Tim Tebow

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: Tim Tebow

Tebow listens to Elway, knows he must 'pull the trigger'

By Dan Hanzus NFL.com
Published: Jan. 4, 2012


Broncos executive John Elway told a local columnist Tuesday that struggling quarterback Tim Tebow needed to "pull the trigger" to find success in Sunday's wild-card matchup against the Steelers.

Elway implored Tebow to leave the indecisiveness behind and play in the aggressive style that helped Denver during a six-game winning streak that gave way to a three-game skid.

Judging by Tebow's comments during a Wednesday media session at Broncos headquarters, Elway's words left an impression.

"The more you get into tighter games, playoff games, you've got to be aggressive," Tebow said, according to The Denver Post. "You also have to be smart, but you have to be aggressive and pull the trigger at times. That's something we'll have to do."

Tebow Time came to an abrupt halt as the quarterback fell into a deep slump in the final three games of the regular season, all Denver losses. Tebow threw only one touchdown pass in the last three games, completing just 41 percent of his passes while turning over the ball seven times.

Those are the numbers of a raw prospect, which the 24-year-old Tebow still very much is. But this also is the playoffs, where the margin for error disappears.

"It's trying to be smart and not put your team in a bad decision, because that's the fastest way to put your team out of a game," Tebow said. "Sometimes I do need to be more aggressive with certain routes and throws."

Trusting your instincts is all well and good, but those same instincts have a habit of betraying you when you face the No. 1 defense in football. Tebow has a huge challenge in front of him, one that could go a long way in determining how his boss views him in the Broncos' future.

[url="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d825b70c7/article/tebow-listens-to-elway-will-pull-the-trigger-against-steelers?campaign=Twitter_news"]http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d8 ... itter_news[/url]

[fordfixer]

Re: Tim Tebow

Kovacevic: Tebow aces first playoff test
By Dejan Kovacevic, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, January 5, 2012

[url="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_775087.html"]http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... 75087.html[/url]


ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Tim Tebow leaned against a hallway wall outside the media room in the Denver Broncos' practice facility on Wednesday, baseball cap spun backward, chin and eyelids lowered, all alone with his thoughts.

For the moment, anyway.

Once he'd crossed that threshold, as he well knew, dozens of reporters and rows of cameras awaited. He'd field questions about the three-game losing streak he and his team will drag into their playoff game on Sunday against the Steelers. About how defenses have schemed to cut off his unorthodox strength as a rushing quarterback. About whether Tebowmania, Tebow Time and even the art of Tebowing -- his one-kneed prayer that's so popular one dictionary recently added it to the English language -- have faded forever.

All tough stuff.

And the man was humming.

No kidding. As I headed toward that room and passed Tebow, I distinctly made out some pleasant-sounding tune sneaking through closed -- and smiling -- lips.

"Hey, man," Tebow offered as a greeting to this total stranger in his surfer dude delivery.

If there remains any mystery as to how this 24-year-old has shrugged off doubters like defensive ends, how he undid all those deficits in that captivating 7-1 stretch, there it was: Nothing bothers him, no matter the setting, no matter the score.

He took his place at the podium and stiff-armed us all with optimism founded in his devout faith, wrapped in boyish charm and topped with the occasional wink.

• On the critical issue of his confidence after three miserable games: "Hey, this is exciting. What a great opportunity this is, and it's a blessing. I know it'll be a rocking environment Sunday, and it'll be a lot of fun."

• On the hideous 6-of-22, 60-yard showing last week in a 7-3 loss to Kansas City: "I had looks, but I needed to be more aggressive, put the ball in there when I have the chance. I've got to do that Sunday."

• On the losing streak that backed the offense-starved Broncos into the playoffs with an 8-8 record: "We just, as an offense, have to be balanced. We have to keep defenses guessing. If we do that, I think we'll have a good chance."

• On John Elway, the Broncos' Hall of Fame quarterback and executive vice president, saying he noticed a fresh intensity in Tebow in the past few days: "Really? He said that? Cool."

His only flub came when I asked if the Steelers' defense presented a special challenge, and he rattled off a few names that included "Rodney Harrison." The Rodney Harrison was a superb safety for New England. The Steelers' Harrison, of course, is James.

When I reminded Tebow of this and tossed in that Harrison isn't the guy any quarterback wants to tick off, Tebow playfully came back: "Yeah, I know."

The storefronts of Denver's famed 16th Street Mall downtown still feature more No. 15 jerseys than those of everyone else with the Broncos combined. And most fans here still speak hopefully -- to a degree -- of the former University of Florida star who somehow used his college style to steer the franchise into the playoffs for the first time since 2005.

"I still think he can get it done, but I'm not as sure anymore," said Ken Brown of Englewood, who attended Tebow's Kansas City debacle. "You look at how tentative he is with his throws now, how he's fumbling. You just don't have a good feeling going against the Steelers."

There are other signs that the mania has settled. SportsBook.com reported yesterday that 77 percent of the money is betting on the Steelers as the nine-point favorite. And two ticket resellers, NFL Ticket Exchange and StubHub, showed more than 11,000 tickets still being offered.

The skeptics have excellent reasons for feeling as they do. I'm hardly alone in predicting that the Steelers' defense -- especially Troy Polamalu, LaMarr Woodley and the correct Harrison -- will have its way with Tebow and the Broncos. All the numbers say so. All the recent history says so.

But what if?

What if Ben Roethlisberger is really as hobbled as he described yesterday, and the Steelers might not score much against a decent Denver defense?

What if Denver's past three losses were really like three bad quarters, and Tebow can still pull it out in the fourth?

You know, Tebow time.

I might not believe, you might not believe, and even the Broncos' coach might not have a firm grip on Tebow's confidence level right now.

"You have to ask him that," John Fox said yesterday. "But he's been in big spots before. He's brought us back all season long. I think he's a confident guy."

Hard not to believe at least that much.

Read more: Kovacevic: Tebow aces first playoff test - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review [url="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_775087.html#ixzz1iZ9CGuup"]http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... z1iZ9CGuup[/url]

[fordfixer]

Re: Tim Tebow

Forget hype, Tebow just wants to win
Thursday, January 05, 2012
By Michael Sanserino, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
[url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12005/1201419-66.stm"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12005/1201419-66.stm[/url]

Some quarterbacks might have posted better numbers or won more games this season. Only one, however, has created a public phenomenon big enough to earn its own nickname -- Tebowmania.

But Tim Tebow, the Denver Broncos quarterback, said he is more concerned with winning a playoff game than living up to his hype.

He knows the former will be a tough enough task.

While he has willed his teams to some fourth-quarter wins, he has yet to face a defense with as many talented players as the Steelers. They are the NFL's best by most statistical measures.

"Take your pick," Tebow said Wednesday during a conference call with the media. "There are so many guys that you could name that are great players, and they all step up and make plays. That's one of the reasons they're always a great defense."

Tebow is an unconventional quarterback who makes more plays with his legs than he does his arm. Broncos vice president John Elway told Denver reporters this week he would advise Tebow to "pull the trigger" in the playoffs.

To Tebow, that means take some risks.

"You're not going to always have guys open," Tebow said. "You've got to pull the trigger and put it into tight windows. You've got to be smart and cautious, but at the same time you've got to be aggressive, too."

Tebow said he hopes he can lead a balanced attack against every team "to continually keep defenses off balance." Though, that's not always necessary -- the Broncos won a game this season in which Tebow completed only two passes.

The former Heisman Trophy winner said he is excited to make his playoff debut -- and to do it against the "legend of the Pittsburgh Steelers."

For their part, the Steelers say they won't be lulled into a belief that Tebowmania is just hype.

"As long as you win, that's all that matters," quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. "That's what he does. He's a competitor and a winner."

Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey -- Tebow's college teammate at the University of Florida -- said he has seen enough of Tebow to know he is a legitimate player. "He breaks a lot of tackles. He can run really well. Whenever he scrambles around, he finds guys that are open. It works."

He remembers watching Tebow in the weight room at Florida -- sometimes scolded by strength and conditioning coaches to take it easy.

"They had to hold him back in the weight room," Pouncey said with a smile. "He would just go in there and bench-press and do stupid stuff. He's got to go in there and throw the ball on Saturdays."

But it is because of that hard work -- and Tebow's unorthodox talent -- that gave Pouncey few doubts about how Tebow would turn out as a pro.

"They're winning right now," Pouncey said. "They're in the playoffs. That's successful to me."

Read more: [url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12005/1201419-66.stm#ixzz1iZAiau6y"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12005/12 ... z1iZAiau6y[/url]

[fordfixer]

Re: Tim Tebow

Should Tebow 'pull the trigger' vs. Steelers or stay on the conservative course?
Thursday, January 05, 2012
By Jeff Legwold, Denver Post
[url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12005/1201417-66-0.stm"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12005/1201417-66-0.stm[/url]


Tim Tebow walks off the field Sunday in Denver after the Broncos lost to Kansas City, the Broncos third loss in their last four games of the regular season.

DENVER

Welcome to Tim Tebow's world.

On one side is a huge segment of the Tebow/Broncos nation that wants Tebow to "pull the trigger," as Broncos executive vice president of football operations John Elway put it this week. Just throw the Broncos out of their offensive funk.

And on the other is every coach of every team Tebow has played for, including John Fox, who have demanded Tebow not take too many chances and avoid turnovers at every turn.

In the middle is Tebow, currently in as difficult a three-game stretch as he has ever had at any level of competition, last among the league's starters in completion percentage and set to face the league's No. 1 defense Sunday in his first playoff start as he tries to find a way to be smart and aggressive before the week is out.

"That's just a feel thing, I think you get more comfortable with it over time," Tebow said Wednesday. "You've got to be aggressive, but at the same time you've got to be smart. It's something for a while we did a really good job with that. Got away from it the last couple weeks, but something we'll have to be really good at on Sunday."

Over the past two months, defenses have progressively gotten better particularly in the past three games -- all Broncos losses -- at keeping Tebow hemmed in. The result has been a 40 percent completion rate, with three lost fumbles and four interceptions.

Tebow also has looked hesitant to let the ball go as he attempts to limit turnovers, but his turnover total has increased. He has been unsettled when the Broncos needed to throw the ball.

Asked Wednesday if he was tentative in the 7-3 New Year's Day loss to the Chiefs, Tebow said: "I think there's a few opportunities I should have tried to force it in there, especially late in the game. Sometimes I do think I have to be more aggressive. I think that's definitely true. The more you get into tighter games, playoff games, the more you've got to be aggressive. You've also got to be smart, but you've also got to be aggressive and pull the trigger."

The run-first offense fueled a stretch in which the Broncos won seven of eight games to rebound from a 1-4 start. But with defenses now doing what they need to do to limit Tebow as a runner and pin him in the pocket, his production as a passer has suffered.

As a result there is public clamor to let Tebow put the ball in the air early and often with more short and intermediate routes so he can gain confidence.

"We're all in this together, we've got to put him in positions where he can succeed. He's the one out there throwing the ball," Fox said. "At the end of the day we'll try to give him some better pass plays to operate and we still have to execute them. I think we're just doing what we think gives us the best chance to win. And of late we've come up a little bit short, but we've put [ourselves] in a position to be one of the top 12."

"I don't think [throwing more short passes] is going to fix the problems," said wide receiver Matt Willis. "It's receivers getting open and catching the ball, it's not what routes we run, it's about making plays."

It is all a difficult line to walk -- between adjusting the play calling or targeting the execution. Most personnel executives around the league would say it's why accuracy -- completion percentage -- is one of the most important attributes a quarterback can have in today's NFL.

That's because the windows for completions are small and the ball must arrive on time and in the correct spot, whether the pass is long, short or something in between.

"[I'm] trying to be smart, not put our team in a bad position, because that's the quickest way to get your team out of a game," Tebow said. "Sometimes I do think I need to be more aggressive."

"I think the biggest thing in this league is to be unpredictable," said wide receiver Eric Decker. "Pass or run on first down, get 3, 4 yards, get second-and-short, allow ourselves more success."

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[fordfixer]

Re: Tim Tebow

Broncos' Tim Tebow says he'll be more aggressive vs. Steelers
Posted: 01/04/2012 02:38:43 PM MST
[url="http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_19674147?source=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_m edium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+dp-sports-broncos+%28Denver+Post%3A+Sports%3A+Broncos%29"]http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_19 ... Broncos%29[/url]

By Lindsay H. Jones
The Denver Post

It's a careful line Tim Tebow must walk this week as the Broncos play their first playoff game in six years.

After back-to-back poor passing performances, Tebow understands he must make better throws, and that means being more aggressive. But, after six turnovers in the team's three-game losing streak, Tebow knows he also can't make mistakes.

"The more you get into tighter games, playoff games, you've got to be aggressive," Tebow said today in his weekly media session at Dove Valley. "You also have to be smart but you have to be aggressive and pull the trigger at times. That's something we'll have to do."

Tebow admitted that he at times held the ball too long last week against Kansas City and passed up makeable —
Blog: First-and-Orange

The Denver Post's NFL reporters post analysis, notes and more on this blog dedicated to the Denver Broncos.
though high-risk — throws.

"It's trying to be smart and not put your team in a bad decision, because that's the fastest way to put your team out of a game," Tebow said. "Sometimes I do need to be more aggressive with certain routes and throws."

Tebow will have to test out that renewed sense of aggression in the passing game against a Pittsburgh defense that finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in total defense, as well as No. 1 against the pass.

"They're really good," Tebow said. "Sometimes it looks like it is chaos out there, but they know where they're going."

[fordfixer]

Re: Tim Tebow

enver Broncos playoff report: Tim Tebow needs to let loose, and not make mistakes
PUBLISHED 8 hours and 51 minutes ago
LAST UPDATED 8 hours and 14 minutes ago
Lee Rasizer Sporting News
[url="http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2012-01-04/broncos-playoff-report-tim-tebow-needs-to-let-loose-and-not-make-mistakes"]http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2 ... e-mistakes[/url]

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—Tim Tebow finds himself walking a tightrope entering the playoffs.

On the one hand, he has been prone to turnovers, with four interceptions and three lost fumbles in a season-ending three-game losing streak.

On the other, there’s a coaching staff and executive VP John Elway telling him that he needs to cut loose and pull the trigger on throwing the ball.

Navigating that fine line is tough for the young quarterback, especially when faced with a Pittsburgh defense that is No. 1 overall in the NFL and first against the pass.

“The more you get into tighter games, playoff games, you’ve got to be aggressive,” said Tebow, who will be start his first playoff game. “You’ve also got to be smart, but you’ve got to be aggressive and pull the trigger at times.”
Tim Tebow has faced strong defenses before. The Steelers will ratchet up the pressure on him in Sunday's wild-card game.

As the mistakes have mounted, Tebow appeared hesitant at times cutting lose and throwing downfield, despite eight- and nine-man fronts daring him to pass to his receivers, mostly covered man-to-man.

In Sunday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Tebow went 6-for-22 for 60 yards with an interception and fumble.

“I think there were a few opportunities I should have tried to force it in there, especially later in the game,” Tebow said.

Still, while Tebow’s been erratic throwing the ball—with a 46.5 percent completion rate serving as proof—the coaching staff has been accused by some publicly of not allowing him enough short throws, particularly early in games, to try and establish a rhythm.

Receiver Eric Decker talked about trying to get that groove started early as one possible solution to the passing-game woes.

“We’re all in this together,” coach John Fox responded. “We have to put him in situations where he can succeed. He’s the one out there throwing the ball, and at the end of the day, we’ll try to give him some better pass plays to operate. He still has to execute.”

Read more: [url="http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2012-01-04/broncos-playoff-report-tim-tebow-needs-to-let-loose-and-not-make-mistakes#ixzz1iZH696rX"]http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2 ... z1iZH696rX[/url]

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: Tim Tebow

Kovacevic: Tebow aces first playoff test

By Dejan Kovacevic, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, January 5, 2012


ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Tim Tebow leaned against a hallway wall outside the media room in the Denver Broncos' practice facility on Wednesday, baseball cap spun backward, chin and eyelids lowered, all alone with his thoughts.

For the moment, anyway.

Once he'd crossed that threshold, as he well knew, dozens of reporters and rows of cameras awaited. He'd field questions about the three-game losing streak he and his team will drag into their playoff game on Sunday against the Steelers. About how defenses have schemed to cut off his unorthodox strength as a rushing quarterback. About whether Tebowmania, Tebow Time and even the art of Tebowing -- his one-kneed prayer that's so popular one dictionary recently added it to the English language -- have faded forever.

All tough stuff.

And the man was humming.

No kidding. As I headed toward that room and passed Tebow, I distinctly made out some pleasant-sounding tune sneaking through closed -- and smiling -- lips.

"Hey, man," Tebow offered as a greeting to this total stranger in his surfer dude delivery.

If there remains any mystery as to how this 24-year-old has shrugged off doubters like defensive ends, how he undid all those deficits in that captivating 7-1 stretch, there it was: Nothing bothers him, no matter the setting, no matter the score.

He took his place at the podium and stiff-armed us all with optimism founded in his devout faith, wrapped in boyish charm and topped with the occasional wink.

• On the critical issue of his confidence after three miserable games: "Hey, this is exciting. What a great opportunity this is, and it's a blessing. I know it'll be a rocking environment Sunday, and it'll be a lot of fun."

• On the hideous 6-of-22, 60-yard showing last week in a 7-3 loss to Kansas City: "I had looks, but I needed to be more aggressive, put the ball in there when I have the chance. I've got to do that Sunday."

• On the losing streak that backed the offense-starved Broncos into the playoffs with an 8-8 record: "We just, as an offense, have to be balanced. We have to keep defenses guessing. If we do that, I think we'll have a good chance."

• On John Elway, the Broncos' Hall of Fame quarterback and executive vice president, saying he noticed a fresh intensity in Tebow in the past few days: "Really? He said that? Cool."

His only flub came when I asked if the Steelers' defense presented a special challenge, and he rattled off a few names that included "Rodney Harrison." The Rodney Harrison was a superb safety for New England. The Steelers' Harrison, of course, is James.

When I reminded Tebow of this and tossed in that Harrison isn't the guy any quarterback wants to tick off, Tebow playfully came back: "Yeah, I know."

The storefronts of Denver's famed 16th Street Mall downtown still feature more No. 15 jerseys than those of everyone else with the Broncos combined. And most fans here still speak hopefully -- to a degree -- of the former University of Florida star who somehow used his college style to steer the franchise into the playoffs for the first time since 2005.

"I still think he can get it done, but I'm not as sure anymore," said Ken Brown of Englewood, who attended Tebow's Kansas City debacle. "You look at how tentative he is with his throws now, how he's fumbling. You just don't have a good feeling going against the Steelers."

There are other signs that the mania has settled. SportsBook.com reported yesterday that 77 percent of the money is betting on the Steelers as the nine-point favorite. And two ticket resellers, NFL Ticket Exchange and StubHub, showed more than 11,000 tickets still being offered.

The skeptics have excellent reasons for feeling as they do. I'm hardly alone in predicting that the Steelers' defense -- especially Troy Polamalu, LaMarr Woodley and the correct Harrison -- will have its way with Tebow and the Broncos. All the numbers say so. All the recent history says so.

But what if?

What if Ben Roethlisberger is really as hobbled as he described yesterday, and the Steelers might not score much against a decent Denver defense?

What if Denver's past three losses were really like three bad quarters, and Tebow can still pull it out in the fourth?

You know, Tebow time.

I might not believe, you might not believe, and even the Broncos' coach might not have a firm grip on Tebow's confidence level right now.

"You have to ask him that," John Fox said yesterday. "But he's been in big spots before. He's brought us back all season long. I think he's a confident guy."

Hard not to believe at least that much.

[url="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_775087.html#ixzz1ibvdBSfO"]http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... z1ibvdBSfO[/url]