Tim Tebow: Why John Elway Must Have Faith in Denver Broncos QB

Tim Tebow may not be the long-term solution to the quarterback quandary that has plagued the Denver Broncos since John Elway rode into the sunset with back-to-back Super Bowl victories.

But if the Broncos are to make the best of the situation at hand and remain competitive in the AFC West, they'll need Elway, currently the team's executive vice president of football operations, to throw his support behind the former Florida Gators phenom and Heisman Trophy winner, even if only on an interim basis.

At this point, Elway's actions and words have yet to align. Elway and the Broncos put Kyle Orton on waivers earlier this week, thereby clearing the way for to Tebow to hold onto the starting job with even greater certainty.

Unless, of course, anyone thinks Brady Quinn is about to be anything special.

Yet, at the same time, Elway continues to hem and haw over Tebow, seemingly resistant to grant his team's top signal-caller so much as a word of praise in the immediate term, despite Tebow being the face of the Broncos' recent turnaround.

In all fairness, Elway has every right, if not the ultimate responsibility, to not lavish Tebow with the same affection he's been so readily afforded by the Broncos faithful, ever in search of a savior. Elway's perspective on the situation is rather distinct from what the fans are seeing—Elway wants to see Tebow prove that he can play the position well on a consistent and winning basis (just like Elway did), while Tebow supporters are merely satisfied with Denver coming out on top more often than not in the last six weeks.

It's easy to credit Tebow with the uptick, since his rise has coincided with Denver winning games and making fewer mistakes on offense.

But such would overlook the improved play of John Fox's defense over that same span. The return of Elvis Dumervil to the lineup, coupled with the rise of rookie Von Miller, has lifted the Broncos pass rush to new heights, allowing the rest of the defense to take risks and stifle the opposition in the process.

And, last I checked, Tim Tebow doesn't play on that side of the ball.

Still, Tebow has done a remarkable job coming through in the clutch, having already led the Broncos to four fourth-quarter comebacks in his two-year NFL career.

For John Elway, though, the concern with Tebow is consistency over the long haul. Playing well in the waning moments is obviously important, but Elway wants to see if Tebow is capable of putting together a complete game at the pro level.

In that regard, Tebow's season-long audition has left much to be desired, as he's completed a paltry 44.8 percent of his passes at 5.67 yards per attempt.

Then again, Tebow has put up strong numbers in the categories that count most—seven touchdown passes, six touchdown runs, one interception and a 4-1 record under center this season.

Not to mention the intangibles Tebow has brought to the table as a leader and a winner at every level at which he's played.

That may not be enough to sway Elway from going after a quarterback in the 2012 NFL draft or offseason free agency, but it should be enough for the Mile High legend to lend his support to Tebow for the time being.

Because as much as Elway may resent Tebow for being anything but the quarterback that he once was, the kid with the arm of pyrite is all he's got and, really, all his team's needed get back to the business of winning football games.