NFL Week 17 Picks: Legend of Tim Tebow Will Be Validated or Destroyed Sunday

Whether you like it or not, the Tim Tebow story will finally get to the plot point we have been waiting for this weekend. 

The story has, so far, tended to drag on a bit for my taste. This is the one about the guy that saves the game at the last second, and then does it again, and then again. Sort of sounds like something George Lucas would have jotted down. 

Finally, there have been some major developments in the best fairy tale to date in the NFL. Tebow showed that he wasn't the pure-driven winner that his beloved fanbase stated that he was. He was, gasp, human.

Now we get to the classic story arc. The hero will either overcome humbling circumstances, as he was faced with against the Buffalo Bills, or he will fall flat against another beatable foe in the Kansas City Chiefs. 

The harsh fact of it all is that the national media and the masses they have played to for months can't have it all. Tebow can't be the handsome football player that genuflects before winning, only to need another season or so to get the job done. 

No. Tebow has been handed over as a player that has been anointed. Forget the horrible throwing motion and accuracy issues, they said; this man simply gets it. 

Well, I have bought my ticket and have sat in my seat like a good little moviegoer waiting for the grand finale. This is Rudy Ruettiger getting his shot. It's Rocky getting a chance to put down Ivan Drago. It's, well, it's pretty damn exciting. 

Tebow has been packaged far more as an ideal than as a player. It's important to note that this is no fault of his own. 

Tebow

Let me state straight off that I love me some Tebow. This is a man's man and a football fan's dream. He wears his heart on his sleeve, works his butt off and encapsulates all the heart-warming cliches you can think of. 

I have no doubt that the Broncos have a rare find in this young quarterback, who really only needs to learn the mechanics before he steps forward in his progression as an NFL star. However...and isn't there always a however?

However

The fans have built this magnificent deity that is far greater than any player could hope to achieve. Imagine being labeled a winner, only to see the season end with three lackluster performances under center. 

It's a shame, but Tebow could be thrown back into the pile of quarterback hopefuls with a loss to the Chiefs. It was abundantly clear that John Elway and John Fox were not enamored with the kid from the start. They have only warmed to him, as we all have, after a magical string of head-scratching games. 

The offseason could bring the knowledge that the Broncos fell short, and did so with a young quarterback with tenuous precision. Or they will celebrate a playoff berth with a real winner that proved he can get the job done. There is no middle ground. 

I am with the masses that want to see him get the job done. If he doesn't, the fallout will be extreme. 

You can have your fairy-tale hero, but he has to finish the season with a fairy-tale ending. 

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