Tebow and the 'It' FactorDENVER – It was my mother, of all people, who in the midst of her post-surgical convalescence in Florida, picked the Broncos to win Sunday, adding that Tim Tebow would find a way to not only win this game, but many more to come.
Her reasoning?
He has “it.”
That two-letter word seems to arise a great deal when it comes to evaluating young quarterbacks. Some have all the physical tools and background, but appear to lack that intangible quality; this is a criticism currently being laid at the feet of another 2010 draft pick, Carolina’s Jimmy Clausen.
Conversely, Tebow didn’t have the classic drop-back background, orthodox throwing style or recommended placement of the football that most successful pro quarterbacks possess. Everything he had was everything that wasn’t tangible: leadership, poise, persistence, grit, guile and diligence.
There are no statistics for these, which makes it difficult for a numbers guy like myself to grasp what Tebow brings, to understand “it.”
But his teammates had already witnessed this.
“THE GUY NEVER GIVES UP,” declared Broncos linebacker Mario Haggan after the game. “He’s keeping plays going. The more he gets a chance to play, the more confident he gets. You can see that as a defense. When you’ve got a guy making plays, he’ll run the ball and get you a first down with his feet and his arm, and he generates the sense of urgency around the team.”
Sometimes he has so much energy he has trouble spitting out the playcalls.
“He was pumped. A couple of plays he tripped over his words,” running back Lance Ball said, “but that’s Tim.”
Even then, he was composed.
“He’s just got poise,” running back Correll Buckhalter said. “His first start against Oakland, you’ve kind of got a lot of things going all over the place, which is expected of a rookie quarterback. Today he was real poised, he ran the offense well and we rallied behind him.”
His final play (other than kneeldowns) — when he veered right, turned left and ran for the pylon and the game-winning touchdown, was an apt culmination.
“HE MADE SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING,” proclaimed wide receiver Brandon Lloyd when asked about Tebow’s game-winning touchdown run.
“There’s a couple of things I look for out of a young quarterback, which are the same things I look for out of a veteran, which are keeping your poise, having confidence and giving players an opportunity to make plays on the ball,” Lloyd added. “That’s what he did today.”
It can’t be coached, cornerback Champ Bailey said.
“Any coach can try to take credit for it but that’s all God-given ability. And he goes out and gives it all he’s got,” Bailey said. “He’ll take off running. You cant teach that. It’s like what (Michael) Vick does.
“Who can actually teach that? That’s just something you’re given when you’re born.”
So, again, just what is “it” that Tebow has?
Perhaps we’re all about to find out.
http://maxdenver.com/blog1/2010/12/27/tebow-and-the-it-factor/
