LestersLegends.com

AP Photo/John Leyba
.
It wasn’t about wining and dining for Peyton Manning. It was about meetings and more meetings. To say Peyton Manning was thorough in his process of picking the next chapter of his NFL life would be a major understatement. His decision does not come as a surprise.
.
Peyton Manning chose to stay in the AFC. He is more familiar with the conference, plus it keeps the dream alive for a Manning Brother Super Bowl.
.
Peyton does not inherit a great surrounding cast offensively, but he has been known to make those around him better. He does have a promising young receiver in Damaryius Thomas.
.
The Broncos also offer a firm commitment to provide an adequate running game. The Broncos led the league last year with 2632 rushing yards.
.
Obviously a lot of the running was due to the fact that they had Tim Tebow at quarterback. Not only is that a strength of Tebow’s game, but it also helped hide the serious flaw in his game, which was his passing ability.
.
If Peyton is healthy, that will not be a problem.
.
The Broncos also offer Peyton a rock solid defense and play in a very winnable division.
.
A Peyton Manning signing will give John Elway the out he was looking for to get rid of Tim Tebow, if he so chooses to. If it were any other available QB there would have been backlash, but how can you be upset with your team for going after a future first ballot Hall of Famer.
.
If they choose not to trade Tebow, he has one heckuva quarterback to learn from. Tebow and Peyton both have a tremendous work ethic. There isn’t likely a better QB for Tebow to work with.
.
It will be interesting to see if San Francisco is able to bring back Alex Smith after courting Peyton or if they burned that bridge.
.
.

Also check out:

• NFL Free Agent Flurry 2012: Fantasy Perspective Day 1
• NFL Free Agent Flurry 2012: Fantasy Perspective Day 2
• 2012 NFL Mock Draft
• Sportsguy 250′s 2012 NFL Mock Draft: Picks 1-15

.
By Mr. Destiny
.
Tim Tebow has now won 4 out of his 5 starts despite a poor performance until the last 5 minutes of the game. He literally engineered and accounted for the bulk of a 95 yard drive. Tebow was sitting at a 6 point fantasy day before posting 92 yards total and the winning touchdown. I was patting myself on the back for advising to sit him this week, but 5 minutes was all it took to put a foot in mine and every other doubters mouth. Willis McGahee became an afterthought once he fumbled, ceding way for Lance Ball who took over for most of the game. I can’t imagine that was the primary reason for the benching, so it may be he tweaked the hamstring again. Every once of the Broncos receivers are still no trustworthy as anything but bench fodder, but it would have to be Decker if you absolutely had to start one.
.
Shonn Greene exited this one early as well with a rib injury. He was back on the sidelines with his helmet on, but the solid performance of Joe McKnight allowed the Jets to keep him out as a precaution. Once again, it was Mark Sanchez which cost the Jets this game after throwing a pick six in the second half. McKnight’s fumble on the very next play during the kickoff did not cost the Jets, but it allowed the Broncos to hang around until the drama unfolded and Tebow took over. Plaxico Burress was the leading receiver as I projected, finishing with 64 yards on the day. Plax has been Sanchez’ go to guy and just as involved as Santonio Holmes. Given Sanchez’ struggles I actually like Plax more right now because of his red zone targets. Collectively both teams were 6-27 on third downs and each was facing an uphill battle in a game where defense ruled the day.
.
.

.
Tim Tebow completed two passes last week. I know he won the game but that is just crazy. His own coach admits that he couldn’t run a traditional NFL option but for now the read-option is working. The Broncos take on the Jets tonight and fantasy owners need to decide if he should be in their lineups.
.
Tebow has averaged an abysmal 121 passing yards in five games. Despite only completing 47 passes (9.4 per game) he has seven touchdown passes (1.4 per game). One of every 6.7 completions has gone for a score.
.
He’s ran in two TDs this year. Typically a rushing TD accounts for 1.5 passing touchdowns. He’s also averaging 63.2 rushing yards per game. Typically rushing yards are worth twice as much as passing yards. If you transform his rushing numbers into passing numbers and add them to his current numbers he is in essence averaging 247.4 passing yards and 2.0 TD passes per game.
.
The question is whether or not he can run on the Jets.
.
The Jets have allowed 33 rushing yards this year but they haven’t faced a QB with the running ability of Tebow. Romo is mobile but he’s a pass first guy. They faced Brady twice, Joe Flacco, and Philip Rivers. They aren’t exactly going to take off an run. Jason Campbell and Ryan Fitzpatrick can move around in the pocket but they aren’t utilizing designed quarterback run plays.
.
The Jets have been in the top ten in run defense the previous three seasons. This year, however, they rank 15th at 116.0 ypg. Although they haven’t allowed a quarterback to run for a touchdown, they have
allowed nine rushing scores. They allowed 11, 11, and 10 for the past three entire seasons.
.
Darrelle Revis is a shutdown corner but when a team attempts eight passes (in a win) there isn’t much to shut down.
.
The Jets also have time working against them. They played in the Sunday Night game against the Patriots. NFL teams take things one game at a time, and with a match-up against their biggest rival last week there is zero chance they let Tebow even sneak into their head a little.
.
There isn’t a ton of film on the Broncos using the option offense and time is limited anyway. Plus, this is an offense that will continue to evolve.
.
I don’t think this is an ideal situation to use Tebow but if this is a week that you’re playing without Big Ben, Drew Brees, or Matt Schaub (obviously more than just this week), Tebow is a risk/reward option. You likely could do worse.
.
.
Also check out:

• Week 11 Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• Week 11 Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• Week 11 Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• Week 11 Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• Week 11 Fantasy Football K Rankings
• Week 11 Fantasy Football DEF Rankings
• Week 11 Fantasy Football Waiver Advice
• Week 11 NFL Picks

.
There aren’t many more polarizing football players than Tim Tebow. You pretty much either love him or hate him. Many expected him to fall flat on his face because of his questionable mechanics entering the league. Many figured he would thrive because at the end of the day he is a great football player.
.
The Broncos took a long time to hand him the keys and he had mixed results. Tebow had a quiet first start against the Raiders in Week15 completing eight of sixteen passes for 138 yards. He had one touchdown and did not throw a pick. Tebow added 78 yards and a score on the ground.
.
In his next start, Tebow threw for 308 yards (16 of 29) with a touchdown and an interception. He ran for another touchdown, with 27 yards on the ground. Before you give him too much credit in this one, Houston’s pass defense was historically bad last year.
.
He wrapped up his rookie season completing 16 of 36 passes for 205 yards with a pair of touchdown passes and interceptions. He added 94 yards and a score on the ground.
.
While he is still a work in progress in the passing game, he already has shown he can produce with his feet. He ran for six touchdowns in just 43 attempts at 5.3 yards per carry. Tebow had runs of 40 and 30 yards showing his explosiveness.
.
It’s that ability that makes him a solid QB2 in my book, assuming that Kyle Orton is either dealt or comes into the season as the backup. Obviously if he’s not the starter, you can’t rely on him for fantasy purposes, but that should all be sorted out by the time you draft. I’m operating under the assumption that Tebow will be the Broncos’ starting quarterback.
.
Not having the OTAs will hurt a guy like Tebow since he could have used the reps. Knowing how hard of a worker Tebow is, we all know he didn’t sit idle. Tebow will have his ups and downs, but his running ability should give him a nice base score to start with each week so he won’t have to do as much with his arm as other quarterbacks to turn in a solid fantasy performance.
.
Since you’ll be drafting Tebow as a backup, you won’t want to take him if Philip Rivers, Matt Cassel, and whoever ends up starting for Arizona, Seattle, and Tennessee since they share the same bye week as Tebow.
.
.

Also check out:

• 2011 Early Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• 2011 Early Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• 2011 Early Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• 2011 Early Fantasy Football TE Rankings

.
San Diego’s Philip Rivers is easily the class of the division. It doesn’t matter who who is throwing too. Vincent Jackson holds out and only plays four games? Ho hum. Rivers throws for 4710 yards. Antonio Gates has nine touchdowns in the first eight games and then misses six of the next eight games? Big deal. Rivers throws 30 TDs (13 INT). Rivers remains a top tier QB1.
.
Kansas City got 3116 yards and 27 TDs (7 INTs) from Matt Cassel and added the 6’4″ Jonathan Baldwin to his arsenal. He should take some of the pressure Dwayne Bowe, who exploded for 1162 yards and 15 TDs last year. Bowe had just one touchdown in the last five games while averaging 55.4 yards. The Chiefs also added Rodney Hudson to help their offensive line. Cassel is a solid QB2 going into the 2011 season.
.
John Elway is on board with Tim Tebow as the Broncos’ quarterback. Tebow will have his ups and downs, but should be a solid QB2 thanks to his ability to run the football. He had six rushing touchdowns last year. New coach John Fox has Kyle Orton on top of the depth chart, but he could be traded once the lockout is lifted. If he beats out Tebow, he will also be a solid QB2. I just assume at some point Tebow would get a chance to start.
.
Then there is the Raiders. Jason Campbell is the starter, but he’s not much of a fantasy option. He topped 240 yards just twice.  He had one or fewer touchdown passes in ten of the 13 games he played in. I would look elsewhere for my backup fantasy quarterback.
.
.

Also check out:

• AFC East Quarterback Situations
• AFC North Quarterback Situations
• AFC South Quarterback Situations

.
We already discussed that Cam Newton and Kevin Kolb would be good options to fill the Vikings’ void at quarterback. There is another option, Kyle Orton, that could be an even more perfect solution. That is, of course, if the Broncos are willing to part with the veteran signal caller and completely give the keys to Tim Tebow.
.
Orton makes sense because unlike Newton and Kolb, he has shown that he can successfully compete at the NFL level. The fact that he’s had success on two different teams just reinforces his ability. In his past three seasons Orton has thrown 59 touchdown passes to just 33 interceptions. He’s completed 59.9 percent of his passes and averaged nearly 3500 yards per year.
.
The Vikings are built to win now.  Having a quarterback that knows how to read NFL defenses, knows the preparation it takes each week, and commands the respect of the locker room and in the huddle is a requirement if you’re going to make a run at the playoffs.
.
You don’t have to worry about rookie mistakes or immaturity. You don’t have to worry about a big contract going to his head. Plus, having played in Chicago, Orton already has a great feel for the NFC North. He won’t be intimidated when he goes into Lambeau. He is comfortable playing in Soldier Field. He won’t be afraid to go into Ford Field…wait, nobody is so scratch that one. What I’m trying to say he’s been there and he’s done that.
.
Acquiring Orton won’t take nearly the bounty it would to get Kolb. You would still be able to use the 12th pick in the draft to help your team now. It makes too much sense not to do it. He’ll be just 29 next November so he has plenty of football ahead of him.
.
There are two problems that could prevent a deal. For starters, the collective bargaining agreement has to be figured out. The longer it goes on, the less likely any deals will get done. I’m convinced there is too much money at stake for any game action to be missed, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it drags out a while.
.
The other issue is whether the Broncos would be willing to part ways. If Josh McDaniels were still around, I would say it would be fairly likely they would move him. Tebow is McDaniels’ project, and it’s hard to say if the new regime will be supporters. There are already grumblings that this isn’t the case. If the Broncos opt to take a quarterback in the 2011 NFL Draft, then Orton will become expendable.
.
A lot will happen before the Vikings decide what direction they will go at quarterback next year. The one that makes the most sense to me, and the one I support is trading for Kyle Orton.
.
What do you think the Vikings should do a quarterback for next year?
.
.
This article is also featured at NFLTouchdown.com, where I am the lead Vikings writer.

Image courtesy of Icon SMI

Odds are that if you go to a game in Denver this year you’ll see a ton of people rockin’ Tim Tebow jerseys. They are jumping off the shelves like hotcakes as the number one selling jersey this year. While Tebow fans are clamoring to wear Tebow gear, I urge fantasy owners to look away.

In traditional non-keeper leagues, Tebow is not even worth a thought. Kyle Orton, barring injury, is settled in as the Broncos’ starting QB. Even if Orton is injured or ineffective, Brady Quinn is more prepared to take over. Tebow could get some looks in the Wildcat and possibly mop up duty, but he won’t get consistent playing time.

In keeper leagues I would probably avoid Tebow as well. There are enough question marks surrounding Tebow’s ability to adjust to the NFL that it isn’t worth sitting on him for a year. Even if he does win the starting job next year, you would expect there to be growing pains. Plus, he doesn’t exactly have a lot of weapons to throw to following Brandon Marshall’s departure. Even if your league keeps five to seven players, is Tebow really worth hanging on to?

Dynasty leagues in which you keep the bulk of your roster are the only ones where he should be considered. Even then, you have to have some faith that he’ll excel at the pro level. Personally I don’t think he’ll ever be a quality fantasy QB. He may win some games, but he’ll be hard to rely on week to week.

So if you want to rock his jersey, I’ll accept that (and quietly wonder why you didn’t go for a throwback Elway jersey), but if you draft him in your fantasy leagues I will look to have you committed. It’s for your own good.

What is your take on Tim Tebow?

Click here to enter the Best Fantasy Football Team Name Contest for a chance to win some fabulous prizes.