If you don’t want to take the time to read Howard Bryant’s article (http://espn.go.com/espn/commentary/story/_/id/7303988/ncf-tim-tebow-hype-drowns-buzz-more-talented-rookies) I’ll summarize it for you.
• The NFL season revolves around Tebow
• The media and his supporters are fueling/creating his legend, but he isn’t a very good quarterback
• They are winning more because of their defense and running game than Tebow and if they had a better QB they wouldn’t need these late game heroics
• After this season, when coaches get more film on him he will taper off into oblivion
• There’s a small chance he enjoys continued success, but it’s minute at best
Some Quotes:
"Tim Tebow is an overblown phenomenon drowning out the buzz for more talented QB's"
"Fans flock to Tebow and his good-guy image, but it has little to do with merit"
You’ve probably heard these arguments from a number of analysts whose livelihood depends on them providing an entertaining read and being correct in their opinions. You can’t blame them for taking the obvious angle. Sports analysts often take the popular opinion. When they reach a fork in the road, they take the beaten path as opposed to the one marked ‘caution’. Their job depends on it.
It doesn’t take a football expert to watch Tebow play and realize that he has a long release; he’s inaccurate and doesn’t fit the mold of what is now perceived as a prototypical NFL quarterback. No one can really argue that. What we should start questioning is how important ‘looking the part’ really is.
There is no doubt that the Denver Broncos as a whole are playing much better football. Their defense has been one of the league’s best in recent weeks and John Fox deserves a lot of credit for that. So does Von Miller, Champ Bailey and the rest of the Denver defenders. Believe it or not, Tebow also deserves credit for this.
If you were to rank NFL players on passing accuracy, Tebow wouldn’t be in the top 30. If you were to rank them on Football IQ or Vision, he would rank near the bottom. However, if you ranked all NFL players on leadership and passion, he would be #1 by a considerable margin.
John Fox says that Tebow is exactly what you look for in a football player, maybe not a quarterback, but as a player, he’s the prototype. In the ultimate team game, is it so shocking that he would have success?
The problem is we’ve created this image of an NFL passer that transcends what football is all about. In order for a quarterback to be successful he has to be at least 6’4, throw the ball 100mph and it helps if he’s athletic. Evidently it doesn’t matter if a guy is an awful leader (Ryan Leaf) or has no passion for the game (JaMarcus Russell).
If you’ve never played football before you cannot fully understand the importance of momentum. All it takes is one play, one penalty, or one hit to turn the tide. I’ve coached teams that are much more talented than their opponents and believe me; the worst feeling is witnessing your opponent gain momentum as they take control of the game. You feel helpless. It seems like no matter what play you call, it doesn’t work.
The Denver Broncos have arguably more positive momentum right now than even the Green Bay Packers. Guys on that team are playing above their skill level. Tim Tebow doesn’t play defense, but if you think his leadership and passion hasn’t impacted their level of play, you clearly didn’t see Bronco rookie safety Rahim Moore run to the middle of the field after they beat the Chargers and do the ‘Tebow’. Maybe it’s because Tebow plays the game like a defensive player. Sure it’s nice to have a guy like Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady, but as a defender it might be kind of inspiring to see the leader of your team out there grinding out yards instead of complaining about late hits and dating super models.
Every now and then a player comes along that has an attribute that has never been seen before. Barry Sanders had unique agility. Peyton Manning’s football intelligence revolutionized the way Quarterbacks play in the NFL. Devin Hester’s speed and vision has made him a once in a generation returner. When it comes to leadership and passion, Tebow is unmatched. Not in this generation, and maybe not ever.
Football is a game for the dramatic. We’re to believe that on any given Sunday, anyone can win. It’s about blood, sweat and tears. It’s about brotherhood and overcoming the odds. The ultimate team sport. Tim Tebow might not personify a prototypical quarterback, but he personifies football. For the Broncos, that seems to be enough.
Don’t question why it’s working, or how long it will last. No one really knows the answer to those questions. Just sit back and enjoy watching a once in a lifetime player do what he does best. Win.
-Jansen-
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This was a far better game from Tim Tebow than all of his past games, but to attribute this much of the Broncos turn around to Tim Tebow is to overblow his impact. Willis McGahee in recent weeks has done as much to improve the Bronco's offence as anyone else and winning games with 2 completions can hardly be commended as feats of a once in a lifetime Quarterback. I'd take 1 peyton (look at the colts without him), Barry Sanders or Devin Hester over 10 Tebows any day of the week. Lets look at who they have beaten: Minnesota, San Diego, New York Jets, Kansas City, Oakland, Miami. Teams with a combined record of 29-42 . He has only thrown for over 200 yards once (202 today against mighty Minnesota). Before he became quarterback they had lost by 5 points or fewer in 3 of their 4 losses. Maybe he accounted for one late score in the fourth quarter when they have been needed who knows, but its not like he'd turn Indianpolis into a playoff team. Oakland threw three interceptions, hardly the result his great play at Quarterback. Denver has benefited from the play of a good defence and a good running/ball protection offence, no one talks about how good Trent Dilfer was at Quarterback for the Ravens'. I'll start to believe if they beat New England in two weeks, the only good team remaining on their schedule.
ReplyDeleteI think Neil doesn't appreciate the idea of synergy. Where the sum of the parts are greater than the whole. I personally don't believe in the voodoo talking about the "aura" of Tebow causing the team to play better, but clearly something is different in the locker room when #15 is under centre. An entire team can respond to one confident player, the fact that it is a QB just makes it all the more enticing because of it's natural slot as a leadership position. If Tim Tebow is lifting the spirits of his teammates and causing them to play harder what difference does it make that he isn't lifting their spirits by throwing for 300 yards and 4 TDs? Like Jansen said, everyone can do it their own way, and trying to fit a square peg in a round hole is general what gets coaches fired.
ReplyDeleteTim Tebow may not have the numbers that some "more accomplished QBs" as a passer, but if football was made up of just passers you might as well be playing flag football. The fact that Tebow/the Broncos can win a game with only 2 passes is something that is pretty impressive, not something that should be looked on with contempt. He evidently has brought a different dimension to the Broncos as an organization that is causing them to win. Analysts have talked about how you can't throw interceptions when you don't throw the ball...so be it. Let's play old school football where there aren't 80 receivers out on the field at one time--pass at your leisure not because you pay your QB $12 million a year and you feel that he should.
You are both correct in saying that football is a team game, Neil is correct that a bona fide superstar at QB--a la Peyton Manning--can be the difference between a possible 0-16 football team and a Super Bowl contender. However, to say that McGahee has had as much cause for the Denver turnaround is preposterous. Kyle Orton is the only major change in this line-up since the winning streak started, using pure logic it would seem that Tebow is that X-factor that Denver needed and the same X-factor that won Florida 2 championships and a Heisman in Tebow's time there.
Like Herm Edwards said: you play to win the game. And that's what the Broncos have been doing. Whether they do it with Tebow throwing 30 times a game or not is irrelevant, they are winning. Jansen's comments were based both on changing expectations of an NFL QB and doing what is necessary to win, and Tebow may be doing both in front of our eyes. There was a time that pundits said Michael Vick would never be able to stay in the pocket or that there was even a debate between Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf or that Maurice Jones-Drew was too small to carry the load of a team. The NFL is a breeding ground for change, and the sooner we embrace it, the sooner we can move on.