Tim Tebow Experiment Is Working for the Denver Broncos

Let's go way back in time. A time before ICBMs and nuclear bombs. Two armies meet in the middle of a field. One army is composed of foot soldiers. The other army consists of men on horses. 

The foot soldier army's general knows that there is absolutely no way that he's going to be able to face the more powerful army face to face. He knows that his army is limited and that they have to win in other ways.

The Denver Broncos have been that foot soldier army ever since Tim Tebow took over. The Broncos know they can't win in conventional fashion with Tebow the same way the foot soldiers know they can't win the battle with "traditional" tactics.

Even though a lot of the credit has been going to Tebow for his miraculous fourth-quarter performances and comebacks, a lot of the Broncos' success is because of how coach John Fox is strategically utilizing him. 

Instead of going straight at the more powerful army, Fox has made plenty of strategic decisions to help Denver win games. They know their opponents may have the advantage at quarterback, so they don't make the mistake of playing the conventional style. They have to attack and outflank their opponent in other ways and they do this with their running game, defense and ball possession. 

Fox knows that there is no way that Tebow is going to be throwing 25 to 30 times a game. His throwing motions are limited. He knows he can't afford to put Tebow in risky throwing situations.

So what has he done?

They ground-and-pound with Tebow and his solid running game. The Broncos are now first in the league in rushing yards. Plenty of credit should go to Willis McGahee, too, who has been a major factor in the ground game for Denver.

More importantly, the Broncos have not turned the ball over. If they continue to limit turnovers, why wouldn't the Broncos find their way in the playoffs and perhaps win a game or two?

Bash Tim Tebow all you want, but one thing he does very well is not turn the ball over. Last year Tom Brady had a touchdown-interception ratio of 9-to-1 when he threw 36 touchdowns and four interceptions. This year Tebow has one-upped that with a 10-1 ratio.

Tebow is not giving other teams the opportunity to score from great field position. This can be credited to him, but also to Coach Fox. It was his decision to limit Tebow as much as possible. He knows what he has. 

For instance, yesterday early in the fourth quarter, the Broncos were in a 3rd-and-12 situation and Tebow was going to pass. However, a penalty pushed them back to 3rd-and-22. Rather than risk an interception, the Broncos ran the ball and opted to punt instead. 

This type of conservative decisions is the reason why Fox and the Broncos are winning. If Fox had Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady on his team, why wouldn't he choose a passing play on 3rd-and-22? With an elite quarterback, it's very possible for them to convert on a play like that. But with Tebow, Fox has to play it safe and the fact that he understands this is a great thing for Denver fans.  

If the Broncos don't get a first down, they punt it away and trust their defense which has stepped up huge ever since Tebow took over as starter. The Broncos defense has kept other teams under 25 points in five of their last seven games. They're doing a fantastic job keeping Tebow and the Broncos in the game so that they can strike in the fourth.  

Fox knows that if they don't throw the ball, they can not only limit turnovers but they can also do well in terms of time of possession because they'll be running the ball most of the time. This helps take time off the clock and keep the ball away from opposing quarterbacks who can do more damage. 

The Broncos rank 26th in the NFL in time of possession, but ever since Tebow stepped in, they've been doing a better job in ball possession in the second half when all of Tebow's comebacks have occurred.

In fact yesterday against Minnesota, the Broncos had the ball for about 13 minutes in the second half. They had the ball for 22 minutes for the whole game. They did a better job of holding onto the ball late in the game. An example of this was their long game-winning drive against the Jets. 

So how long can this conservative, non-conventional style of play work for this foot soldier army?

If Tebow continues to play turnover-free football, the Broncos will keep games close. But it'll all come down how they run against big-time defensive teams like Baltimore and Pittsburgh and how they defend great passing teams like New England. 

Tebow's heroics and the Broncos' record are not divine intervention. It's been a great team effort and if they continue to play collectively as a group, why can't we see the foot soldiers outflank the horsemen?