John Elway Plans To Mentor Tim Tebow On Technique In Broncos Offseason

Everyone can stop Tebowing now -- at least until next season.

The young quarterback for the Denver Broncos gave another performance last night to inspire his critics in the Broncos 45-10 shellacking at the hands of the New England Patriots. Tebow's stat line: 9 of 26 for 136 yards and 0 touchdowns (or interceptions) for a 52.7 passer rating. Tebow was also ineffective running the ball with only 13 rushing yards on 5 carries. The Patriots, as the final score will tell you, simply dominated all evening.

Yet to look at this line, or even the other poor showings of Tebow this season, and draw assumptions about his future is unfair. When the Broncos drafted Tebow, it was clear that it was going to take a couple of seasons, at least, for the Florida Gator to shift his approach from the college to the pro level. He was an incredible athlete with an even greater work ethic, yes, but he was also going to need significant time and reps to make the change.

While he still has his detractors, many of them come from fan bases who only wish that their franchise was one of the final eight in the NFL. While it was the pass rush and running game that carried the Broncos through their winning streak, there's no denying that Tebow was the man under center for the Broncos' ascension. He was also the one who had an incredible game in the first round of the NFL playoffs -- the one that sent the Pittsburgh Steelers home for good.

Moving forward, the safest assumption is that Tebow will only get better from here. Tebow has been through coaching changes and up and down the Broncos rotation at quarterback since he came into the league, and last year the NFL lockout cost him valuable off-season time with coaches and teammates. Going into his third year, Tebow now has a taste of what it means to make it in the NFL as a starter. In addition, Bill Williamson reports that John Elway plans to take a hands-on approach to Tebow's development as a pro quarterback.

"Tebow said Saturday night that he must become more accurate and consistent, and he plans to soon start working on what will be his first full offseason as an NFL player. Legendary Denver quarterback John Elway, who is now the Broncos’ football leader, has said he plans to personally work with Tebow in the offseason, focusing on improving the youngster’s footwork."

What the rest of the AFC West needs to fear is Tebow's improvement. The Broncos sometimes won in spite of Tebow's performance and if he can find some modicum of consistency, then the Broncos could become a division power for some time.

Tebow will likely always have his detractors, but as long as he's carrying the Broncos to the playoffs, it really won't matter in the end. Tebow is committed to the cause and it seems like the Broncos are as well.