Tim Tebow: Why the Broncos' QB Will Fade into “Wildcat” Obscurity

Tim Tebow. “Tebowmania.” Tebow-Time.” “Tebowing.” The media darling Broncos quarterback is quickly becoming the face of the NFL. He is experiencing success at the professional level of football that no one thought possible.

Except Tim Tebow.

Throughout his life, Tebow was told he couldn’t succeed as a quarterback. Despite the criticism, Tebow went on to win two National Championships and a Heisman Trophy while playing for the Florida Gators.

Despite this, Tebow was hailed as the biggest bust before even being drafted to play in the NFL. After selecting Tebow 25th overall in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Broncos were heavily criticized.

Yet Tebow has persevered through the adversity, accumulating a 7-1 record as the starting quarterback for the Broncos. The Broncos find themselves in first place in the AFC West and are thinking about the possibility of an unexpected playoff run.

Unfortunately for Tebow, he has set the Broncos franchise back a decade or more.

The problem for Tebow and the Broncos is that Tebow is a winner. He wins games, for now. It’s hard to ignore his record, and he even has Broncos’ legend John Elway fooled. He has pushed the Broncos out of a high-draft pick next year and has pushed the top quarterback prospects in a deep draft out of reach. Once the organization and fans realize next year the mistake of banking a franchise on a scrambling quarterback, it will be too late.

Tebow relies on his feet to win games because he can’t do it with his arm. He claims to have improved his mechanics, but it still takes him an inordinate amount of time to release the ball. Mechanics are everything for a quarterback, and are the simple reason why Tebow is so inaccurate.

Tebow has completed under 50 percent of his passes this season, 48.5 to be exact. To put that into perspective, his percentage ranks worst in the league. That places him behind average quarterbacks such as Blaine Gabbert, Rex Grossman, Mark Sanchez, Christian Ponder, Curtis Painter and...well, you get the idea.

Defenders of Tebow’s passing (do they exist?) will say he doesn’t turn the ball over, which is true. Tebow has thrown 11 touchdowns and two interceptions so far. He also ranks 32nd in the NFL in attempts, which means he isn’t throwing much.

Running from the quarterback position is where Tebow has found success this season. He has 517 yards on the ground (5.5 average) and three touchdowns. He has also fumbled the ball eight times.

Tebow is winning games because of the vastly underrated Broncos defensive unit. Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins continue to be forces in the secondary while Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil continue to terrorize opposing quarterbacks. The defense plays immaculately for 58 minutes, and Tebow plays averagely for two minutes, albeit the two minutes that matter the most.

The read option that Tebow relies on is essentially a reactionary offense. It is Tebow’s job to read what the defensive end is going to do and react accordingly. Typically, Tebow will have the option of running around the edge or running up the middle.

Tebow hasn’t faced the stiffest competition either, only two of his eight games played have been against teams with a winning record. It will be interesting to see how Tebow responds when he has to deal with elite defenses such as the Baltimore Ravens or Pittsburgh Steelers.

In 2008, the Miami Dolphins unleashed the Wildcat on the NFL with the duo of Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown leading the way. The running back would take the snap from a shotgun formation and would have the option of running, throwing or handing the ball off. The quarterback would be lined up as a wide receiver on the outside as another threat the defenses had to take into consideration.

During the height of the success of the Wildcat in the NFL, the Dolphins averaged seven yards per play. The Dolphins would finish 11-5 in 2008 and win the AFC East, exiting from the playoffs in the Wild Card Round to the Ravens. The season had established the Wildcat as a legitimate formation that defenses had to prepare for every week.

Except it wasn’t going to last. NFL defenses adapted and made the formation irrelevant.

The comparison between Tebow and the Wildcat is a relevant one. Both offenses are reactionary, and defenses will adapt with time. Defenses will eventually neutralize the threat of Tebow running and force the quarterback to beat them with his arm. Tebow’s ability to actually do this is in doubt.

There’s a reason why Tebow’s run-to-pass ratio is so dramatic. John Fox and company have tailored the offense around Tebow’s abilities. Against Kansas City, Tebow ran the ball nine times and passed eight times. Tebow completed two of his eight attempts. Two. In an NFL game.

This type of offense is simply not sustainable in the long run. Tebow hasn’t shown the ability to beat teams with his arm. Tebow doesn’t possess the Ben Roethlisberger-like ability to extend a play and then make the opposing team pay with a huge gain. His inaccuracy and still-horrible mechanics are what will doom him as an NFL quarterback.

This isn’t a Tebow bashing session, it is merely an examination of his skill set and future amidst a plethora of media overreactions and quests for ratings. Tebow is deserving of the recognition, just not for being the quarterback of an NFL team.

Tebow is an undisputed leader. His halftime speeches are well documented, as are his postgame speeches (although his speech after a Florida loss that later became a plaque at the school was a bit ridiculous).  It is hard to ignore how Tebow’s teammates have always responded to his leadership on and off the field.

Tebow is also an amazing human being. His charity work and mission trips are inspirational. Tebow does more in this regard than any other professional athlete, and like his fellow professionals, he doesn’t have to, he chooses to. His religious beliefs, albeit seemingly a bit forced at times, are well known and make people either love or hate him.

The biggest crime of “Tebowmania” is the more deserving stories it is overshadowing, which is in no way Tebow’s fault. We are currently in a Golden Era of quarterbacks, with four quarterbacks on pace to break Dan Marino’s record of 5,084 passing yards: Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Eli Manning are approaching the record.

Also undermined by the media hype is the 13-0 Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers and company are well on their way to a perfect 19-0 season and a second consecutive Super Bowl victory. Rodgers is clearly the MVP, and the Packers are a dynasty for years to come.

In the end, Tim Tebow will eventually falter as an NFL quarterback and fade into obscurity. His limited skill set will prohibit him from having a prolonged NFL career. If Tebow is who he claims to be, he will be fine with this and move on to more important things in life than a game.

The Broncos, fans and media, however, will have a harder time recovering from the coming demise of "Tebowmania."