Today’s question about the Broncos comes from Wayne in Longmont.
Q: Do you think (Tim) Tebow was just rusty throwing the ball Sunday, or will he be a slow starter in games sometimes because people say he’s supposedly not great in practice?
A: Wayne, that’s a question Tebow will have to answer moving forward.
The Broncos did what most of the free world expected Tuesday morning and named Tebow their starting quarterback. So Tebow will now get the opportunity starting quarterbacks get through the week.
And the biggest thing is the majority of snaps in practice. Instead of just getting a few plays in practice, as he had been in the Broncos’ “co-backup” framework with Brady Quinn, Tebow will now get almost all of the work.
The starting offense becomes his domain.
That will certainly help him get more comfortable in the offense and should at least help some in his ability to settle in during the early portions of games.
Tebow opened 1-of-5 passing Sunday after coming off the bench, bouncing a couple of throws at the receiver’s feet and overthrowing Eric Decker at one point. That was to be somewhat expected.
Young quarterbacks often overthrow a bit early in games, especially if they have a lot of emotion while waiting to play.
Also, without the usual allotment of practice time a quarterback would get with his receivers, it’s difficult for a backup quarterback to come into a game and be in sync. And that’s why most coaches would prefer a longtime veteran in the backup spot, if possible, because those guys have the experience to come into a game and perform without the benefit of extensive practice time.
It can be something to consider for teams like the Broncos — before they made the move to Tebow — and the Titans and Vikings. All have had young quarterbacks backing up veterans.
The Titans and Vikings have veteran quarterbacks — Matt Hasselbeck and Donovan McNabb, respectively — backed up by rookies at the moment in Jake Locker and Christian Ponder.
But that being said, the idea that a subpar practice player will routinely rise to the occasion in a game is a myth for the most part, especially over the long haul.
The so-called “gamers” in football were usually great practice players who performed at a high level in all situations throughout the week and had the ability to perform under immense pressure on game day.
John Elway was a great practice player. He didn’t always need as many snaps as another player might have, but when he did take the snaps, he knew exactly what to do with the ball.
Tebow will have to be just that kind of practice player if he’s going to be a long-term solution as a starting quarterback. The idea he can struggle through the week and be great on Sunday is not something that will allow him to keep the job.
And Tebow himself has stressed the importance of having a good feel for the game plan throughout the week to have his best chance to compete on Sunday.
Technically, even with his mobility, he has to find a way to consistently set his feet when he throws — he wants to drift at times, especially if the rush is approaching. That, and a little more anticipation with the ball, will help him improve his accuracy.
Jeff Legwold: 303-954-2359 or jlegwold@denverpost.com
