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I told myself I wasn’t going to stay embroiled in the Tim Tebow craze, but here I am.
I have to get this off my chest because something really stinks in Denver, and it’s not just Tebow’s play. Don’t get me wrong, Tebow has been nothing short of horrific this season (further proof that Josh McDaniels ran the Broncos franchise into the ground). I just do not think that Tebow has been placed in a position to succeed.
Tebow’s strength is working out of the shotgun. At least that way, the Broncos coaching staff could take advantage of his mobility. Get him out on the run. Hell, anything but having him line up over center.
Denver should take a page out of what the Carolina Panthers are doing with Cam Newton. The Panthers are utilizing spread-like formations to take advantage of Newton’s mobility and improvisation skills. Hell, the Panthers run the spread option at times for crying out loud.
This not to say that Tebow and Newton are comparable. Newton has FAR more ability than Tebow. However, both are mobile QBs who excel in making plays on the run.
For some reason, Broncos head coach John Fox has been hesitant to utilize spread formations for Tebow. Team president John Elway does not seem hell bent on making Fox do so.
The more I think about this, the more I believe that the Broncos actually do not want Tebow to succeed. It’s obvious that the Broncos coaching staff does not believe he is their QB of the future. After all, Fox and Elway did not draft him.
But there comes a time where common sense and winning games should trump stubbornness. Give the kid a chance to win and evaluate him accordingly.
It’s the only fair thing to do.
Categories: NFL, sports story
I think the Denver Broncos are just a mess right now. You’re right, Tebow is playing terrible and the team will not even put him in a position to play to his strengths. I’m looking forward to see what the future of Tebow in Denver is.
Remember they (the Broncos) got rid of their WR1 Brandon Loyd just before the Miami game and Tebow’s first start this year. What does that tell you…
Nice Post!
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Thanks! It just doesn’t seem right to trade away your #1 receiver for practically nothing. It’s almost as if John Fox is praying (no pun intended) for Tebow to fail…
I don’t know why they would want tebow to fail, but they make it SEEM as if they are…
I don’t know if that perception is too close to reality. The Broncos are putting Tebow in shotgun for about 40% of their offensive snaps, giving him short routes to try and complete to build some rhythm, and calling running plays out of the shotgun formation to use his running ability. Tebow just isn’t hitting his passes, he isn’t avoiding pressure and isn’t succeeding but it isn’t because the Broncos are working against him. Lloyd was not a good fit in Denver with Tim Tebow at quarterback and he had been public about his preference for Orton over Tebow since the controversy started last season. Lloyd isn’t going to run open, and that’s what Tebow needs is for his receivers to get open before he throws it to them. Lloyd is an older, journeyman wide receiver who wasn’t going to be happy, and definitely wasn’t going to stay, with Tebow at the helm, so Denver got what they could for him and are allowing Tebow to grow with their stable of young receivers. Eric Decker was out-producing Lloyd anyways before the trade and the return of Demaryius Thomas replaces any depth they lost making the trade. The problem isn’t the system and the problem isn’t the loss of Lloyd. Right now, the problem is Tim Tebow.