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| Russell Citron. 30th November, 2011 - 12:57 pm
 It's not easy to make the playoffs in the National Football League. It's even harder to make it after starting the season 1-4. In the league's history, only five teams have successfully made it after such a dismal start.
In early October, after a disappointing home loss to the division rival Chargers, the Denver Broncos found themselves at the bottom of the AFC West with a 1-4 record.
With his first season as the Broncos' head coach flashing before his eyes, John Fox had a big decision to make. Kyle Orton or Tim Tebow? Prototypical or unconventional? With virtually every "football expert" insisting that Tebow didn't have the arm to be a successful NFL quarterback, chants of "Tebow" continued to rain down throughout Invesco Field. Balancing the opinions of the "educated" and the emotional, John Fox made the change that the fans so fiercely demanded.
Tebow was in.
So here we are, seven weeks later. Tebow has led the Broncos to five wins in their last six games, and the Broncos now post a more promising 6-5 record, leaving them one game out of a playoff spot with five games to go. "Tebowing" has become a verb and Broncos jerseys with #15 are being ordered with the name "Jesus" on the back.
Putting all the hype aside, the "Tebow" phenomenon has revealed a pressing problem in the NFL. Although some experts are beginning to accept his success, there remain far too many critics. It seems as though every football fan outside of Denver has an opinion on Tebow.
Unfortunately, the critics - many of whom call themselves "experts" - fail to recognize that being a successful quarterback isn't necessarily about having a strong arm or high QB rating. It's about winning. Nothing else. And though Tebow's QB rating may not be near the top of the league, the rest of his game and his ability to win games is.
In the passing game, he's thrown just one interception in the past six games, the least out of any starting NFL quarterback in the same time period. When it comes down to crunch time, he doesn't make mistakes; he simply wins games.
Furthermore, his rushing statistics are the most impressive in the NFL. Tebow has rushed for 418 yards over the past six games, while Michael Vick and Cam Newton, the quarterbacks known to be the league's best rushers, have posted only 382 and 304 rushing yards respectively over their last six games. Against the Chargers this past weekend, Tebow carried the ball 22 times, the most carries from a quarterback since the 1950s.
A yard is a yard whether it comes in the air or on the ground. Why should a quarterback's success be measured exclusively from passing yards? Total yards tell the story.
Knowing all of this and witnessing the magnitude of the Broncos' recent success, many still argue that the Broncos are winning because their defense, or their special teams, or their coaching. Anything but Tebow. Of course, the defense is performing well. But this is the same defense and the same special teams that started the season 1-4. So, what changed? Out of nowhere, they just improved from losing four of five to winning five of six? Perhaps, but not likely. So, what changed the defense?
Tebow.
It's the only answer. But how can a quarterback change the defense and the special teams? Some might argue it's by keeping the offense on the field for longer. By committing fewer turnovers, the defense has more time to rest in between possessions, and the offense hasn't put the defense in a poor starting field position.
Though that argument makes some sense, the average time of possession hasn't changed dramatically for the Broncos in the Tebow era, and I don't believe the answer lies in anything tangible.
The Broncos win because of Tebow's leadership and his ability to inspire the players around him. A two-time national champion with the Florida Gators, Tim Tebow is a proven winner. He knows how to stay confident with everything on the line. He comes out clutch when most collapse. Most of all, his confidence transcends into every single one of his teammates.
Von Miller, the Broncos' defensive rookie whom many like to credit with the team's success, commented, "Just having that guy around, it makes us better men. I think he plays for us, and he makes us want to play for him."
Though it's not captured in any metric, Tebow's leadership is contagious, and it's that motivation that wins football games for the Denver Broncos.
So if you want to keep criticizing Tebow for his 45.5% completion percentage, the floor is yours. But remember that Curtis Painter has a completion percentage of 54.3% and look where the Colts are. When evaluating whether Tebow is a "good NFL quarterback", remember to put yourself in the context of the one real goal – winning games. |
