Tim Tebow: Why Winning Is Enough to Make Him MVP Threat

What a weird year for Tim Tebow. He's gone from rumored QB1 to third-string back to first-string to viable MVP candidate—and we still have a quarter of the season left to go! 

Now, I know what a lot of people are thinking and or explicitly saying. I fully anticipate an all-out, profanity-laden assault on my intelligence. Just to let you know, I'm aware that this is a peculiar position. Let's put it this way though, he's done a better job than Michael Vick. 

I'm not arguing he deserves the award. I'm arguing he deserves a vote in the top five. 

As a devotee of statistical analysis it's hard to imagine, even for me, that I'd ever take a position like this, but it's hard to ignore. Before Tebow (BT) they were 1-4. After Tebow (AT) they are 4-1. Let there be no mistake, this is not mere coincidental timing. Tebow is winning games, and you can't see it all by the numbers. 

The word that statisticians hate the most of any is "intangibles." It's a nebulous word that can mean anything you want it to mean. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist though. There's something about Tebow that inspires his teammates and makes them believe they can win. 

That's not speculation, it's what they say. That has a tangible impact on the field. Consider the difference on defense, when Tebow isn't even on the field. 

BT they were giving up 28 points and 386 yards per game with 1.75 takeaways. AT they are giving up 21.4 points and 326 yards per game and averaging 2.0 turnovers. What accounts for a difference of nearly a TD, 60 yards and nearly a quarter of a turnover? Belief, and that's according to the Broncos defense!

How many quarterbacks make their defense better?

While the offensive numbers for yards and points are almost identical, there's a big difference in one number. They actually score one point fewer and they 14.8 yards more, but they average .83 turnovers fewer. That's a real tangible for you, Tebow doesn't lose the ball. 

That allows the Broncos to stay in games. They have been in every game, and when they are in the game, they win the game. Tebow has made two incredible game winning drives this season. He's led the team back to another fourth-quarter lead though it was a McGahee touchdown that put them ahead. 

Yes, there are some games left to play, but if things keep going like this you have to start thinking he deserves a vote in the top five. Often when it comes to these awards we speculate "where would they be without him." In Tebow's case we don't have to. He's the difference between winning 80 percent of their games and losing 80 percent of the games. 

In an award where the intangible "value" is the definition of the award, why not give consideration to the player with the most intangibles?