Why Tim Tebow Has Earned Starting QB Shot for 2012 and Where He Goes from Here

We can debate whether or not Tim Tebow is the long-term answer at quarterback for the Denver Broncos for days. And though he showed plenty of faults this season, it is fair to say that he earned the chance to be the team's starting quarterback in 2012.

Tebow's numbers this season don't exactly jump off the page. In fact, they're pretty terrible. He completed just 126 of 271 passes (46.5 percent) for 1,729 yards, with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. His passer rating of 72.9 ranked 28th out of the 34 quarterbacks who qualified. 

The second-year signal-caller did rush for 660 yards and six touchdowns on 122 attempts as well.

Frankly, I don't think Tebow will have a long future as a starting quarterback in the NFL. I just simply think you need to complete a higher percentage of your passes to be successful at the professional level. While Tebow could certainly improve over time, he completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes in nine of his 13 starts this season. 

That said, the Broncos certainly got a spark when the 24-year-old was in the game. Teammates responded to his energy, and he led them on a six-game winning streak and won seven of his first eight starts. Tebow also rose to the occasion against the Steelers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, leading the Broncos to a 29-23 upset win in overtime.

He may not be pretty back there and he may never look like a quarterback is supposed to, but considering what he did for the Broncos this season, Tebow certainly deserves a chance to be the team's starting signal-caller for an entire season.

Luckily for the young quarterback, John Elway agrees with me.