NFL: BRONCOS & DOLPHINS  //  WORLD SERIES, GAMES THREE THROUGH FIVE

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NFL ---   SUNDAY’s NFL Denver/Miami game went from an expected C- in the first three periods to an A+ event in the fourth, with more good than bad marks for Broncos starter Tim Tebow, who, with few minutes to go in the game, helped push the Broncos to .500 at two wins and four losses for the season thus far.

In the fourth period, the Broncos and the Dolphins proved capable of team recovery in that their defense squads functioned with fewer serious gaps than earlier in the game, with desired redemption sharpest for Broncos kicker, Matt Prater, who had missed two field goals and made up for it with a 52 yard FG that placed Denver in position for dominance. The real upswing, however, came from a Tebow drive that, with seconds left to play, became a touchdown and two-point conversion that put the Broncos ahead, 18-15.

We could argue safely that the Broncos played two games and not one, the second comprising an offense that was missing in periods one through three, essentially the introduction of a dynamic offense that included consecutive first downs from short passes and then the touchdown hustled forward by the tenacious Tebow. Yet in those first three periods, the Broncos deserved to be losing; the QB-receiver disconnects were many and there were dropped and missed catches that shouldn’t have been, and the Broncos defense, though improved, allowed the opposition to drive the ball via standard tactics that should have been spoiled at the outset.

What were the key lessons for the Broncos offense? First, Broncos head coach John Fox allowed for an improvisational Tebow in the last period versus a defense that hadn’t expected such, so perhaps a Tebow freed completely for situational choices, for exploiting opportunities in his own way, is itself a successful strategy, therefore should be implemented during the 10 games left to the NFL season. Second, Willis McGahee, Demaryius Thomas and Eddie Royal could be the better go-to-guys for Tebow’s style of play, for working those short passes through the narrowest of corridors. Third, and noted during the first three periods vs. Miami and in earlier season games, Tebow needs better skills in the pocket; he appeared slow to identify receivers even in his revitalized fourth Q. And, he’ll need better pass protection when facing Detroit next Sunday and vs. Oakland the following week, teams that are proficient when it comes to sacking QB’s. Fourth, versatility is the strong QB suit in today’s NFL, a weakness that in Tebow’s predecessor, Kyle Orton, was a major reason for Tebow becoming Denver’s starting QB. Orton could pass long and well but he has lacked that higher gear and the cunning for rushing the ball in winning ways once inside the red zone. Tebow’s issue is the reverse; he needs to improve his deep pass accuracy and his timing for all type passes if he’s to be Denver’s hope for a consistently winning QB. No QB can rely entirely on a rush-the-ball offense, which is a lot easier for an opposing defense to combat after a few experiences with the way it is executed, than combatting other offense maneuvers.

WORLD SERIES: GAMES THREE THROUGH FIVE

AFTER watching games three and four of the St. Louis Cardinals/Texas Rangers World Series, observers may have wondered how a major league ballclub could win a game 16-7 one night, then lose next night to the same team, 4-0. Was it that the Cardinals were up against Ranger Derek Holland’s superior pitching in game four, those 8+ scoreless innings? Or, were the Cards trying too hard to repeat what they achieved during the night before? Or, had the team been tired from its game three effort? What about the Cards bullpen going awry in late innings of its loss? Were the two walks allowed by Cards pitcher Edwin Jackson the real cause of the 4-0 demise, for they became the RBI’s off of Texas batter Mike Napoli’s big bang, or was the real downslide sent from Cards reliever Mitchell Boggs’ pitch that Napoli had exploited? Was the Cards manager wrong taking starting pitcher Jackson out of the game after five innings and choosing Boggs as reliever? The logical take, of course, is that all-of-the-above combined to keep the Cards beneath the heels of the Rangers, though a greater degree of cause belongs to Holland’s ability to prevent the Cards heavy hitters Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman from damaging Texas.   

Another way to touch the win/loss question is to turn it around and ask, “How come the team that lost 4-0 was able to beat the same team the night before, 16-7?” From examining game three’s big win, we can note the key contribution from Cards batter, Albert Pujols—his hits/home runs resulted in numerous RBI’s. Not all of the Cards batting order provided new numbers the way Pujols had, and for whatever reason the Rangers infield and outfield were sloppy during game three, unable to offset the marginal Rangers pitching that continued from the mound. We cannot say that the Cards won game three entirely as a team, the Rangers helped.  .  .  As for game five, which put the Rangers ahead in the WS, 3-2, the Cardinals infield was slipping and sliding, just as error-prone as the Rangers fielders had been in game three.

Among factors favoring the Rangers in game five was the Cards inability to take advantage of opportunities that might have brought them many more runs. Several innings saw two Cards players on base or bases loaded, which the Cards couldn’t convert to runs. Also, the Rangers bullpen outpitched the Cards, ironically from manager Ron Washington replicating the Cards method of shaking out a bullpen until last guy who could throw, Rangers closer Neftali Feliz picking up his sixth post-season save. Add, of course, the batting prowess exhibited by Rangers catcher Mike Napoli facing a pitcher he could probably overtake any day of the week while thinking about a beer and a burger after the game, a pitcher meant to be replaced and wasn’t, and Adrian Beltre, their hits delivering numbers Texas needed to prevail.    

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