Sports - Tebow

     As a Broncos fan, I've compromised my honesty in support of my team.  When John Elway went down and Bubby Brister took over, I declared loudly, "We believe in Bubby!"  We didn't, but luckily we won a Super Bowl anyway.  When Elway retired and Brian Griese became the starter, I said hopefully, "He can do it!"  No he couldn't, but he was all we had.  When the Broncos drafted Jay Cutler, I was in the middle of saying, "Who's that douche bag on the cell pho...Oh! Ok! Hey, welcome to Denver, you're cool!"  No he's not, but at least he has a strong arm.  I'm practiced in defending my team's choices because, what else am I going to do?

     When we traded Cutler, when we got Kyle Orton, when we drafted Tim Tebow, every time I tried to put a good face on the situation and accept who my team's new leader was because I will always root for the orange and blue uniforms I see on TV.  When those guys no longer play for us, I can hate them/curse them/knock on the them as much as I want because they're no longer Broncos.  I can finally be honest.  And in the case of Tebow, I can finally say whatever I want, however scathing it might be.  But, you know, I've got nothing new to say.

     Broncos fans believe in Tim Tebow.  We believe that he is a legitimate NFL starting quarterback who can score, lead, and win.  We may be the only group of people who can be completely unbiased when it comes to Tebowmania because we lived it.  We felt it.  We won and lost by it.  We know his faults and we know what he can do.  Trust Bronco fans; this kid is a winner.  He wins, no matter how sloppily.  He wins when there's no way he can win.  Even when he loses, when he tells you that he won on some level because he learned something, you believe him!  Tim Tebow is someone that you want on your football team.  We know, we had him, we rooted for him, and when he failed we didn't mind so much.

     I understand the mechanics concerns and I get that he might never be Tom Brady.  I don't care.  He's got that "it" factor that Simon Cowell is always talking about.  It's something you can't develop and can't learn.  For some reason or completely by chance, Tebow was born with the ability to make you listen to him and, if you've ever been on his side, make you love him.  That's rare, and if a quarterback comes along with that gift you don't toss him aside just because he has an awkward release.

    Yes, the Broncos bought Peyton Manning and traded Tebow away.  Do I think that was an upgrade?  Yes.  Was I sad to see him go?  Yes.  Would I welcome him back with open arms to be our starter when Peyton retires?  Instantly.  He made me enjoy football more than I normally do, which is saying something.  I watched him play knowing that I would see mistakes but that I just might see a miracle.  I think Tim Tebow will become a starter again some day, and I think he will win.  He will win over his city, his fans, and hopefully a game or two.  But I'll be rooting for him as I always do, because he is what watching football is really all about.