Tim Tebow is Here to Stay: Broncos Have a Franchise Quarterback

With a 7-1 record in 2011, it seems like many have finally come around to the fact that Tim Tebow has franchise quarterback capabilities.

If you haven’t, you might need to wake up.

After starting the season 1-4, things were not looking good for the Denver Broncos. Fans were wondering if the team could even match its record from 2010, when the Broncos went 4-12.

Then, Tim Tebow entered the picture, and the Broncos figured, “What the heck? Let’s get the fans off our back and show them that this guy doesn’t have what it takes.”

Now, eight games later, Tebow has made believers out of not only head coach John Fox, but front office executive John Elway and the rest of Denver Broncos management. Even Broncos owner Pat Bowlen sees the greatness in Tebow:

“He’s a quarterback, and believe me he’s going to learn. I believe he’ll be a great one. Better keep him around.”

And if you have been listening to anything I have said the last two-and-a-half years, you’d know that I feel the same.

Ever since Tebow was at Florida, I knew there was something special about him. I regret not paying attention to him through his high school days and beyond, and I even hated Tebow for the same reasons everyone else did when he was a freshman and even a sophomore at Florida. I hated the fact that he got so much attention from the media and I just wanted to hear about someone else.

That was when I was stupid, ignorant, and self-centered.

When you realize what kind of person and leader Tim Tebow is, it’s easy to love the guy even though you may have never met him. When you see and hear how genuine the guy is, and how he believes in something bigger than himself and bigger than anything he could even dream of, it’s hard not to respect the guy.

Tebow has brought that to Denver and the Broncos organization. After a stellar career at Florida that ended with a blowout win over Cincinnati, Tebow got to work on becoming the best NFL prospect he could be. He slightly tweaked his throwing motion so that he could have a quicker release. He became an even better athlete than he was before, which is hard to believe considering the kind of shape he has always been.

Tebow was so impressive in the pre-draft process that Josh McDaniels–an offensive and quarterback specialist–fell in love with his intangibles and his potential as a pro quarterback. McDaniels traded a second, third, and fourth round pick to get back into the first round to select Tebow (trade with Ravens).

Obviously, Tebow came to Denver with unfair expectations from the media because he was a first round pick and because the Broncos gave up so much to get him, and he had a solid pre-season before sitting the first 13 games of his rookie season, seeing action only in special packages before the Broncos decided enough was enough–Tebow would start the final three games.

After a solid outing at Oakland which ended in a loss, Tebow brought the Broncos back from down 17 to the Houston Texans to win the first game of his career. He was also one hail-mary short of beating the San Diego Chargers at the end of the 2010 season.

Broncos fans were brimming with optimism because Tebow showed a lot of improvement and skills needed to play quarterback in the NFL.

When the NFL was locked out, it prevented Tebow from getting to practice with his coaches, people who could help him get better. Because the Broncos were implementing an entirely new coaching staff with a new front office, it made sense that John Fox didn’t want to go with Tebow because he hadn’t made much improvement over the offseason in terms of getting work with the system and with the coaches. Kyle Orton was Fox’s only option–or so he thought.

After five dismal starts. the Broncos finally pulled Orton at halftime of their home game against San Diego. Tebow came in and nearly led another comeback, but the Broncos were still 1-4. It appeared as though Tebow would get an 11-game audition to show the front office what he could do.

Eight games into the audition, and the reviews are glowing. The Broncos have not won pretty, but they are playing great team football and rallying behind Tebow’s leadership. Because the Broncos are playing great defense, they are allowing Tebow to grow as a quarterback and win games at the same time. They have done it so effectively that they are now in sole possession of first place in the AFC West with three games to play, two at home.

It seems like an incredible run, and if you’ve watched it all, you would know what I am talking about. It seems like every win is more improbable than the last, and it has made a believe out of even the biggest skeptics (Merril Hoge).

I think it’s safe to say that Tim Tebow is the franchise quarterback of the Denver Broncos, and this team has the potential to be great for a long time with him continuing to improve as a player.

It’s Tebow time.