Don’t blame Fox, Elway for Tebow’s struggles

Quarterback Tim Tebow #15 of the Denver Broncos walks off the field after a game against the Detroit Lions at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on October 30, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The Lions defeated the Broncos 45-10. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

There is a growing notion among a subset of Denver Broncos fans that is requiring my attention. It’s a notion being spread by conspiracy theorists and Tim Tebow die-hards. This notion — this ridiculous, preposterous idea — is that John Fox and John Elway are either:

• purposefully sabotaging Tim Tebow’s  success in a spiteful display of pride and desire for Andrew Luck OR
• too uneducated and untalented to figure out a way to use Tim Tebow to his full potential.

Earth to the conspiracy theorists: maybe Tim Tebow just isn’t very good.

When you’re producing an other-wordly bad -109.4% DVOA in your first three quarters and a still-below average -1.8% in the fourth quarter, there’s not a lot your coaching staff can do to make better of this. But there’s evidence that Fox and offensive coordinator Mike McCoy are trying.

The Broncos have been trying to play to Tebow’s strengths. They have been lining up predominantly out of the shotgun and utilizing a spread offense in parts of Sunday’s game. They “revamped” their offense in one week, according to reports on Sunday, to bend to Tebow’s college style.

The critics say that, against Miami, the Broncos were too conservative. They clipped his playbook, and his wings, after a few bad plays, and he finally “broke free” in the fourth quarter when he could run the show.

The same critics say that, against Detroit, the Broncos were too aggressive. They didn’t give him enough time to warm up and get comfortable with some easy passes. They altered their formation after the first drive, and the offense stumbled.

Both argument have a facet of truth to them. But they hardly tell the whole tale. The Broncos are still trying to succeed with Tebow. If that wasn’t the case, he wouldn’t be starting this week.

Don’t blame John Fox for Tebow’s inaccurate throw in the red zone that was intercepted and returned 100 yards for a touchdown. Don’t blame John Elway for Tebow’s repeated tendency to look away from his receivers, dart his eyes at the pressure around him, and still manage to get sacked 13 times in two games.

Blame Tebow, and hope he gets better.