Tim Tebow: Broncos Have Nothing to Lose with Tebow Under Center

Tim Tebow's relief appearance against the San Diego Chargers on Sunday was a lot like an Spaghetti Western.

There was the bad, which consisted mainly of Tebow completing just 40 percent of his passes.

There was the ugly, which was Tebow's game itself. He can do some good things on a football field, but I'll be damned if he looks good doing them.

And then there was the good, which I guess was pretty much everything else. Tebow threw for 79 yards and a touchdown, added another 38 yards and a touchdown on the ground and he nearly won a game that the Broncos had no business winning. You also have to credit him with energizing a team that had virtually no energy with Kyle Orton under center.

Despite the good stuff, Broncos head coach John Fox would not say who his starting quarterback would be when his team comes back from its Week 6 bye to play the Dolphins in Miami.

"Kind of when we decide. We'll evaluate everything and we'll keep you guys posted," said Fox, according to The Denver Post.

I consider myself well-versed in coach speak, and I translate this to mean: "How the hell should I know?"

Indeed. But Fox will have to figure it out soon. When he does, I trust that he'll make the right decision.

Which, of course, would be to start Tebow in Week 7, and every game after that this season as long as he is healthy.

Just so we all understand each other, I'm no Tebow fan. Heck, I'm as skeptical about Tebow's abilities as the next guy (unless the next guy is Merril Hoge), and I definitely have my doubts about whether or not he can cut it in the NFL.

What I do know for sure is that this is a question that requires a definitive yes or no answer, and the only way the Broncos are going to get that is by taking a long, hard look at Tebow for the rest of the season.

In a perfect world, Tebow will pan out. He may never be rid of his assorted mechanical flaws, but the Broncos will be able to live with those if Tebow comes out and produces on a weekly basis. Tebow's style of play is probably never going to be easy on the eyes, but it will certainly be much easier on the eyes if it actually works.

The best part is that Tebow does not need to produce wins to go with his numbers. The Broncos won't admit it, but they have to know that they're still rebuilding. Success in 2011 never was in the cards, and it's not in the cards now. If the Broncos don't win under Tebow's watch, it won't be his fault.

No sir, the concern here is the future. And one way or another, that future concerns Tebow. He's the only quarterback the Broncos have under contract beyond this season, so they need to know if they can trust him.

For kicks, let's say they find out that they can't. Let's entertain the possibility that Tebow will fall flat, and that all of his harshest critics will end up being right about him.

That, too, will be no biggie. If Tebow is bad enough, the "Suck4Luck" campaign will be on in Denver. And if the Broncos end up with the No. 1 pick, they will get Andrew Luck.

If not, well, Landry Jones or Matt Barkley will have to do.

If you want to classify this whole thing as a win-win situation, be my guest. Personally, I'm not so sure I would deem it as such.

What I am sure of is that the Broncos have absolutely nothing to lose by starting Tebow for the rest of the season. One way or another, they'll get something out of it.