovered it allowing Tebow and the offense to have a chance to tie the game. Then, in overtime DJ Williams sacked the Dolphin's QB and forced a fumble within field goal range. Williams also recovered the fumble and the Broncos offense took the field. Three running plays later, Prater lined up for a 52 yard field goal to put a cap on an exciting comeback win. Broncos 18 - Dolphins 15.
Even though Tebow does deserve his fair share of the credit for this great win, it could not have happened if not for two plays where Tebow was not even on the field. After the Broncos scored their first touch down, Matt Prater set up for an on-sides kick and everyone knew it was coming. The Dolphins oringanlly recovered the ball but couldn't hold onto it and Virgil Green of the Broncos recovered it allowing Tebow and the offense to have a chance to tie the game. Then, in overtime DJ Williams sacked the Dolphin's QB and forced a fumble within field goal range. Williams also recovered the fumble and the Broncos offense took the field. Three running plays later, Prater lined up for a 52 yard field goal to put a cap on an exciting comeback win. Broncos 18 - Dolphins 15.
A Tale of Two Tebows:
Tebow Stats Miami Game
|
Attempts
|
Completion %
|
Completions
|
Passing Yards
|
First 11 Drives
|
14
|
28.6%
|
4
|
40
|
Final 2 Drives
|
13
|
69.2%
|
9
|
121
|
2 OT possessions
|
0
|
NA
|
NA
|
NA
|
Total
|
27
|
48.1%
|
13
|
161
|
Interceptions
|
Sacks
|
Touchdowns
|
QB Rating
|
|
First 11 Drives
|
0
|
5
|
0
|
37.80
|
Final 2 Drives
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
149.84
|
2 OT possessions
|
NA
|
1
|
0
|
NA
|
Total
|
0
|
7
|
2
|
91.74
|
See the full game stats here.
The Bad Tebow: For
the first 11 drives Tim Tebow was 4 for 14 in passing with 40 yards and zero
points. In these 11 drives Tebow had a dismal QB rating of 37.8.
Most of the game Tebow looked like a deer in the headlights
of the oncoming Miami defense. The Dolphin's constantly rushed five men at him,
and Tebow had little time to look down field for his receivers and
make good decisions before he was forced to scramble. The Broncos (and the
Dolphins for that matter) did not convert a 3rd down the entire first half.
Tebow was sacked 6 times in these drives because he holds onto the football too
long. Tebow also lost a fumble on one of his runs giving the Dolphins the ball
with great field position. Tebow was inaccurate for the first 11 drives, with a
28.6% completion rate. He badly overthrew a wide open Eric Decker that would
have been a touchdown had the pass been on target. Tebow did not throw any
interceptions but that was not for a lack of chances. The Miami defense was
unable to hold onto a couple potential interceptions, including Tebow's first
pass of the day which should have been a pick-6 had the linebacker held onto
it. Overall, Tebow looked like a young quarterback who is not used to the speed
of the game. Experience will help improve this, but he was certainly not
proving his critics wrong for the first 55 minutes.
The Good Tebow: In
the final two drives of regulation Tebow was 9 of 13 in passing with 121 yards,
no interceptions and 2 touchdown passes plus a successful 2 point conversion to
tie the game at 15. In the last two drives Tebow had a near-perfect QB rating
of 149.9.
What changed between the first 11 drives and the last 2
drives of regulation? Tebow had nearly the same amount of pass attempts in the
last two drives as he had the rest of the game. Tebow just got more chances to
find his rhythm throwing the ball in the last two drives. Throughout
most of the game Tebow was averaging 1.3 pass attempts per drive. In the last
two drives he averaged 7.5 attempts per drive. This rhythm allowed
him to be more accurate with most of his passes and able to put the ball
in receiver's hands through some tight coverage. John Fox was forced to give
Tebow more passing plays because running back Willis McGhee fractured his right
hand. In the first 11 drives, McGhee was about the only part of the offense
that was moving the ball, and losing him for the last 2 drives forced Tebow to
step up. It helped Tebow that Miami started playing a prevent defense and was
rushing fewer defenders at him while dropping more back. This gave him more
time to find his open receivers and allowed him to not be forced to scramble.
The Broncos also started picking up the speed of their game by going no
huddle.
The "John-Fox-Won't-Let-Me-Throw-the-Ball-in-OT"
Tebow: John Fox made Tebow play a
very conservative game plan the entire game. You could especially tell in
overtime when Tebow did not throw a single pass. Fox was trusting the defense
and running game to win him the game, and thankfully the defense came through
big with a forced fumble and recovery. If Fox is going to give Tebow a proper
audition for the rest of the season he is going to have to start trusting Tebow
to throw the ball more. He will need to give him a chance to get into a better
rhythm, and practice pocket passing in game situations.
After the game Tebow admitted he made a lot of mistakes and
has a lot to improve. It's a good quality for a young QB to take the blame and
know he has to do better in the long run. But overall, the Broncos found that
Tebow magic and managed a very improbable win.
Keys for Tebow Being the Broncos QB in 2012:
1) Pocket Passing
John Elway said Monday morning “I
have never seen a quarterback win a world championship outside the pocket.”
 |
| Tebow runs for his life from a defender |
Tebow needs to quickly become a
better pocket passer if he wants to impress Elway and the Broncos organization.
He needs to take his time to look downfield for all his receivers before he
starts scrambling. Tebow’s instinct is to scramble, but Elway and the Broncos
don’t believe that he can be successful with that style of play.
2) Fewer Sacks
Tebow must start taking fewer
sacks. Against the Dolphins, who have one of the worst defenses in the league,
Tebow was sacked 7 times. If he keeps taking beatings like that Tebow won’tlast long as an NFL QB because he will get hurt quickly. If he’s able to become
a better pocket passer he should be able to take fewer sacks because he will be
better protected and not be holding onto
the ball as long as he does now.
**************************
Beer of the Week
I had a couple Garfield American Style Amber
Ales from Glenwood Canyon Brewing
Company while watching game three of the World Series. This beer was fantastic,
a deep red color with great malts and a hoppy finish to it. If you find
yourself in Glenwood Springs, this s a great beer after a long day.
**************************
Drew
Litton Comic of the Week
 |
| Drew Litton's take on the Miami game |
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Outdoor Thoughts of the Week:
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Rapids Thoughts of the Week:
The Rapid’s are
Colorado’s most overlooked professional sports team and they are having by far
the greatest season of all of them in 2011. The 2011 Rockies were a
heart-breaking disappointment. The 2011 Broncos are in the throes of rebuilding
and may not be contenders for years. The 2011 Avalanche have surprised many by
starting the season so well but still reek of being the 2nd worse
team in the league from the season before. The 2011 Nuggets may not even play a
game and have lost many of their players to China even if the lockout does
ends. The Rapids, however, are beginning their defense of the MLS Cup this week
with a home playoff game against the Columbus Crew.
The Rapids played two games this last week, both
in different countries. They lost in their final group stage CCL tournament
game in Mexico, to be dropped out of the tournament. Then they traveled to Vancouver, BC where they proved they
can still win in clutch situations and secured a home playoff game.
 |
| The Ginga Ninja celebrating his Golden Boot |
"I couldn't really see what happened," Larentowicz
said. "I just saw the net move, and I knew it went in. Someone said that
it went through (goalkeeper) Joe Cannon's legs. In that situation there's so
many bodies in front of him, he sees it late, and that's what I try to do:
strike it hard and keep it low."
The game looked like it would end in a draw, but
substitute Wells Thompson scored the go-ahead
goal in the 84th minute off of a 25 yard rocket into the back of
the net. Vancouver had several valiant attempts to tie the game in the final
minutes but Colorado was able to hold off their attacks, including a free kick
in the 89th minute that was headed over the bar.
“It was a bloody hard fought game, and, once again, the lads
have shown what resolve they have got,” said head coach Gary Smith.
MLS Playoffs:
The Rapids will take on the Columbus Crew in a matchup of
the number two and three wildcard teams on Thursday night at 8pm at DSG Park.
The Rapids and Crew split their season series. Columbus won in Ohio 4-1 in a
game where Colorado Forward Conor Casey was shown a red card and the ‘Pids had
to play most of the game with only ten men. The Rapids beat the Crew 2-0 at DSG
Park later in the year with goals from Nyassi and Cummings. Last year the teams
met in the Easter Conference Semi-Finals in the MLS Playoffs and the Rapids won
that series. The winner of this series will move on to play a home-away series against either LA or Sporting Kansas City
 |
| Rapids celebrate Thompson's goal. |
Keys to
the Match:
1)
Resurgence of the Forwards:
The Rapids Forwards have been silent recently, with very few
goals. “There’s no doubt the
forwards have been going through a bit of a sticky patch and, when that
happens, you have to find the goals from somewhere else,” said head
coach Gary Smith.
For the Rapids to move on in the playoffs they will have to
have Cummings, Nyassi, Folan and Kandji start finding the back of the net and
scoring more goals. The last few games the forwards have had some great chances
on net, but need to drive harder to make sure they convert their chances into
goals. The Rapids have been relying on others to score, with the midfielders
and defenders having 9 goals on the season.
2)
Keep Possession
In the last game against the Crew at DSG Park the Rapids won
2-0 and had the majority of possession in the game. Columbus has a great
defense and keeping the majority of the possession this time around will be key
for creating chances on the net.
The Main Pick: Colorado 2-Columbus 1. I'm taking the Rapids in a close game. The defense will step up, one of our forwards will score along with one of our great midfielders/defenders to take the game. The altitude and the weather will have a huge effect on Columbus and contribute to their struggles.
Tailgate: The Class VI Tailgate starts at 6pm on Thursday! It'll be cold and fun! Bundle up to cheer on your Rapids!
The Main Pick: Colorado 2-Columbus 1. I'm taking the Rapids in a close game. The defense will step up, one of our forwards will score along with one of our great midfielders/defenders to take the game. The altitude and the weather will have a huge effect on Columbus and contribute to their struggles.
Tailgate: The Class VI Tailgate starts at 6pm on Thursday! It'll be cold and fun! Bundle up to cheer on your Rapids!
**************************.
World Series Thoughts of the Week:
Last week I picked the
Rangers to win the World Series because I felt the Cardinal’s offense could not
keep up with Texas. I’m sticking by my pick that the Rangers will win in 7
games. But the Cardinal’s offense proved it can put up just as many points as
the Rangers can in game 3 by winning 16-7. Albert Pujols hit three homeruns to
become only the third player to hit three in a World Series game. He joined
Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson, solidifying his place as one of the greatest
hitters in the postseason.
The Rangers won Game 5
on Monday night 4-2. Mike Napoli, the Rangers catcher, was the
player of the game hitting two RBI’s and throwing out two runners at second
on great plays. In the top of the ninth the Ranger’s closer hit Allen Craig to
send him to first base and force them to pitch to Albert Pujols with no outs.
Pujols struck out swinging and Napoli made a great throw to second to get Craig
out. Just like that there were two outs in the inning and the Rangers were onto
winning Game 5.
The Rangers currently
lead the series 3-2 going into Game 6 on Wednesday in St. Louis. I predict St.
Louis will win Game 6 in front of their home crowd, but Texas will battle back
in Game 7 to take the Championship.
Former Rockies in the World Series: Two players from the
Rockies’ 2007 World Series team are currently in the World Series and one of
them will come away with a championship. The Ranger’s backup catcher is Yorvit
Torrealba and the Cardinal’s left fielder is Matt Holiday. Neither is having a
great series. Torrealba is overshadowed by star catcher Mike Napoli and has
only four at-bats, but two hits. Matt Holiday is batting 167 through five games
with no RBI’s. If the Cardinals are going to win Holiday is going to have to
start producing because with Pujols ahead of him in the batting order, he
nearly always has a runner on base. Torrealba is unlikely to see much action
except in a pinch hitting role for the rest of the series considering how well
Napoli has been playing.
**************************
Avalanche Thoughts of the Week:
 |
| Avs celebrating shoot out win in Chicago |
Gabriel Landeskog, the
2nd overall pick in the 2011 NHL draft, has been showing Avs fans
why he reminds them
of another famous Swedish forward, Peter Forsberg. Landeskog has four goals
on the season and one assist. He scored two goals in the shootout against
Chicago this week, including the game winner. A consultant for the Columbus
Blue Jackets said of Landeskog “I’ve seen him play twice now live. He reminds
me so much of Peter Forsberg in his ability to maneuver in small spaces.”
The Avalanche will
return to Denver for a three game homestand after playing in Calgary on
Wednesday. Hopefully they will be able to find a way to win a few games in The
Pepsi Center.
**************************
TV Thoughts of the Week:
In honor of Halloween I wanted to share with you possibly the best Zombie-Apocalypse show ever broadcast on TV. Starting it's 2nd season on AMC, The Walking Dead, tells the story of the world being over run by a disease that turns its victims into brainless Zombies. The series is gruesome and graphic, but well made with some great character development and great Zombie action. The 2nd season starts with our rag-tag group of survivors fleeing for their lives from the CDC in Atlanta and dealing with packs of roaming Zombies on the highway. As B-movie-esque as this show sounds, I promise that if you enjoy Zombie films and great characters this is the show for you.
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Cheerleader of the Week:
Okay, so she's not a cheerleader...but again, in honor of Halloween coming up I thought I'd share this that I found on Jimmy Traina's Hot Clicks Blog. It's a stop-motion film, like a flip-book, of Melanie Iglasias in different Halloween costumes.
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Public
Health and Sports Thoughts of the Week:
Sports fandom acquisition from NPR
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