Heart, not talent, Tebow’s best asset

Say what you will about Tim Tebow and his future as an NFL quarterback, but whatever you say, don’t questions the dude’s heart. Down by 17 at home Sunday to Gary Kubiak’s Texans, Tebow simply willed his team to a one-point victory using sketchy passing (and benefitting from all-world receptions–Brandon Lloyd might be the best late-bloomer ever to put on a pair of cleats), his famed legs and what can only be described as desire.

Call me crazy, but I don’t think the Broncos win that game with Kyle Orton under center–the steady dink-and-dunk veteran lacks the one thing Tebow brings to the table: Pure unchanneled energy.

So what now? With Andrew Luck likely headed to Carolina (the Panthers locked up the first pick with Denver’s win Sunday), assuming he declares his eligibility, the Broncos really don’t have much choice but to continue to groom Tebow. Trouble is, he now must be groomed as he plays, because, as we saw Sunday, he gives Denver the best chance to win, albeit in cardiac fashion. Thankfully, that’s something Bronco fans are all too familiar with. Unfortunately, Tebow still remains a mystery, perhaps raising more questions than he answers each time he takes a snap under center.

To wit:

• His two longest passes of the day (screens not counting) were better plays by his receivers than they were throws by the quarterback.
• He’s still a run-first quarterback, by instinct. Certainly, that can change over time, and it better, or he’ll become a regular in the training room.
• He can occasionally throw a gorgeous ball, but he’s dangerously off target much of the time (see the first-half interception).

This much is certain, however. When the Broncos make the second pick in the draft just over four months from now, they won’t be taking a quarterback from Stanford. Instead, they’ll likely look to the defense that needs some help up front, and they’ll probably take their chances and hope Tebow can transform from the Wildcat superstar into a mobile NFL passer. And they’ll hope he can continue to will his team to victory with that confident heart of his.

Like it or not, Bronco fans, this team is married to Tebow for the duration. Here’s hoping the results on the field are as impressive as the young man’s heart. If not, the Broncos are in just the first year of a long, dark dry spell.