I happened to be having a conversation Sunday about the Broncos playoff run. Of course you can’t do that without discussing Tim Tebow, and there was significant doubt expressed by one party about Tebow’s ability to play in the NFL.
My response was: “If I had promised you after the Detroit game (another 45-10 loss) that by the end of the season Tim Tebow would have more than 450 yards passing AND more than 100 yards rushing in the playoffs, would you have been happy?” His reply was “well, of course.”
“Well then, be happy.”
I certainly hope that common sense and perspective prevails among the Denver Broncos’ front office and coaching staff if nowhere else. I think Tebow is a potential top-tier QB, and one who presents unique challenges for opposing defenses. But for Tebow to be successful he needs receivers who can get open and catch the ball, an offensive line who can protect the QB, and running backs who can present a threat on their own, without relying on Tebow himself as a decoy to break them free.
On the defensive side they need to upgrade their secondary and they need to get some pass rushers.
The bottom line is that the Broncos seriously over-performed this season. There is no way this team ends up playing a divisional playoff game without some luck and gritting out some games most teams would have lost. As much as I love that grittiness, you can’t depend on that formula in the long run. They need talent at several key positions. I just hope the coaching staff understands that. I’m not sure they do.
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Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackWithout any changes, including to the dismal offensive scheme, I think this team can go 8-8 next season. Their division isn’t all that good, so if they go 6-2 at home and 2-6 on the road, they’ll do about the same as this season.
I think that the main reason they sucked on the offense is the offensive play calling. When your opponent, no matter how awful they are, knows what you’re going to do EVERY DOWN, they will have the advantage. And, this season, other than a few plays (and I’m not convinced that the throw to Thomas in overtime was the CALL that play) the defense knew – the last 5 games – EXACTLY what Tebow would do on every down.
Tebow can throw the easy passes. You know the ones that the “elite” QB’s throw 10 or more times a game where their receiver is wide open (and not “NFL wide open” but WIDE OPEN). These are generally 10/10 throws – skewing the percentages for completions in comparison to Tebow who, almost every time he threw as a planned call, a bomb. (Well, certainly at a greater clip than anyone in the NFL.)
You gotta have an offensive SCHEME in which your QB has the POTENTIAL to be throwing on 1st and 2nd down.
Pittsburgh played almost the whole game in the playoffs with at least NINE people in the box. Frequently TEN. And a few times ELEVEN.
Yet, 1st down, 2nd down, almost without exception – Denver ran the ball.
This isn’t a function of Tebow’s inability to throw the ball. This is a function of Fox’s PERCEPTION that he can’t throw the ball. A PERCEPTION which comes from, well I don’t know where it comes from.
Didn’t he SEE Tebow last season? Didn’t he at least LOOK at his college career?
He isn’t Brady. But, he’s AT LEAST as good as Vick or Young – CERTAINLY as good as just about every single QB in the history of the game at this stage in their career. (Especially if you actually take into consideration his few interceptions AND his running ability.)
He “can’t throw the ball.”
Half the balls he threw got to the receivers he threw them to. That’s only 10 out of 100 completions less than a “good” NFL QB. And MANY of his misses somehow (somehow) managed to “miss” the opponents as well.
You know. It’s just a “miracle” that somehow (somehow) the vast number of his incompletions missed in such a fashion as to NOT be caught by the opposing team.
Just chance, I guess.
Shore up the defense. Get a fullback. Get a couple of tight ends. Give him max protection so that he has TIME to throw the ball instead of being chased all over the field.
Fire Fox. Or tell him that Tebow WILL throw the ball on 1st and 2nd down and have an offensive scheme to implement that. His receivers are good enough – he just needs an outlet when they are covered. Run some Tebow designed runs to keep the defense worried about his feet.
He can win deep into the playoffs if they do that.
But, they won’t get into the playoffs if they play the same way they did this year. A good college team could beat them – Alabama for sure. LSU too if they could score 15 points.
Oh. And here’s some food for thought…
Without the “dink and dunks” and dumpoffs to a TE/WR/RB/FB for no gain hoping for the receiver to make a play (essentially running the ball) and the high high high % of such throws…what do we have?
We have Joe Namath (50 percenter for his career. Terry Bradshaw (50 percenter for his career – with first year below 40%). Terry had 2 more touchdowns than interceptions for his career. Namath had a ton more interceptions. (As did Archie Manning, another below 50% his first year.)
Peyton did a lot better in his completion %, but threw twenty eight interceptions, almost averaging TWO A GAME.
Eli didn’t break 50% until his second year (and threw 150% more interceptions than touchdowns) and didn’t break 60% until his 5th year (the year after he led the league in interceptions, the first of two times he has done that).
Etc. Etc. Etc.
Dead horse…
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