Is it wrong that I watched most of the Denver Broncos versus New England Patriots football game? I watched it mainly to see how Tom Brady and Bill Belichick would manage to slow down and derail the Tim Tebow train. The game opened with a long Denver Broncos drive. In typical Denver Broncos fashion, they ran the ball more than they threw it. They ran the ball extremely effectively. The final play of the drive was Tim Tebow shrugging off a defender in the backfield and then serpentining his way into the end zone. For some reason, the Denver Broncos decided to go for a two-point conversion and failed.

The New England Patriots came back and scored in five plays. The Denver Broncos drove the length of the field in only four plays and scored another touchdown. The New England Patriots defense look like it was about to roll over. Then the second quarter happened. After the Broncos kicked a field goal, Tom Brady drove the length of the field in 12 plays and scored a touchdown. On the very first play, the Denver Broncos fumbled the ball. The New England Patriots moved the ball down to the 3-yard line and had to settle for a field goal. For the first time in the ball game, the Patriots were ahead. They led 17-16. The momentum was turning. Denver got the ball back in three plays. Later, Tim Tebow himself fumbled the ball. Six plays later, Tom Brady sneaked into the end zone from the one-yard line. Momentum was clearly sitting on the New England Patriots' sideline. Denver got the ball back and had gained zero yards after three plays. They punted the ball back to New England with just 40 seconds left on the clock. New England ran five plays and then had to punt with 14 seconds left on the clock in the second quarter. Denver muffed the punt. With three seconds on the clock, the Patriots could once again put up a field goal. Denver had three turnovers in the quarter. Three!!??

I can describe how Tom Brady, in spite of having been sacked twice, stood in the pocket and surgically dissected the Denver defense. We've seen it many times before over the last decade and this was no different. When Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos made their move in the fourth quarter, scoring a quick touchdown with eight minutes and 41 seconds left on the clock, Tom Brady did exactly what you would've expected him to do. He responded with a nine-play drive which ate up 4:31 off the clock and ended with a touchdown. The score was 41-23 with four minutes and 10 seconds left in the game. The game was over. Probably the signature play which revealed the futility of the Denver Broncos' efforts in the last four minutes of the game was Tim Tebow scrambling around and getting sacked for a 28 yard loss. He probably ran more than 100 yards as he desperately tried to find an open receiver. He ran back and forth. He pumped, then dodged, then ran back and across before he was sacked. 28-yard loss. It looked similar to that Bob Griese play where he scrambled and got sacked from many Super Bowls ago. Anyway, this game was done. No Tebow Time.

It is clear that Tim Tebow is a gifted athlete. There are many gifted athletes in the NFL. It is clear that he and John Fox came up with a new way to run the football that most NFL teams have not seen. I look at it as Denver's version of the wildcat. Remember when the wildcat was new? The Miami Dolphins would take their quarterback and flank the quarterback out as a wide receiver. The ball would be snapped to Ronnie Brown, who could run the ball, or handed to Ricky Williams. In later variations of this offense, he would even throw the ball. The wildcat was extremely successful for several weeks, about half a season. The Miami Dolphins racked up multiple wins using a strong defense and this ball control offense. Sound familiar? Unfortunately for the Miami Dolphins and the Denver Broncos, this is a gimmick. The league will figure out how to defend the triple option. Then what? Look at what happened to the Miami Dolphins. Tony Sparano came up with an innovative offense but never had a durable and viable NFL quarterback. Two years after he made something out of nothing with the wildcat and had some significant success with a team that was mediocre at best, he was fired. To win the NFL and to win consistently, you must have a quarterback that makes plays throwing the football. (The exception to this rule would be having one of the great defenses of all time, like the Baltimore Ravens or the 1985 Chicago Bears.)

I heard during today's telecast that Tim Tebow said that winning at the end of the game is about character. Horse hockey!! The reason that the Denver Broncos are successful at the end of the game is because Tim Tebow, somehow, almost miraculously, becomes an accurate passer. He begins to make plays from the pocket and he makes plays with his feet. Winning consistently, at the end of the game, is about execution. If Tim Tebow learns how to throw the ball accurately for all four quarters of the game, the Denver Broncos will go deep into the playoffs year after year. (With this defense, which is really good, they could even make it to the Super Bowl.)