Tim Tebow: Let's Realize All Sides of Tebow Fit on an NFL Field

For the first time since I have watched him play football at any level, I am going to defend Tim Tebow. No, this is not a homer bias or a love of the Gators (I went to Florida State), but rather support for the player and not so much the name.

Tebow, maybe the most polarizing player to play a sport since Tiger Woods, is having a rough go of it in Denver. While fans want to see him start, the reality is that the second-year player is nowhere near close to starting another NFL game. That does not mean the former Heisman Trophy winner and two-time national champion won’t be under center in the near future. It just means for right now, he, like others, must sit and wait his turn.

We as writers have made so much out of this “Tebow Thing,” as Broncos receiver Brandon Lloyd called it. And this “Tebow Thing” will continue to fester as long as the national media makes it out to be the second coming of the Dallas Cowboy debate between Steve Walsh and Troy Aikman.

In other words, there is no debate.

But what I find remarkably interesting is the man Tebow is versus the athlete he is and the quarterback he can eventually be. With Tebow, you get four sides no matter how you slice it: The athlete, the quarterback, the humanitarian the Christian. I know it sounds like The Breakfast Club in one person, but that is how huge he is as a sports icon. His statue and acceptance speech in the Hall of Fame is already written by some.

Let’s just give him his due props and allow him to get through this rough patch.

Tebow is everything an athlete should be: A rock star with good looks, a well-spoken person who cares about life, people and experience. He is a workout warrior and loves everything about football—so much so that you can expect that when the cleats are hung up, he will be coaching somewhere.

He is everything a humanitarian should be: A great soul who makes it his business to be involved in the community and abroad through missionary work, sponsorships, foundations and celebrity appearances. He is the Ashton Kutcher of football.

He is everything spiritually that he wants to be and was taught to be. I am not one to preach or play religion-tag-along. I am one who thinks an athlete’s beliefs are their own and should not be forced onto others. Tebow said he wanted to use the NFL as a platform to preach about God and Jesus. Other athletes have tried that avenue as well, most notably Dwight Howard when he was drafted by the Orlando Magic.

The one thing missing on the “resume” is the quarterback thing. He is big, he is strong, he is built like a linebacker with fullback speed and he is tougher than most defensive players.

But what he isn’t is one of the 32 best quarterbacks in the league, and what people fail to see is that just because he is the rock star that we have made him out to be and the endorsement magnet that has left Tiger Woods and others scratching their heads, this does not give him the right to be the starting quarterback based on “semantics” of football.

If Denver’s new coaching staff and team president, John Elway, play him, the team is not in the best position to win. Kyle Orton gives them that opportunity. When the time is right, and Tebow learns more about the NFL and John Fox’s system, then he will get his chance.

Tebow’s star is great for the NFL because he is one of the “good guys.” We are always hearing about Terrell Owens or Albert Haynesworth or Randy Moss—all great players with troubled pasts. Tebow is the golden boy, maybe too golden, but I would rather have 50 Tebows playing on my team than one Haynesworth or Owens.

So while the media now picks at Tebow for his beliefs, his strong conviction and the fact he still has a hitch in his throwing motion, let’s remember we helped this situation. He did some of it on his own and must take responsibility for his actions. But when the spotlight remains on you from high school through the NFL, you will takes some hits from the sideline.

Tebow has never failed until he got to the NFL, and this is not a failure—rather, a hiccup in his progress. Before we are ready to bury him in the land of forgotten quarterbacks, let’s remember who we are talking about, who we created and who we expect to be the best.

They are all one in the same, and if we are going chastise or criticize him for his playing ability, his faith or what he stands for, let’s also remember that his star is better for the NFL than nearly half the players that are starting in this league right now.