Putting Lord Tim Tebow into Perspective

Let me start by welcoming my reader(s) back to GameWinningDrive Sports When I Feel Like It after a semester long hiatus.  I have been enraged and inspired by Jesus Christ quarterbacking the Denver Broncos and find this an appropriate time to express my opinion.

Tebowmania has swept the nation and it's time I put this all into perspective.  Although many overlook Lord Tebow's unorthodox style of play due to his clutch late game ability, this style of play is simply not sustainable in the National Football League.  We have seen this act before; America loves an electric scrambling QB.  I would like to take the opportunity to compare loosely the hype surrounding the 2006 rookie season of Vince Young and the 2011 season of Tim Tebow.  The comparison may not be as apples to oranges as you may think.

Vince Young

QBrec Cmp Att Cmp% Yds TD Int Rate                     Att Yds TD Y/A Y/G

8-5-0   184 357 51.5 2199 12 13 66.7                       83  552  7  6.7 36.8 

Tim Tebow

QBrec Cmp Att Cmp% Yds  TD Int Rate                    Att Yds TD Y/A Y/G

7-1-0   96    198 48.5   1290 11  2  83.9                    94  517 3  5.5 47.0

Each quarterback was able to string together a series of six consecutive wins and make a believer out of many doubters while posting pedestrian numbers as a quarterback.  Young’s season was so hyped that he was awarded the cover of Madden 2008, what a curse that turned out to be.  Young is now the back-up to Michael Vick on the disaster of a “dream team” in Philadelphia.  What does the future hold for Lord Tebow?

The obvious difference in comparing Young and Tebow, both selected in the first round, is that Tebow does not turn the ball over.   If Tebow maintains his ability to protect the ball I can envision his continued success in the long term, but when you complete less than half of passes attempted, the incompletions are bound to begin hitting enemy hands.  It’s time we temper expectations surrounding Tebow until he proves he can beat the best of the best.

So who exactly have Lord Tebow and the Denver Broncos defeated?  The combined winning percentage of the opponents left in the dust with these continued 4^th quarter theatrics is .429.  Notable defeats include the New York Jets (8-5)—travelling to Denver on a three day week, the Chicago Bears (7-6)—sans Jay Cutler and Matt Forte, and division foes Oakland Raiders (7-6) and San Diego Chargers (6-7).

It’s very impressive how much of the credit Tebow is able to garner for his teams’ wins, but like it or not he has rallied the support of a team that started the season 1-4 on the outside looking in.  The national spotlight will be on Tebow this Sunday at 4:15PM facing the paper thin New England Patriots secondary.  This game serves as make or break in solidifying the reputation of Tebow as a legitimate NFL quarterback.  The last time he faced a formidable opponent he was smothered by the Detroit Lions 45-10.  Call me a hater, but I envision more of the same.