-Broncos’ confidence in Tebow growing, 1C uQB is work in progress,
Commitment, coach drive Broncos QB
Mile High magician Tim Tebow conjured his wildest trick yet, plucking Sunday’s wild-card overtime win — and perhaps the Denver Broncos’ starting quarterback job — out of thin Rocky Mountain air.
Tebow remains the ultimate work in progress. But in leading the Broncos to their first playoff victory since the 2005 season, Tebow looked more pocket passer than shot-putting fullback.
NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock spent two days before Denver’s 17-13 win against the New York Jets in Week 11 watching the behind-the-scenes dy- namic responsible for yielding Sunday’s huge payoff.
There is an unsung hero behind Tebow’s 80-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime that capped Tebow’s seasonhigh, 316-yard, two-td torching of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“There’s a quarterbacks coach in Denver, Adam Gase, nobody talks about,” Mayock says. “He’s a typical Type A, push, shove, ‘Come on,’ coach. And he’s got Tebow before and after practices going through every kind of pocket drill and throw you can imagine.
“Tebow cares. And he’s got a young, in-your-face coach pushing him.”
Countless hours of fine-tuning by Team Tebow resulted in the quarterback’s smoothest footwork and most accurate passing day since replacing Kyle Orton after Denver’s 1-4 start.
Tebow likely will never be a passing artist such as Drew Brees or Tom Brady. But he showed against Pittsburgh’s top-ranked pass defense that there’s more to him.
“What we saw Sunday was some positive movement in the process,” Mayock says. “What I really liked watching Tebow was his ability to manipulate defensive backs with his eyes and shoulders. You saw that with Troy Polamalu. They used his aggressiveness against him.”
Mayock underscored how Tebow set up his 30-yard, second-quarter touchdown pass to Eddie Royal by holding Polamalu in the middle of the field, first looking to his favored left side. Then he pivoted right, came to balance and threaded a perfect pass to a falling Royal for a 7-6 Broncos lead.
“Here’s where you give Tebow credit: He held Polamalu with his eyes and body posture,” Mayock says. “Then he redirects his feet, hips and shoulders on a right angle to throw to his right.
“And he trusts his receiver to make a play. . . . All those things are really, really good signs of development.”
Flash back to Denver’s Oct. 16 bye week when coach John Fox benched Orton for fan favorite Tebow, saying, “We’re either going to revolutionize pro football or set it back 15 years.”
Well, the Broncos are 8-4 and two wins from the Super Bowl, the unlikeliest final chapter to this season’s most implausible story line.
“I believe Tebow can be a pocket passer,” Hall of Fame quarterback and ESPN analyst Steve Young says. “I tried to bend the position. I used to love to run around. But I got straightened out because I learned the truth — if you’re going to be able to play championship football, you have to be able to deliver the ball accurately from the pocket.”
So after leading the biggest victory Bronco-maniacs have witnessed in six years, Tebow is the answer to traded starter Jay Cutler, right?
“I think Tebow goes into training camp as the No. 1 quarterback regardless whether he won Sunday or not,” Mayock said. “And they’re going to bring in competition regardless.”
Still, deeply religious Tebow has kept the faith, mainly within himself.
“The kid has always had good touch and accuracy on the deep ball and will continue to work his tail off,” Mayock says. “But they should bring in competition. He still has a long way to go in the pocket on intermediate throws.
“There’s nothing wrong with competition. And I think Tim Tebow would welcome it.”