Tim Tebow: Denver Broncos QB Deserves To Be in Pro Bowl

I'm not a fan of Tim Tebow, but he was robbed when he wasn't named to the AFC roster of the 2012 Pro Bowl last week. Tebow has been excellent this season for the Denver Broncos, as he was the difference between the team that started 1-4 and the team that reached as high as 8-5 at one point this season.

No one can deny that Tebow's passing statistics and abilities are limited. But in the NFL, only one thing matters and that's winning games. Tebow has a 7-3 record as a starter in 2011.

Here are four reasons that, despite the fact that he is not the prototypical NFL quarterback, Tim Tebow deserved to make the Pro Bowl after his performance this season.

The Difference Between Tim Tebow and Kyle Orton

Let's not forget that the Broncos were 1-4 to start this season. And they weren't 1-4 like the Philadelphia Eagles were 1-4, where they'd outplayed opponents and blown leads, and the experts expected them to bounce back. Most everyone outside of Denver assumed the Broncos were dead in the water after five games.

The Broncos lost four of their first five, then won seven of their next eight. You can talk about individual statistics all you want, but the fact of the matter is winning games is all that matters in the NFL.

When the Broncos benched Kyle Orton in favor of Tim Tebow, they went from a 1-4 team to having an opportunity to play for the AFC West title the last week of the season.

All Those Comeback Victories

One of the arguments that Tebow supporters used to defend him before this season was that he's a winner. I myself scoffed at it, knowing that the NFL is very different from college football, and what Tebow did with the Florida Gators no longer mattered. However, Tebow's ability to pull out wins this season has been astounding.

Of the seven games the Broncos have won with Tebow as the starter, they trailed at the beginning of the fourth quarter of five of them (and were tied with the Oakland Raiders). He led the Broncos to four fourth-quarter comeback wins in a row a few weeks ago, which has only ever happened one other time in the history of the NFL.

When the game has been on the line, Tebow really has been Superman. He brought the Broncos back from down 15 to the Miami Dolphins with fewer than three minutes left. He also scored the winning touchdown against the New York Jets' vaunted defense with less than a minute left.

An Overrated Defense

One of the arguments that Tim Tebow's detractors use against him is that he is supported by an excellent running game and defense. I won't argue that the dominant running game is a crutch, as the Denver Broncos pass less than any team in the NFL (though Tebow is an important and prolific part of that running game himself).

However, I don't think the Denver defense is as good as people think. The Broncos only rank 20th in the NFL in passing defense and 25th on the rushing side.

Not only do their opponents rack up a lot of yards, they also score a lot of points. The Broncos give up 25.5 points per game, which is only 25th best in the NFL. Denver has given up 32 or more points in three of its last four games.

The defense has had some great games (like when it held the Jets and San Diego Chargers to 13 points each in consecutive games), but overall it is not great...or even above average.

No Turnovers and Plenty of Success Running the Ball

No one can deny that Tebow has many limitations as a passer, but there are other ways of leading your team than just dicing up the opposing defense like Peyton Manning. Michael Vick was a Pro Bowler for the Atlanta Falcons when he too was a limited quarterback whose passing statistics were well below that of the Tom Bradys of the world.

Tim Tebow has known his role all along for the Denver Broncos, and he has embraced it. He hasn't thrown many passes, but when he has, he's been very careful with the ball. Before this last game, he had only thrown two interceptions all season, while throwing for 11 touchdowns. And two of his three picks against the Buffalo Bills came when he was trying to bring his team back, taking normally unnecessary risks.

Moreover, Tebow has provided a rushing attack that compensates for his limited passing abilities. Despite only starting 11 games for Denver this season, Tebow has 644 yards on the ground.

He's got more rushing touchdowns (six) than LeGarrette Blount, Chris Johnson or his own teammate Willis McGahee. He's also run for more first downs than the likes of Brandon Jacobs or DeAngelo Williams. He almost provides the rushing production of a starting running back.