Denver Broncos: Why ‘Tebowmania’ was a good thing

The 2011 season was magical

With a new coaching staff in place to begin the 2011 season, Tebow was kept as a backup to Kyle Orton. But we all know how that went. Orton was terrible and so was the team. After a 1-4 start that season, the chants for Tebow to come off the bench were deafening.

Head coach John Fox finally gave in.

Tebow was named the starting quarterback for the team’s Week 7 contest against the Miami Dolphins. That game was the start of ‘Tebowmania’.

In that game, Tebow helped the Broncos to an improbable win, something he would do more than once that season. The Broncos stumbled to the finish line that season but were a far better team with Tebow. Despite an 8-8 finish, the Broncos still won the division, something they hadn’t done since 2005.

Tebow still had his detractors out there. In fact, there were probably more detractors than there were believers, even within the team’s fanbase. But he had led the team to a playoff berth.

Still, many fans and analysts wanted to give most of that credit to the defense and even the kicker, Matt Prater, who had won a couple of games with his amazing leg. The funny part about that is, where was that defense and kicking game when Orton was the quarterback?

Tebow simply led the team to where it went in 2011. He created a belief in the locker room that the team could be better than a middle-of-the-road squad that would finish with a losing record. Did he struggle? Sure, he struggled. But he was in his second system in as many years and won more games than he lost.

The team did win ugly, there is no doubt about that. But wins are wins at the end of the day. Tebow was far from perfect but he still managed to get the job done. He often doesn’t get the credit he deserves.