Tim Tebow: John Elway Shows Smarts by Not Trusting Polarizing QB

Tim Tebow is not the quarterback of the future for the Denver Broncos, and at the very least Denver's executive vice president and NFL legend John Elway can see that.

That's more than I can say for a lot of fans whose common sense has apparently been swept away by Tebow-mania.

I'm not sure how one could watch a game that Tebow has played in and feel comfortable in saying that he deserves to be the Broncos franchise quarterback.

There is no doubting that he's a great football player, and if anything he's one of the best leaders of men we have seen enter into the NFL ranks.

Plain and simple, that doesn't make him a quarterback.

It caused a ton of controversy, but apparently Elway feels the same way, as he openly admitted that the Broncos are still searching for their franchise quarterback, according to Lindsay H. Jones of The Denver Post:

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It's no wonder, then, that when asked Monday on his weekly radio show on 102.3 FM if he had a better feeling if the team's quarterback of the future is currently on the roster, Broncos executive vice president John Elway bluntly answered, "No."

"I think obviously he's making progress week in and week out," Elway said of Tebow. "When you look at our third-down numbers, those have to improve. I mean, that's the bottom line. We can't go 3-for-13 and win a world championship. Those are the type of things we have to keep improving."

It wasn't lost on Elway that before the game-winning, 95-yard touchdown drive against the Jets last week came three quarters of offensive futility, particularly on third down. In that game, the Broncos nine times lined up needing 6 yards or more to pick up a third down and converted none of those chances. Tebow attempted a pass on eight of the 13 third-down tries and completed none. The Broncos had eight consecutive possessions — from the second quarter through the middle of the fourth quarter — end with punts. 

"We'll continue to work on being able to get more balance on the offensive side, and try to take some of the pressure off the running game and execute in the third-down area, because we have to get better there," Elway said on his radio show.

Elway and general manager Brian Xanders continue to actively scout quarterbacks for the 2012 draft. They already have watched several potential high draft picks, including Baylor's Robert Griffin III and Oklahoma's Landry Jones battle Saturday night in Waco, Texas. It seems un-likely that Elway or Fox will publicly commit to Tebow — or the opposite — before this season is over.

"When the race is over, you figure out where you're going from there," Fox said. "But the race isn't over yet, so it's hard to comment, realistically."

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It won't be long before NFL defenses figure out how to go after the Broncos collegiate read option play.

When that happens, Tebow will essentially be rendered useless under center. A 44.8 percent completion percentage can only get you so far in this league.

If a defense can force the Broncos into anything that resembles a traditional offense with Tebow under center, the Broncos stand no chance.

I know it, Elway knows it, any rational thinking fan knows it.

For some reason Tebow doesn't get it though, and neither do his fans.

Sure, it's easy to point to the Broncos 4-1 record under Tebow and use it as a crucible of truth defending Tebow's greatness, but the counterpoint would be to look at all the gimmicky NFL offenses that worked for some time before being figured out.

How well did the Wildcat work out for the Miami Dolphins? I believe they are still searching for their quarterback of the future, too, mind you.

If Broncos fans are okay with being a mediocre team with a polarizing quarterback under center for the next era of football, then that's fine, but I think they will eventually look back and be thankful for the fact that the guy pulling the strings understands that no long-term success can be had with Tebow under center.