John Bohn, Boston Globe, 2005
CBS wins. The Week 15 game between the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots will not be flexed. No Tim Tebow vs. Tom Brady in primetime.
Kickoff remains at 2:15 p.m. MT on Sunday, December 18 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow (15) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the San Diego Chargers in the fourth quarter during an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011, in Denver. (AP Photo/Joe Mahoney)
Tim Tebow will be taking over your television in less than five minutes, Denver Broncos fans.
Yes, we mean more than he already has.
As mentioned in the Daily Links, ESPN’s SportsCenter is dedicating an entire hour to the Mile High Miracle Man. Coverage begins at noon MT. Bill Williamson breaks down the schedule:
- Highlights of Tebow’ comebacks.
- Josina Anderson reports live from the Broncos facility.
- Jerry Rice will break down Tebow’s development as a passer.
- Steve Young will discuss Tebow’s future and how the Broncos should handle him.
- An Ed Werder feature: “Winning the Tebow Way.”
- The debate over Tebow with Skip Bayless.
- The top-10 Tebow moments, which will include his Florida days.
- An examination of Tebow’s impact on fantasy football.
Regular near-all encompassing Tim Tebow coverage will resume immediately after the segment.
Denver Broncos head coach John Fox talks to Tim Tebow during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011, in Minneapolis. The Broncos won 35-32. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
For all the accolades and attention Tim Tebow is generating for the Denver Broncos‘ turnaround, one person is getting decidedly inadequate acclaim.
That man would be head coach John Fox. ESPN’s Rick Reilly gives the coach his due in his latest column.
“This whole thing has been so fun,” says Fox’s wife, Robin, an in-demand jewelry designer in her own right. “The snow in Colorado, the holidays coming up, everybody wanting to talk about Tebow. We’re loving this.”
What they should be talking about is how her husband took a team that was steaming wreckage when Josh McDaniels was fired exactly a year ago this week and has them in the playoff hunt. They should be talking about a coach who wins with Tebow running it 22 times in one game (versus the Chargers) and only four in another (Vikings). They should be talking about a coach who’s made it fun to be a Bronco — and a Broncos fan — again.
Reilly’s right. We haven’t talked about John Fox enough. Kudos to Reilly for wording a far better column than we ever could have, anyway.
Fox has Broncos in the hunt [ESPN]
Can you say Top 10 across the board?! Believe it Broncos fans… except from the computers. They still have the Broncos ranked low, sometimes really low.
ESPN: 10th (16)
They’re converting believers game by game and getting help from the rest of the fading AFC West.
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Michael Bush #29 of the Oakland Raiders dives over Champ Bailey #24 of the Denver Broncos to score a touchdown at O.co Coliseum on November 6, 2011 in Oakland, California. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
It’s time to talk playoffs. Insert requisite Jim Mora video here.
The Broncos are far from clinching an AFC West title. With four games to play, they currently hold the lead over the other three teams in the division, but not one team has been eliminated yet. Also consider that every team in the division has been in first place at some point this season. It’s way too soon to think trends will continue and to be crowning their ass. (Hey, two coach rant classics in one post. Look at us go!)
That being said, the Broncos schedule has two good things going for it: it’s their easiest four-game stretch to date based on opponent record, and three of the four games are at home.
Now, there are a ton of variables to consider with four weeks to go, so we’re going to restrict this to one overarching scenario: what happens if the Broncos and Raiders finish with the same record.
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The Denver Broncos won their fifth straight game and tied the Oakland Raiders for the AFC West lead with their 35-32 win in Minnesota Sunday. It was another thrilling come-from-behind victory for Tim Tebow and company. BTer’s, let’s dish out game balls.
Mario Haggan
Replacing the injured Von Miller, Haggan did a great job filling a void on Denver’s defense. He didn’t provide a pass rush like only Miller can, but Haggan finished the day with 12 tackles (which was a team high) and recorded a 16-yard interception return for a touchdown giving the Broncos an early 7-3 lead. My game ball this week goes to Haggan. – Jon Heath
Tim Tebow
The Vikings, who may well be a better team than their record indicates, set out to make Tebow win the game with his arm. In the first half of the game, it really looked like this was a defensive strategy that was going to work. Then, after halftime, something funny happened. The offense went back to a mostly normal, pro-style offense. And Tim Tebow won the game with his arm. 10 of 15 for 202 yards and two touchdowns and a 149.3 passer rating, and a ton of it…from the pocket?! To be fair, apparently the Vikings didn’t think they had to cover Demaryius Thomas and he got not just open but really wide open at least four times. But then again, Tim Tebow is supposed to be uncomfortable and inaccurate when throwing inside the pocket. He only rushed 4 times for 13 yards. On a day where it looked like a defense had finally figured out how to contain the option read and zone read thing, Tebow took advantage of a weak secondary that wasn’t getting any help because the Vikings kept 8 in the box all night and contained the perimeter. Plus, another miracle final drive to get down the field and give Matt Prater a chip shot to seal the game. – E. Halsey Miles
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Tim Tebow #15 of the Denver Broncos looks to pass the ball against the Minnesota Vikings at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome on December 4, 2011 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Adam Bettcher /Getty Images)
His wind-up is long and mechanically atrocious. He can’t hit the broad side of a barn (or, more accurately, he couldn’t). His completion percentage couldn’t pass a course on any grading curve (or, more accurately, it couldn’t a week ago).
None of that matters. Tim Tebow has entered the NFL Most Valuable Player discussion.
Frankly, he’s the frontrunner in the AFC. For our money, only Aaron Rodgers should stand above Tebow in the “valuable” department. And that’s only right now.
Give Tim Tebow another four weeks and he may be the unquestioned choice.
Indeed, there’s a realistic chance The Mile High Miracle Man will walk away with the league’s most coveted player award. When you define “valuable” in the context of replacing a player with another on the team, no team in the NFL has a case study quite like the Broncos do with Tebow. They were 1-4 without him. They’re 6-1 with him.
The schedule favors the trend to continue. The Broncos will host three of their four remaining games at home. Three of their four opponents are currently reeling — the Bears, Bills and Chiefs. It’s dare-we-say likely that the Broncos will finish 3-1 or better down the stretch.
That would mark a winning percentage difference from .200 to .818 by one personnel move. It’s hard to argue a difference like that.
Rodgers is the NFL’s best player, but the loaded Packers would still likely finish 8-8 or better with another quarterback. Tebow is the NFL’s most valuable.
Published on Wed Dec 07 12:08. 11 Comments |
Tagged: 2011 Season, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Top Stories.