Tim Tebow held everyone’s attention. As the Denver Broncos ascended the AFC West ladder from worst to first and ultimately to the NFL postseason, Tebow was crowned by everyone as the starting quarterback of the future and Tebowmania ensued. Even his own front office went from skeptical to affirming over the stretch of wins in midseason, but now the Broncos are sliding at the worst possible team: right into the playoff match against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Don Banks of Sports Illustrated wants to know if the magic will last.
“One more dreadful outing from Tebow next week and you wonder how much it’ll temper Denver’s enthusiasm about him from both the fans and the front office?” writes Don Banks. "Will John Elway start to backtrack a bit on the confidence he only recently started expressing in regards to Tebow’s future as the team’s clear-cut starter? Will head coach John Fox rethink his commitment to a Tebow-based read-option offense? Will the fans who adore No. 15 in Denver begin to see their faith start to crack ever so slightly if another egg-laying is in the offing next week?
“As usual, none of the questions seem to have easy answers where Tebow is concerned. His situation has been unique from the start, and here we are at the regular season’s end, and we might be even more confused than ever. If that’s possible. The playoffs were the goal, and that goal has been attained in Denver. Tebow and the Broncos are still alive. It’s just the magic that has disappeared.”
While Tebow has proved himself an anomaly in the NFL in terms of fan base and coverage from the media, everything comes down to wins and losses and Tebow is no different. Expect some jeers to come this offseason if the quarterback tanks in yet another game.