Why the Broncos should draft Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow out of the University of Florida is an established talent who has already proven he looks good in orange & blue
- Image by chasingfun via Flickr
The Denver Broncos should take a flier on Tim Tebow. No doubt.
Proven talent, proven personality & versatility, wears the colors well. But before we get into the many reasons that Timothy Richard Tebow would be a great fit for the Denver Broncos, we’ll address the immediate, “Are you kidding me!?” queries.
Are you kidding me!? Tebow didn’t play in an NFL-type system as a Gator. He won’t be able to run an NFL offense efficiently.
Tim Tebow threw 88 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in his time at Florida, and was the first college quarterback to both run and throw for 20+ touchdowns in a single season (2007). Those two statistics speak volumes about his maturity as a young quarterback. Add to that his Heisman Trophy as a sophomore, another NCAA first, and you’ve got a balanced playmaker who is clearly well ahead of the traditional QB learning curve.
Tebow did all of this without elite receiving options in the most aggressive defensive conference (SEC) in the nation. If that doesn’t spell NFL-ready, I don’t know what does.
Give Tim Tebow a system and pro-caliber receivers, then watch him thrive.
Are you kidding me!? Tim Tebow doesn’t have the traditional delivery of Peyton Manning and other elite NFL quarterbacks.
Tim worked throughout the last year to teach himself the traditional delivery that NFL coaches prefer. He has succeeded at everything he’s ever done, and done so at an accelerated pace. Tebow will master a new throwing motion in less time than it takes to teach a lesser two-way quarterback the new playbook.
Add to that his proficiency with a non-traditional semi-sidearm throw, and you’ve got the kind of versatility required to survive in the NFL. Tebow’s natural throw is more useful on the run, and as a running quarterback he can challenge defenses to chase him outside of the pocket.
Pursuit or coverage? Pick your poison.
Are you kidding me!? Tim Tebow’s Heisman-winning sophomore year was his peak. He’ll never be as explosive as he was in his first starting season with Florida.
While Tebow’s passer rating and touchdown totals did decline each season as a Gator, his completion percentage spiked in his senior season at 70.1%. That 2009 campaign saw Tebow playing alongside the least amount of offensive talent in his career, which explains the drop-off in passer rating and drastic rise in sack total. Tim was dropped for a loss 25 times in 2009 compared to 15 sacks in 2008.
Despite the team-related struggles, Tebow still only threw 5 interceptions and made up for what his teammates lacked by rushing for over 900 yards. That was a career best, and showed that Tebow was as explosive as he needed to be without pushing too hard. Tim had less to work with, but didn’t make the mistake of trying to force plays.
That situation is precisely what Tebow will likely be walking into at his first NFL job, as the teams in need of his services predominantly lack both a star quarterback and elite receiving talent. Those “welcome to the NFL” moments that have destroyed a laundry list of quality college quarterbacks won’t deflate Tebow. His college career slowly prepared him to do more with less, and his decision-making is unparalleled in this draft.
So… why the Broncos? They’ve got a signed starter in Kyle Orton, a quality backup in Brady Quinn, and a QB-in-training in Tom Brandstater.
Make no mistake, Kyle Orton is not a winning quarterback.
Orton is just good enough to not lose. A winning quarterback goes out and takes the game by the horns. Kyle’s above-average winning percentage in the regular season is purely the result of playing on good defensive teams with the kind of conservative approach that promises fewer mistakes. (Orton was a loser in every game last season where his opponent scored more than 23 points.) He will never win a playoff game, because that takes a quarterback who is capable of stepping up his game under pressure.
Brady Quinn may yet turn the corner as an NFL quarterback, but his statistical career to date is a nightmare.
In 14 NFL games over a 3-year career Quinn has thrown for 10 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. In 10 games during the 2009 campaign, Brady’s passer rating only topped 75.0 twice… against Detroit & San Diego. In half of those games it was worse than 50.0.
Quinn’s only wins last year came against Pittsburgh (a 13-6 suckfest) and Kansas City. In his win over the Chiefs, Brady threw for a total of 66 yards and 2 interceptions. He didn’t throw a touchdown in either victory, and 7 of his 8 touchdown passes on the season came in two of his ten games… against Detroit & San Diego… both losses.
Gag me with a spoon.
Tom Brandstater is presumably a system quarterback whom Broncos coach Josh McDaniels plans to mold into his perfect passer.
However, Brandstater is clearly not anywhere near ready to take the helm. Otherwise the Broncos would not have marched the noodle-armed Chris Simms onto the field after Kyle Orton was injured at Washington. Perhaps Brandstater would be better suited for the practice squad until he can top a trust-fund baby on the depth chart.
By comparison, Tim Tebow excels where each of these quarterbacks is lacking.
Tebow has guts and moxy where Orton has made a career of low risk, low reward quarterbacking. Tim’s last two years in Florida compare favorably to Quinn’s last two in Cleveland considering they both played on untalented offenses. Tebow manufactured yardage and wins in that situation while Quinn ceded time to Derek Anderson. Brandstater is a slow-developing maybe-someday QB where Tebow is a proven winner who has quickly dominated every new or changed situation throughout his career.
And what about Josh McDaniels? Why would he want a Tim Tebow on his team?
Because Tebow gives him options galore in an offense clearly working towards a highly complex, misdirection-heavy playbook. (Wild Horses anyone?) Not only is Tim a quick learner, not only does Tebow have the ability to run set plays, options & the occasional breakdown with maturity and efficiency, but he is also everything that Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall & Tony Scheffler are not…
Tim Tebow is a good kid.
We’re talking Christian Missionary good, Jesus-lite good… the epitome of all things positive in a prominent sports figure good. Dude visits jails to bring the Good Word to those who have no hope.
And whether you agree with that message or not, you have to respect the fact that Tim Tebow isn’t doing community service because he ran afoul of the law. Tim does it because he wants to, feels driven to, gains pleasure from doing so. Who wouldn’t want to coach that kind of player? Who wouldn’t want to root for that kind of guy? Who wouldn’t want their kids looking up to him as a model for success?
Tim listens well, learns well, and stays out of off-field trouble. He is the ideal student for a coach looking to bark orders and take no lip. And yet, no matter how hard McDaniels pushes, Tebow will forever remain… the unflappable Tim Tebow. McD couldn’t possibly break this kid or so much as hurt his feelings. Tim works for The Man, and all else is a means to an end.
The foul-mouthed, no nonsense, my way or the highway coach who would just as soon spit on you as apologize, and the saintly son of a preacher who has never doubted his talent or his path since before he could grow chin hair.
They’re a match made in heaven.
seriously? With all the other talent in the draft, this is what you wrote about? Your editor should be embarrassed.
This draft is deep enough defensively that the Broncos could spare a 2nd Round pick on Tebow if he falls that far and still work on key positions of need like Safety, NT & inside linebacker.
None of the other talents in this draft, aside from maybe Suh & Berry, are NFL-ready proven talents like Tebow. Your criticism is plenty vague, so I’ll assume you’ve only got a ghost of an idea who you’d like to see the Broncos draft 1st day. I’ve got plenty of suggestions for what Denver will more likely spend its top three picks on, and that article will publish later today. Feel free to wander back and check it out.
His name is Tom Brandstater not “Tyler”
Wow, thanks for the catch. I’ve got to proofread better. I knew the name but screwed up the writing rushing publication. His name is actually pretty memorable for an odd reason. Kinda creepy actually, check it out…
Tom Brandstater – n,stater + y = Tom Brady
He’s the perfect pet project for McDaniels, and it all made sense when McXander picked him last year. Is Josh drafting by name similarity to try and duplicate the Brady phenomenon? Creepy.
Really, Brandstater looked better than either QB above him in the preseason last season (albeit against lesser competition). I hope the experiment works out.
Well written, well thought out!
McD see’s something in Tebow that others didn’t to make him a first round pick. This is the kind of character player IMO most would want on their team especially at qb. As always time will tell if it was a good move or not. Hope the young man does well.