Tim Tebow Provides Spark in Eagles Debut but Still Has Long Way to Go

You can count on very few things in life.

Death. Taxes. Politicians lying.

And Tim Tebow creating a buzz every time he steps on an NFL field.

Such was the case Sunday, when Tebow took the field to a standing ovation in Philadelphia. And Tebow held up his end of the deal—as only Tim Tebow can do.

With about seven minutes left in the third quarter of Philly's preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts (a 36-10 Eagles win, as if anyone cares), Tebow took to the gridiron at Lincoln Financial Field. To say that the crowd was enthusiastic about Tebow entering the game would be a touch of an understatement:

If there's one thing Skip Bayless knows, folks—it's crazy.

As Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports reported, for a time America believed:

"

His oft-discussed throwing motion, which he worked on while he was out of football, looked much more compact on that first drive. When he was with the New England Patriots in 2013 he struggled with holding the ball too long. He was more decisive on his first few plays with the Eagles. He went 4-of-5 for 43 yards on his first drive. The one incompletion was thrown way too high to a covered receiver in the end zone, but at least he didn't hesitate to get the ball out.

"

You see, a large segment of the American public wants to believe in Tim Tebow the quarterback. They don't care about his throwing motion, or that he's jaw-droppingly inaccurate at times, or that he stares down receivers. They see Tim Tebow as a genuinely nice young man who isn't shy about his faith. And they love him for it.

And that's fine.

They made Tebow the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter in short order.

Also, as unfathomable as it sounds as I write this, there is actual, video evidence that Tim Tebow won a playoff game in the National Football League.

I know, right? Every time I watch it, I'm amazed all over again.

The problem? Tebow the quarterback has a ton of problems. He takes forever and a day to get rid of the ball. When he finally does, God has a better idea where the ball is going than Tebow does. One week after that magical moment in Denver, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots vaporized Tebow's effectiveness as an NFL signal-caller.

Darth Hoodie not only laid every flaw Tebow had bare—he offered up a step-by-step plan to destroy him.

And unfortunately, according to Schwab, it didn't take all that long for those flaws to reappear:

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He fell into some bad habits after that nice opening drive though. On one read-option pass on his second drive, he held the ball too long, didn't see the tailback sneak out of the backfield wide open and threw the ball into the ground. On the next play he anticipated the rush too early and tried to take off, and couldn't run away from the Colts defenders and got dropped for a long sack. On the third drive he waited too long on a third down and took a sack. On his fourth drive Tebow took another sack when he tried to run as the pass rush got through immediately, though there was a penalty on the defense that play. The rush clearly affected him, and the line didn't protect well for him at all. Tebow also gets in trouble when he holds the ball too long, and that happens too often.

"

That brought out an equally large segment of the American population. The folks who don't much care for Tim Tebow even a little bit.

It's not necessarily personal—although some find his "aw shucks" demeanor and proselytizing as either disingenuous or flat-out annoying. They just don't think Tebow is any good as an NFL quarterback, leading them to be put off by the never-ending hoopla that surrounds him:

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Nothing will ever change with Tim Tebow. Nice guy, horrific quarterback.

— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) August 16, 2015"

And here's the thing. They're right, at least to an extent. Tebow, who went 6-of-12 for 69 yards through the air, isn't a good quarterback. He just isn't. At least when it comes to throwing the ball. And I've been told that's an important skill for quarterbacks to have.

But just when it looked like all was lost, that the doubters would prevail—the faithful were rewarded:

Yes, it was a completely meaningless fourth-quarter rushing touchdown in a preseason opener, but it was a Tim Tebow touchdown. So of course—bedlam:

That's the thing with Tebow. He inspires people. Yes, he inspires loathing and love in equal measure, but it's inspiration nonetheless. Go find five people who will respond passionately and viscerally to the mere mention of Alex Smith's name.

Go ahead, I'll wait.

Tebow? Take about two minutes in any sports bar. Anywhere.

When he does well, legions of fans cheer. When he does poorly, an equally large legion does the same. No indifference. No middle ground.

And on Sunday, Tebow gave both groups something to cheer about.

Because, you know, he's such a nice guy.

Gary Davenport is an NFL analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and the Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter at @IDPSharks.