Raiders vs. Broncos: Tim Tebow Isn't the Answer to Broncos' Woes

With the Denver Broncos set to take on the Oakland Raiders in their season opener on Monday night, you just got the feeling that it was going to happen. Shoot, after what happened in the weeks leading up to the start of the season, it just had to happen.

Finally, at some point during the game, portions of the capacity crowd packed into Mile High Stadium started chanting Tim Tebow's name.

This didn't have to happen, of course. Had Kyle Orton played well while leading the Broncos to a win, Tebow's name would not have been on the tip of anybody's tongue. Instead, Orton completed just 24 of his 46 passes, threw a pick, lost a fumble and took five sacks. Perhaps as a direct result of his bungling performance, the Broncos lost the game 23-20.

Clearly, if the Broncos had put Tebow in, they would have won.

Theoretically, the answer is yes. I am willing to believe they could have won, after watching Orton fall flat in such a spectacular fashion. After all, winning is what Tebow does best, right?

So they say. They will also say that the Broncos now have every excuse to pull the plug on Orton. Before he goes out there and loses another game, the Broncos should bench him in favor of Tebow before it's too late.

Now it is time for the reality check, it's not going to happen. Moreover, it shouldn't happen.

Listen, we can sit here and mock Orton all we want for being a ham-fisted, neck-bearded goon who couldn’t complete a pass if his life depended on it. After his performance on Monday night, he deserves as much.

But he doesn't deserve to be benched. Not yet, anyway. It should never be taken for granted that one bad game is the start of a trend, especially when that one bad game comes in Week 1 of the regular season. Orton's track record tells us that his prime-time flop was an anomaly, not a sign of bad things to come.

In so many words, Orton is going to get better. Shoot, when you think about it, he can only get better. This is something the Broncos can gamble on because it's a good bet.

If the Broncos decided suddenly to run Tebow out there, on the other hand, they would merely be gambling.

Make no mistake, the Broncos know as well as anyone that Tebow has a reputation for being a winner. Despite this, they have made it abundantly clear that they could care less.

All John Fox, John Elway and the rest of the Broncos brass care about is whether or not they can rely on Tebow to make plays, preferably with his arm. He hasn't shown them that he can do this yet. If there is a time to experiment with him, it is certainly not now. The Broncos may be 0-1, but that's not exactly a death sentence.

If the Broncos really want to remain relevant in the AFC West—and they do—the best course of action at present is to, stay the course. Sure, Orton had a bad game, but there is something to be said about the fact the Broncos only lost by three points. If Orton plays a good game, they win, and nobody is calling for their third-string quarterback.

Also, had the Broncos decided to make a switch at quarterback on Monday night, they would have brought in Brady Quinn.

So if you don't mind, chant his name next time.