Your QB goes 2-8 for a total of 69 yards 1 TD to go along with 43 rushing yards and 1 rushing TD. I would expect that line from a quarterback at a Division II or Division III school, not from an NFL starter, let alone a winning NFL QB. Yet, at the end of the game, Tim Tebow won with that exact line. Looking at Tebow’s throws and the way he plays, one does not expect for him to be 3-1 as a starter and leading the Broncos into a tie for second place in the AFC West. Whatever Tebow is doing it’s working (except for that one week in Detroit where he looked horrendous). Even though conventional wisdom tells us that Tebow shouldn’t succeed he has. Here are a few observations from the game.
-Tebow can throw the ball. One only needs to look at the beautiful throw to Decker for a score. The ball was perfectly placed and very much a touch pass. If Tebow can make these throws consistently, why can’t he succeed in the NFL? Additionally, the Broncos traded their best receiver, Brandon Lloyd, and almost there second best in Eddie Royal. Furthermore, Tebow doesn’t have a pass catching back that he can dump off to in the backfield. One of the best things a young QB can have is a pass catching back (Tomlinson for Sanchez) or a steady tight end (Jason Witten for Tony Romo), Denver has neither.
-Tebow is on an unfairly short leash by management and some members of the media (ESPN I’m looking at you). Mark Sanchez, Josh Freeman, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Kevin Kolb, Alex Smith, Tavaris Jackson, Chad Henne, and Jason Campbell are all quarterbacks that have struggled in their careers but were given the chance to mature – some have worked (Sanchez, Campbell before he got hurt, Fitzpatrick, Smith), some have not (Jackson, Henne). Plain and simple, if Alex Smith is given a few years to see how good he is, then why can’t Tebow do better than a ‘game to game’ mandate? It isn’t like there is a better option in Denver (Orton while solid didn’t win games and isn’t the answer for the future). Tebow should at least get the rest of this season and if he does well, then he should get next season as well.
-Tebow can lead. Tebow has led his fair share of comebacks for a young QB in the NFL. The most impressive aspect of yesterday’s game was that the Broncos were able to win without their top two running backs playing for most of the game. Both Willis McGahee and Knowshon Moreno were hurt and didn’t play in more than a handful of series, but the Broncos, under Tebow’s leadership, won. Tebow excites his teammates in a way few other players do.
While not pretty, Tebow is effective. It is time for the Denver Broncos to let loose and make Tebow their quarterback of the future (and by future I mean next season and a half). The Broncos aren’t going to be able to draft Andrew Luck or Matt Barkley, so it makes sense to have Tebow start for the time being. One, it will give the Broncos a nice look at him, so they can make an informed decision. Two, it will put fans in the seats and make the Broncos more relevant than they have been for years. The Broncos are in a win-win situation and need to act accordingly.