Even 70 years after the final floorboards of Radio City Music Hall had been laid down, the essence of what this national landmark stood for had embraced the opportunity to showcase exceptional young college football players who got to live their childhood dreams of becoming professionals. The 2010 NFL draft provided another 254 college athletes with the chances to make something of themselves in the NFL. One of the 32 employers of these young men, the Denver Broncos were once one of the most illustrious franchises in NFL history traded a second, third, and fourth round draft picks in order to move into the first round.
And with the 25th pick of the 2010 NFL Draft the Denver Broncos selected Tim Tebow, quarterback out of the University of Florida.
But still there were questions as to why the Broncos drafted him.
Did Denver draft a player who was regarded as a man of impeccable character and one of the nicest guys that they would ever meet?
They did.
Did the Broncos think that they were getting a player with a heavily decorated track record that included being a two time SEC Champion, two time Maxwell Award winner, two time first team All American, Heisman trophy winner, and two time BCS National Champion?
They did.
Did the Broncos think they got the steal of the draft in a class that included Sam Bradford, Ndamukong Suh, Eric Berry, Joe Haden, Rolondo McClain, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Dez Bryant?
That remains to be seen.
And this is only the beginning of the microcosm that is Tim Tebow.
Ever since Tim Tebow first hit the field in 2010 and especially in a lockout shortened training camp in 2011 he got he has been praised, scrutinized, approved, criticized, ripped to shreds, praised, counted out and brought back in again ad nauseum. Mere mention of Tebow in a conversation was like striking a match and throwing it at a gasoline covered giant lint ball that would result in fiery debate. At one point or another, everybody and their grandmother had a different opinion on Tim Tebow, and all of them were right.
Tebow's number's are intriguing for all the wrong reasons. The statistics simply do not lead us as football fans to a concrete conclusion as to if Tim Tebow is a good or bad quarterback. Here are some examples of the off putting statistics that cause such a stir among the brotherhood of football fans.
- Tim Tebow has not thrown for 200 yards in a game this season.
- He has three fourth quarter comebacks this season; which ties him for fourth best in the NFL.
- Tebow's completion percentage in 2011 is an abysmal 45.5%
- He has only thrown 1 interception in 2011.
- Tim Tebow has gone 5-1 in six starts this season.
- His all time record against teams with records of .500 or better is 2-3.
- Tebow did not commit a turnover in four out of the six games he has played in this season.
- He has only thrown for more than 200 yards twice in a span of two seasons.
Tim Tebow puts up statistics that simply do not follow a consistent pattern that his captivated audience can follow to a forgone conclusion. Which is just one of the reasons that the viewing public cannot seem to come to a general consensus as to if Tebow is a good quarterback or not. Yes Tebow's career sampling is small, but still he has played enough to get a pretty clear scouting report.
Tim Tebow is a pretty good runner. At 6'3 236 pounds, Tebow is a load to bring down, and the two headed race horse that is Tebow and Willis McGahee has put up an average of 159.7 rushing yards per game: good for the best rushing attack in the NFL. During Denver's four game winning streak, Tebow has averaged 13 carries for 74 rushing yards per game. Now these numbers are not anything spectacular, but they are effective enough to establish the play action. Still, like every other NFL quarterback, running is not the only part of Tebow's job description.
As a passer Tim Tebow is atrocious. His throwing motion looks worse that the dead girl from The Ring. Tebow does have above average arm strength, which is a good quality to have. That being said, Tebow could be able to throw the ball faster than a speeding bullet, but when it comes to the intermediate routes, Tebow could not hit water if he fell out of a boat. Tim Tebow's career completion percentage is an abysmal 47.1 despite completing 106 passes for 1,506 yards as well as 13 touchdowns against 4 interceptions during this six ga....my mistake, those numbers are from Tebow's career line over the course of two seasons. There is nothing about Tim Tebow the passer that looks pretty, which is one of the primary reasons that so many people think he is a bad quarterback.
Football fans have always equated the quarterback position in the NFL with a signal caller that stands in the pocket and methodically picks defenses apart. Quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers are so highly regarded in today's game because they quickly and efficiently pick apart defenses with their passing as if they are preforming open heart surgery and reconstructive tissue surgery with their backs to the patient. In contrast, Tim Tebow is the intern two weeks in to his first year that causes his patient to flatline twice before resuscitating him and patching up the broken valve with duct tape. Both of these scenarios end with the patient alive, but the Rodgers, Bradys, Brees', and Mannings of the world come out with barely any blood on their scrubs while Tebow comes out looking like he went for a swim inside the patient. And if you had the choice between these two types of doctors with your beloved, which one would you have operate?
The answer is easy in medicine, it is harder to find in football because generally speaking every sin committed during a game is forgiven if the team wins. And the statistical archaeologists can dig up ever stat on Tim Tebow dating back to high school, but Tebow had the most important statistic on his side in 2011: Five wins against one loss in his six starts this season. There is little question that the Broncos have had more success with Tebow at the helm, but let us remember to give credit to a swarming Denver defense.
The Denver Broncos are tied for eighth in the league in sacks with 30 this season. Rookie linebacker Von Miller and his 10.5 sacks are leading the pass rush for Denver and Miller appears to be a lock for defensive rookie of the year. In addition to Miller, the Broncos also have done a great job wrapping up ball carriers, for they rank tenth in the league in tackles made. In addition to the Broncos pass rush, they have gotten very good play from veteran defensive backs Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins. But what may be the most important statistic from Denver's defense is that they are only giving up 14.8 points per game over the last six games. It is true that Denver's defense has given up 14 fewer points per game since Tebow took the reigns? Yes it is. Still, Tebow has the same kind of impact on the Broncos defense as the other 26 cheerleaders on Denver's sideline.
Even though the defense has played very well over the course of the Broncos last six games, Tim Tebow is clearly doing something right between his wrecking ball running and clubbed hand throwing because Denver has won five of the six games Tebow started. And with Denver now a game an a half back of the idle Oakland Raiders for first place in the AFC West, it is valid to ask if Denver can pass the silver and black and make the postseason.
It is possible, but not likely. The good news for the Broncos is that they only have to play two teams above .500 the rest of the way and one of them is the Cutler less Chicago Bears. The bad news is that even without Cutler, the Bears should still be able to beat Denver and the other plus .500 team Denver plays is the New England Patriots. Still, Denver does get a Kansas City team they beat once already this year, a Minnesota Vikings team without Adrian Peterson, and a Buffalo Bills team in free fall. But what hurts Denver is that Oakland's remaining schedule looks about as winnable and they already have a one and a half game lead. Yes Oakland has to play the undefeated Packers and the 7-4 Detroit Lions, and will most likely loose both of those games. However, the silver and black get a Miami Dolphins team that Denver already beat, the same abysmal Kansas City Chiefs that Denver gets to play, and the dysfunctional San Diego Chargers. To put a percentage chance that the Broncos can make the playoffs is about 48% because they own a better division record and better conference record than the Raiders; but the Broncos need help from bad teams in their own division and or Miami in order to pass Oakland on the final length.
Tim Tebow's success in the NFL to this point has made him the most polarizing athlete in professional sports due to his ability to make winning look grotesque. But like the iconic Radio City Music Hall, Tebow and this Denver Broncos team have a chance to become the symbol of hope that the Broncos can return to glory.
