Tim Tebow: Pro Game Too Much to Process for Denver Broncos QB?

Tim Tebow could open the Denver Broncos' season as the fourth-best quarterback on the NFL roster.

The former Florida standout has seemingly fallen behind undrafted rookie Adam Weber on the Broncos depth chart.

This means that in just a few short weeks, Tebow has gone from potential starting QB to potential practice squad QB. Now, realistically, Tebow will never get anywhere near a practice squad in Denver, or anywhere else for that matter, but his current position with the team means he won't be playing any snaps in a Broncos uniform this year.

At least not at quarterback.

There is no doubting Tebow's physical abilities and talent, but there are question marks arising now about his ability to mentally adapt to the NFL. At this stage in his career, Tebow should have a good grasp of NFL defenses and how to read them.

If he is struggling in this area, it could be the final straw for the Broncos. Although it has only been one season, Tebow's status as a potential franchise quarterback seems to now have more question marks than answers.

His throwing motion still appears to be a work in progress and there is a danger that he reverts to his more natural style as he gets more frustrated.

Tebow's physical ability and strength could make him a valuable position player elsewhere on the field. He is celebrated as a player that knows how to win. If this is true, he may need to accept the fact that he best helps his team to win elsewhere on the field.

There are plenty of college quarterbacks who starred at that level but couldn't translate to a typical NFL system.

Under Urban Meyer at Florida, Tebow didn't need to understand defenses or go through deep progressions. While he did complete 66.4 percent of his passes in his college career, he never once cracked the top 10 in yardage across college football.

He was more than once ranked in the top two of average per attempt, but never cracked the top 10 in attempts or completions.

Statistically, at least, and by NFL standards, Tebow was a running quarterback. He wasn't limited like many running quarterbacks at the college level are in the passing game, but he never received any kind of exposure to a pro-style passing game.

The fact that Tebow outplayed the man that has supposedly just surpassed him on the Broncos depth chart—Adam Weber—easily in college supports the claims that he has not adjusted to the pro passing game.

Weber wasn't a star in college.

While Tebow ran for 57 touchdowns and passed for 88 with only 16 interceptions at Florida, Weber rushed for 10 touchdowns and passed for 72 with 51 interceptions. The fact that Weber can more than triple Tebow's college interceptions and still be more impressive at the pro level points to a mental difference between the two.

Tebow could still be a star in the NFL, but all the signs say that that won't happen in Denver with John Fox at the helm. Tebow needs to find a system that best caters to his abilities. We must remember that he is still only entering his second season, so he has at least another season of growth and development ahead of him.

However, considering that growth needs to be mental, the likelihood of him achieving that in Denver with all the fanfare and frustration is slim.

Tebow would be better off finding his way to somewhere like Buffalo. The Bills aren't a relevant franchise right now and Chan Gailey has a history of working with players in the mold of Tebow.

The Tebow tale likely has many more twists and turns ahead. It's safe to say almost everyone is watching.

Serial tweeting about NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA, soccer and rugby    @Cianaf.

I also write for Irish Central and Fantasy Football Life.