Posted by Ryan Wilson
That's right, we're tracking Tebow's performance throughout the preseason because, well, like a slow-motion train wreck we can't look away. And who knows, maybe this experiment doesn't derail and it has a happy ending. Wait, what's that? You don't care about Tebow? Then what are you doing here?
Wow, that didn't take long, did it? After a decent showing against the Cowboys in Week 1 of the preseason (documented in great detail here), Tebow was relegated to mop-up duty behind Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn against the Bills in Week. Incidentally, Orton and Brady both played well (10/13, 135 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT and 10/16, 130 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT, respectively). Tebow, meanwhile, was 1 of 2 for a whopping 10 yards. He didn't get in the game until the fourth quarter and played just two series.
Now the conversation isn't about whether Tebow will be the Broncos' starter, but if he can beat Quinn out for the No. 2 job -- and perhaps most amazing -- if the team would consider trading or cutting him weeks after it appeared they were ready to install him as their franchise quarterback.
But hey, this in the NFL where fortunes can change in a hurry. As the old cliche goes, the backup is only one play away from being the starter. Which means that, as it stands, Tebow is two plays away from realizing his dream. With that in mind, it's the latest installment of the Tebow Tracker, where we chart every one of his preseason snaps, the result, and what it all means for him and the Broncos in 2011.
Play by Play
| Preseason, Week 2: Buffalo Bills | |||
| Situation | Down/Distance | Result |
Comment |
| 1st series, 10:59 left in 4th qtr. | 1st & 10, DEN 20 | Tebow handoff to B.Minor up the middle to DEN 24 for 4 yards. | (Note: you can see the entire play-by-play log here.) |
| 2nd & 6, DEN 24 | Tebow pass short left to B.Minor to DEN 34 for 10 yards | This would be Tebow's only completion of the night. | |
| 1st & 10, DEN 34 | Tebow handoff to B.Minor up the middle to DEN 37 for 3 yards. | ||
| 2nd & 7, DEN 37 | Tebow pass incomplete deep right to D.Rosario. | ||
| 3rd & 7, DEN 37 | (From the shotgun) PENALTY on DEN-Tebow, Delay of Game, 5 yards, enforced at DEN 37 - No Play. | ||
| 3rd & 12, DEN 32 | (From the shotgun) Tebow sacked at DEN 26 for -6 yards. | ||
| 4th & 18, DEN 26 | PUNT | ||
| 2nd series, 4:08 left in 4th qtr. | 1st & 10, DEN 6 | Tebow handoff to J.Johnson up the middle to DEN 6 for no gain. | |
| 2nd & 10, DEN 10 | Tebow handoff to J.Johnson up the middle to DEN 10 for 4 yards. | ||
| 3rd & 6, DEN 10 | Tebow scrambles left end to DEN 17 for 7 yards. |
||
| 1st & 10, DEN 17 | Tebow handoff to J.Johnson up the middle to DEN 22 for 5 yards. | ||
| 2nd & 5, DEN 22 | Tebow handoff to J.Johnson right tackle to DEN 21 for -1 yards. | ||
| 3rd & 6, DEN 21 | Tebow handoff to A.Sylvester up the middle to DEN 22 for 1 yard. | ||
| 4th & 5, DEN 22 | (From the shotgun) Tebow pass short right to M.Willis to DAL 24 for 7 yards. | By the time this is over, he could be the greatest handoff specialist the league has ever seen. | |
| 4th & 4, DAL 24 | PUNT | ||
Quotes
CBSSports.com's Mike Freeman: "The consensus in speaking with a handful of team personnel executives when it comes to one Tim Tebow is this: A trade could happen, but it's becoming increasingly likely the Broncos will keep or cut Tebow because the trade interest is dwindling rapidly. The executives portray the Tebow situation as a complicated one. They believe that while the Broncos are not openly trying to trade Tebow, they say that when teams have recently inquired about him, the Broncos haven't been saying he's off the trading block, either."
CBSSports.com's Gregg Doyel: "[Terrelle] Pryor strikes me as another Vince Young or Tim Tebow, and we all see what kind of success Vince Young and Tebow have had, so far, as NFL quarterbacks."
ESPN Analyst (and vocal Tebow critic) Merril Hoge, as paraphrased by ESPN.com blogger Bill Williamson: "On 'SportsCenter' Monday, NFL analyst Merril Hoge (who has been highly critical of Tebow’s ability this summer) said Denver should cut Tebow if it can’t work out a trade with St. Louis. Former Denver head coach Josh McDaniels, who drafted Tebow with the No. 25 overall pick last year, is now the Rams’ offensive coordinator. With budding star Sam Bradford quarterbacking St. Louis, Tebow wouldn’t be more than a backup and special-package player in St. Louis."
ESPN.com blogger Bill Williamson, in his own words: "Don’t expect Quinn to give up his backup spot in the coming days. Tebow played late and he didn’t do much. The fact that Quinn threw 16 passes and Tebow tossed just two shows the team is much more interested in seeing Quinn play than seeing Tebow at this point. Tebow’s arrow is simply not pointing in the right direction as we approach the start of the season."
Denver Post columinst Woody Paige: "Tim Tebow will be the Broncos' starting quarterback this season. ... But The Tebow Thing won't happen until Dec. 11."
Action Shots*
*Last week, there were real, live action shots of Tebow playing in a real, live preseason game (proof here). Against the Bills, Tebow did a lot of standing around, and when he got into the game he was either handing off or getting sacked. We think that is pretty well reflected below. We like to call it: "standing, standing, handoff, sack, fin."
Assuming Tebow is still in the league, please join us next week for another installment of "Tracking Tebow." You know you want to.
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