By Brandon Pemberton
The Tim Tebow debate has been an ongoing topic since he was preparing for the 2010 NFL Draft and it has been a hot topic during the 2011 NFL season. Tebow is arguably one of the top 20 college football players of all time, was a great leader of men at the University of Florida, and a model citizen from what we know. With all that said, he had flaws as a passer in college that I and others thought would hinder his ability to be a solid quarterback in the NFL and a successful passer in or out of the pocket. Many call my opinions and the opinions of others “hate”, but it’s far from it. I just call things the way I see it.
The Denver Broncos felt pressure from fans to start Tebow during training camp, but decided to go with last year’s starter Kyle Orton instead. Head coach John Fox felt as though he was the more accomplished passer and would give them the best chance to win. Denver went 1-4 in his five starts at QB and going into the bye week, Fox let it be known that there might be a change. Eventually Tebow was named the starter and he would get his chance to prove that he could play in this league.
In four starts, Tebow has a 3-1 record and the Broncos are a game out of first place in a weak AFC West division. The Broncos have had to totally get rid of the passing game because their starting quarterback has below average ability passing the ball. Here are Tebow’s passing stats in his four starts: 43-95 45%, 526 yards, 6 TD’s, 1 INT, and a passer rating of 79.5 to go along with 14 sacks. Can I ask you a question? If I read you these stats without telling you who the player was, what would you say? You would tell me he stinks and will never win in this league with those types of passing numbers, right? He is horribly inaccurate, holds the ball too often, and has problems delivering the ball on time. With those deficiencies, there’s no way in hell he’s the quarterback of the future in Denver or for any other NFL franchise.
Tim Tebow and the Broncos have been winning games by running the read option offense for now, but can you seriously tell me that they can win like this consistently? The life span of an NFL running back is about 3-5 years if he’s lucky, so there’s no way this guy’s going to last, taking these hits. Quarterbacks are protected in the pocket as passers, not when you are running the option; they are treated like a running back. It’s only a matter of time before he gets knocked out while running the ball or after pitching the ball to one of his backs. NFL players are too big, too fast for this style of offense to work week to week, let alone for years. This is the NFL, not West Point, not the Naval Academy, and not Colorado Springs, Colorado. 2-8 for 69 yards passing is not going to win you a Super Bowl.
I received all the confirmation I needed when it comes to Tebow yesterday when I read the direct comments from his head coach when asked about his team’s new offense: “If we were trying to run a regular offense, he’d be screwed.” There you have it folks, even his own coach knows his limitations. It’s blatantly obvious people. Just watch tonight as the Jets defense makes mince meat out of Tebow. I’m not the type to toot my own horn, but as I told Philadelphia Eagles fans when Casey Matthews was drafted that he couldn’t play, I said the same about Tebow and his long-term ability to win games. He had a nice run, but tonight he and this option offense will be exposed.
Catch me on Twitter @BrandonOnSports
Brandon Pemberton of Brandon on Sports, for War Room Sports
