Reaction: Patriots vs. Broncos

Since it seems that any moron with a blog can get his opinion out there about how Tim Tebow fared today against the New England Patriots, I thought, "hey, I'm a moron with a blog, I can get my opinion out there."  So here it goes.

Many "Tebow-haters" will claim that today's 41-23 loss at the hands of Tom Brady and the New England Patriots is proof that Tim Tebow will never be a big time NFL quarterback.  Those who love Tim Tebow will point to the fact that he is looking more comfortable as a passer, and that he is really the best player on the Broncos offense.

At this point, I agree with those who love Tim Tebow.  He is the best offensive player on a fairly weak offensive team.  Willis McGahee, the team's best running back is always injured.  The team's top 2 receivers would probably be the #2 or #3 receivers on other teams, and the Broncos do not have a tight end who can catch the ball with any regularity.  So, considering all that, going 11-22 for 194 yards and rushing 12 times for 93 yards and 2 TDs is a pretty good game for Tim Tebow.

But it's not all roses.  Tebow had a costly fumble in the 2nd quarter that led to a Patriots touchdown, and he took a couple of really bad sacks in the 2nd half.  Considering, however, that Tebow now has 12 NFL starts, and is 8-4 in those 12 starts, I think he's got a bright future in this league.

Look, Tebow is the face of the franchise.  Thus, he gets too much credit when the Broncos win and too much blame when the Broncos lose.  I still don't know if he is the long term answer at Quarterback, but I think that he's done enough this season that the team can address other need areas in the offseason.  If we're still not convinced that Tebow is the answer at QB after next season, they can draft a Quarterback. 

At 8-6, the Broncos are still in 1st place in the AFC West.  If they win their last 2 games, they will win the AFC West and host a playoff game.  As such, they won't have a very high draft pick.  Today's game against the Patriots showed me that the team is still very thin across the board, especially in the defensive secondary. 

In my opinion, the teams needs are (in order of priority):

1 - Secondary - they gotta get younger and healthier in the secondary.
2 - Running Back - Coach John Fox wants a run heavy attack.  They need to build depth at running back, because right now they are too dependent on Willis McGahee's health.
3 - Receiving - The team needs a pass catching tight end and more depth at Wide Receiver.  Demaryius Thomas may be the #1 receiver, but he's been injury prone, so depth will help.
4 - Defensive Line - The Broncos are really strong on the outside of the D-line and at Linebacker, but they need more interior pressure.  They really gotta find a big fat guy to plug the middle.
5 - Backup QB - I'm sold on Tim Tebow as the starting quarterback, but you gotta find someone who can fill in for him if he gets injured, and he needs to have a similar style to Tebow.
6 - Offensive Line - the unit is young and has been really healthy all season, but more depth is always good.

So there you go.  Tim Tebow is not the main problem on this team, and I hope cooler heads will prevail after this loss and see that this is a young team that still has a lot of growing to do.  Did Tebow have a great game today, no?  But, he did show improvement as a passer today and was the best offensive weapon for the Broncos.  As a Broncos fan, I'm encouraged, despite the loss.