Tebow or not Tebow

Tebow

Just picked up a new blue and orange watch, but I think it’s broken. Every time I look at it, it just says it’s Tebow-Time.

Alright, that was cheesy, I know, but I’ve been on the Tebow Train since it left Ole Miss in 2008, still teary.

Here’s why.

He wins.

Period. It’s that simple. You can criticize his form, his decision-making, his accuracy, but you can’t deny the guy is a winner. I don’t know how he does it, he just finds a way.

Let’s throw out his BCS National Championship over a heavily favored Oklahoma squad, his MVP trophy for his performance in that game and his vindication of his “I will-work-harder-than-anyone-in-the-nation” speech, since that was all winning in college.

We’ll talk strictly about the NFL, his 14 total games in which he has taken at least one snap.

How about December, last season, against the Texans? Down 17-0 at half time, Tebow cranked out a stat-soaked fourth quarter, throwing a 38-yard touchdown, rushing for another and notching a 24-23 victory.

He wins.

I don’t even have to remind you about Miami’s hearty fourth quarter. Tebow led the Broncos to two scores, digging them out of a 15-0 deficit and forcing overtime, where the Broncos nabbed the win.

He wins.

Sunday’s game got you worried? Did you see Denver’s offensive line? Yeah, neither did I. Tebow got sacked seven times. What, you want the guy to block for himself too?

You want him to look like the Aaron Rodgers, the Tom Bradys and the (former) Peyton Mannings?

Well, lets look at their first 14 games. Aaron Rodgers was sitting behind a grey-stubbled Favre, Brady behind Bledsoe and Manning went 3-11 in his first 13 games.

Tebow wins. I don’t have a Tebow Time watch. I don’t have the plush doll, the poster, the T-shirt or “Tebow the Video Game.”

He’ll probably never win a Pulitzer, never run for President, will probably never get the key to Denver or be able to shoot webs from his wrists. I just know the guy is athletically one of the most gifted players in the NFL, and, he wins.

— Nate Brown

Not Tebow

After all the Tim Tebow praises you’ve heard about the past few days, months and years, you’d think he could leap tall buildings in a single bound and beat Chuck Norris in hand-to-hand combat, all while walking on water.

The comeback win over the hapless Miami Dolphins only opened the floodgates for praise even more. Down 15-0 with just over five minutes to play in the fourth quarter, Tebow led the Broncos on two scoring drives to force overtime, in which the Broncos were victorious.

Spirits of Denver fans were a mile-high, if you’ll excuse the cliché. Even fans in Sun Life Stadium were going crazy for their former Gator.

But is he really that great? I know, I know, he’s a great leader, an inspiration, a good guy. I’ve heard it all before. But allow me to be Kryptonite to your Superman for just a few minutes.

Remember, he didn’t do this against some powerhouse team. It was the lowly Dolphins. This is a team that has yet to win a football game this year and features a pass defense ranked in the bottom 10 of the league. Collectively, they offered Tebow about as much intimidation as the defensive line in the Little Giants.

And let us also not forget that for the first 55 minutes of the game, Tebow was abysmal. Not average, not bad, abysmal.

He was 4-14 passing for a mere 40 yards against a pitiful Miami secondary. He overthrew balls, he missed open receivers, and he threw passes so wobbly that hunters everywhere were taking aim at them.

Add in the fact that for his career he’s only completed 48.7 percent of his passes, and you realize you’re looking at a raw talent, full of potential but not nearly as sharp as he could be.

So let’s get this straight. As of right now, Tim Tebow is a great leader, and a great motivator, but let’s not act like he’s John Elway just yet.

— Andrew Woolfolk