If I told you an NFL quarterback had just ten touchdowns, a meager 1,054 yards passing and a mediocre QB rating of 87.9 through ten NFL games, you would call him a NCAA Division II coach in the making. Instead, many refer to a guy with those identical numbers as the savior of a franchise. A superstar in the making. The best quarterback in Denver since John Elway. But before we crown Tim Tebow the next franchise player of the Denver Broncos, let’s take a close look at what he has and hasn’t accomplished.
Despite being unorthodox and lacking proper mechanics, no one can deny the fact that Tebow is winning right now. He has his team sitting atop the AFC West and riding high on a five game winning streak. But as you take a look at those wins, you begin to see the story unfold. Only two of the five teams he has defeated in those W’s have a winning percentage over .500. They narrowly escaped with a victory last week against the now 2-10 Vikings and it is very possible that not one of them will make the playoffs. I get the fact that a win is a win but do we know how Tebow will perform against the elite NFL teams?
A lot of Tebow’s early success is due to his determination and ability to block out the naysayers. Whenever a reporter questions his abilities in a post- game interview,he manages to give a picture perfect response, filled with colorful language about “teammates” and “faith.” The question remains: how long can he remain beloved by Tebow-maniacs? Based on a mid-season poll among current NFL players, he has already been voted the most overrated. Even the team’s owner and Hall of Famer John Elway is leery of throwing praise Tebow’s way. Will the fans have his back if the team hits a losing streak? How long before wide receivers get fed up with running deep routes only to find out that the quarterback can’t reach them? It will be a very tough task for Tebow to overcome these types of obstacles in a league where the life expectancy of a starting quarterback is getting slimmer than Terry Bradshaw’s hairline. How many more games can he win going a ridiculous 2/8 for 69 yards like he did against Kansas City?
I do think he has intangible qualities necessary to lead a championship caliber team however. He plays hard, he’s a leader and all the other good stuff you see in Nike commercials. If the Broncos can continue to improve their already tenacious defense and develop a Terrell Davis-like running back, the only thing they will need Tebow to do is not turn the ball over. In fact, lack of turnovers may be the one statistical category in which he excels with just one interception this year. He reminds me of a struggling quarterback who found a way to get his team to the 2006 Super Bowl despite not being the most talented QB; Rex Grossman. No one would dare pick Rex in the first round of a fantasy draft, but the truth remains that he had enough talent around him where all he had to do was not screw up. As long as Denver’s defense doesn’t mind spending a lot of time on the field and the kicker is ready to boot three or four field goals a game, the Broncos and Tebow can emulate the success of the ’06 Bears.
The level of success that Tim Tebow will reach is completely up to him. Will he continue to develop his passing game? Will he learn to not take so many crushing hits while running the option? Will he work with his coaches to develop a system that showcases his talents as opposed to exposing his weaknesses? His best statistical years may be behind him on a football field at the University of Florida. He may never have more NFL passing yards than Tebowing.com page views. And that’s exactly why football fans are excited to see just how successful Tim Tebow can become.
