Tim Tebow Billboard Goes up in Denver; Are Fans Right?

For awhile there has been a group of fans in Denver trying to get up a Billboard in support of Tim Tebow. The billboard is a way for Broncos fans to show that they suppor Tebow and that the fans think the Denver Broncos should give the former first round pick a chance to show his worth.

Well, today an electronic bill board with a picture of Tebow pointing towards the sky and a message that reads: Broncos Fans to John Fox: Play Tebow! has gone up in Denver.

Which begs the question, are the fans right? Should the John Fox and the Broncos start Tim Tebow over Kyle Orton? Even as a guy who has been a doubter of Tim Tebow throughout the whole process, I think the fans are right. Regardless of whether or not you think Tebow can be the answer for the Broncos is not really the issue, the issue is whether or not he deserves a chance. The Broncos, after all did spend a first round pick on Tebow. On top of that, it’s not like the Broncos haven’t try to capitalize on Tebow’s popularity.

On the other hand when Tebow was drafted he was considered a “project” and this is only his second season in the N.F.L. Maybe he’s not ready yet. That’s a tough pill to swallow for a fanbase of any team that has spent a high draft pick on any player. Let alone the quarterback position. Fans want instant gratification. We all want our team’s high draft picks playing and starting immediately. What do the Broncos have to lose by starting Tebow sooner rather than later? I think most people would agree that Tebow has an inner strength that is much greater than most, I believe if he didn’t succeed immediately that would not ruin his development as it may have for players like David Carr.

As for the matter of Kyle Orton, I think people should have been able to see from a mile away that his season this year would not have been as good as it was last year. Regardless of what you think of McDaniels as a head coach, Mcdaniels the offensive mind (especially in the passing game) is brilliant. And John Fox doesn’t run great passing offenses. McDaniels allowed Orton to flourish in his system. Last year, Orton completed 58 percent of his passes (not much more than he is this year), but threw 20 TD to 9 INT and most impressively passed for 7.3 yards per attempt. In Chicago, Orton never passed for more than 6.4 yards per attempt. This year under Fox’s offensive philosophy Orton is averaging a paltry 6.1 yards per attempt.

It’s not like Orton is playing so well that the Broncos can’t afford to put Tebow on the field. Even when Orton was better last year the Broncos went 3-10. Meanwhile last year in limited duty Tebow had 5 passing touchdowns and 3 INT. He also rushed for 6 touchdowns with three of those rushing touchdowns coming in the three games he played. In the games he started last year then, Tebow had 7 total touchdowns and 3 INT and the Broncos went 1-2 beating the Texans and losing to the Raiders and Chargers.

The point: what is the team gaining by starting Kyle Orton? This is young rebuilding team, not a playoff contender. They are not making the playoffs with Kyle Orton starting. Why not give Tim Tebow the chance? What does the team have to lose? There is much to gain. The first thing is the team will get a long look to see whether or not Tebow can really be the answer. If the Broncos lose a lot of games wiht Tebow as the starting quarterback and he performs poorly they will be picking high in the draft next year and can target a player that John Elway and John Fox better suits the direction they want the team to head in. Ifn Tebow comes in and storms the league winning 6 or 7 of the teams final games they will know the search for their franchise quarterback is over.

Will Tebow be succesful in the N.F.L.? I don’t know. And right now I’m not really sure that matters. Does Tebow deserve a real chance to start in the N.F.L? I believe so. Most importantly I believe the chance to know whether or not Tebow can be successful. They’ve been exploited by the Broncos to sell merchandise and tickets, the least the team can do is see if he has what it takes. I know it’s a McDaniels move to take Tebow in the first round, but that doesn’t matter to the fan base. They just want to see him have an opportunity and for the team to list.

When Fox heard about the bill board he responded,

“I’m sure there’s a lot of billboards. I just don’t get downtown much”. I’m not sure the Broncos front office and coaching staff is ready to play Tebow, but they should. There’s a lot to gain and very little to loose.
Thoughts?

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