Tebowmania peaked in 2011 as Tim Tebow guided the Broncos to a 7-4 record with him as the starting quarterback in 2011, 9-7 over the last two years as a starter. John Elway has gone on record that he wants to help Tebow. For comparison's sake, let's compare those two quarterbacks in their first two years.
GS W L T Win% Cmp Att Cmp% Yds TD TD% Int Int% Lng Y/A AY/A Y/C Y/G Rate
Elway 24 16 8 0 67% 337 639 51.9 4261 25 3.7 29 4.65 73 6.6 5.25 12.8 162.2 65.85
Tebow 14 8 6 0 57% 167 353 48.25 1191.5 17 5.25 9 2.95 53 7.2 6.9 14.85 98.1 77.5
In short, the numbers are close enough for John Elway to have some faith in Tebow for next year.
Playing time: Elway had to contend with Steve Deberg for his first two years just as Tebow had to contend with Kyle Orton for his first two years. Elway started 24 of 26 games; Tebow started 14 of 27 games.
Winning percentage: Elway won 67% of his starts in his first two years; Tebow won 57%. Elway was 0-1 in playoff games in his first two years; Tebow was 1-1 in his playoff games.
Passer rating: Elway's passer rating his first two years is 65.9; Tebow's is 77.5. Both had a completion percentage hovering around 50% with about 7 yards per attempt. Tebow's throws tended to be longer at just under 15 yards per completion to Elway's 13 yards per completion. Elway had a touchdown percentage of 3.7% to Tebow's 5.25%. Elway had an interception percentage of 4.65 to Tebow's 2.95.
Rushing: Elway was always known as an adept rushing quarterback. He averaged 4.5 yards per attempt his first two years to Tebow's 5.3 yards. Elway rushed for 1 TD each year his first two years; Tebow rushed for 6 TD each year in his first two years.
Outlook: Elway was among the league leaders in his third year, so he may see a bright upside to Tebow as he enters his third year.
Meanwhile, Tebow boosted the Denver Broncos' merchandise sales. His jersey is the top selling jersey each month that he has been in the NFL, and the Broncos have remained in the top five each month for Broncos merchandise sold. Tebow has set an NFL record for fastest overtime game in regular season or playoff history, longest TD pass in overtime (80 yards), set a record for most yards per completion in a playoff game (31.6), and Broncos record for single game passer rating in a playoff game (125.6).
Looking forward to 2012: Eric Decker may have been Tebow's go-to receiver, but he hardly qualifies as a franchise wide receiver. Decker had 44 receptions and a ton of drops. Former 1st-rounder Demaryius Thomas caught 32, but dropped too many for a 1st-rounder. Daniel Fells added another 19, but cannot block at all. Eddie Royals looked great in the highlight reels catching 19 passes from Tebow, but always seems to cut off his routes. Matt Willis only seems good in short yardage. If Tebow is to succeed, he needs better receivers.
Regardless of the statistics and merchandise sales, Timothy Richard Tebow has greatly entertained America both on the field and off the field as a football player and as a person. Let us hope that in 2012 that the Denver Broncos "unleash Tim Tebow".
GS W L T Win% Cmp Att Cmp% Yds TD TD% Int Int% Lng Y/A AY/A Y/C Y/G Rate
Elway 24 16 8 0 67% 337 639 51.9 4261 25 3.7 29 4.65 73 6.6 5.25 12.8 162.2 65.85
Tebow 14 8 6 0 57% 167 353 48.25 1191.5 17 5.25 9 2.95 53 7.2 6.9 14.85 98.1 77.5
In short, the numbers are close enough for John Elway to have some faith in Tebow for next year.
Playing time: Elway had to contend with Steve Deberg for his first two years just as Tebow had to contend with Kyle Orton for his first two years. Elway started 24 of 26 games; Tebow started 14 of 27 games.
Winning percentage: Elway won 67% of his starts in his first two years; Tebow won 57%. Elway was 0-1 in playoff games in his first two years; Tebow was 1-1 in his playoff games.
Passer rating: Elway's passer rating his first two years is 65.9; Tebow's is 77.5. Both had a completion percentage hovering around 50% with about 7 yards per attempt. Tebow's throws tended to be longer at just under 15 yards per completion to Elway's 13 yards per completion. Elway had a touchdown percentage of 3.7% to Tebow's 5.25%. Elway had an interception percentage of 4.65 to Tebow's 2.95.
Rushing: Elway was always known as an adept rushing quarterback. He averaged 4.5 yards per attempt his first two years to Tebow's 5.3 yards. Elway rushed for 1 TD each year his first two years; Tebow rushed for 6 TD each year in his first two years.
Outlook: Elway was among the league leaders in his third year, so he may see a bright upside to Tebow as he enters his third year.
Meanwhile, Tebow boosted the Denver Broncos' merchandise sales. His jersey is the top selling jersey each month that he has been in the NFL, and the Broncos have remained in the top five each month for Broncos merchandise sold. Tebow has set an NFL record for fastest overtime game in regular season or playoff history, longest TD pass in overtime (80 yards), set a record for most yards per completion in a playoff game (31.6), and Broncos record for single game passer rating in a playoff game (125.6).
Looking forward to 2012: Eric Decker may have been Tebow's go-to receiver, but he hardly qualifies as a franchise wide receiver. Decker had 44 receptions and a ton of drops. Former 1st-rounder Demaryius Thomas caught 32, but dropped too many for a 1st-rounder. Daniel Fells added another 19, but cannot block at all. Eddie Royals looked great in the highlight reels catching 19 passes from Tebow, but always seems to cut off his routes. Matt Willis only seems good in short yardage. If Tebow is to succeed, he needs better receivers.
Regardless of the statistics and merchandise sales, Timothy Richard Tebow has greatly entertained America both on the field and off the field as a football player and as a person. Let us hope that in 2012 that the Denver Broncos "unleash Tim Tebow".
