No matter how you feel about Tim Tebow as the next starter under center for the Denver Broncos, this much is certain: This is one polarizing dude.
Tebow’s strident Christian conservative views certainly contribute to the strong opinions of him, but not many can honestly argue the quality of his play–including his limited time in Denver–is subpar. As I’ve noted before, the guy has more heart than most, and that was enough to earn two national titles and a Heisman Trophy at the University of Florida.
But we’ve all heard the doubters–perhaps the most fervent is ESPN’s Colin Cowherd, who just doesn’t believe Tebow will evolve into a quality NFL signal-caller. We’ve all heard talk about his arm strength (or lack of it); we’ve heard about his odd throwing motion (Jon Gruden–from this blog to God’s ears … Gruden could be the next head coach of the Broncos–spent time in the off-season with Tebow working on that looping release); we’ve even heard NFL thugs like Ray Lewis question whether Tebow was worth all the hype–and all the help from guys like Gruden.
I wrote a post earlier this week that was hardly critical of the guy (but I think it WAS realistic), and had some foam-at-the-mouther dispute my claims point by point (Tebow’s cousin, perhaps?), and quite forcefully, I might add.
The point is, there is no middle ground with this guy. You either love him or you hate him. What we all need, though, is time. Tebow most of all.
There’s no disputing the guy’s will to win–I’ve been watching the NFL for 40 years, and that energy, that drive … that heart that beats inside Tim Tebow’s chest is rarely matched. There’s also no doubt that, without Tebow under center at Florida, Urban Meyer doesn’t win two titles, and he doesn’t retire to spend more time with his family, legacy intact.
Can Tebow will the Broncos to championships? We’ve seen it done before in the Mile High City. John Elway willed the Broncos to three Super Bowls, but he couldn’t will a team with inferior overall talent to actually win one of those games. When Elway finally held the Lombardi Trophy over his head, he did it propped up by a team that might have won Super Bowls without him. To will a team to a title in the NFL will take something very special. And it will take talent.
Does Tebow have the talent (go ahead, Tebow fans–start the love fest)? I have no idea. I know he has heart, and I respect that. But before we get all demonstrative, let’s see how far that heart can go, and let’s see if there is some innate talent hidden beneath that fiery hot desire to win. If there is, the Broncos have the quarterback of the future under contract. If not, they have a great guy with passion and energy–they might have to find the talent somewhere else.