Tim Tebow: 5 Current and Former NFL QBs Denver Broncos' Hero Could Emulate

Tim Tebow may appear to be rewriting the way we think about NFL quarterbacks, but his career will end up paralleling another well-known signal caller from years past.

Tebow has now already passed for 12 touchdowns and run for another nine through just eight starts in two seasons. Most importantly today, he's also 4-1 as a starter this year.

With his miraculous game-winning TD scamper against the New York Jets last week--the miracle was that teammate Eric Decker's score-enabling hold wasn't caught by the referees--it's safe to say that the Tebow train has officially left the station.

On the other hand, he's also turned the ball over nine times and been sacked on 21 occasions during his short career.  His 47% completion percentage also raises questions as to just how many wheels this train actually has and which direction it's going.

It's understandable to feel like Tim Tebow is defying definition at the moment, and any parallel analogy may seem to limp at first. However, as Mark Twain once said, "History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme."

In the grand scheme of things, there's nothing new under the sun: here are five career arcs Tim Tebow is more likely to follow rather than "rewriting" NFL quarterback history.

The Next Doug Flutie?

Their physique and playing style might be a little different, but comparing Tim Tebow to Doug Flutie is otherwise quite apt.

Like Tebow, Flutie was a Heisman winner whose college heroics created a larger-than-life aura which supposedly portended future greatness. 

Though he could do no wrong with his rabid following, Flutie was still not highly regarded when the NFL draft rolled around in 1985. Where Tebow's mechanics were maligned, Flutie's stature stifled his long-term outlook.

Flutie bounced around from team to team--and even, league to league--during the early portion of his career. Yet, his persistently scrappy nature couldn't be overcome. 

He returned to the NFL for good in 1998, displaying improved passing to go along with his well-known scrambling ability and penchant for late game theatrics.

Flutie was only 28-23 as a starter during the height of his return from 1998-2003. Yet, he's somehow still remembered for winning close games late, and not for the fact that he only sported a 55% completion percentage during his career.

The Next Vince Young?

Like Tim Tebow, Vince Young was a flat-out winner in college.

A statistical record setter, Young was also 22-1 as a full-time starter during his sophomore and junior seasons at Texas. He was the 2005 Davey O'Brien winner, a de-facto Heisman Trophy winner and a National Champion.

Yet, his throwing mechanics were always suspect, and he was viewed as more of a runner than a true passer. Playing in a tailor-made collegiate offense also raised major questions about his NFL future.

Like Tebow, Young dispelled most early hesitations: playing in a near carbon copy of the Texas offense once he reached the Tennessee Titans. His 8-5 record as a rookie starter was punctuated by four 4th quarter comebacks.

While few initially felt that the Titans had overreached to draft him third overall in 2006, Vince Young's passer limitations eventually began to overshadow his early moxie and athleticism.

When nagging injuries, unrealistic expectations and personal hardships eventually became too much, Vince Young cracked under the mounting pressure from his coaches and the Titan fan base.

The former golden boy was unceremoniously relegated to the role of backup, eventually released from Tennessee altogether and is now with the Philadelphia Eagles in the same capacity.

As a viable backup, Vince Young may get another shot as a starter yet. Tim Tebow may need more than one chance in his career too.

The Next Rich Gannon?

Though Rich Gannon's collegiate career was far less ostentatious than Tim Tebow's, he's an interesting parallel due to his skill set and naysayers.

Many wondered whether Gannon could actually play NFL quarterback when he was drafted in 1987.

He never did get converted to defensive back as suggested, but did bounce around the league with four teams in his first six years, winning games at nearly every stop.

Rich Gannon was an acquired taste: his mechanics were always suspect and he consistently threw one of the ugliest balls in quarterback history. 

At the same time, he kept plays alive with an uncanny scrambling ability, rallied teammates around him quickly and endeared himself to the fan bases of both the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders from 1999 through 2004.

Tim Tebow might be hot now, but he may also live the life of popular journeyman quarterback should this initial run prove unsustainable. 

He could do far worse than following in the 17-year veteran footsteps of Rich Gannon.

The Next Michael Vick?

Michael Vick wasn't quite the prestigious winner that Tim Tebow was in college, but he may have graduated with even higher expectations.

Just like Tebow, some embraced Vick as if he could do no wrong, annointing him unequivocal franchise savior while ignoring nearly any and all warts.

At the same time, others could only concentrate on his weaknesses. Wins were never "pretty" enough, completion percentages were apparently the only statistic that mattered and blame was greater for games lost than praise for those won.

Mike Vick fell from grace to prison after having lead the Atlanta Falcons from 2001-2006. His superhero aura was shattered, only to be redeemed by persistence and a second chance with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009.

Tim Tebow's white knight persona is seemingly so ingrained, that were he to have a substantial controversy in his life whatsoever--even if it were significantly "less" than something like illegal dog fighting--the fall would seem equally insurmountable.

Hypotheticals aside, Tim Tebow may spend the rest of his career being molded into a "conventional" quarterback, even though it's the superlative quirks which set him apart from those with fewer rough edges and far less potential.

The Next John Elway?

Undoubtedly the best case of all scenarios, it's the late-night dream for nearly every Denver Broncos fan and maybe even for John Elway himself.

Elway neither won championships nor even bowl games while at Stanford. Yet, he was just as hyped and solicited by the Denver fans as when Tim Tebow arrived nearly a quarter of a century later.

Neither quarterback could seemingly get into the starting lineup fast enough.

This isn't a true doppelganger scenario: while Elway was a pure passer with timely scrambling ability, Tebow's skillset seems equally inverted.  Watching Elway was a textbook study in quarterbacking, whereas Tebow seems like a beautiful train wreck to behold.

Yet, watching one in the fourth quarter is like having seen the other. You just can't put your money on the other team when these Bronco quarterbacks are on the field.

Tebow would have to be a Denver Bronco for life, win seasons (rather than just games) and ultimately return a Super Bowl trophy to the Mile High City.

Broncos fans might be the only ones who hold any hope that Tim Tebow could actually do this one day.

Then again, after awhile, they were the only ones who believed Elway could either.