When the Dolphins began the 2011 season with five straight losses, it became no secret that Tony Sparano was on the hot seat. If Sparano thought the seat was warm prior to Sunday, it must be scorching after allowing Tim Tebow to erase a 15-point lead and beat Miami in overtime.
The aura of Tebow has overshadowed some of the negative attention the Dolphins could be receiving, but it takes cooperation from both sides for a phenomenal comeback to take place. Tebow has always been tremendous at finding ways to win, but Miami needs to be held accountable for letting the Broncos back into the game with less than a quarter remaining. After hearing some of the comments from Dolphins defenders about Tebow’s two-point conversion, you have to believe Miami’s coaching staff has lost its players’ confidence.
According to the Palm Beach Post, defensive end Kendall Langford said “everyone in the stadium knew (Tebow) was going to run it.” Other defenders were quick to throw defensive coordinator Mike Nolan under the bus, saying the Dolphins had the wrong package on the field when the Broncos lined up to go for two.
“We had the wrong personnel on the field, to be honest,” defensive lineman Tony McDaniel said. “They spread us out and ran it up the middle.”I always knew (Tebow) was going to try to run the ball when they got in the red zone. He just found a way, made a play and they got a win.”
They’re right. We all knew the draw was coming and Miami still couldn’t touch Tebow. It’s understandable for a college team to know what Tebow is about to do and still not be able to stop it, but there’s no excuse for that at the NFL level. If the wrong defensive schemes are being used at the most crucial moments in games, a coaching change is desperately needed in Miami.
Helmet smack to Shutdown Corner for the story.
