Denver Broncos: Practice Regimen Shows Misplaced Confidence in Tim Tebow

Few NFL players in recent memory have received the kind of hype (or scorn) that Tim Tebow garnered during his improbable 7-1 run as Denver’s starting QB. Despite closing the season on a three-game slide, though, Tebow doesn’t appear to be wearing out his welcome in the Mile High City.

Contrary to reports earlier in the week (from SI.com and others), backup QB Brady Quinn told NFL.com that he hasn’t gotten any extra snaps in practice as the Broncos prepare for their wild-card matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Quinn, a former first-round pick of the Browns, hasn’t played since 2009 but is much more of a traditional passer than the run-first, run-always Tebow.

Denver’s tacit support for its starter is a bit surprising after Tebow’s nine combined turnovers (four INTs, five fumbles) during the three-game losing streak. The Steelers have an outstanding rush defense (99.8 yards per game) that will make life very tough for Tebow’s option attack—not to mention an opportunistic secondary that could turn his errant passes into Pittsburgh scores.

Ultimately, the Broncos will have to face reality regarding their wunderkind’s future in the NFL. Whether Tebow does or doesn’t beat the Steelers on Sunday, his success this year has not looked like a long-term answer for the team.

An option QB like Tebow takes too many hits for his team to be able to count on him staying healthy—a problem the Eagles are beginning to face with Michael Vick. In addition, even when Tebow was at his best, Denver was winning largely on the strength of its defense; five of the Broncos’ eight victories saw them score under 20 points.

A one-dimensional running game is just not going to put that many points on the board in today’s NFL, and Tebow has shown no ability to complement it with a passing attack. Until he changes that—which may never happen—he’ll always be more of a sideshow than a star.

It’s hard to blame Denver too much for not wanting to change horses midstream after getting this far with Tebow at the helm. Down the road, though, either Quinn or some other quarterback with a more accurate arm will have to take Tebow’s place to make this team a consistent winner.