Steelers vs. Broncos: Why John Fox Would Be Foolish to Yank Tim Tebow

Someone should alert Denver Broncos head coach John Fox that his team is preparing for the playoffs and not a meaningless regular-season game.

According to NBC Sports Pro Football Talk, Fox is prepared to pull Tebow in favor of backup Brady Quinn, who has been taking roughly half the snaps with the first team in practice this week, if the former Heisman winner struggles against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon. 

The Broncos missed out on Stanford's Andrew Luck and the No. 1 pick in the 2012 draft the moment they put second-year quarterback Tim Tebow under center, and now it seems Denver is content to flop out of the playoffs.

What happened to rolling with the guy that got you there? Tebow not only brought a dynamic threat to the Broncos' backfield midseason, but single-handedly inspired the entire roster to step up and overcome the pathetic AFC West.

Before Denver's current three-game losing streak, Tebow boasted a ridiculous 7-1 record as a Broncos' starter this season and had football fans "Tebowing" across the nation. 

Bringing Quinn in for certain situations simply would play into the hands of the dominant Steelers' defense. It wouldn't be a Wildcat running look nor would Pittsburgh's top-ranked pass defense have to fear being shredded by a big-arm quarterback.

A third-stringer doesn't strike fear into defenses, no matter how bad the starter is struggling. 

However, some would argue that Kyle Orton struggled and that's why Tebow got his chance, therefore Quinn should get a shot if Tebow struggles. But Quinn is not nearly the passer Orton is nor the leader that Tebow is. 

Quinn hasn't even played in a regular-season game since 2009 with the Cleveland Browns. He did win his only start against the Steelers, though his numbers were Tebow-like, 6-of-19 for 90 yards. 

The problem with Fox's mindset is not so much that Tebow warrants full support as the starter, but just how inexperienced and lackluster Quinn is. He was the third-string quarterback for a reason.

This isn't a T.J. Yates situation in Houston. Tebow is healthy by all accounts and gives the Broncos the best chance to win. If Denver wanted to wave the white flag this season, it should have gone with Quinn back in Week 5 against the Chargers. 

Odds are the Broncos would be first in line for the draft's top pick in April, and Fox wouldn't have to out-think himself leading up to the franchise's biggest game in half a decade.