Tim Tebow

          Recently called the most polarizing player in the NFL by ESPN analyst Skip Bayless, Tim Tebow is next on my list. Yes I'm well aware that Tebow doesn't play for any team remotely close to Charlotte, but since he is the topic of nearly EVERY conversation lately I figure I might as well join in.

          Well I might as well say it now, there's no point postponing my opinion until the last paragraph today. I don't like him. I don't like Tim Tebow. There, I've said it. I don't care how many games he wins, how many comebacks he has, or how many starving children he saves, I just don't like him. That's not to say that those things aren't important and very admirable, because they are. His charity work is amazing. He is a very admirable person and is SOMEHOW using that terrible throwing motion and college style offense to win football games. It has nothing to do with his religion either, I could care less who you pray to or what you believe in. This boils down to me just never liking the guy. His famous "jump pass" that everyone regarded as an incredible play looked like something elementary school kids did on the playground before they even understood the rules. Plus he played at Florida, and I don't like Florida either. So honestly Tebow never had a chance in my book anyway.



Tebow's "famous" jump pass in 2009

        

          Honestly he has the numbers to prove me and every other critic wrong. I hate to say it but he's got the most important stats in his favor. His record is 7-3 as a starter, 6-1 this season and he doesn't really turn the ball over. Nonetheless I wouldn't trust him as my quarterback pretty much the same way the Broncos don't really trust him as theirs. They barely throw in the first half, and only once has he been above 50% completion percentage for an entire game (one game he had exactly 50%, that doesn't count). And who has he beaten this year? Let's see, the 4-8 Miami Dolphins, the 7-5 Oakland Raiders (when they were starting couch potato QB Carson Palmer in his second week), the 5-7 Kansas City Chiefs, the 7-5 New York Jets (this one actually impressed me since I also highly dislike the overrated Mark Sanchez), the 5-7 San Diego Chargers who are crumbling, and finally last week the 2-10 Minnesota Vikings who were without Adrian Peterson. So there is one, MAYBE two good wins in there. Other than that I am still very unimpressed by his victories, even though they have come in dramatic fashion.

          "Tim Tebow rarely throws interceptions." Fantastic, but he also doesn't throw passes to his own receivers very often either. His 47.5 completion percentage ranks him behind 31 other NFL quarterbacks (maybe more, Tebow didn't even throw enough passes per game to qualify for ESPN's statistical chart). He only has 1,054 yards, but that one isn't a really fair comparison considering he's only played in 10 games (7 that he was a starter for). His passer rating is 87.9, which is a number that not many people understand, but if you compare him to elite quarterbacks that number isn't very high (Aaron Rodgers-125.3, Tom Brady-105.9 and Drew Brees-105.5 lead the league). Cam Newton by comparison is at 60.8% completion, 3,297 yards, and a passer rating of 82.4 (14 interceptions killed Cam here).

          Let's take a look at what he does with his feet. 82 carries this year for 468 yards and 3 touchdowns. that puts him at 5.6 yards per carry. Three fumbles, but he hasn't lost any of them so I guess no harm no foul. He uses his legs a lot to get out of the pocket when his terrible offensive line collapses around him as well, and the stats don't reflect that.

          Here's how Tebow manages to sneak by with these wins. Denver is the #1 rushing team in the NFL. with 1907 yards they average 158.9 yards per game. They have run the ball 399 times, which is second in the league behind only Houston at 432. On defense Denver has the 5th most sacks in the league with 33, and in their six wins since Tebow became starter they are only giving up 17.8 points per game, which would rank them at 5th in the league.

          Sure Tebow is at the head of the awkward charge down the field when the game is on the line, but those games weren't won by just that last drive. It was the defense of Denver coupled with their running game that made everything possible to begin with. So before any of you fans/analysts try to hand Tebow the MVP award, dig a little deeper.