NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger joined WEEI's Mut and Merloni show on Wednesday to discuss the New England Patriots' matchup this weekend with the Denver Broncos.

Baldinger says the Broncos' defense deserves its fair share of credit for the team's recent success, but that Tim Tebow is not a gimmick.

"First of all, he's a great running back," Baldinger said. "If you just strip everything else aside, the guy's a 240-pound running back, and there's not that many of them in the league. And if you watch him against the Bears -- and I mean elite defenders in [Brian] Urlacher, [Lance] Briggs, [Julius] Peppers, [Charles] Tillman -- he either ran around them or through them last week. That was a great test for him, and he passed that test.

"Even though they only put up 13 points [and needed] overtime to get it, they still moved the ball throughout the game. And then when they were down 10-0 they said, 'OK, let's spread it out. We have to throw it.' And he spread the Bears out and he threw it, and he threw it pretty well. They had seven drops by wide receivers, but he extended plays, he played a style of offense that's difficult to defend. He breaks your defense down. It's more than a gimmick, it's more than a wildcat.

"But can he stay healthy taking as many hits? Because the Chicago Bears whacked him. For whatever reason, he just keeps getting up like nothing happened to him, like his armor is just made of steel. ... He's indefatigable. You get to the fourth quarter, he's the only guy that looks fresh on the field. He never wears down."

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