Tebow: Year in Review

Before I even get started, lets get something straight. I love the quarterback position. I was a quarterback. I study quarterbacks. I watch tape over and over to evaluate quarterbacks. Keeping all that in mind...

Tim Tebow has earned the right to be the Broncos Starting Quarterback.

To some, this is an obvious statement, to others, an asinine concept. The fact of the matter is that Tebow created a spark that the Denver Broncos rode (albeit backwards) into divisional round of the NFL playoffs. Not bad for a team picked to finish dead last. Chalk it up to the last place schedule, or the weak division, whatever. You can't help who you play, and the Broncos did what they had to do to make it to the annual Super Bowl tournament.

Notice that last statement: the BRONCOS did what they had to do. Football is, after all, a team sport. As a matter of fact, it is the consummate team sport. No one player is able to so affect a team that it can go from worst to first in a year, with the possible exception of Peyton Manning. And if you think Tim Tebow will EVER be at Peyton's level, you need to adjust your meds. So what can we point to for the Broncos turn-around? John Elway? John Fox? Von Miller? The return of Elvis Dumervil? Answer: All of the above. True football fans and analysts know, deep in their hearts, that the Broncos are not as bad as they seemed last season. Injuries, a distracted front office, a young coach trying to find his way, all of these played a part in the disastrous 2010 season, much like all the good things that happened to the Broncos this year were the product of stability and clear direction from the top down.

That's not to say Tim Tebow is not a special individual. His star burns bright, regardless of his flaws, which has brought the Broncos into the national spotlight in a way that Denver has never seen. Even with their success in the late nineties, the Broncos did not enjoy the level of press as they had this year, thanks in large part to new media, and thanks to the national appeal of Tebow. The bottom line is that this man is special, no matter what he happens to be doing at any particular moment. There can be no argument that, love him or hate him, Tebow moves the needle.

But what about Tim Tebow, the quarterback. I'll start with his mechanics. When Tebow started the last few games of 2010, there was an alarming issue with his ball. Almost every pass, whether it was 10 yards or 40, was a high, punt like lollipop just waiting to be housed. It was downright scary and, quite frankly, was to be expected from a kid out of college who had a half of an offseason to completely overhaul his throwing motion and pocket mannerisms. This season, we saw a considerable amount of progress in his throwing motion. I know his throws are wobbly and he threw wild a few times, but in general his balls are a lot more direct and his windup considerably shorter. The problem now is that the whole thing looks forced. It seems as if Tebow is counting off a cadence in his head in relation to his throws. The result is something that looks very forced, and detracts from what a quarterback should be thinking about at the pro level.

Let me explain. By the time a quarterback hits the pros, he should have a mechanical, second nature manner in which he throws the ball. Coaches at the pro level never really need to focus on mechanics other than a few tweaks. In the case of Tebow, the throwing motion has been a focus, causing him to think about it every time he drops back. As a result, instead of the focus being going through his progressions or reading what a defense is doing, Tebow is worrying about his footwork and his throwing motion.  Coaches and personnel guys at the NFL level are simply not prepared to take this into account. To adjust, the Broncos staff changed what they wanted to do to fit a style that was more familiar to Tebow's. Enter the option. This was a big reason that Tebow's fate was in question earlier in the year, despite his wins. Elway did not want his staff to be forced to run an offense centered around the option, nor focus on something that should be of little or no concern at the game's most influential position.

(A quick sidenote, really a plea to the Broncos. Please scrap the traditional option play. I like the read option and the plays that were developed from it, but the standard, triple option will not work at the pro level. The patriots showed us that.)

So then, why is Elway now willing to give Tebow the reigns in 2012? Well, apart from avoiding riots along the Colorado front range due to fan revolt, Tebow showed an incredible amount of progress this season. His footwork got a little better, his motion got a little crisper, he got a little more accurate. I know that doesn't sound very incredible, but consider this: the progress to his personal skill set happened in the course of an NFL season, where practices focus on game planning, not skills building. This fact, above all else, shows what kind of person Tim Tebow is. Elway and the Broncos are aware of this, and they know they HAVE to give Tim Tebow the benefit of a full offseason, something the lockout robbed him of this season. The prospects of Tim Tebow going to work, focusing on his mechanics and the intricacies of an NFL offense with the benefit of the team's support is nothing short of exciting for Broncos fans. John Elway, someone who knows a little bit about quarterbacking, has said he is EXCITED to work with Tebow this off season. If anyone can show Tim how to throw a spiral...its #7.

So here's the thing....as exciting as all this sounds, next year, there are no excuses. Tebow will have everything he needs to succeed. A top tier O-Line, a couple of massive receiving targets (provided their hands are fixed), decent running backs, a better defense, and one of the best special teams in the NFL. The Broncos are poised to make noise. How will Tebow respond? If his character is any indication, the rest of the league is on notice. And if he fails, well....Matt Barkley might look good in orange.

Perkzilla