The one thing an NFL player can count on is fan opinion. People will love you and then they will hate you. At the very least, a man can count on his coaches and peers to have his back from the locker room — unless you’re Tim Tebow. Instead of wholeheartedly backing up his quarterback who has the Broncos at 3-1 in the last four games and thinking a possible playoff push, head coach John Fox is still making quizzical statements about Tebow’s unorthodox style and inability to presently be a typical pocket passer.
Fox was definitely not directly insulting his quarterback when speaking to Jeff Darlington. Instead, he was speaking about doing whatever it takes to win, but then he throws a comment in the middle that says, “If we were trying to run a regular offense, he’d be screwed.”
It’s the asterisk that’s always going to hover over Tim Tebow’s name no matter how many games he wins this season. It’s easy to imagine a scenario where Denver unexpectedly wins the AFC West and yet fans or sportswriters would still be clamoring for Denver to address the quarterback position and call for the team to get “realistic” about the long-term possibilities of winning with Tebow under center.
The numbers for Tebow are beyond unorthodox. It’s almost laughable that a guy can complete two passes and win on the road at a place like Arrowhead against a division rival like the Chiefs. It seems ridiculous that Tebow is winning in the NFL not because he’s changed his mechanics, but because a team has adapted to him. Yet here we are several weeks into the 2011 season and Tebow is making his mark. Who could have guessed?
Yet if I’m in Tebow’s shoes, I would likely grow weary of everyone making a big deal over how I’m winning and I’d want some respite from the noise. It would help if his own coach didn’t add to it.