Tim Tebow: Has Broncos QB Silenced His Critics with Strong Showing vs. Raiders?

Tim Tebow is like an overdose of caffeine. People take it in and just won’t shut up.

Tebow gave his haters their cue last week to go insane bashing the Denver Broncos passer after a horrific performance against the Detroit Lions. This week, it’s his supporters’ turn. Against the Raiders in Oakland, Tebow threw for 124 yards and two touchdowns and added 117 yards on the ground.

A Tebow performance, win or loss, will always trigger a response from one side or the other. There is no lukewarm response to a Tebow game; he will forever finish the day as either the Broncos' savior or the worst quarterback in the league.

In reality, he’s a mediocre NFL talent. Tebow is a liability in the fact that he’ll never be able to lead a team to victory solely with his arm.

But on the flip side, his ability to create plays with his legs and his composure in crunch time balances out that weakness. At the end of the day, Tebow is a quarterback that can win games with help.

That sounds boring, doesn’t it?

Tebow is too popular for football fans to simply label him mediocre and be done with it. Last week, the Denver Post called him the worst quarterback in the NFL. Not just the worst starter, but worse than the worst backup passers.

After his performance this week against the Raiders, that assessment is absurd. With the help of Willis McGahee and the Broncos' play-making defense and special teams, Denver beat a heavily favored Oakland team with Tebow under center.

And by no means did McGahee and Champ Bailey and company carry the former Florida Gator across the finish line; Tebow accounted for 241 yards of offense and two touchdowns, and he didn’t turn the ball over once.

Bringing in an NBA comparison during the never-ending lockout, the Heisman winner isn’t the NFL’s version of Kobe Bryant like Tebow diehards would preach (or Adam Morrison, like his critics would suggest).

Tebow is pro football’s Derek Fisher: He is one of the least talented players at his position in the league, but to his haters’ dismay, he consistently comes up in the clutch when his teammates put him in position to do so.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.  Follow  him on Twitter.