Stop already.
Tim Tebow is 32nd - dead last - in completion percentage among starting NFL quarterbacks at 48.5%. He is not even average as a passer.
Yet his more recent games have seen a better passing completion %. The trend is not in your favor, sir.
And he doesn't need to be an average passer against the joke that is the NE secondary.
Forget Brady, Brees and Rodgers for a moment. Tarvaris Jackson has completed 60.9% of his passes this season.
Tarvaris Jackson has never had below a 58% completion rating. Not sure about the point, here.
The Denver Broncos are 31st in the NFL in passing offense.
And the Pats are dead last in passing defense. I anticipate he'll throw for between 220 and 260, easily. If that's the case, the Pat's will be in trouble.
Tim Tebow has thrown 198 passes in 11 games. Tom Brady has completed 130 more passes this season than Tebow has thrown. Tebow is just learning how to play QB in the NFL.
Indeed he is. Which spells trouble for his opponents going forward. Interesting that in one sentence you ask me to forget Brady, then just a few sentences later, feel compelled to bring him up.
I have no illusions as to how Tebow, starting his 11th game, compares to 3 players who will almost assuredly be in the HOF. I do know that he is in the middle of completely revamping his throwing motion, and that it wouldn't be unusual for him to struggle at times.
The weakness of the Patriots is their awful pass defense. This is the week when Denver should start Brady Quinn with his career 52.1% completion percentage.
Which was exactly my point in the first place. This is by far the most inept secondary the Broncos have faced. Tebow's passing game is quite adequate to the task in front of him.
The Minnesota Vikings, stat-wise, are not equivalent by any measure to the New England Patriots.
Actually, they are in the
one area I chose to compare them—pass defense. The Vikings are bad, and, as you've already admitted the Patriots are awful.
Let's start with W-L records of 2-11 compared with 10-3. I won't mention which team is which. See if you can guess.
Um, okay, is it the team with Tom Brady, Wes Welker, and two of the most talented tight ends in the business? I'm guessing if you'd swap the Vikings and Pats D's, both teams would have almost the same record.
The Vikings defense has given up 90 more points - roughly 7 per game more than the Patriots.
Yep, and the Broncos scored 7 more points on the Vikings than the Vikings allow on average. I anticipate they score 24 against the Pats.
That INT Brady threw in the last game was at least in part due to his lack of confidence that the Pats D could keep the Skins from scoring again. I'm guessing the Pats D won't be doing anything to give him any more confidence this week.
You are correct, sir, that the Vikings and Patriots are comparable in one area - rushing TDs by their opponents: both have given up nine TDs in 13 games on the ground to their opponents. Tied for 11th in the league. (SF has given up 0, as in zero, rushing TDs this year - wow!) They are also comparable in rushing yards given up per game - both in the top 1/3 of teams against the run.
Again, the "don't compare, unless I want to compare" argument.
Which is it, should I forget about Brady, or should I not? Is Minnesota "stats-wise not equivalent in any measure," to the Pats, or are they?
A bit of consistency would buttress your case.
But since you've decided to go ahead and make the comparison, the Broncos ran for 50% more yds. than the Vikings were allowing before playing the Broncos. (Which has been the trend with many of the teams they've faced since Tebow took over).
I've already gone on record on this board saying I expect the same trend on Sunday, about 150 yds rushing from Denver.
If Tebow is, as you say, "...other than Newton, he's in a class by himself as far as the ability to run from the QB position," the Broncos have problems. He cannot pass and he's facing a stout run defense.
The Broncos have faced other "stout" run defenses. Minn, Chicago, Miami, NY, Cincinnati, yet still have the top rushing attack in the league.
It's the Pats D who could be in trouble, esp. if Tebow can continue the trend over the last 3-4 games of improving as a passer.
The Pats D was tailor-made for just such a step forward.
Defensively, the Pats only hope is to force Tebow to throw, yet they are so weak in the secondary that's not exactly an appealing choice.
Indeed I will. I figured the Broncos were good for 6 wins this year. Now it looks like the playoffs are likely, and Tebow has a real shot a being the starter going into TC next year.
Anything else is gravy. Beating the Pats would be the cherry on top.
As I said originally, this game will be more about whether the Broncos defense is up to the task of slowing down the Pats offense. That's a cause of great concern to me. But if they can keep Brady & Co. in the low 20s ( a big "if") then the Broncos have a great shot at winning.
