Tim Tebow has had a magical 2011 season, posting a 7-1 record as a starter and leading the Denver Broncos to several seemingly miraculous come from behind wins, but New England Coach Bill Belichick has specialized in devising defensive schemes to torture and confuse young, inexperienced quarterbacks. New England officially ranks last in total defense, yielding 416 yards per game, but that statistic is very misleading: the Patriots opportunistically force turnovers and thus rank a respectable 14th in points allowed (21.0 per game). The Patriots score 30.5 points per game so, much like Green Bay and New Orleans, in a very real sense their offense is their defense; it is unlikely that the Broncos can beat the Patriots by laying low for 50-55 minutes and then putting up a couple late scores to win a 13-10 nailbiter.
In terms of NFL betting, TopBet Sportsbook likes the Patriots by nearly a touchdown but Fox Sports' Peter Schrager thinks that the Broncos will win outright. The fascinating thing about Tebow, as ESPN's Tom Jackson has mentioned, is that Tebow's critics focus relentlessly on what they think Tebow cannot do but are seemingly unwilling to acknowledge the significant role he has played in Denver's victories; Jackson noted that the critics first said that Tebow could not win a game, then they said that he could not win consistently, then they said that he could not win a shootout and now they are saying that he cannot win a playoff game. Jackson half jokingly noted that if Tebow leads the Broncos to a Super Bowl victory then Tebow's critics will have to resort to saying that Tebow surely cannot lead a team to back to back championships.
Yes, Denver's defense has played well, the offensive line has blocked well for a flourishing running game and kicker Matt Prater has come through in the clutch but the Broncos were not expected to be very good this year (USA TODAY ranked Denver last in the AFC West, as did Sports Illustrated's Peter King) and the Broncos were just 1-4 before Tebow took over for Kyle Orton. Tebow has had a direct impact on the running game and the ability to control the clock has surely helped out Denver's defense as well--but in addition to those obvious tangibles it is foolish to discount the equally obvious but harder to measure intangible ways that Tebow's leadership, demeanor and poise have inspired his teammates: Tebow has a fierce will to win but he is quick to diminish the importance his own efforts in order to praise his teammates and that also surely has affected how the Broncos play on both sides of the ball. Contrast a Tim Tebow soundbite after a Denver win with one of LeBron James' infamous soundbites from last season (including such gems as "taking my talents to South Beach," boasting that he would win "not one, not two, not three" championships and dismissing critics because they would have to return to their dreary lives while James would still get to live his glorious life) and you can vividly see and hear the difference between being a real leader as opposed to simply puffing out your chest before your team has accomplished anything significant.
I expect that the Patriots will "sell out" at the line of scrimmage to force Tebow to pass the ball quickly and that the Patriots will stick to this defensive game plan for all 60 minutes, not just 50 or 55 minutes; Tebow will probably hit one or two long passes against New England's suspect secondary but if the Patriots shut down the run completely and force a couple timely turnovers then they will ultimately put up too many points for the Broncos to match.
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2 comments:
Marcel
For what it's worth skip bayless been right on tebow tebow this year and lebron mental toughness. He totally wrong on Kobe and Aaron Rodgers but that another story. He usually wrong on most things.
I think tebow can be a starter in league he got eleven touch down to two picks and only five turnover in nine games. His throwing pct is not good. He has to improve there and with the long release. But seven and two is pretty impressive when he took over a one and four team. He had belief and winners intangible and knack for making. Big plays in fourth quarter usually option qb have to change there style in pro. But he is winning with this style because he is a smart runner and very big qb is a winner. Kordel Stewart and Stephen a Smith believe he is getting a white advantage because option is traditionaly a black qb and they never Got chance like this which has some truth in it but I think he has charisma and fanbase they didn't. And there been other white qb who well option who never played or had to wait Matt Jones Doug flutie.
I think tebow a keeper a good qb or could be.
Marcel:
When Bayless is right about anything it is an accident that brings to mind the adage about a stopped clock being right twice a day.
Tebow clearly can be an NFL starter; he needs to improve his accuracy but few--if any--young QBs are finished products in their second season in the league.
It is true--and unfortunate--that some black QBs did not get a fair chance to succeed in the NFL but I am not sure that Tebow has received some kind of unfair advantage; if anything, it seems like he has received a strange amount of criticism considering his success and his demeanor: he has become a polarizing figure but it is hard to understand why there is so much negativity directed toward a player who is unselfish and whose team is winning.
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