Denver Broncos: Why Starting Tim Tebow After the Bye Week Is the Right Decision

Tim Tebow has been officially proclaimed the Denver Broncos starting quarterback...and the people of Colorado rejoice.

With the bland Kyle Orton on bench assignment, the Broncos offense can start to stretch its wings and get creative.

Despite the boost that the quarterback change should give the offense, the Broncos uninspiring and raw defense will still keep the Broncos relegated to the bottom of the AFC West.

Even so, head coach John Fox made the right decision in naming Tebow the starter this week.

Let's enumerate the key reasons why Fox made the right call.

The Broncos Need to Find out What They Have in Tebow

Kyle Orton was a well-known commodity. He is a statuesque pocket passer who doesn't throw well under pressure. He can sling the ball with accuracy when given time, but he doesn't perform well in the clutch. 

At the end of 2011, the Broncos were going to have to do something about their quarterback situation anyway. They have too much money wrapped up in their quarterback trio and would need to either sign Orton to a long-term deal and try to trade Tebow or they would need to jettison Orton to see what they have in Tebow.

Since Orton proved through the first four-and-a-half games that he couldn't lead the offense effectively, they might as well speed up that process and put Tebow in to see what they have in him.

Of course, they could always do as Gil Brandt urged this week and acquire Jimmy Clausen (affectionately known as Sprinkle Pickle) from the Carolina Panthers in a three-way trade with Miami...because two mediocre former Notre Dame quarterbacks is exactly what the Broncos have needed to replace John Elway all these years, apparently.

The Broncos Won't Make the Playoffs, so They Need to Shake Up the Team

In the immortal words of Jim Mora Sr., "Playoffs?!?"

While they are certainly not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, the Broncos don't have enough talent on defense and their offense is too raw to make an effective push this season.

At 1-4, they are looking up at both the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders in the AFC West. Both the Raiders and the Chargers look good this year. Even the Kansas City Chiefs haven't been quite as deplorable as they were earlier in the season.

The strength of their division and their obvious rebuilding mode after the disastrous rein of Josh McDaniels means that the Broncos aren't thinking about the postseason any more this year.

As such, they need to try to improve and find out what their younger players can do.

It will be interesting to see how John Fox changes the offense to try to accommodate Tebow's playing style.

Fox is known as a conservative play-caller and an "old-school" coach. If he can loosen up a bit and try out some zone blocking to get more running room for Willis McGahee (and Knowshon Moreno, if he can make something of his opportunities), Tebow will benefit and the Broncos offense could show signs of improvement.

The Fans Needed Something to Cheer About

The past three years have been rough in Denver. Josh McDaniels' repeated on-field blunders, personnel gaffes, questionable ethics and general dis-likability ruined the credibility of a proud franchise.

To make matters worse, Broncos faithful have had to endure wretched quarterback play and an uninspiring offense for five games this year.

It is time to give the fans a boost. Tim Tebow may not be the ultimate answer for the Broncos, but he is certainly an exciting guy to watch.

Tebow's leadership skills and chutzpah are unquestioned. He is dynamic and powerful when he runs with the football. He already has a rabid following who have chanted his name at home games at Sports Authority Field this season.

While he may not be a prototypical passer, he does bring other skills to the table that have the potential to move the football and win games. He showed against San Diego last Sunday that he can make throws when he needs to and can move the Broncos offense in the red zone in ways that Orton hasn't shown lately.

Kyle Orton Was Not Going to Be a Long-Term Solution

There are some Kyle Orton apologists out there who will point to the sub-par teams that he's played on as a reason for why he hasn't been more successful throughout his six-year career in the NFL.

Those folks do have a point. Orton has never been surrounded by scads of amazing receivers and lately he's had to play catch-up with other teams due to the wretchedness of the Broncos defense.

While he did pile up wins in 2005 when he took over for the injured Rex Grossman in his rookie year, he was merely asked to limit mistakes and let the dominant Bears defense control their games. Orton played decently and minimized interceptions while he was with the Bears, but he never really gained traction as a true starting-caliber player.

There is a reason why the Bears owner Jerry Angelo was willing to part with Orton and a draft pick for the more talented Jay Cutler.

Kyle Orton can have flashes of solid play, but his efficiency in the red zone and his tendency to cave quickly to pressure (his release is not nearly as fast as other immobile QBs like Peyton Manning) sink him to a lower-tier starter in the league.

Tebow may not provide a huge improvement for the Broncos in the win column. But at least there is the possibility that there could be an improvement.

With Orton, the Broncos knew after five games what they were going to get...a pathetically pedestrian performance every game.

Tebow Will Rally the Team, Even If It Doesn't Translate to Wins

Success at the college level doesn't always translate to success in the NFL. The stories of failed Heisman Trophy quarterbacks and the wreckage they left behind in the league are more ubiquitous than George Clooney's smirk. 

There is reason to believe, however, that Tebow can turn those narratives around.

Tebow is a natural leader and a tough guy who will work hard every play to try to make something good happen on the field.

Some of his teammates are already expressing excitement about the fact that he is now taking the lead on the field under center. According to cbsdenver.com, Broncos linebacker Joe Mays even referred to Tebow as an "all-out baller."

A new sense of optimism and possibility is just what the Broncos (and their fans) need at this point in the season.

What's the worst that could happen?

Send in Tebow and let's find out what he can do.