by Matt Watson • Nov 15, 2011 10:36 PM EST
Broncos coach John Fox is a fast learner. After watching Tim Tebow get demolished by the Lions in Tebow's second start, he streamlined the playbook, removing most of those pesky passing plays and replacing them with eight new read-option plays rarely seen in the NFL. The result? Two straight wins.
Fox candidly discussed his new offense with NFL.com's Jeff Darlington. "After the loss to Detroit (a 45-10 blowout), we decided if Tim is going to be our guy, we can't do that other crap," Fox said. "We had to tweak it."
"That other crap," of course, is passing the ball. Tebow attempted just eight passes in Sunday's 17-10 win over Kansas City, completing only two. "Well, we don't have a passer," Fox explained. "We have a runner. Not to say he can't pass at all, but we're recognizing his strengths."
So far, so good. It's possible (perhaps even likely) the opposition will eventually catch on and game-plan around Denver's non-existent passing game, but it definitely caught the Chiefs off guard. And as Fox said, "You don't get points for style in this league."
"Hey, as long as you're moving the ball, possessing the ball, giving your defense some rest, it's all good," Fox said. "Run, pass, if they let you kick it down the field, I wouldn't mind doing that either. As long as you're moving the ball, that's the key."
For now, Tebow as a starting quarterback is still something of a novelty act, albeit one that's stringing together wins. But kudos to Fox for going all in and giving him a shot. NFL coaches are all too often prisoners to conventional thinking, so it's refreshing to see someone thinking so far outside the box.
This approach works for dozens of college teams, so who's to say it can't work for a single NFL team? In the wasteland of mediocrity that is the AFC West, it just might get the Broncos to the playoffs. And isn't that the whole point?
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