The aftermath of Tim Tebow’s highly anticipated second start was not pretty. Local radio shows and their fans have been ripping on the performance of one of the NFL’s most criticized players after a Denver Broncos loss that included two interceptions and three fumbles by the second-year starter. For a guy that has sold more jerseys in his first two years than anyone in league history, it was surprising to see how excited everyone was to see him fail.
Tebow and the Broncos’ dismal performance had a lot to do with the play of their young quarterback but should we really be placing all the blame on Tebow? Does he really have less talent at running an offense than say rookie standout Andy Dalton? Tebow has more experience in the limelight than any young QB besides Cam Newton so it would make sense that the next level shouldn’t faze him.
Looking around the league at other struggling quarterbacks, a lot of the blame could be placed on the performance of the offensive line rather than the talent of the QB, and that’s a bigger reason why the team is struggling this season. After all, most every starting QB in the NFL was highly touted coming out of college, so most QBs start at the same talent for making plays and throwing a football.
Let’s take a look at the stats comparing the good and the bad. The top ten teams in passing this year have allowed 165 sacks combined. Only one team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, have given up more than 20 sacks this season and they pass the ball way more than run. The combined records of the top ten teams in passing offense are 47-28.
The bottom ten teams have allowed 200 sacks this season with all but four giving up less than 20 sacks as of week eight. There isn’t a huge discrepancy in passing attempts and if anything the bottom ten have less than the top ten. The combined records of the bottom ten teams in passing offense are 26-45.
Passing offense is obviously a huge part of the game and one of the obvious answers as to why teams are giving up more sacks is to compare the experience of the offensive line between the two groups. At this level every lineman is highly talented and as an individual shouldn’t be that big of a deal. The cohesiveness of the line as a group might have something to do with it due to how much time they’ve had together. Most teams at the bottom are young, inexperienced and haven’t been together for very long.
A stat that I’d love to see is time in the pocket. This has to be one of the most underrated statistics in the NFL and I say this because I couldn’t find it. I’m assuming that QBs in the bottom ten have less time to throw than the superstar QBs in the top ten. Imagine throwing Tom Brady in behind the Broncos line, which gave up seven sacks on Sunday to a guy that is known to make plays happen with his feet.
If David Carr started out his career with an experienced and good offensive line like Dalton, would he be recognized as one of the NFL’s elite right now?
It’s easy to target the QB as the main reason your team is losing or great this season. But after watching Tebow and the rest of the bottom ten get beat up week in and week out, it might be time to start pointing your finger at someone else.
Ya right, Tebow doesnt get rid of the ball in time and can’t throw to save his life. There is no way to blame the loss to the Lions on anyone but Tebow. He isn’t going to become a successful NFL QB ever, he just doesn’t have the game for it.