Now that Tim Tebow has taken over as the starting quarterback for Denver it has many people wondering if he will be
able to “resurrect the Broncos.” The whole process started when Tebow was drafted by ex-coach Josh McDaniels way ahead of his projected spot. Weeks ago when McDaniels was fired, it was the start of a long rebuilding process that included throwing Tebow into the starting spot.
Tebow made his first NFL start against the Oakland Raiders in Week 15 and had a solid game with both a passing and rushing touchdown against the silver and black. His overall passing stats were underwhelming (just 138 passing yards) but he picked up 78 yards on the ground and became just the third player in NFL history to throw for a 30+ yard touchdown and run for a 40+ yard touchdown in his first game… the other two were Michael Vick and Kordell Stewart.
Despite a solid debut, it was the Raiders who walked away with a comfortable victory over the Broncos. They ran for over 200 yards and scored 39 against Denver, leaving the Broncos with another loss to a division foe.
Things went better for the Broncos in Tebow’s second start and ended in a come from behind 24-23 win. Tebow threw for 308 yards, one touchdown and one interception (granted, it was against the worst pass defense in the league) and accounted for another score on the ground. At this point, it is yet to be seen whether or not Tebow will become a solid starting quarterback in the NFL, but one thing is for sure: The Broncos will need more than Tebow developing to become a contender.
The main issue is their defense, which ranks 31st in yards per game, 32nd in points per game and has struggled to stop both the run and pass; ranked 31st and 25th respectively.
So far, Tebow has looked the part of a starting quarterback. Sure, he’s not, and probably never will be, Peyton Manning, but the rookie from Florida has given the Broncos a chance to win games. For the franchise to move forward, however, they will need to improve just about everywhere, especially on defense.
As for now the former SEC quarterback who won a national title in Gainesville will try to motivate the players left after the mass exodus of stars caused by trades when McDaniels was there.
Used with permission of the author.
Along with contributing to Sports Climax, Brett Kettyle is the Atlanta Braves Community Leader on Bleacher Report and maintains a Braves column for MTR Media. Follow Brett on Twitter.
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