Tim Tebow: Have the Haters Lost Their Turn to Speak?

I am convinced that Tim Tebow is a special person been blessed with a very unique and remarkable ability to make a difference in any situation he places himself in.  Few people have that ability where no matter what they put their hands on, they seem ordained to change a situation.

In just two years in the league after being mysteriously drafted in the first round of the 2010 draft by the Denver Broncos, Tebow has effectively silenced almost all critics that have ever freely bashed him in his pursuit of becoming a NFL starting quarterback.  Just a year after experts, fans and players alike laughed at the prospect of him having any sort of success in this league, Tebow is literally the talk of the league right now with a 7-1 record this year as a starting quarterback, riding a six-game win streak. 

Where in the world did this come from?  I for one doubted him full-heartedly despite the fact I was a big fan of his as a college player.  This was not the first time I had doubted him.  At Florida as a highly touted freshman, I watched a bruising running QB that would come into the game and run for anywhere from two tough yards at the goal line to 15 yards as a change of pace to pretty-throwing senior quarterback Chris Leak, and then run back to the sideline to chew on some ice and put on a headset, still hyped up from the last play he just made.  At that point, I said there is no way he can do that on the then-No.1 Ohio State Buckeyes.  Boy was I wrong.  I’m sure I was not alone.

Going into Tebow’s magical sophomore season, I figured as a starting quarterback there was no way he’d be able to lead that Florida offense with the pass. In addition to his 22 TDs (SEC rushing record) and 838 yards rushing, Tebow threw for more than 3,100 yards and had the second-highest efficiency in the nation.  Tebow bruised the best conference in the nation en route to winning a Heisman with his timely throws to a talented receiving corps.  Boy was I wrong.  I’m sure I was not alone.

As the years went on, Tebow progressed from a running quarterback to a pretty good throwing quarterback, thanks to efforts by former then-head coach Urban Meyer, who tailored the offense a little bit to allow his pro skills to develop later in his career.   I felt that while Tebow was able to be effective as a passer in the latter half of his college career, won ball game after ball game and inspired people on and off the field, I was convinced—based on his throwing motion and the way balls floated to his often wide-open receivers—he had no chance of being an effective QB in the pros.  Some were caught in his legendary collegiate performance, but most felt the same way that he was more than limited as a pro-potential QB and suggested he explore other positions in the league. 

Fast forward to today, after being left for dead at the beginning of the season as a third-string QB that got beaten out by two players that started the season behind him, it seemed that finally the Tebow myth was done.  Even though he had some success last season against so-so competition last year, Tim Tebow had finally been exposed and the attempts to make this storybook story come true had been flattened.  Kyle Orton proved he was hands-down better than him, and Tebow would have to wait until another day to live out his dream of destiny of being Denver’s quarterback for the future. 

Right?

The great thing about what’s going on now is that it is more than plausible to assume the Broncos only started Tebow to shut up their restless fans that were being brats and booing Orton for everything he did early in the season.  The Tebow phenomenon, which has yet to be explained properly, was the sole reason for people wanting him on the field.  It was not his football skills, but some obsession with how good of a guy he is, his proud religious beliefs and the simple fact there is something to him that is intriguing and polarizing.

Most people would have gone out there with his talent and skill level and embarrassed themselves to shut up the crowd, which would finally give the front office the freedom to move on peacefully in its quest for a legitimate pro quarterback.  Once again, Tebow decided to not follow the script and be normal.   Instead, he has managed to set the world on fire in seven games this season.

With the exception of one ugly game against the Detroit Lions, in which it looked like he had dealt a dose of reality, he has gone on to beat all of his division rivals and solid playoff contending teams, including the New York Jets and Chicago Bears.

Each week he seems to go out and embarrass himself for the majority of the game with atrocious numbers, such as his 3-of-18 performance through three quarters on Sunday in which he did not complete a pass for two quarters.  Week after week, however, he seemed to wake up sometime in the fourth quarter to put together performances that could line up with any other QB in the league.

So, with all that said, as the once-1-4 Broncos now lead their division and are well positioned to go to the playoffs this year, do any of the naysayers (including myself at one point) have any right to “hate” on Tebow right now? 

You can credit the Broncos' nasty defense led by Von Miller for their performances, you can credit the resurgence of Willis McGahee, or you can even talk about Marion Barber, Mark Sanchez and other generous opponents for giving the Broncos a chance late in games they probably should not have had. But in the end, only one major thing has changed since the Broncos became relevant again. 

John Fox is a very good coach, and you have to give a lot of credit to the offensive coaches for the Broncos developing an offense that highlights Tebow’s strengths and limits his exposure to situations in which he will not excel.  The man has won big game after big game, has stayed humble the whole way and quite honestly has improved his throwing over the last couple weeks.  I think anyone that doubts this guy is officially “hating” and may have lost his or her turn to speak. 

At this point, after all of the questions Tebow has answered—ranging from, "Will he stay at QB in the pros?" to, "Is his style sustainable to win big?", "Can he win against legitimate opponents?" and "Can he beat athletic and physical teams like the Chicago Bears?"—he has managed to pass all of these tests.  What is next? Can he lead them to the playoffs? Can he beat Tom Brady this week?  Can he win a playoff game?  Can he win a Super Bowl?  Will he start next year?  Can he put together a string of years living on the edge like this?

Those are all valid questions—in fact, they are legitimate. However, at this point it seems people should stop doubting him and give him credit.  Nothing has changed much about his skill set, and he still has major holes in his game as a pure quarterback. 

However, just like often athletic and physically gifted QBs coming out of college are automatically pegged as not able to succeed in the pocket or win a championship with a combination of pocket play and exciting play outside of the tackles, it must be acknowledged that Tebow has been gifted with superior leadership and inspirational qualities.  He has been blessed with an indeterminable will and undying faith in the impossible until a game has concluded.  These are rare and special qualities that have led a defense full of veterans and young players, many who are more talented and established at their position.  To see them be inspired by him and believing in the same things he believes in week in and week out is beyond understanding. 

Similar to many religious beliefs, the outcomes that Tebow has seen in the last couple months have really not been explainable.  You cannot discredit all of the contributions around him in these wins, but you cannot ignore that this is not coincidence that the Broncos have taken off since he took over the job and seem to always be ready to win no matter how poorly they play for as many as 58 minutes on offense. 

Why hate at this point?  It reflects poorly on you.  The first few weeks, and all the way to his pro prospects coming out of college, I was with you!  However, now that he has had this level of success for this long, we need to sit back and admire and enjoy what this young man is doing.  He may or may not be the quarterback of the future, but he definitely is one of the great stories of the 2011 season!