Why didn't the Broncos keep Tebow as backup?

[rock8591]

Any ideas?

 

I always thought that he could have been a decent backup for a few years, then take over for Peyton when he retires; e.g. go the Aaron Rodgers route with Brett Favre. Not trying to say he was going to be the next Aaron Rodgers, but they also spent a 1st round (#25 pick on him), only to trade it away for a 4th and 6th round pick.

 

My guess is it was just a temporary marketing ploy to sell tickets?

[buccolts]

No politics, religion, or Tebow on the forums.

Sorry.

All lightening rods.

[Dustin]

Because he was terrible.

[Gavin]

The time it would take to likely get him to be a competent QB was not worth the attention the media and "fans" (More like severe attention seekers)were giving him. He was so raw. Not to mention...What if Peyton actually did struggle to start off and fans started calling for Tebow? ya want to be THAT GUY that sat Manning for Tebow? Now I don't think the attention Tebow got was all on him but he did not do anything to stop it...And truthfully he would not have been able to, Good guy I think but not worth the mess that came with him

[Jules]

Because then you would have competing markets and fanbases for BOTH Peyton and Tebow. Both major groups of fanboys nationwide might have started another civil war in the U.S........seriously.

 

But, I wish they did keep him just for the lolz. Might have been fun to watch from a distance.

[BlueCollarColts]

Most likely because he is a bad football player. 

[Bond Shane]

Because he could not figure out the difference between a Church and a football field.

[Le Neon]

I assume it's because they all watched him throw a football. 1 year later their eyes stopped bleeding long enough for them to ship him to NY for stale doritos and a draft pick.

[Valpo2004]

Too much media attention.  

 

When your backup or 3rd string QB is getting more media coverage during the season then your starter it's gonna cause problems. 

 

Between that and him being dead set on playing QB and nothing else is why Tebow just won't stick in the NFL.

 

 

The time it would take to likely get him to be a competent QB was not worth the attention the media and "fans" (More like severe attention seekers)were giving him. He was so raw. Not to mention...What if Peyton actually did struggle to start off and fans started calling for Tebow? ya want to be THAT GUY that sat Manning for Tebow? Now I don't think the attention Tebow got was all on him but he did not do anything to stop it...And truthfully he would not have been able to, Good guy I think but not worth the mess that came with him

 

Can he do anything to stop it though without ruining his reputation?  I mean he could be a total jerk and tell the media to go away and leave him alone.  But that would sort of ruin his reputation.

 

Thing with me is that Tebow being himself seemed to drive the media to him and there isn't a lot wrong that I can see with the person Tebow wanted to be.  

[amfootball]

Tebow would never have been able to run Peyton's offense. Fox completely revamped the O for Tebow's skillset. Then revamped again for Manning. Best to have two QBs that can run the same offense.

[lollygagger8]

They should've kept him as a Fullback  

[CR91]

because the broncos were as sick of tebow time as the rest of us. dont worry though now we get johnny * 24/7 on nfln and espn

[PrincetonTiger]

They should've kept him as a Fullback

Some kind of position change

[SilentHill]

because they traded him for a draft pick, and he no longer plays in the league, pure genius.

[Narcosys]

Any ideas?

 

 

[Qwiz]

Because getting Manning provided Elway with the perfect reason to ship him off. But that ship has sailed...lol.

[GoColts8818]

They didn't want that circus and Elway was desperately looking for away to get Tim out of Denver when the gift of Peyton Manning landed in his lap.

[Nobody]

Elway hated him, plus different offenses are needed for each. People are exaggerating how bad he was.

[ColtsBlueFL]

Most likely because he is a bad football player. 

 

Actually, he was a bad throwing quarterback. He is/was a good football player..  But he didn't want to be a good football player, he wanted to be a (bad) QB.  Thus he's neither now.

[dgambill]

Actually, he was a bad throwing quarterback. He is/was a good football player..  But he didn't want to be a good football player, he wanted to be a (bad) QB.  Thus he's neither now.

I agree. I think he could still be in the league if he was willing to learn a different skill. I like his running instincts and if you had a couple qbs go down I would love to have a leader like him on the bench to come in and rally around the guys. Sure he can't run a complex offense but he could do some things if you have a good running game. Say for example if your a Carolina Panthers or perhaps the 49ers or someone that has a strong running attack that he could complement...but there is no way he would be a successful starter once teams could game plan for him and his limits. I really respect and like the young man....and glad he achieved his dream. Hopefully he will still be able to be a light wherever he ends up.

[oldunclemark]

Elway hated him, plus different offenses are needed for each. People are exaggerating how bad he was.

No....it was real......real bad..

Elway hated the way Tim threw the football

[JerodMayo51]

Any ideas?

 

I always thought that he could have been a decent backup for a few years, then take over for Peyton when he retires; e.g. go the Aaron Rodgers route with Brett Favre. Not trying to say he was going to be the next Aaron Rodgers, but they also spent a 1st round (#25 pick on him), only to trade it away for a 4th and 6th round pick.

 

My guess is it was just a temporary marketing ploy to sell tickets?

 

1) Because he was an awful Quarterback.   A great athlete, but awful Quarterback

2) He brings a crazy following of fans that create controversy and distractions in the media, buying billboard signs, etc..   everyone on the team would have to constantly be hearing about whether or not they should make a Quarterback switch to Tebow, etc etc..

 

His maniacal fans don't even realize that they've hurt his NFL career by being so insane.

[ruksak]

Tebow.....what a waste of athleticism. He could've taken a page from Julian Edelman, a former college QB that has fired off a great looking career as a WR for the Pats. 

[Synthetic]

He was an invention of a brilliant marketing scheme by the sports media world that is desperate to find a player that fits their ideal outlook on how they want the NFL to be.

 

He was statistically one of the worst QB's ever but that's OK cause we had to constantly hear what a great Christian he is. Who the hell cares? Over 70% of the league worships that same deity. Unlike Tebow, they don't need divine intervention to barely win games.

 

Every week, and well still to this day, we have to constantly hear "but he's a good kid!" as the excuse to his horrible play. More people want this kid to get another chance than the people that stick up for Romo, or better yet Andy Dalton. That is just depressing.

[oldunclemark]

Tebow.....what a waste of athleticism. He could've taken a page from Julian Edelman, a former college QB that has fired off a great looking career as a WR for the Pats.

Exactly,,.,..,his ego got the best of him,.

If he'd have been willing to switch to slot receiver or H-Back.....he'd be staring somewhere

[High Valyrian]

1) Because he was an awful Quarterback.   A great athlete, but awful Quarterback

2) He brings a crazy following of fans that create controversy and distractions in the media, buying billboard signs, etc..   everyone on the team would have to constantly be hearing about whether or not they should make a Quarterback switch to Tebow, etc etc..

 

His maniacal fans don't even realize that they've hurt his NFL career by being so insane.

This is a very good summary, but you forgot #3: Despite his humble image, he will NOT settle for anything other than being a starting QB. Tebow is a good football player. He can fill a spot on a team. He WON'T do it though, unless he's a starting QB. That's why he's gone. And to anyone who says that he doesn't necessarily have to start...refer them to your #2 reason. It's like a circle. A flat circle...

[Valpo2004]

This is a very good summary, but you forgot #3: Despite his humble image, he will NOT settle for anything other than being a starting QB. Tebow is a good football player. He can fill a spot on a team. He WON'T do it though, unless he's a starting QB. That's why he's gone. And to anyone who says that he doesn't necessarily have to start...refer them to your #2 reason. It's like a circle. A flat circle...

 

I don't think he specified a starting QB, the Jets job and the Pats job did not offer him any real chance at starting and he took those.

 

However he insists that he won't play any other position then QB and he won't play anyplace else then the NFL. . . So he won't go play for an Arena team or the CFL.

 

And what the previous poster said was true, his rabid fan following really does hurt his career.  Backup QB's are a dime a dozen in the league and it's no where near worth the problems that can be caused when your backup QB is attracting more media and fan attention then the starter.

 

Quite frankly I'm trying to figure out his fan following personally. People like to say it's his faith, but honestly Kurt Warner was openly Christian too, played quarterback, started and played in 3 different superbowls winning 1 and he never go the kind of rabid fan following that Tebow gets/got.

 

My only guesses as to this where Tebow's looks and the area of the country he comes from.

[akcolt]

I don't think he specified a starting QB, the Jets job and the Pats job did not offer him any real chance at starting and he took those.

 

However he insists that he won't play any other position then QB and he won't play anyplace else then the NFL. . . So he won't go play for an Arena team or the CFL.

 

And what the previous poster said was true, his rabid fan following really does hurt his career.  Backup QB's are a dime a dozen in the league and it's no where near worth the problems that can be caused when your backup QB is attracting more media and fan attention then the starter.

 

Quite frankly I'm trying to figure out his fan following personally. People like to say it's his faith, but honestly Kurt Warner was openly Christian too, played quarterback, started and played in 3 different superbowls winning 1 and he never go the kind of rabid fan following that Tebow gets/got.

 

My only guesses as to this where Tebow's looks and the area of the country he comes from.

 

 Warner never got on the soap box like Tebow did making commercials Warner way to classy football first thanks to what he believed in second. He wasn't trying to convert people.

 

Simple answer to why he isn't playing he wasn't good enough

[Qwiz]

 Warner never got on the soap box like Tebow did making commercials Warner way to classy football first thanks to what he believed in second. He wasn't trying to convert people.

 

Simple answer to why he isn't playing he wasn't good enough

Tebow was openly Christian like any other player but it isn't like he was out there telling people to switch to Christianity. There was nothing wrong with what he did and still does, and people blow that as much out of proportion as they do with how the kid played football.

[Superman]

Tebow was openly Christian like any other player but it isn't like he was out there telling people to switch to Christianity. There was nothing wrong with what he did and still does, and people blow that as much out of proportion as they do with how the kid played football.

 

What does the bolded mean? Are you saying that the criticisms of Tebow's play are overblown?

[Qwiz]

What does the bolded mean? Are you saying that the criticisms of Tebow's play are overblown?

Vastly. The way some tell it Tebow marched out on the field, said a prayer, threw an interception, and watched his defense win games for him. People love to go the defense route when in fact that same defense started 1-4 before Tebow became the starter. Obviously the guy wasn't great but his fire and his plays when they mattered helped lead to wins and a trip to the playoffs, which resulted in another win. It wasn't all the defense and it wasn't all the running game. As another poster mentioned, put Tebow on the 49ers with Harbaugh and who knows how he could fare as a back-up. His stints with the Jets and Patriots shouldn't count against him because he was never seriously given a chance given the circumstances. If Manning doesn't get released from the Colts who knows how things would have gone in Denver.

[Valpo2004]

 Warner never got on the soap box like Tebow did making commercials Warner way to classy football first thanks to what he believed in second. He wasn't trying to convert people.

 

Simple answer to why he isn't playing he wasn't good enough

 

I don't think Tebow got on the soapbox anymore the Warner did.  And as Qwizboy said, he was never really trying to convert people.  

 

I do think that aspect of him gets blown out of proportion by the media.

 

Now I agree his play as a quarterback was bad.

[Superman]

Vastly. The way some tell it Tebow marched out on the field, said a prayer, threw an interception, and watched his defense win games for him. People love to go the defense route when in fact that same defense started 1-4 before Tebow became the starter. Obviously the guy wasn't great but his fire and his plays when they mattered helped lead to wins and a trip to the playoffs, which resulted in another win. It wasn't all the defense and it wasn't all the running game. As another poster mentioned, put Tebow on the 49ers with Harbaugh and who knows how he could fare as a back-up. His stints with the Jets and Patriots shouldn't count against him because he was never seriously given a chance given the circumstances. If Manning doesn't get released from the Colts who knows how things would have gone in Denver.

 

Yeah, I disagree. The Broncos and Tebow had some magic, but he's not a good QB. He's a bad QB.

[Valpo2004]

Vastly. The way some tell it Tebow marched out on the field, said a prayer, threw an interception, and watched his defense win games for him. People love to go the defense route when in fact that same defense started 1-4 before Tebow became the starter. Obviously the guy wasn't great but his fire and his plays when they mattered helped lead to wins and a trip to the playoffs, which resulted in another win. It wasn't all the defense and it wasn't all the running game. As another poster mentioned, put Tebow on the 49ers with Harbaugh and who knows how he could fare as a back-up. His stints with the Jets and Patriots shouldn't count against him because he was never seriously given a chance given the circumstances. If Manning doesn't get released from the Colts who knows how things would have gone in Denver.

 

He didn't turn the ball over but he could barely move the offense for most of the game and then late in the game he seemed to get a big play to go his way.  

 

Looking at the scores from that season in 5 of Tebow's 7 regular season wins the defense held the opponent to 15 points or less.  That's pretty significant because in all 5 of those games the Tebow led offense put up 18 points or less.  

 

They completely failed to do that in any of Orton's 5 games as starter.  

 

The Tim Tebow led offense put up 18.5 points per game in his regular season games as starter.  The Orton offense put up 21 points per game as starter.

 

Now maybe Tebow starting had a leadership affect and it fired the defense up to play better and that's why they played better.  But if you look at the scores it's pretty clear that they played better.  And I havn't added in turnovers to this mix.

 

Defense gave up 28 points per game with Orton starting, 22.7 points per game with Tebow starting.  

 

I'm sorry but his actual play was pretty bad.  He was horrible at throwing so his best option was to run the ball but everyone knew that and expected it.  

 

And he had some good receivers in Denver as Manning proved by setting passing records with them in his late 30's.

[Qwiz]

He didn't turn the ball over but he could barely move the offense for most of the game and then late in the game he seemed to get a big play to go his way.  

 

Looking at the scores from that season in 5 of Tebow's 7 regular season wins the defense held the opponent to 15 points or less.  That's pretty significant because in all 5 of those games the Tebow led offense put up 18 points or less.  

 

They completely failed to do that in any of Orton's 5 games as starter.  

 

The Tim Tebow led offense put up 18.5 points per game in his regular season games as starter.  The Orton offense put up 21 points per game as starter.

 

Now maybe Tebow starting had a leadership affect and it fired the defense up to play better and that's why they played better.  But if you look at the scores it's pretty clear that they played better.  And I havn't added in turnovers to this mix.

 

Defense gave up 28 points per game with Orton starting, 22.7 points per game with Tebow starting.  

 

I'm sorry but his actual play was pretty bad.  He was horrible at throwing so his best option was to run the ball but everyone knew that and expected it.  

 

And he had some good receivers in Denver as Manning proved by setting passing records with them in his late 30's.

That was the debate back then too. If wins are what matters, then it doesn't matter if you don't play your best game until the game is over, as long as you get the win. Of course that backfired in the playoffs but the truth of the matter remains. Tebow's entrance ignited that defense. It's odd but he has had that effect since college. The guy is a natural born leader but as we saw in several of those games and in the playoffs that year, he had an ability to make guys believe in what he was doing, even though he wasn't the team's best player. If he could throw he would be one of the most dangerous QBs in the league coupled with his physique, running ability and natural-born leadership. I don't know what the deal was with his throwing but he got by in college and it only seemed to become a problem when he was paying guys to help him change his throwing motion in the NFL. Maybe he was thinking too much about it. Idk.

As far as the receivers go...well working with Manning can make any decent receiver a huge contributor, though I'm not taking anything away from Decker or DT. I'm sure the receivers were the ones most affected by the way Tebow played, and in a negative way. Thomas even came out and spoke against Tebow once he was traded, which was pretty classless but oh well. He's having the time of his life with Manning now.

[Valpo2004]

That was the debate back then too. If wins are what matters, then it doesn't matter if you don't play your best game until the game is over, as long as you get the win. Of course that backfired in the playoffs but the truth of the matter remains. Tebow's entrance ignited that defense. It's odd but he has had that effect since college. The guy is a natural born leader but as we saw in several of those games and in the playoffs that year, he had an ability to make guys believe in what he was doing, even though he wasn't the team's best player. If he could throw he would be one of the most dangerous QBs in the league coupled with his physique, running ability and natural-born leadership. I don't know what the deal was with his throwing but he got by in college and it only seemed to become a problem when he was paying guys to help him change his throwing motion in the NFL. Maybe he was thinking too much about it. Idk.

As far as the receivers go...well working with Manning can make any decent receiver a huge contributor, though I'm not taking anything away from Decker or DT. I'm sure the receivers were the ones most affected by the way Tebow played, and in a negative way. Thomas even came out and spoke against Tebow once he was traded, which was pretty classless but oh well. He's having the time of his life with Manning now.

 

Ok so you acknowledge his ability to throw in the NFL was very poor and very limiting.

 

I don't know what life was like on the Bronco's in 2011 but I agree it's highly possible that his leadership inspired players to play better.  Some Bronco's fans I've talked to in the past have seemed to indicate that they didn't think Orton cared very much.

 

If his leadership did inspire players to play better then I would say that he'd make a much better coach then a player though.  No amount of good leadership can make up for the fact that the guy just can't throw.  He just could not pass well enough to be a QB, especially a starting QB in the NFL.  (Although honestly if he wasn't so attached to being a QB and his fans where not a distraction I think a lot of teams would be bringing him in to see if they couldn't make him a TE or an RB or a LB. . . he's athletic enough that he could play those positions.)

 

As with DT and the others. . . it isn't just that Manning increased their stats or put up good stats with them.  It's the fact that Manning SET RECORDS with them at an age when he's clearly past his prime.  So based on that I would conclude that the receivers he had last year where far better then the receivers that he played with while he was on the Colts.  

 

That's why I say he proved these guys where good receivers if not excellent receivers.  If they where just average receivers Manning would have likely still thrown for 4000 yards and 30 TD's.  But putting up over 5000 yards and 50 TD's shows he had a very very special set of receivers to go along with his talent as a QB.

[Superman]

That was the debate back then too. If wins are what matters, then it doesn't matter if you don't play your best game until the game is over, as long as you get the win. Of course that backfired in the playoffs but the truth of the matter remains. Tebow's entrance ignited that defense. It's odd but he has had that effect since college. The guy is a natural born leader but as we saw in several of those games and in the playoffs that year, he had an ability to make guys believe in what he was doing, even though he wasn't the team's best player. If he could throw he would be one of the most dangerous QBs in the league coupled with his physique, running ability and natural-born leadership. I don't know what the deal was with his throwing but he got by in college and it only seemed to become a problem when he was paying guys to help him change his throwing motion in the NFL. Maybe he was thinking too much about it. Idk.

As far as the receivers go...well working with Manning can make any decent receiver a huge contributor, though I'm not taking anything away from Decker or DT. I'm sure the receivers were the ones most affected by the way Tebow played, and in a negative way. Thomas even came out and spoke against Tebow once he was traded, which was pretty classless but oh well. He's having the time of his life with Manning now.

So we're not allowed to critique the QBing because only wins matter?

We're going to give the credit for better defensive play to the QBs leadership skills?

[TAPLOOK]

By all accounts Tebow is a great guy but he would never be able to win consistently in the NFL. If so he would be on a roster.

[chad72]

One has to understand that Tebow's style of offense lent to fresher legs for defense. Dennis Allen ran a 3-4 D for the Broncos with Dumervil and several others flourishing in it, that earned him the Raiders job. On that front, Tebow was good for the D by dominating time of possession with a run based offense.

 

Tebow's style of offense could flourish in a game where the deficit was around 1 TD in the fourth quarter. When the game got out of hand, no Tebow magic happened because controlling tempo with a run based offense was not possible. Hence, Tebow, the QB, was one-dimensional. The Patriots showed up him up both times limiting his runs and once they went up a couple of scores in both the regular season and playoff games, game, set, match, and the thrashing ensued. That was enough for the entire league to see his limitations exposed. Another blowout game was the Lions game.

 

Either, they had to win close by dominating time of possession with a run based offense or they chanced the fact that they would have to put up a bit too many points, that a Tebow led team could not keep up with.  Hard to hand over the QB position to a QB that you knew had severe limitations.

[Dustin]

One has to understand that Tebow's style of offense lent to fresher legs for defense. Dennis Allen ran a 3-4 D for the Broncos with Dumervil and several others flourishing in it, that earned him the Raiders job. On that front, Tebow was good for the D by dominating time of possession with a run based offense.

Tebow's style of offense could flourish in a game where the deficit was around 1 TD in the fourth quarter. When the game got out of hand, no Tebow magic happened because controlling tempo with a run based offense was not possible. Hence, Tebow, the QB, was one-dimensional. The Patriots showed up him up both times limiting his runs and once they went up a couple of scores in both the regular season and playoff games, game, set, match, and the thrashing ensued. That was enough for the entire league to see his limitations exposed. Another blowout game was the Lions game.

Either, they had to win close by dominating time of possession with a run based offense or they chanced the fact that they would have to put up a bit too many points, that a Tebow led team could not. Hard to hand over the QB position to a QB that you knew had severe limitations.

The Broncos were 23rd in TOP.