Tim Tebow Is Ready To Work Himself Into The Broncos Mix

The Broncos had their first official off season workout today. To hardly anyone’s surprise, Tim Tebow’s performance was put under the microscope. True to the pecking order of the Broncos QB situation, Tebow reportedly fired less than 10 passes during the workout. Coach Josh McDaniels and Tebow’s focus is on getting the young gun acquainted with the system before letting the cannon loose.

Tebow’s ability to be successful on the NFL stage remains under intense speculation. However, if there’s one thing Broncos fans can put money on, it’s the rookie’s willingness to work hard and do everything in his power to succeed.

As many of you know, I had the opportunity to meet Tebow in San Francisco over the weekend. He spoke to the media for about 15 minutes, and revealed that on a personal level, there’s no facade when it comes to the best college QB in history. Tebow is what you see on television and what you read in the newspapers. He’s humble, soft spoken, and encouraging to the folks around him. Perhaps Josh McDaniels was most attracted to his locker room personality and leadership abilities over any of the other QBs that were expected to go before Tebow in the draft.

When asked about what Tebow expected from the draft, he said,

"“I didn’t know what to expect. I went out there every day and tried to give my heart and soul, and work as hard as I could. I was excited with where I went. I truly am blessed.”"

Even though Tebow didn’t know exactly which team he would land with until 5 minutes before the draft announcement, he did know that he would bring passion to the NFL as well as many highly sought after qualities to a team’s locker room.

"“I think I can bring someone who loves football, extremely passionate about football, extremely passionate about life, and loves what he does. Somebody who’s going to give his heart and soul to that organization.”"

When McDaniels first spoke to Tebow, he asked him about who he was, his work ethic, and his leadership qualities because “that’s where it all starts.”

True to what you’ve read/heard, Tebow credits others before himself. I see him as the John Stockton of the NFL, if you will. When asked about what made him so successful at the college level, he gave credit to his college teammates, coaches, friends, and family before anything else. He also acknowledged that when it comes to his career in the NFL, he has been and will continue to seek advice from NFL pros, ex-pros, coaches, family and friends.

As the QB competition in Denver heats up, many naysayers will analyze Tebow’s delivery, all while keeping tabs on Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn’s performance. Tebow says:

"” I’m just gonna try and go in there and worry about what I can control, that’s my attitude, that’s my work ethic, and that’s my determination.”"

Until today, Tebow had never met Orton, but said that he was looking forward to meeting him and the rest of the team (He did have a few encounters with Brady Quinn at a couple of different events).

As off season work gets underway, Tebow made one thing very clear – He’s here in Denver to be a quarterback. With a smirk on his face after being asked about playing a different position, Tebow said:

"“I think Josh McDaniels wants me to be a quarterback, so I’m going to be competing at quarterback and try to be the best quarterback I can be.”"

If there’s one intense trait that Tebow shows upon first encounters, it’s his love and need for competition. As I waited in line to run my 40-yard dash in front of him, he said that he wanted to get out there and run, and compete with the rest of us. Instead, he taught me how to line up at the starting line to achieve my best time, and cheered me on as a shuffled 40 yards down the field.

Not a bad first encounter with the most talked about Broncos QB since John Elway.   

Even if Tebow is on the bench for most of next season, he’s still going to benefit the team and perhaps make his teammates work harder in practice. I think most fans will accept the indirect “Tebow effect” if the Broncos have a better season next year.

Tebow would agree that it’s not all about him, anyway. It’s a team game.