For the past few months I have been somewhere between disbelief and how did we get here?. I was scanning MHR today looking for something interesting to read and I started to think back about the last year and a half and the roller coaster the Broncos have had me on. I am not going to get into the details of what exactly has transpired because we have all been witness to and read about it ad nauseum, but man, there has been a lot of wild stuff. And somehow, some way all of it has led us to where we are now…where exactly are we now?

Continue reading this post »

Like most of the people who frequent MHR I Love me some Broncos.  I visit this site 3 to 4 times a day to get the latest info, read articles, read comments etc.  I do this at all times of the year as well.  Even at times of the year when almost nothing is going on NFL wise, like the month of March and the few weeks leading up to training camp.  I can't get enough Broncos news.  After the loss to the Jags for a few minutes I was, lets just say, "a little upset".  In my mind (for a brief moment) I was ready to give up on the Broncos for the rest of the season.  I went so far as to begin to try to figure out in my head what team I was now going to start rooting for.  These thoughts passed of course, and I only went through about 5-7 teams in my head before I decided this was silly.  But later I started to think more about it.  What NFL team would I root for if the Broncos were no more?  The Football season is too long and too much fun not to have a favorite team.  Who would I root for if I couldn't root for the Broncos?  Say they took a year off from the league and I had to pull for someone else.  Hmmmm (rubbing my chin).

Continue reading this post »

We have all heard it numerous times by now.  Every Tom, Dick and Harry has an opinion on why Tim Tebow won’t succeed as an NFL Quarterback.  I, being a diehard Broncos fan, feel otherwise and want to focus on the main reason the pundits say he will fail…the slow delivery / bad throwing motion argument.  I am so very tired of this.  Even as I am typing I am thinking of how weary I am of this.  I want to throw in my two cents worth just so I can vent to someone.  Then the next time I hear some yahoo armchair quarterback speaking out of his backside about it, instead of me frothing at the mouth and going into my rendition from memory I can simply refer the malcontent to this post if I feel so inclined.  As for the so called MSSM (main stream sports media) and “NFL experts”, I guess I will just have to continue to hit mute every time they roll out their worn-out rhetoric.

Let me start off by telling you that this is my first foray into writing a FanPost so please forgive me for any errors or unclear thoughts.  I have lived in Colorado for 37 of my 40 years, and have played many sports at high levels including football, soccer and rugby.  I am (or was when I was younger) college level good, but far from a professional athlete.  I have played competitive sports of one kind or another since my father lied about my age when I was 4 years old to get me on a 6 year old soccer team.  I still continue to play basketball and racquetball at lease 3 times a week.  I am telling you this because I feel that I have a decent handle on what it takes to be a good athlete, and I am coming at you from that perspective. 

As I stated before, I am fed up with the MSSM and the sticking to the party line jargon when it comes to Tebow’s throwing motion.  So much so that I thought I would do a little research of my own.  There are numerous books, articles, websites and videos out there that have opinions on what the main characteristics and/or traits are that a person must possess to be a good NFL quarterback. I gathered a lot excellent of information.  My findings are listed in no particular order below and understandably, some overlapping occurs.

1. Mastery of the Offensive Playbook
2. A Deep Understanding of How to Read Defenses
3. Accuracy
4. Confidence
5. Short Memory
6. Strong Arm (able to make all the throws, not necessarily to have a rocket arm)
7. Timing (with targets)
8. Pocket Presence
9. Leadership
10. Coolness Under Pressure
11. Vision (peripheral and down the field)
12. Processing of Information
13. Football IQ (this is kind of a lazy, all encompassing term but still deserves to be included I think)
14. Anticipation (of the rush, receivers movements and routes)
15. Toughness

Anybody notice anything right from the get go about this list?  Does anybody see anything up there about arm quickness?  Throwing motion?  Holding the ball high up on your body?  I see Accuracy up there at number 3, and that seems kind of related.  I don’t even see good mechanics up there, maybe that’s covered under the Accuracy umbrella too.  One thing that really surprised me from looking at the list is the number of traits that are mental vs. physical.  By my count, 10 traits are mental, 3 are physical and 2 are a combination of both. Now, I am not trying to minimize the importance of a quick release…but I am certainly not trying to completely over blow it either.

Off the top of my head I can name five NFL quarterbacks whom I have heard the critics say had bad throwing motions or mechanics:  Ben Roethlisberger, Brett Farve, Kurt Warner, Philip Rivers and John Elway.  Yes, John Elway.  Every quarterback I mentioned has at least one super bowl victory sans Rivers.

I remember back in the late 80’s, or maybe it was the early 90’s, for about a month or so there were some grumblings by the “NFL experts” at the time who criticized John Elway because of his tapping of the ball prior to throwing it.  If you watch most NFL quarterbacks closely you will notice that a lot, I would even stay most, tap the ball prior to throwing it.  Elway had a tendency to tap it numerous times however.  I can remember watching highlights of games being overlapped by talking panels of experts concerning Elway’s standing in the pocket, looking for an open target and then tapping the ball prior to throwing it. They all said how this was hindering his overall motion, timing and accuracy. They pontificated on how much better he would be if he could correct this problem.  Then, as fast as the criticism started, it was over.  I never heard why.  But I do know his throwing motion never changed.  Go back and watch Elway’s throw to Rod Smith for an 80 yard touchdown in Super Bowl 33 for proof.

I saw an analysis of Tebow’s throwing motion on a show called Sport Science.  I believe someone posted a link to the video on this site a while back too.  If you are interested in it I am sure you can find it on youtube as well.  In a nutshell, the clip I saw analyzed his old throwing motion along with his new throwing motion he has been working on in front of a bunch of scouts.  The video surmised that if he continued to use his new motion, which included holding the ball up closer to his chin and adjusting his arm motion higher on his back swing vs. the lower motion he has had in the past, he could increase the overall time of the motion by 60 milliseconds.  This 60 milliseconds, they said, translates to about an extra 2 feet of distance from an oncoming rusher.  Interesting.  (Sorry about my convoluted explanation, watch the clip if it doesn’t make sense.)  Basically, the quicker the release (the less time the quarterback holds the ball), the less time and subsequently less chance, the rusher has to get to you. 

 I understand all of this.  I get it.  His throwing motion could be faster if he sticks with the changes he has worked on.  But to keep beating this drum like it is the only thing that matters is crazy.  To make it the basis for your argument about why he will fail is silly and frankly unimaginative.  I could come up with 10 more reasonable and probable reasons for his failure if I had the notion to off the top of my head.

In this same vein, there are ways to/or traits that can be worked on that will more than make up for the “problem” throwing motion.  Say Tebow decided that he didn’t want to change his throwing motion because it decreased his accuracy or timing.  What about working on Pocket Presence as an alternative i.e. shuffling your feet in the pocket out of the lane of an oncoming rusher?  This I think would more that make up for the 60 milliseconds/2 feet rushing distance.  What about studying the opposing team’s defense to such an extent that he learns their tendencies and can anticipate the defenses actions? What about when he learns the offence so well, and works with the receivers for so long that that timing becomes second nature to him, therefore, minimizing the need for a quick release?  What if he already possesses other traits on the list in such high quantities that the perceived problem is already more than compensated for?  I know, I’m starting to get silly here with all of this, but I think you get my point.

I am not trying to gloss over or even minimize for that matter, his throwing motion.  I am simply attempting to put it back into proportion.  It is a minor issue that should be treated as such and if it is possible to work on it without decreasing the other traits then he should.  Just like every other quarterback who works on technique at every practice and during every drill.  Let’s face it, he will probably never fix it to the satisfaction of the MSSM. 

I listened to an interview of Joe Montana the other day and the interviewer asked him how he thought Tebow would do in the NFL.  To paraphrase, he stated that he thought Tebow would be fine, and went on to mention that he thought that footwork was far more important than throwing motion.  He also said that Tebow has the ability, was physical and tough enough, and that he has been shown to have a good work ethic which he stated was the key.

What is unfortunate is that the mention of Tebow’s name is now becoming synonymous with having a poor throwing motion.  The MSSM has just drilled this into people’s heads so it is almost an automatic thought response.  You get the idea, the mere mention of certain people’s names conjures up thoughts and/or emotions.  I think this is beginning to happen with Tebow.

My own personal number one trait for a successful NFL quarterback is to be able to move the chains.  I realize this is a bit unsophisticated and admittedly uninteresting but this is what it really boils down to.  In all research I did I only saw one other person who mentioned this.  No matter what a quarterback’s skill set is, or what traits they may or may not possess from the list, as long as they keep the chains moving they will be successful.  I believe Tebow has this trait in spades.

I know what a lot of you are thinking to yourselves by now.  You’re thinking that I am a Tim Tebow apologist.  That I am a huge fan who has followed his career since High School and on and on. But I am not, in fact, although it may seem otherwise, I truly do not care if he ever becomes a quality NFL quarterback.  Seriously.  My opinion is that he will, but if he doesn’t I won’t lose any sleep over it. What I am is an unabashed Denver Broncos fan.  I want to see my team win the Super Bowl and don’t care who is quarterbacking when we do so.  I’m simply a homer with an axe to grind with the so called “NFL experts”.

So in closing, I want to have little fun and turn this around a little bit.  Let’s talk about some of the attributes that Tebow already possesses that other NFL quarterbacks could use.

Just think how great Eli Manning could be if he only had Tebow’s leadership ability.  What if Joe Montana and Peyton Manning had his scrambling ability?  What if Jamarcus Russell and Matt Leinart had his work ethic?  Just think how great Drew Brees could be if he had Tebow’s height.  Wouldn’t it be great if Ben Roethlisberger had his integrity?  Feel free to add to the list in the comments section.