Tim Tebow: Why Denver Broncos QB Wins More Than Cam Newton

There are two young quarterbacks that are taking the NFL by storm in 2011.

One is Cam Newton. A sensational athlete who has proven to have an NFL-caliber arm combined with the ability to break off a long run, Newton has made the Carolina Panthers relevant for the first time in three yards and has already given the franchise as many wins (two) as they had all of last year.

In the process of leading the Panthers to a couple of victories, he has made his team competitive in just about every game this season.

With the exception of the Tennessee Titans loss of a week ago, the Panthers have either led, been tied or been within a one-possession distance of tying or taking the lead in the fourth quarter of every single game this season.

That is not a small task for a team that was the worst team in the league by far in 2010.

The other is Tim Tebow—also a sensational athlete who has proven to be a dynamic runner but a not-so-great passer.

Tebow has taken a hold of the NFL spotlight by thrusting the Broncos into the AFC playoff picture, going 4-1 as the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos.

Before Tebow took over in Week 7 against the Miami Dolphins, the Broncos had gone an NFL-worst 8-24 over their last 32 games since starting 6-0 in 2009 with Kyle Orton as their quarterback.

But in the process of doing so, Tebow has completed only 45 percent of his passes while also providing ammunition to his supporters and detractors.

He provides ammunition to his supporters in that he wins games, is the best rushing threat at the quarterback position as of the moment and has intangibles that just can't be measured.

In doing so, he also provides ammunition to his detractors. His accuracy is bad, his footwork can get spotty and he misses open receivers rather frequently.

Even though Tebow hasn't proven to be your prototypical quarterback, he has proven thus far that he can win you games as a quarterback. That's what matters in the NFL.

So why is Tim Tebow more of a winning QB than Cam Newton?

Fewer Turnovers—A Lot Fewer 

Newton has been amazing this year at moving the football. He is sixth in the NFL in passing yards in his rookie season. His yards per attempt places him ninth in the NFL.

There is no doubt that Newton moves the ball.

However, he turns the ball over too frequently.

He has 12 passing touchdowns to go along with 14 interceptions. His 14 interceptions rank him as the third-worst quarterback in the NFL in that category.

You know the old adage—teams who win the turnover battle win the game.

Of the five quarterbacks who lead the league in interceptions thrown, only Andy Dalton has led his team to a winning record through 11 weeks of the season.

Newton's INT percentage is eighth-highest in the league.

Let's look at Tebow's turnover numbers. Through five games started and six games played at the quarterback position, Tebow has thrown one interception against seven touchdowns.

His INT percentage of 0.8 is the best in the league. It is lower than Aaron Rodgers' 1.2

No, I'm not saying Tebow is as good as Rodgers. Or even three-fourths of the quarterback that Rodgers is.

However, when a quarterback is throwing interceptions at the lowest rate in the NFL—even lower than the best quarterback in the game—that is simply amazing. Especially for a second-year player.

Tebow takes extreme control of the ball, which enables his team to always remain in the game. It is common sense that when you turn the ball over, it's the worst thing you can possibly do in the NFL. You give the opposing team momentum, field position and an advantage in the possession department.

Tebow takes care of the ball better than any other quarterback in the NFL. Newton does not. And it's not even close.

Time of Possession

You can attribute this to a variety of things. The play-calling, the defenses, etc.

One thing that cannot be argued statistically is that the Broncos are a better team when it comes to time of possession than the Carolina Panthers.

A lot of that has to do with Tim Tebow.

The Broncos rank 11th in time of possession in their last three games with Tebow starting. In that very same category for the Panthers, they rank 27th.

Under Orton, the Broncos were a vertical-passing team that turned the ball over, couldn't rush the football and had a lot of three-and-outs.

Under Tebow, the Broncos do have their fair share of inconsistency with moving the football, but they're by far better running the football, controlling the clock and committing fewer turnovers. Which (surprise, surprise) has resulted in far more wins.

The Broncos have been the best team at rushing the football since Tebow stepped in as quarterback vs. the Chargers in Week 5. In their last three alone, they are averaging over 222 yards a game.

The Panthers, whether that's due to the play-calling or how terrible their defense is, they are not a good team at controlling the clock. At best, they're average.

If the play-calling was a little bit more balanced, I think the Panthers would be a better team. They have two great runners in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, who have proven they can carry the burden of rushing the football as a duo.

However, the Panthers rank 19th in total rushing attempts. They're seventh in rushing yards and third in yards per attempt. Williams is averaging 5.1 yards a carry while Stewart is averaging 4.5

So why the hell are they passing the football so much?

Similar to the situation with Belichick/Brady in recent years, the Panthers have become too enamored with Newton's abilities to move the football.

What this has resulted in is a lot more big plays with blown-up stats by Newton, but it's been at the expense of victories and balance.

So yes, a lot of this has to do with the coaching and the game plan.

With that said, it's still fair to conclude the Broncos with Tebow would be a better team than the Panthers with Newton at controlling the clock because of one reason—Tebow commits less turnovers.

Conclusion

Is Newton a better passer than Tebow? Yes.

Is Newton a better quarterback than Tebow at the moment? No.

People tend to get these two terms mixed up. As a quarterback, your job is to lead the offense. Your job is to be able to put your team in the best position to win.

As a passer, your job is to stretch the field vertically with your arm.

As a passer, Newton is ahead of Tebow's curve.

As a quarterback? Tebow is ahead of Newton's curve.

As a winning quarterback?

It's not even a debate at this point in time. Tebow is 4-1, Newton is 2-8.

Tebow is more of a winning QB than Newton.