In the NFL there are great QB's, good QB's, average QB's and below average QB's. Then there is Tim Tebow. I simply don't know where to group him because I have never seen anything like him. He is a crappy QB who somehow is winning with a less than spectacular team.
The NFL has it's share of bad QB's - Curtis Painter, Rex Grossman, Matt Moore, Tyler Palko, Tavarius Jackson - yet I might argue that Tebow is at the bottom. Have you ever seen him throw? He is terrible. Yet somehow he is winning.
In the past decade, the NFL has seen Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson, Jake Delhomme and Rex Grossman start under center in the Super Bowl. All were average QB's who played on great teams. Tebow is a below average QB on a team that drafted 2nd in the draft last year. Yet somehow he is winning.
I don't know how he is doing it but I am starting to come around on him. A few months back it would have been tough to find a bigger Tebow-hater than yours truly, yet somehow this ride he is taking us all on is doing something to me - it is capturing my imagination. Tim Tebow is not a good QB yet his team - a group of professional football players - believes in him like they are in college still. Even if he only completes 5 passes through the first 3 quarters he has instilled confidence in his teammates.
It is just amazing. After all, the Broncos changed their game plan to fit his needs. But unlike the sophisticated wishbone offenses seen in the college ranks (Army, Ga Tech, Air Force), this version of the wishbone leaves little to the imagination. Sure, there are some fake handoffs, direct snaps and reverses but at the end of the day, it's all about having the ball in Tebow's hands and letting him make decisions in the open field. The opposition knows that it is going to be Tebow all the time and yet he is still winning.
This is a team that started 1-4, traded their Pro Bowl WR and have old-man Willis McGahee as their starting tailback. In their last 4 games they have run the ball a total of 179 times (~45 times a game) while only throwing the ball 68 times (~17 times a game) for a ratio of 2:6 to 1. There is no balance and no semblance of a passing game. Opposing defenses aren't kept honest - they can play the run all day long and never be caught off guard by the pass. And when they are, Tebow throws a duck. He is a horrible passer. And yet hey continues to win.
Trust me, I don't want to believe. But when I saw San Diego settle for a 51 yard FG attempt in OT last week, I knew how the game was going to end. Novak would miss the FG. Tebow would drive Denver down the field. Matt Prater would hit the game winner. There was no doubt in my mind...and as expected, that is exactly what happened. Normally I would not buy into this - I mean, it has to be a fluke right? A few good weeks doesn't mean anything. Yet Tebow continues to do it. Aside from the blowout loss to Detroit, Tebow has been directly responsible for all wins - three fourth quarter comebacks (including 2 OT wins) and one comeback from a halftime deficit. He has not only given his team hope, but NFL fans as well. And unlike others, he has not failed yet.
I sometimes mock his image and his beliefs but I think there is something go on here (ok, the Tebow Knee is a bit too much - he is certainly overplaying it right now). He has GOD on his side. How else do you explain that a QB with a 45% completion percentage and an average of 128 yards in his 6 starts is somehow 5-1?
[ok, let's take a step back. The defense is remarkably good and the offense is not turning the ball over. In Tebow's 5 starts excluding the Detroit game, they have turned the ball over 2 times. Tebow himself has only turned it over 3 times in 7 games. It might not be pretty, but it is something the rest of the league hasn't seen yet. Not turning the ball over and winning the possession battle is winning them games]
I don't know if it will last - you have to imagine the rest of the league will catch on sometime - but if it continues for another two weeks, then I will be ALL IN. As for now, I am simply left to question my faith...in Tebow
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