Brady rises, Tebow falls

The disparity between Tom Brady and Tim Tebow was as large as the 45-10 spread.

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Tebow's throwing is an absolute mess. He has the arm strength, but not the mechanics. If you look at the University of Florida legend only in practices, you will come away disappointed. That explains why Tebow went from the front-runner to start for the Broncos to the third-stringer just before the season opened.

When the Broncos endured a 1-4 start, head coach John Fox had to throw a Hail Mary to salvage the season, and it didn't hurt that Tebow led the Broncos on a late drive against the Chargers in week five to have a shot at winning what looked to be a blowout loss.

Tebow led the Broncos to win seven of eight games in the heart of the season to land a post-season berth. However, few of those were convincing wins. In fact, Tebow's Broncos only scored 20-plus points twice in those wins. By season's end, Tebow had only completed 46.5% of his passes while averaging 123.5 passing yards per game.

On the other hand, Tebow came away as a winner with 12 touchdowns compared to just six interceptions. He also rushed for 660 yards with six touchdowns, though he did lose six fumbles.

After a fine opening round performance against the Steelers, Tebow came back to earth against the Patriots. He only completed a third of his passes, was sacked on five occasions, and lost a fumble. He generated just 136 passing yards and 13 rushing yards. The Broncos scored a touchdown, but that had more to do with running back Willis McGahee than Tebow.

It's hard to judge someone with such an uncanny ability to rack up wins, while his lows are so disheartening. This much is clear for Tebow going into the off-season: He needs to work on his passing mechanics and he carries a ton of potential.

Tebow's mobility and athleticism keep plays alive almost twice as long as the typical quarterback. As a result, the Broncos playmakers have a greater amount of time to get open. It's very difficult for a cornerback to shut down a wide receiver for more than six seconds. If Tebow can improve on his accuracy, he'll be able to get the ball in the hands of his playmakers more often when the opposing secondary is most vulnerable.

On the other extreme is Patriots legend Tom Brady, who was unheralded out of college, but has shined bright in the NFL. Brady is not a mobile quarterback, instead he excels at accuracy and precision and reading an opposing defence.

Brady has already created a lasting legacy with three NFL championships, the all-time record for touchdowns in a season, plus two MVP awards, and two Super Bowl MVPs.

This season, Brady was as effective as ever. He set personal highs for completions, passing yards, yards-per-pass attempt, and even rushing touchdowns. In a match-up against the Broncos, Brady continued to rewrite history. His five touchdowns in the first half are an all-time record en route to six touchdowns and 367 passing yards.

Brady, for the first time in a long time, has been doubted. The Patriots have flamed out of every post-season since the 2005 Super Bowl (with the exception of 2008 when Brady played just one quarter all season due to a knee injury and the Pats failed to make the playoffs).

Brady and the Patriots are still alive and now face a Ravens team that is best known for its defence. This is the exact type of match-up that Brady thrives in with a Super Bowl appearance on the line.

Despite their very different styles of play, Brady and Tebow have a great deal in common. They are both known for their championships and leadership, Tebow at the college level and Brady in the pros. However, for Tebow to enjoy the sweet taste of success in the NFL, he'll have to learn to play a little more like Brady.

He'll have to sharpen up on his passing skills and hit the open man in stride. The numbers tell the story. While Brady completed 77 per cent of his passes, Tebow only connected on 35 per cent of his attempts. The disparity was as large as the 45-10 spread.