Tebow breaks NFL QB mold

Los Angeles Times

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.

This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Denver Broncos.

Instead, it’s a redefining year.

As the weeks go by and the victories stockpile, the Broncos are reshaping what they and others expect from a quarterback.

Tim Tebow’s against-the-grain style of running so much and throwing so little — all while pushing defenses to their breaking point — is changing how people think about a league dominated by William Tell wingers like Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Drew Brees. The Broncos, who started 1-4, have won six of seven since switching to Tebow in mid-October and are now tied with Oakland atop the AFC West.

So while would-be tacklers are trying to wrap their arms around Tebow, some of the league’s most respected observers are simply trying to wrap their heads around him.

“If you say, ‘Have you seen this before?’ I don’t know that I have,” said John Madden, the Hall of Fame coach and retired broadcaster.

According to odds-maker R.J. Bell, Denver is only the third team in 20 years to win five consecutive games as an underdog. The Broncos are three-point favorites at home today against Chicago, the first time they have been favored with Tebow.

The numbers reflect how conservative the Broncos have been with Tebow. Over the last five games, he has averaged barely 16 passes a game. The league minimum to be ranked among starting quarterbacks is 14. The Denver Post reported that in his 7 1/2 games this season, Tebow has attempted only 10 passes — 10! — when the team has been ahead, completing three.

When he does pass, he has only a 47.5 percent completion rate; in only one game this season has he completed better than 50 percent. But with 10 touchdowns and just one interception, he’s not throwing it to the other team either. In only one game this season has his completion rate been better than 50 percent.

Conversely, Tebow runs all the time. His 22 carries against San Diego two weeks ago were the most by a quarterback in the Super Bowl era. He is averaging 5.7 yards a carry and has run for three touchdowns, in addition to his 10 passing touchdowns.

Adding to the strangeness of all this is that the Broncos are run by one of the greatest passers in NFL history, John Elway, who eventually has to decide whether to treat this like a temporary fix or a long-term solution.

The Denver decision will define the franchise — and it’s not being made in a vacuum.

The interest in Tebow is so high, and his legions of backers around the country are so vocal, that he’s unlike any other player in the league.

ESPN devoted an hour of “SportsCenter” solely to Tebow this week, complete with a correspondent providing live updates from outside team headquarters.

Of his teammates and their reaction to the surrounding circus, Tebow said: “I just hope and believe that they know my heart, and that you can’t control any of this. But what I can control is my relationship with them and who I am as a person.”

No one quibbles with that, least of all Elway.

“I don’t think we’ll ever see another situation like this again,” Elway said.