The Denver Broncos have completely altered their offense to fit Tim Tebow’s strengths, and it helped produce a win over the Chiefs Sunday. Tim Tebow only attempted eight passes, and he completed just two of them. He did not attempt a pass in the first quarter, and his first completion did not come until late in the third quarter. He’s not playing the quarterback position the conventional way, but rather as a runner. Head coach John Fox says that’s because Tebow would be screwed if he had to play in a typical passing offense.
“Let me tell you something: My man is really good in this offense,” Fox told NFL.com reporter Jeff Darlington. “You know what I mean?
“If we were trying to run a regular offense, he’d be screwed.”
That’s a backhanded compliment if we’ve ever heard one. Is Fox telling the truth? Probably. Tebow isn’t your typical drop-back passer, and the Broncos would be less productive if they tried to use him that way. They’re playing to his strengths, and Fox is telling it like it is.
The only problem — and I’m sure Fox recognizes this — is that you can’t last in the NFL as a one-dimensional team. If you’re running the ball 75% of the time (or more), opposing defenses will know what to do to stop. Not all of them will be able to, but it’s much easier to plan for. Sure, the Broncos running the ball can bore the secondary, but this approach won’t be successful longterm.
