The Tebow Phenomenon - A Debate

A debate between Peerality of two weeks before the Broncos Drafted Tebow and Peerality now - 8 games into the Tebow Experiment of 2011:

2009 Peerality:
Tim Tebow cannot play quarterback in the NFL.

His throwing motion is unorthodox, leads to inaccurate passes and is just plain ugly. Sure, he wins. Sure, he inspires his defense, lifts the level of play of everyone around him, has the best instincts of any scrambling quarterback in the history of the game, blah blah blah. He'll never sustain this gimicky offense Mike McCoy has fashioned for him. He'll never win in the playoffs even if he leads the Broncos there, because he'll never be able to lead a team back from a multiple score deficit.

2011 Peerality: He has come back from a multiple score deficit.

2009 Peerality: He has, you say? When.

2011 Peerality: In his second start. And almost did it against the Chargers after replacing a flacid Kyle Orton.

2009 Peerality: Yeah, but that was against a bad Texans team. Oh, the San Diego game this year, where he came in and scored 2 fourth quarter touchdowns? That was obviously a fluke. Look at his throwing motion. I mean, come on. It's so ugly. The Broncos should just put him on kick-off coverage and play Brady Quinn, a REAL quarterback.

Tim Tebow is what John Elway says he is. He's a great football player who has been mistakenly put at the quarterback position. Right now, Elway's just hoping that some sap watches Tebow and offers something ridiculous like a second round pick for him in a trade. "HAHAHAHA!" says Elway. If I can say one thing for sure, it's that Tim Tebow will never throw for three-hundred yards in the NFL.

2011 Peerality: He did. Against the Texans.

What? He did? A game in which he overcame a 17-0 half-time defecit, threw for 308 yards and won the game? Fluke.

2011 Peerality: In his first start, Tebow became just the third quarterback in NFL history to throw for a touchdown of 30 or more yards and run for a touchdown of 40 or more yards in the same game. A game in which he had the highest passer rating EVER for a Broncos quarterback in his first start.

2009 Peerality: So what? Look at his throwing motion. He'll never be a prototypical pocket-passer. Even if he somehow makes it work, he'll never stay healthy.

Sure, Tebow's won some games. But look at his passing stats. I mean, what kind of career passing numbers can the guy really be putting up with a throwing motion like that? I mean, even Tebow fans need to realize what this kid can and can't do.

2011 Peerality: He's better than Elway was.

2009 Peeraltiy: What? Hahahaha. Suuuuure he is. I'd love to see Elway v. Tebow stat comparison.

2011 Peerality: O.k. Here you go.

John Elway vs Tim Tebow
1st 8 Career Starts

Elway Tebow
W-L 3-5 5-3
Pass yds 1,041 1,281
TD-Int 3-10 10-4
Rush yds 92 550
Rush TD 1 5

Peerality 2009: No, no no. That can't be right. That has to be inverted, right? O.k. Even if that's right, Elway was handcuffed in a run-first offense. Plus, Tebow's throwing motion is soooo ugly. I mean, come on. This guy is not a real quarterback.


Peerality 2011:

Okay, 2009. I've listened to you long enough. I've listend to Meril Hodge - a former running back who now holds himself out as some kind of QB guru. I've tried to listen to Chris Carter - a me-first receiver who can barely speak and probably hasn't even watched all of Tebow's games. Basically, I've listened to every other self-professed QB expert who hates on Tebow. Why don't you listen to Joe Montana, who said everyone needs to leave the kid alone, that he just needs to make a small adjustment to his feet and he'll be fine? Why don't you listen to guys like Terry Bradshaw - who said this style gives an o-line license to go hit someone, fosters a physical attitude, inspires your defense and keeps them off the field. It works.

It's simple, because, like NFL executives, you don't like what you don't understand. You don't like things that don't fit the mold of what you think a quarterback should look like. It's like I'm watching Moneyball all over again - a bunch of old dudes who tell me to trust their "eye" for conventional talent.

For one second, ask yourself why it has to be conventional. Does it, really? Look at Cam Newton. Look at Robert Griffin III, who I believe will be amazing in the NFL. Just because it doesn't look like everything else, doesn't mean it won't work! Start saying that you don't believe it will work, and stop saying it won't as a fact. You're not the authority, Merril Hodge. What happens between the lines is. Four and one. Suck it.


Pardon me if I trust Josh McDaniels' opinion of QBs over Merril freaking Hodge. After drafting Tebow, McDaniels explained his decision in an exchange with a local media person - stating that Tebow is the best QB prospect he's ever seen except for some subtle mechanical issues in his throwing motion, that McDaniels felt he could iron out / make consistent. He felt that, if he could fix these inconsistencies in Tebow's motion, he'd have the perfect QB - a big, strong, hard-working guy who will give you 100% of himself and would literally put it all on the line for his team to win the game. Wow. McDaniels was actually right about something.

I think everyone can agree that, if Tebow can develop, he can be something special. Imagine what would happen if Tebow becomes even an adequate passer in the NFL - we're talking about a guy who is the highest rated passer in SEC history. Fifteen yard crossing routes are open ALL DAY. If he starts hitting those, the Broncos will be unstoppable. Pardon me if I believe he can figure out how to throw those passes - especially when I've seen him do it here and there.

So, the issue of whether Tebow can work long term comes down to whether you feel that the hardest working kid on the planet, a kid who is the highest-rated passer in SEC history, can become an "adequate" NFL passer. So, for one second, abandoned your feelings about his religeon, what I've said, etc. and ask yourself one simple question:

"Would I bet against Tim Tebow being able to become an adequate NFL passer?"

I wouldn't. Especially when he's been able to put up a 76 passer rating and pretty respectable passing numbers (overall) with the motion as it is.

I mean he's got a strong arm - he just needs to be accurate. If he figures out how to be a semi-accurate passer, this offense will be scary, I mean, super-scary. Most people who actually know something about throwing mechanics say he simply needs to make his motion repeatable and work on his footwork. I'll take Tebow.

Bottom Line:

-- Tebow's style prmotoes complementary football. With Tebow, we run the ball, stop the run, don't turn the ball over, keep the Defense fresh and establish a physical style we used to beat the crap out of Rex Ryan's "ground and pound" Jets.

-- Tebow puts more points on the board then Kyle Orton ever could with the same personnel.

-- Tebow's presence inspires his teammates. They know it's never over.

-- Tebow wins. And yes, at the end of the day THIS IS THE ONLY ARGUMENT I NEED.



Let's ride!