Can the Tim Tebow Offense Last? Tony Dungy Says No

By now you all know that the New York Jets got Tebowed last night. Well, they actually got Sanchezed too but it’s more fun to talk about Tebow Time than it is to blast Sanchez for not making any significant strides in his third season as an NFL starter. With the Broncos trailing 13-10 and 5:54 remaining in the game, Tim Tebow took his team 95 yards for the game-winning touchdown. Naturally, it was Tebow himself who ran it in from 20 yards out.

Once again, Denver was able to win with a virtually nonexistent passing game.  Tebow completed 9-of-20 throws for 104 yards and no touchdowns.  He was particularly inaccurate when throwing from the pocket, missing at least three wide open receivers throughout the course of the game.  Per usual, none of that mattered.  The Jets could not find an answer for Denver’s spread offense on the game-winning drive and Tebow led his team to yet another comeback victory, improving his record to 4-1 as a starter this season.

Despite the Broncos’ success over the last five weeks, the Tebow-style offense — the one John Fox insists his quarterback would be screwed without — still has its doubters.  And it should.

“I don’t know how much longer it can go,” Tony Dungy said on the Dan Patrick Show Friday. “I don’t think it can go very long. They’re going to have to get some more passing game, some way. To win those big games you’re going to have to complete some third-down passes, you’re going to have to be able to get some explosive games in the passing game. But right now they’re winning, and I’d say they have to be happy.”

Dungy is right.  While the painfully boring offensive approach may be fun to watch during a fourth-quarter comeback, it is built for leads and close games.  If Denver’s defense falters early, it’s going to be difficult — if not impossible — for Tebow and company to claw their way back.  Defenders at the NFL level are much faster than those in college.  Until Tebow proves he can stand in the pocket and hit open receivers, opposing defenses can stack the box and rely on man-to-man coverage down the field.  Tebow’s flare for drama is certainly fun to watch at the moment, but there’s no way the Broncos will be successful in the long term without some sort of passing attack.