FanPost

2 Quarterbacks. No Problem


2 Quarterbacks. No problem just ask Tim Tebow himself, about the 2006 Florida Gators, BCS Champions. With a 13-1 record, and a 41-14 dismantling of Ohio State in the Championship game.

Now before you rip me in the comments, I do NOT expect Denver to win the Super Bowl with a Dual-Quarterback system. And it's not because of the QB's its more about the rest of the team. The Defense is good but young, in a few years they could be great. Also the depth at Offensive Line, scares the heck out of me, the starters are good, but if and probably when one of them goes down whoever the Quarterback may be, is in big BIG trouble. With the Dual-Quarterback's though I do think Denver could become a relevant football team, and maybe challenge for the AFC West title.

First off I want to look at Chris Leak and Kyle Orton. If you look at it, statistically as well the style of QB they both play, the two are extremely similar. Both very confident, accurate, not known for arm strength, but still a very solid Quarterback. In the 2006 Championship season Leak started all 14 games, and put up some good numbers.

Player Name Pos # GP Comp Att % Yards TD INT TD% INT% Y/A RAT
Chris Leak qb 12 14 232 365 63.56 2942 23 13 6.3 3.6 8.1 144.94

look familiar. If you put in Orton's name instead you wouldn't blink once let alone twice. And here's a look at Orton's numbers from last year.

Player Name Pos GP Comp Att % Yards TD INT TD% INT% Y/A RAT
Kyle Orton qb 13 293 498 58.84 3653 20 9 4.0 1.8 7.3 87.5

Remember that the yards are a bit increased and the completion percentage is decreased from his actual abilities due to scores of games and the terrible passing situations that he would be stuck such as lots of 3rd and longs.

Overall these numbers are extremely similar. These are both quarterbacks that didn't throw high risk passes and had very few turnovers between them. Leak was never really known as a gamebreaker/playmaker at the quarterback position, but he could throw a good ball and helped Florida win a National Championship.

Now looking at Tebow's numbers from 2006.

Year Lge Team Age # GP Comp Att % Yds TD INT TD% INT% Y/G Y/A RAT
2006 NCAA Florida Gators 19 15 14 22 33 66.7 358 5 1 15.2 3.0 25.6 10.8 201.7
Year Lge Team Age # GP Att Yards TD % Y/G
2006 NCAA Florida Gators 19 15 14 89 469 8 5.3 33.5

And his numbers from last year.

Player Name Pos GP Comp Att % Yards TD INT TD% INT% Y/A RAT
Tim Tebow qb 9 41 82 50.0 654 5 3 6.1 3.7 8.0 82.1
Player Name Pos GP Att Yards TD % Y/G
Tim Tebow rb 9 43 227 6 5.28 25.2

Tebow wasn't the best full-time QB option in Florida in 2006 and he doesn't appear to be the best-full time option in Denver right now. That doesn't mean he shouldn't be used, and it also doesn't mean he can't play in the NFL. Tim Tebow has a very unique set of skills, and when it comes to goal to goal situations he is one of the most effective football players in the league, not just quarterbacks. Some people may think the Tebow package is a gimmick play, and what they need to learn is that it is only a gimmick if it is not consistently effective which Tebow proved he is consistently effective in the red-zone last year. Tebow ran for more TD's than a lot of good running backs did last year, and he also has the ability to successfully put the ball in the air making him a great dual-threat guy at the goaline. Florida realized this and so did Denver.Playing Tebow as the goaline QB allows him to learn the full offense for one more year without completely wasting his undeniable talent on the sideline all season

Now Denver won't be running the spread like Florida did that year, but that really has nothing to do with this. Though the offenses are schematically different, the quarterbacks of both teams are very similar, and Florida rode their two QB's to the championship that year. And most likely wouldn't have won the championship that year if it wasn't for both of the Quarterbacks.

Like I said before Denver is not winning the Super Bowl this year, but they can definitely be a good team with 2 quarterbacks. It's not conventional, but we are talking about Tim Tebow, and as we all know by now, nothing about Tim Tebow is conventional, but that doesn't mean it won't work. Just ask him about 2006.

Go Broncos!!!

This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR.