Tim Tebow is a lot like John Cena.
You either love them or hate them. There’s no middle ground with either.
The difference is Cena has ability, and he’s one of the best to ever do it.
There are some in Broncos Country who still credit the “Magic of Tebow” for the incredible 8-8 season and playoff win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011.
“Tebow Time” as it became known around these parts.
I’ll admit I got caught up in the craze of Tebow as just about everyone did. You came to expect for 58 minutes, the Broncos would be awful but the defense would keep it in games. Then a running back runs out of bounds, an interception gets returned for a touchdown or Tebow actually completes a pass to Demaryius Thomas.
Instead of saying Tebow was the reason for those miracles (and, yes, they were), I enjoyed that special ride. Instead of saying Tebow was the reason those miracles had to happen, I enjoyed the special ride.
With how far the Broncos had fallen under Josh McDaniels, the organization and fan base needed that jolt of magic. It didn’t matter to me how poor of a quarterback Tebow was. I didn’t want to get caught up in the debate. Part of me still doesn’t. In case you haven’t noticed: his fans are a cult.
The Cult of Tebow still thinks John Elway and the Broncos should have stuck with their hero over Peyton Manning.
That brings about an interesting question: Is Tebow the most overrated player in Broncos’ history? He’s definitely up there with Michael Adams as one of the best to ever deliver bounce passes in Denver history.
All jokes aside, I was torn on this, so I took to Twitter to let Broncos Country answer this question. I said who I felt was the most underrated player in Broncos’ history a few days ago, and I stand by that despite disagreement from some fans.
Some went there. They said the only reason that ride happened was because of the defense and special teams – namely Matt Prater. It had nothing to do with Tebow.
Others to get votes in this unscientific poll:
- Receiver Ashley Lelie
- Running back Quentin Griffin
- Kicker Matt Prater
- Someone mentioned the Three Amigos, saying it was a great nickname but three no-so-good receivers (Mark Jackson, Vance Johnson and Ricky Nattiel).
- Quarterback Jake Plummer
You could make the case for all of those mentioned, and you would probably be right.
When you look at the definition for overrated, “have a higher opinion of (someone or something) than is deserved,” that leaves only one choice.
Despite visual evidence to the contrary, the Cult of Tebow still believes he’s the second coming of Steve Young. Check that: Young has nothing on Tebow.
If that’s not, “have a higher opinion of (someone or something) than is deserved” nothing is.
Still, that doesn’t take away from that magical ride in 2011.
4 Comments (2 conversations)
Oh, where to start. First Tebow was 23 without an offseason and only 3 games under his belt as a starter before Fox pulled Orton for Tebow in 2011. Tebow hadn’t taken any reps with the first team all season, and he’s then thrown into a system in which he wasn’t even taking reps. Why? Because he was running short yardage packages in practice. Tebow was a young QB, behind the 30th ranked Offensive Line (which couldn’t protect Orton) who was taking over at 1-4. He had No TE, an Old RB, and two young WRs. Remember, they traded his favorite WR in Lloyd.
Now for the Chicago game you elude to in your article. Lets remember two major occurrences that happened in regulation. First, MATT PRATOR HAD A CHIP SHOT OF A FIELD GOAL BLOCKED!!!!
Second, DT DROPPED WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A GAME WINNING TD IN REGULATION!!!. Let’s not pretend that all the overtime drama was the only things that happened.
The Defense was ranked 24th. Only had 9 INTs and 9 Fumble recoveries. Tebow gave them good field position by not turning the ball over. Fox had him play it safe, which helped the team and made sure the Defense always had good field position. Running plays run more clock, so Fox’s “FoxBall” rested the defense. Could “Foxball” have worked without Tebow being such a huge part to the running game? Not with Old Man Magahee as the only RB. Lance Ball wasn’t going to do that.
Tebow was a flawed QB in an even more flawed system. That being said, he was able to produce 32 TDs with 549 touches of the football. That’s 19 passing TDs in 374 attempts. 13 Touchdowns in 175 carries.
He did this in a system which called for Tebow to throw deep the majority of the time. Please name me one QB in NFL history that only threw the ball 10 yards or less 45% of the time, who had a comp% at 60% or higher. That’s right Tebow was throwing the ball deep so often that only 45% of his passes were thrown 10 yards or less. If you don’t think that has a huge effect on completion percentage, you’re insane.
What was the dominate personnel grouping in quarters 1-3? 22 personnel. What is 22 personnel, you ask? A grouping that calls for 1&2 WR sets with the TEs and RBs staying put to block. Let me know if you think a QB throwing deep in that kind of system is going to have a high completion percentage. Again, if you think so, you’re crazy.
People should really pay attention to what goes on, before they listen to the narrative set forth by mindless media writers who have nothing but ill will towards a player who doesn’t share their values. The rest were just lazy.
Great comment with stats to support your opinion! Tebow really did accomplish a lot really without the support of the organization. Check out Fan Scope and you can get your takes published! https://www.bsndenver.com/fan-scope/
Ian St. Clair
AuthorWhy is it that anyone who has a differing opinion on Tebow it’s automatically because it’s “ill will because of his values?” As for your other arguments, with basically the same roster, and coming off four neck surgeries, Manning led them to the best record in the AFC. Thanks for the comment. These stories are supposed to spark debate.
It’s pretty easy for me. Yes, Tebow is the most overrated Bronco of all time. I’m talking in terms of hype, and for me, Tebow did not deserve any of it. He was below average at best. Sure, he’s currently signed with Philly, but how long will that last? Tebow hasn’t played a down in years, which speaks to the lack of interest his skills generate. To be honest, I’m not quite sure what Philly sees in him.