To all the critics of Tim Tebow, shoulder this blow. Tim Tebow is a Pro-Bowl caliber quarterback this year. Before you write-off the argument as being ridiculous, think about the rest of the quarterbacks in the AFC. There simply isn’t much depth. The AFC has 3 quarterbacks selected to the Pro-Bowl each year. Tom Brady is the easy first choice out of the AFC, with over 3,500 passing yards and 28 touchdowns this year. Ben Roethlisberger will be the 2nd choice for the Pro-Bowl, with over 3,000 passing yards and 17 touchdowns.
Who is the 3rd-best quarterback from the AFC? The easy choice would have been Matt Schaub, who had almost 2,500 yards and 16 touchdowns in under 300 attempts, with 8.49 yards per pass attempt, good for 3rd in the league. However, Schaub is hurt for the season, and therefore he will not be selected to the Pro-Bowl. This opens the door for Tebow, who only needs to compete against the likes of Philip Rivers, Andy Dalton, Mark Sanchez, Joe Flacco, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Matt Moore for that 3rd spot. Doesn’t look so cut-and-dry now, does it? Let’s compare these quarterbacks one-by-one:
First, Tim Tebow is 5-1 in his 6 starts with the Broncos. Tebow has throw 8 touchdowns in just 143 attempts. Proportionally, that is better than every quarterback in the AFC except for Tom Brady, and most aren’t even close to Tebow. The only quarterback who is close to Tebow for 2nd in this statistic in the AFC is Ryan Fitzpatrick. In addition, Tebow’s one interception this season is admirable, and has allowed his team to be in just about every game, something Kyle Orton could not do. Tebow is also one of the top rushing quarterbacks in the game, as he has rushed for nearly 500 yards on 78 carries, good for 5.5 yards per rush. He has scored 3 touchdowns on the ground in addition to his 8 passing touchdowns, all in 5 games. The Broncos were 1-4 before he entered the starting role, and since that point the Broncos are 5-1 and just 1 game behind Oakland in the race for the AFC West. He has done this with Eric Decker as his top receiver. Besides Decker, no other receiver is a recognizable name, and Daniel Fells is 2nd on the team with 2 touchdown receptions. Brandon Lloyd, who Kyle Orton had at his disposal, was traded as Tebow was elevated to the quarterback spot, and Tebow hasn’t suffered at all because of it. He has been one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the game, and has been hotter than any quarterback since he took the job. His win total, stats, and success has been better than just about every other quarterback in the past 6 weeks, and he has given the entire Bronco organization a facelift. Keep all of this in mind when considering the other candidates for the AFC Pro-Bowl, listed below:
Philip Rivers has thrown 17 interceptions to only 16 touchdowns this season, and has shriveled in the game’s biggest moments. The Chargers, one of the most talented teams in the entire league, is a woeful 4-7, and there is no way to legitimately put him in the Pro-Bowl.
Andy Dalton has had an impressive year this season. With the help of rookie receiver AJ Green, the rookie Dalton has thrown for 2,500 yards and has led the team to a 7-4 record. However, he has thrown 12 interceptions to just 16 touchdowns, a less than impressive ratio. If Dalton has a strong remainder of the season and helps the Bengals to make the playoffs, he would have a case at making the Pro-Bowl over Tim Tebow. But until he does, Tebow has the slight advantage.
Mark Sanchez has been one of the most scrutinized quarterbacks in the league. He has thrown 11 interceptions, many of them in key situations. He has been booed weekly at home, to the point that the Jets organization made a statement to the fans to “not boo our quarterback.” He has been one of the key liabilities for a team that is one of the most talented in the league, and with a more talented quarterback the team could be 8-3 instead of 6-5 this season. Liabilities aren’t selected to the Pro-Bowl.
Joe Flacco has played a very decent season with the Ravens, who at this point appear to be the top team in the AFC. However, Flacco’s 13 touchdowns have come on 411 attempts, compared to Tebow’s 8 touchdowns on just 143 attempts. Flacco is a game-managing quarterback, and to some extent Tebow is as well, but Flacoo’s performance this season does not trump that of Tebow’s, whose success in the past 6 weeks has been unmatched.
Ryan Fitzpatrick has been one of the most up-and-down quarterbacks in the NFL this season. After starting 4-1 this season, Fitzpatrick has looked flustered and has throw far too many interceptions, 14, to just 19 touchdowns, many of which were in the first 5 weeks. The Bills have gone 1-5 in the past 6 games, which is not good enough for Fitzpatrick to make the Pro-Bowl.
Matt Moore has rejuvenated the Miami Dolphins team that was winless for the first half of the season. However, it is difficult to award a Pro-Bowl selection to a player who plays less than the full season AND has no impact on the team’s playoff run. In addition, Matt Moore has thrown 4 more interceptions than Tebow, and the same number of touchdowns in almost 100 more attempts.
There are no quarterbacks besides Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger that have a serious case over Tim Tebow for the Pro-Bowl. While some may scoff, others can look objectively at what Tebow has done, and realize that the AFC is very light in terms of quarterback depth this year. Given this combination, right now he deserves a Pro-Bowl bid, and a division title would lock it up for Tim Tebow.
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