NFL Week 11: In four weeks we can put TEBOW!!!! in the headline

I don't like the guy, either . . . but he had a great arm, and his increased power and mobility near the end multiplied his effectiveness.

 

When did Elway ever lack mobility?

 

Never said he did . . . but he was even more effective after he bulked up and got the help he needed on the offensive side of the ball.

 

Cap circumvention didn't hurt those teams, either.

 

I don't dislike him, he's an all time great QB who I never particularly rooted for or against. If you think he was better in the later championship years than he was in the runner-up years, I can't imagine how you could think that unless the rings are your evidence. He just wasn't as good - happens to everyone as they get older, no shame in aging.

 

The Broncos would be stupid to let Tebow go. Keep him on the roster as a situational back and back-up qb. I imagine teams would kind of have mixed feelings if the knocked another Bronco qb out of a game and the Broncos switched to a style of play they weren't prepared for.

 

Hey - stop everything you are doing "Tebow meets Skip Bayliss" is on ESPN First Take right now!!!

 

I know I'm about to get screamed at for using a shaky QB metric, but...

Elway's QB Rating during his Super Bowl regular seasons/playoffs:

1986: 79.0/71.6
1987: 83.4/77.8
1989: 73.7/83.0
---
1997: 87.5/83.9
1998: 93.0/85.9

There's no doubt that having a solid running game helped him. But trying to make the case that Elway turned into a Brad Johnson-style "game manager" during his last two seasons just doesn't pass the smell test.

 

On the other hand, the Broncos would be stupid to keep him if they aren't going to start him, because the second their starting QB has a bad game -- heck, a bad series -- the entire state will be calling for Tebow to start. And that kind of controversy can be very difficult for an organization to deal with.

Oh, and if the new QB doesn't win right away, calls for the coach's and GM's heads begin very quickly -- moreso than usual. Of course, that happens whether Tebow stays on the roster or not.

 

The Broncos are now in the situation, as least with fans, that either Tebow stays as a starter, or he doesn't stay at all.

I don't think it's unfair for Elway to say the situation is not settled at quarterback. I don't care if he's more of a runner -- a 44 percent completion rate is awful, and if that doesn't go up, he has no future as a QB. Elway also is correct to point out Tebow's Painter-esque third-down conversation rate. If Ryan Fitzpatrick's fat contract has taught us nothing, it's that highly valuing a quarterback after a short winning streak is fraught with peril.

Eventually, you would think, teams are going to figure out how to defend Tebow running, so he's going to have to win games solely with his arm. However, if Tebow improves his throwing, I would think even Elway will give him his due.

The complicating factor, of course, is that Tebow's fanatics see any criticism of him as a criticism of God himself.

 

Speaking of Skip Bayless -- and it's not as if I devote my morning to watching all two hours -- but when did First Take devolve into "Skip Bayless Argues With Everybody?"