Tim Tebow and 4 NFL Players That Dictate Their Teams' Style of Play

It's ugly, sending the NFL back to the 1930s, boring and probably shouldn't be working ... but it has.

Say what you will about Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos' uber run-heavy offensive attack, but it has won them three of their last four games.

Never has a team's approach to the game been so heavily dictated by the ability, or shall I say inabilities, of one player.

Teams know exactly what they're gonna see from the Broncos: Lots of running, and if you can't stop them it's a serious indictment on your team's defensive players and play calling.

But who else in the league has such a heavy sway over their team's playing style?

Michael Vick

As with many running quarterbacks, the playbook begins to feature a lot more moving pockets to give the quarterback the time to bomb it deep.

The Philadelphia Eagles have made a killing off of big pass plays. We saw it when Donovan McNabb was there and now with Vick it's the same thing.

Yes, the running backs (Brian Westbrook and LeSean McCoy) have been huge contributors, but mainly for their ability in the open field.

If a receiver doesn't get open deep down field, the quarterback needs a simple outlet pass to make to make sure the play is a success and to keep defenses honest.

Vick tends to struggle to make the reads of a truly elite quarterback and so him being able to run for yards becomes a crutch. He is 10 years into his career and still doesn't fully know how to study film.

Ray Lewis

The Baltimore Ravens has been keyed by Ray Lewis for more than a decade. Lewis doesn't necessarily change the type of defense the team plays, instead his presence has contributed to the defense taking real pride in always being one of the best.

With Ray Lewis as their leader, the Ravens defense has become one cohesive unit that takes its cue from Lewis to be the best defense that they can be. 

Since 2000, when Lewis was voted the defensive player of the year and the defense held its opponents to a league record 165 points against for the season, the Baltimore Ravens have fielded an elite defense every season.

Troy Polamalu

The Pittsburgh Steelers are, for many people in their mid-20s and under, the very definition of defense. 

With or without Troy Polamalu the Steelers still have a very tough defense to crack, but it has been proven time and again that without him the defense struggles mightily.

Having Polamalu gives the rest of the players on defense the option to take a risk that players on other teams never get a chance too.

Polamalu also has a knack for sniffing out what opposing defenses are doing and making big plays on a consistent basis with his speed and knowledge of the game.

Without Polamalu, this Pittsburgh team takes on a completely different character.

Peyton Manning

The proof is in the pudding. Without Peyton Manning, the Colts are apparently the league's worst team.

The Indianapolis Colts offense is designed completely with one person in mind to be at the controls, and for the past 13 years that hasn't been a single problem with that.

The Colts don't run an intricate offense. What they do is run the perfect plays at the perfect times with perfect passes because they have a quarterback that knows the ins and outs of opposing defenses better than their own players.

The master of the hurry-up offense and line of scrimmage audible is one of the innovators of many of the passing attacks that are featured on a weekly basis today.