Why I'm not on Team Tebow

Tim Tebow is one of the most fascinating, polarizing figures the NFL has seen. Sunday is an important day for him. Either he leads Denver to an upset win and Tebow Mania gets a second wind, or he falls short and Tebow Mania could end.

People either love him or hate him. I don't hate Tebow. I just don't think he's very good. Call me a hater if you want, but I have my reasons.

Sorry. I'm just not a believer in Tim Tebow as an NFL QB.

First and foremost, I'm a Chiefs fan. Tebow is a Bronco. So, out of loyalty to my team, I cannot cheer for Tim Tebow to be successful. I respect Tebow for what he did in college. Two national titles and a Heisman trophy, and he was close to a third title and a second Heisman. He was one of the most accomplished college football players of all time, but I knew I couldn't cheer for him anymore when Denver called his name in the 2010 NFL Draft.

During that draft, I admit I was kind of hoping Tebow would land in a good spot and find success, because he's a good guy. I can't stress that enough: I don't dislike Tim Tebow the person. I have no problem with him praising God and expressing his religion. I am just not a fan of his skill set for the NFL. Although I wanted him to find a spot to be successful on draft day, I did not disagree with all the analysts that criticized his long throwing motion and lack of throwing accuracy. You can't ignore those things. They're very important, especially when there are only 32 starting NFL quarterback jobs. A team can't ignore the flaws of an inaccurate QB when there are better options out there.

I can certainly admit a few things about Tebow:
1. He's interesting. Whether you're rooting for him or against him, you watch. You're either cheering or waiting to see him fail. And when you're not watching him, you're blogging about him. Wait... what?
2. He has heart and fire. No matter what you think about his talent, there's no doubt he has the heart of a champion. We saw that at Florida, and you can't argue that the rest of the Denver team perked up a bit when he took over. So, he deserves credit for that. However, much like a coach who changes the team's attitude but doesn't know X's and O's, that boost from a rah-rah QB only lasts so long before the flaws get exposed.
3. He's dangerous on the move. When he's out of the pocket, he can make things happen. He can either run for tough yards or make a throw when the play breaks down. NFL teams have finally caught on to this, though.

This is where the hater in me returns. Tebow is a trick play, a change of pace. He's someone you bring in as a short-yardage specialist. What he does at quarterback does not project long-term success. Deep down, I think any sensible Bronco fan knows this. I feel like people cheering for him are doing so in the same way we cheer for that walk-on in a college basketball game who comes in and chucks a three that somehow falls. It's the underdog pulling off the unthinkable. That's why we cheer: because it's an upset. We are not cheering because we are seeing true greatness. It is NOT a star being born like Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees or even a promising young guy like Matthew Stafford. Those guys have been (or will be) around for a while because they can make every throw an NFL quarterback has to make: the fade, the five-yard out, leading a receiver on a slant, the deep ball, everything.

Considering they had arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history play for them for 16 years, you would think that Broncos fans would know a franchise quarterback when they see one. Yet, they still want Tebow on the field. Their reason: "he wins."

Does he, though? HE wins? Or is he the quarterback of a team that wins? This is probably my biggest gripe with Tebow, and it's not his fault: he gets way too much credit for Denver's success. WAY too much.

I suppose my angst isn't directed so much at Tebow as it is at the those who praise him after every Bronco win when there is actually a lot more praise to go around.

As fellow Tulsa sports producer Steve Braun pointed out on Twitter, Denver has been more successful with Tebow playing quarterback because the Broncos have committed to the run. With Kyle Orton starting at quarterback, Denver threw 59.9% of the time through the first four games. Maybe that's a good strategy if Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady is your quarterback, but not Kyle Orton. Then Denver made the switch to Tebow during the loss to San Diego in Week 5. Since then, Denver has run the ball 61.9% of the time. That includes a win over the Chiefs in which Tebow threw the ball just eight times while the Broncos ran the ball 55 times. Why the change in offensive strategy? Tebow can't throw the ball very well, so they had to mix in more runs (some with Tebow, some not). Thus, Denver rode that strong offensive line and stable of running backs (which includes Tebow) to more victories.

Tebowing was funny. But even that's getting old to me.

Another thing that gets me, though, is how my Twitter timeline was filled with "TEEEEEEEEBOW!!!" tweets after every win. The Denver defense that held opponents to less than 14 points four times during that six-game winning streak (the height of Tebow Mania) was rarely given any kudos. The win over Oakland? Willis McGahee broke a 60-yard touchdown to tie the game, Eddie Royal returned a punt 85 yards to take the lead, and McGahee capped off a 163-yard day with a 24-yard touchdown to ice the win. Matt Prater blasted two field goals from beyond 50 yards to win the Chicago game (after Marion Barber fumbled in overtime). People's chants after each win? "TEEEEEEBOW!!!"

To be fair, I'll give credit him for winning the Jets game. That touchdown run in the fourth quarter was huge (going back to the "dangerous on the move" point earlier). I'll also tip my cap to him for his effort in the Patriots' loss. He played pretty well. New England was just a much better team with a much better quarterback. Tebow fought hard, but he wasn't going to match Tom Brady throw-for-throw for 60 minutes.

So, as for the "he wins" argument: sure, he has been a part of a winning team. However, there is one thing better than winning: winning long term. Tebow does not project to be successful long term until he becomes a more accurate passer. Look at what's happened in the last three games. The Patriots threw the ball all day because they knew Tebow couldn't keep up. The Bills pressured Tebow into a lot of mistakes, and the Chiefs kept Tebow in the pocket to hold the Broncos to just three points. The book is out on stopping Denver: load up against the run, have linebackers spy Tebow to keep him in the pocket, and make him beat you with his arm. He can't. Not yet anyway.

Disagree with me if you want. I know one person who agrees with me: John Elway. Elway has been critical of Tebow, but did praise him during the six-game winning streak. You can't help but think that Elway wants a reason to change to a quarterback more like himself, but Tebow's winning streak made it tough to do. I think there's a part of Elway that would be fine with Denver getting blasted by 40 points against Pittsburgh just so Denver fans would be okay with him looking at other options at QB.

There may be a chance Denver could grind out a win against a banged up Steelers team at home, but I'd be absolutely shocked if the Broncos last past next week. If they do and Tim Tebow is the reason why, I'll come back here and admit I was wrong and Tim Tebow has become a legit NFL star. (Although, Mark Sanchez has been to two AFC Championship games. How do Jets fans feel about that guy right now?)

While it's not impossible for Tebow to improve, there are new prospects coming out of college every year who can throw the ball better than he can. Eventually, the Broncos will need a pocket passer to win Super Bowls. Maybe Tebow somehow becomes that guy. More likely, though, Denver will move in a different direction sooner or later.

I hate that for Tim Tebow the guy, but I don't disagree with moving past Tebow the quarterback. He's simply not a great one in the NFL... yet.