Tim Tebow’s first start as the Denver Broncos quarterback came Sunday at Oakland, and it has been discussed, praised, questioned, debated for so long in advance of that start that you sometimes wonder what is left to say.
Only the future will tell us what it holds. You cannot predict it or rush it.
You can, however, prepare for it, and Tebow has worked very hard all year doing just that.
It is disappointing when you lose, and Sunday’s game at Oakland was an especially frustrating loss — if there is such a thing — in that the team fought so hard and played so well so often, but not well enough overall to get the win.
Nevertheless, Tebow’s performance excited Broncos fans and gave them new hope and promise for the future, however uncertain and unpredictable that future is at this writing.
But a game was played, Tebow went all the way at quarterback for his first time as a pro, and naturally, statistics were produced.
Once produced on the field, the statistics sit there on the pages of paper and they do not lie. They are comparative with other stats. Other games have been played by other pro quarterbacks over the 90 years of the National Football League. All the games lasted 60 minutes, and they all produced statistics.
A quick look at Tebow’s stats for one game, his first start, show this:
He had a 40-yard rushing touchdown and a 33-yard touchdown pass, making Tebow the first player since Michael Vick in 2002 to have a scoring run of 40 or longer and a scoring pass of 30 or longer in the same game. He is the first rookie to have accomplished this feat in pro football history.
He had a 100.5 passer rating at Oakland, the highest rating among the seven rookie quarterbacks who have made their starting debuts in 2010.
Tebow became the 15th rookie quarterback in NFL history to have a passer rating of 100 or more in his first pro start.
Among all Bronco rookie quarterbacks making their first start, all-time over the past 51 years, Tebow’s 100.5 rating is the best ever.
He rushed for 78 yards, more than John Elway ever gained on the ground in any game he ever played as a pro and second all-time among Bronco quarterbacks to the 120 by Norris Weese at Chicago on December 12, 1976.
In the 51 year-history of the Broncos, 42 quarterbacks have started for the team. Tebow’s 100.5 passer rating is seventh-best in his first game among all 42, including veterans, but ranks first among the 12 Broncos rookie quarterbacks in their first pro start.
So those are the stats.
You would always rather have a win, it is the only reason you play the game. No one is happy to lose, ever.
But any time the body of stats for a given game puts a player in the team and NFL record books, and even more notably when it is the first start of a career, that is an accomplishment and a step forward for a franchise and its fans, whether known as Broncos Country or Gator Nation, and in this case, both.
Tags: 2010, Denver Broncos, Jim Saccomano, Tim Tebow, Week 15
Keep Orton on the bench I wanna see more Tebow
Good read, I liked this post Jim. I really enjoyed watching Tebow yesterday! I am excited to see more of him the next couple of weeks.
ya, tebow time us NOW!! GO TEBOW GO BRONCOS
PS… the anti tebow folks from the previous blog should DEFINATELY read this!
meant to say “Tebow time is NOW”
If Mr Bowlen doesn’t know it is Tebow Time by now he never will.
He should be named as starter for next week NOW.
Sorry Kyle but your place is as a back-up from now on.
Bill Cowher Has said he wants to come back to coaching but only said he was interested in three teams Giants, Texans, Dolphins Not us Dang it
Jim, PatB and others…
After watching the game yesterday there are mistakes all over the place and I know this is a Tebow post but couldn’t help but reply.
1-Tebow needs to have more opportunities to throw. I know his throwing mechanics still needs work and it does. He needs to have quicker reads, work on a faster release and don’t be afraid to throw it away to avoid a sack. Maybe this is another reason to hire Elway to come in. Yes I know most folks want him in the front office but he has vast knowledge at QB and he could only help these guys out. We know you can run but this has become a passing league. I hate to say this but maybe watch some film from Vick who has an arm and can also run very well.
2-The Defense on this team needs some serious adjustment. Where is the discipline? The amount of stupid penalties is out of control this year and the majority of this on Defense… Granted there have been many that have not gone our way and the officials need some serious lessons as well but just too many dump mistakes going on.
3-Special team seems improved. However Decker, if you’re going to pull a spin move learn to do it both ways and hold on to the ball cause you’re gonna get hit…
4-PatB for gods sake find and hire a real NFL top quality coach.
WOOO!, rayjr there were anti Tebow people? How in the world can you be anti-Tebow! Honestly I have never had so much faith in a Broncos QB EVER! Tebow is going to change the game.Say what you will about the performance yesterday, but if you didn’t leave with the feeling of total satisfaction from Tebow you probably weren’t going to like him even if he threw for 300+
I was thinking at best Tebow would finish with one TD (rush or pass not both) I also thought the rookie might try too hard and throw an INT or two. Not only did Tebow get points on the board, he moved the offense, something Kyle Orton hasn’t been able to do lately! Once again, say what you will, but Tebow’s performance yesterday would have been impressive for any ROOKIE in their FIRST NFL START, it was especially impressive coming from a QB who has be criticized and constantly been told he cant be an NFL QB! I will say this, if it hadn’t been for Tebow, Denver wouldn’t have stood a chance yesterday and if our D didn’t give them TD’s like they were going out of style we might have pulled it off!
THE ERA OF TEBOW HAS BEGUN!!! IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME NOW!
what an awesome game yesterday, i know we lost to the raiders but watching timmy T got me real exitcited again, cant wait for next week!!!!!
TEBOW MANIA HAS BEGUN!!!!
HE PROVED HIS TEBOW HATERS WRONG!!!!! I LOVE IT ILOVE IT!!!!!!! ALL THOSE PEOPLE ON THE NFL NETWORK AND ESPN SHOULD EAT SOUR APPLES FOR TALKIN BAD ABOUT THIS GUY THIS GUY GAVE IT HIS ALL I SAW SPARKS I BEEN WATCHIN ESPN AND THEY HAVE NOTHING TO SAY ABOUT THIS WONDERFUL FOOTBALL PLAYER I WONDER WHY!!!!!
Great first start Tebow…… I knew you would play hard. I’m glad the Broncos finally let you have your day. I’m confident that you have many more ahead!!
DenverOranges – Noooooooo Bill Cowher! I’m glad we aren’t on his list! Man Tebow has me amped up for next weeks game! Raj and Yovi…. yall know there are gonna be people who fill find something to knock him on. It was his 1st game and a very positive first game. Going against a team that still has a very very slim chance at the playoffs.
He was going up against all 1st stringers unlike preseason when he went up against 2nd and 3rd’s. I think he showed alot of poise and leadership. He will get better and better. he took what was presented to him and that what he could. Timmy T 2k is Buckin and so am I!!
Sorry for the double post
I try to ignore the Tebow haters; there will always be haters no matter what. Bay had some very great and right on points about why some may hate him on the last blog. Some just want to see others fail no matter what. There are many great QB’s some are hall of famers that had worse first starts, and many other games for that matter. Also Tebow is not the first QB to be doubted, have questions about, be called unconventional, etc etc blah blah…and turn out great! Running QB’s don’t do well?????? Vick?????? Early Elway??? I think that is what they refer to as a dual threat; if they don’t beat you with their arm they beat you with their legs!!??? Have you haters heard of this; keep defensive coordinators up at night??? Ok I am done, all those in support of Tebow and the future hopes of our team keep it up Bronco brothers and sisters, all those haters out there….who cares.
Now all we need is to hire an unproven HC and let him trade Tim Tebow for Draft picks.
HA, HA.
Really, this made the game fun to watch even though the defense was awful. Seriously, if McD would have started Tebow earlier in the year and traded Orton for players and picks when he and Llyod were killing it we could have a much improved team. I called it out on here before the trade deadline. No matter, thank you Timmy for make the team fun to watch again, if at least for one Sunday!!!
Jim,
the curiousity is killing me! Can you give us some inside information and tell us who Tebow was on the phone with during the game…. was it MrB? was it Elway, was it his Mom?…
Enquiring Bronco Minds need to know!!!
Geting ready to watch Studs talk Hopefuilly he just comes out and says Tebow is the new starter but I doubt it TTTTTTTTTTEEEEEEEBBBBBBBOOOOWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good one OC. Hey maybe he was talking to Shannon Sharpe or better yet Maybe the President of the United States to bring in more troops because Tim Tebow was tearing up the field. HaHa!! All in fun.
I’m sure he was just talking to some of the coaches in the coaches’ booth, nothing unusual there.
yes!!!!!!! Tebow is starting Sunday wooohoooooo something to be excited about I wish I had Tickets
It’s official then? Tebow will start Sunday?
Good stat article Jim, was aware of quite a few but you came up with some new ones that made Tebow’s debut all that more impressing in my opinion.
One thing I will disagree with though “You would always rather have a win, it is the only reason you play the game. No one is happy to lose, ever.” I personally really don’t care that we win another game this year as winning means nothing any longer, but getting a high draft pick is something we could all use, however I understand the organization’s position up front that they are out to win every game no matter the circumstances, but winning these last games is nothing but a big negative to me specially since next year they should have a rookie salary cap in place which will make it not such a burden to pick top 3. If there ever was a year to where it’s valuable to lose it would be now.
Of course Tebow doesn’t care about any of that, haha, but maybe that’s why he was held back most of the game, not because of how poorly he is in tune with the team like Krieger and some bloggers are saying. In fact I’m much more inclined to believe Gaffney and Lloyd when they say Tebow can throw, take the leash off him, let him compete, he can do it. So my point being maybe the top brass just don’t want him to compete THAT much, a top three pick when our D so badly needs a difference maker is just something that would be hard to pass up on, just my opinion.
It was semi official all day, if he doesn’t start Sunday half the stadium would be empty, they have no choice.
Studes just said he was starting and yeah Bay that place would have been a ghost town
If Orton starts it would be a fan mutiny, and imagine the boos from the ones who show up, that would be an utterly stupid move not to start Tebow.
ya, ive got tickets to the last game! way more excited about them now! cant wait to see Tebow in live action. did i mention i got him to sign his rookie card for me at the scrimmage earlier this year? that baby is going in a safety deposit box! LMAO jk, it will go on the shelf with all the rest of my broncos stuff.
Good, thanks oranges, we can put that to rest.
was listening to espn radio today and there were some great things said about Tebow. Almost everyone was willing to give the rookie some praise and admit that he looked pretty impressive out there, despite the loss. Glad to see these guys that have critisized him non-stop give him some recognition for a well played game. Almost everyone couldnt stop talking about his poise and leadership. GO TEBOW! GO BRONCOS! Now lets get this D playing at a higher level and let our QB throw more and we will be in these games to the end.
Ray, if we both think Tebow might be the one we were looking for, what on earth are we going to argue about? LOL.
it’s about tim……e.
Bay: I was reading Gaffney’s quotes that you posted in Coop’s blog. I had a feeling that the players would want Tebow to be fully unleashed. Understand though, from Gaffney’s perspective catching more balls is going to secure him a roster spot. If not here then somewhere else. I think the playbook opens up this week against a pretty lousy Houston defense.
Orange_Crusher: It is common for the QB to talk to coaches up in the booth on the sideline phones. Brady does it, Manning does it etc…They can offer info on certain coverages and defensive alignments that can’t be easily seen from the field.
@ bay… hmm.. interesting question! i guess you are just going to have to change your mind!
so whats Ortons trade value?
9 million dollar contract! LMAO…
Wow….one game and Tebow is our savior?? I did enjoy watching Tebow, but am i the only one who saw he was just decent for a rookie? im not saying he isnt going to be our franchise QB, but if Orton had the same stats people would be screaming for a new QB. there is alot that he needs to learn…..its ok to throw it away….and dont throw into double coverage.
im thinkin maybe a 2nd and 4th or 5th… probably a 5th.
@ rjennings…. you are correct! if orton had those same stats we would be screaming for a new QB. the difference is Orton is a 6th year player and Tebow is a rookie.
plus, Orton just doesnt have that “IT” factor…. soundl lame i know, but he just doesnt have the ability to lead. its not a knock on him, some people are just natural leaders, ie Tebow. unfortunately its not something that you can teach. you either are or you are not! GO TEBOW, GO BRONCOS
To even further the point, it was Tebow’s first game while Orton has played around a hundred.
Let’s not compare apples and oranges, any comparaison to be made with how Tebow played would be with another rookie QB starting in his very first game ever, like Mr Saccomano did just above, doing anything else is just infantile.
With all due respect of course.
Bay: That’s really the reason I posted Elway’s rookie summary the other day….so we could all compare and to remember that it wasn’t always gravy baby. lol
i actually expected tebow to do worse than he did. so i was pleasantly surprised!
To make it official:
For Christmas, interim coach Eric Studesville is giving Bronco fans another long look at Tim Tebow.
“This morning we made the decision to start Tim Tebow this weekend against Houston,” Studesville said at an afternoon news conference.
With the game Sunday, the day after Christmas, at Invesco Field at Mile High, did Studesville receive a nudge from Pat Bowlen to start the fan-favorite Tebow ahead of the ribs-battered Kyle Orton?
“I visited this morning with Mr. Bowlen and Joe Ellis,” said Studesville, referring to the Broncos’ owner and his right-hand man, and chuckling at the suggestion that Tebow’s start was made for business reasons. “”It was a good situation for us. It was a suggestion by me that we go in that direction and they agreed, and that’s the direction we’re going.”
Like I said earlier, they were left with no choice!
First McD, now Orton, and the list will be long…
I would’ve loved to have seen us beat the Faiders as I hate them and their fan base with a passion, but realistically knew it wouldn’t happen.
It was great to see Tebow have a solid debut game, even though the game plan was limited. The run for a TD on 3rd and 24 was awesome!
He has plenty of work to do, but glad to hear he will be our starter vs the Texans on Sunday.
Anyone know the status on Demaryious Thomas ?
Who was it last week that said Richard Quinn would get his first catch this past weekend?? Was it sndvl? (Good call).
I think it was TRB.
This is the latest on moves and injuries and Thomas is not in there so my take is his status hasn’t changed, out:
The team waived linebacker Kevin Alexander and signed Chevis Jackson, a third-year cornerback who has bounced around.
It’s possible safety Brian Dawkins could return to practice this week after missing the past three games, five in all, with a knee injury.
Running back Knowshon Moreno (ribs), fullback Spencer Larsen (ankle) and kicker Matt Prater (groin) are questionable.
ya, thats too bad about larsen, i had forgotten that he had got hurt. come to think of it, seems like our running game went WAY downhill after he went out.
thanks for the quick response bay…. much appreciated.
Am i hearing correct?!?!? People even on hear criticizing Tebows performance…a ROOKIE DEBUT!! Joint was as good as it coulda been. And the play calling was lacking…sure only 50 percent…but he didnt have many dink and dunks…it was either run or go deep. And the man throws a VERY pretty deep ball. Some say it was luck, some say it coulda been intercepted..For lloyd he put it in the back corner of the endzone…only spot he could. For Lance Ball, same thing…right on the numbers…he just dropped it. Tebow put the ball in great places…He needs to utilize his window to complete a pass better but that will come with time…Deep ball to royal was high but if that was a guy like Marshall or Demaryous Thomas (A tall guy) they woulda come down with it easy. No one is saying he is the best in the league…but that was a great rookie Debut. There will be growing pains but there is no where to go but UP…I hope lol. Believe in the kid…always have. Best thing McD ever did (a lil too early in the draft for my taste but who cares as long as he delivers) TRB out….