Harry
ASFN Consultant and Senior Writer
Contrary to some schools of thought, I do know subscribe to the divine intervention theory of Tebow’s success. Neither do I think God has the Broncos in the great football pool in the sky.
The great motivational speaker Earl Nightingale used to advise that if you do the exact opposite of what the majority of the people do, you are likely to be successful. That’s Tebow in a nutshell. In this case, here’s why it works.
1. Upcoming opponents find trying to emulate Tebow with their scout team is almost impossible. Even if they have some player running a Wildcat formation, he won’t handle the ball as deceptively as Tebow. The defense simply can’t prepare for what it will be seeing.
2. Tebow reads defenses against this offense like Warner read defenses against his passing schemes. Tebow is so accurate in his decision making that he almost always optimizes the outcome of a play. On the inside option whether he hands the ball off or pulls it back, he almost always makes the best possible choice. That doesn’t mean the play always works, but it does mean he gets the best result.
3. Here’s one you won’t see elsewhere; he throws the ball adequately. People forget he completed over 66% of his passes in college for nearly 10,000 yards. Admittedly he doesn’t throw a great deep ball, but he’s solid on the other throws. Add in the fact that they’ve messed with his throwing motion and it will take time for Tebow to fully adapt. If you haven’t noticed or watched the games, his throwing has improved week to week. If they stack up the line, he will hurt them passing. He won’t make you forget either Manning when throwing, but he will get positive results.
4. Tebow leads by example. He is reckless with his own safety. His work ethic is among the best in the game. He never asks more of his teammates than he asks of himself. Players love to play with him and his positive attitude inspires them to succeed. Finally he takes full responsibility for outcomes. He never throws a teammate under a bus and always rises to their defense.
5. Tebow is not like most other QBs that run. You could make a decent argument that Cam Newton is a similar runner, but he’s being groomed to be a pass-first guy. That said in the open field they offer about the same profile. They are very big, very agile and very determined. They intimidate most corners and even some outside linebackers. They don’t go down easily when hit and if a defender uses poor tackling technique they just shake off that defender. For the defense it’s like playing against a backfield with two good power runners. It’s not even like most Wildcat alignments as most clubs use quicker, small ball carriers to receive the snap. If the defense ends up with a corner or even many safeties being the first line of defense against Tebow, the play is likely going for positive yardage.
6. Tebow has great field vision. Not only can he read the defense, but once he hits a hole he makes excellent decisions as to the most vulnerable point of the defense. He often goes through the line of scrimmage untouched and is on the linebacker before they can reset to get maximum leverage. Tebow is a downhill runner with good balance. He is not intimidated by contact and will often run over bigger defenders as he quickly gain momentum before they get anchored.
7. By primarily using the run, time is taken off the clock. The Denver defense typically spends fewer minutes on the field and remains fresher. The Broncos are starting to have longer drives and the defense is getting more rest. This also gives the defense time to regroup and realign if the opposing offense gets an early jump on them or does something unexpected. All of this has impact mostly at the end of games.
I don’t know if Tebow can get a team to the Super Bowl, but he can win in this league if a team is willing to go all in on letting him play his game.
The great motivational speaker Earl Nightingale used to advise that if you do the exact opposite of what the majority of the people do, you are likely to be successful. That’s Tebow in a nutshell. In this case, here’s why it works.
1. Upcoming opponents find trying to emulate Tebow with their scout team is almost impossible. Even if they have some player running a Wildcat formation, he won’t handle the ball as deceptively as Tebow. The defense simply can’t prepare for what it will be seeing.
2. Tebow reads defenses against this offense like Warner read defenses against his passing schemes. Tebow is so accurate in his decision making that he almost always optimizes the outcome of a play. On the inside option whether he hands the ball off or pulls it back, he almost always makes the best possible choice. That doesn’t mean the play always works, but it does mean he gets the best result.
3. Here’s one you won’t see elsewhere; he throws the ball adequately. People forget he completed over 66% of his passes in college for nearly 10,000 yards. Admittedly he doesn’t throw a great deep ball, but he’s solid on the other throws. Add in the fact that they’ve messed with his throwing motion and it will take time for Tebow to fully adapt. If you haven’t noticed or watched the games, his throwing has improved week to week. If they stack up the line, he will hurt them passing. He won’t make you forget either Manning when throwing, but he will get positive results.
4. Tebow leads by example. He is reckless with his own safety. His work ethic is among the best in the game. He never asks more of his teammates than he asks of himself. Players love to play with him and his positive attitude inspires them to succeed. Finally he takes full responsibility for outcomes. He never throws a teammate under a bus and always rises to their defense.
5. Tebow is not like most other QBs that run. You could make a decent argument that Cam Newton is a similar runner, but he’s being groomed to be a pass-first guy. That said in the open field they offer about the same profile. They are very big, very agile and very determined. They intimidate most corners and even some outside linebackers. They don’t go down easily when hit and if a defender uses poor tackling technique they just shake off that defender. For the defense it’s like playing against a backfield with two good power runners. It’s not even like most Wildcat alignments as most clubs use quicker, small ball carriers to receive the snap. If the defense ends up with a corner or even many safeties being the first line of defense against Tebow, the play is likely going for positive yardage.
6. Tebow has great field vision. Not only can he read the defense, but once he hits a hole he makes excellent decisions as to the most vulnerable point of the defense. He often goes through the line of scrimmage untouched and is on the linebacker before they can reset to get maximum leverage. Tebow is a downhill runner with good balance. He is not intimidated by contact and will often run over bigger defenders as he quickly gain momentum before they get anchored.
7. By primarily using the run, time is taken off the clock. The Denver defense typically spends fewer minutes on the field and remains fresher. The Broncos are starting to have longer drives and the defense is getting more rest. This also gives the defense time to regroup and realign if the opposing offense gets an early jump on them or does something unexpected. All of this has impact mostly at the end of games.
I don’t know if Tebow can get a team to the Super Bowl, but he can win in this league if a team is willing to go all in on letting him play his game.
