The truth about Tebow

I heard an interesting observation of Tim Tebow the week leading into his first start this year. The analysts said, "Tim Tebow is everything his fans say he is and everything his critics say he is." It was an interesting comment at the time. One to which I agreed with. However, I think it's time his critics are confronted. The critique of those naysayers revolved around the idea that he couldn't win in the NFL as a starting quarterback. They're wrong.

As a starting quarterback in the NFL this season, Tebow is 6-1 and has successfully brought an awful team out of the cellar into first place in their division. Now, they're on the verge of making the playoffs. Still, the pundits are claiming he can't play, he can't throw, he can't read defenses, he doesn't know how to play the position, and his defense is carrying the team. These are all things people are saying in an attempt to continually cut Tebow down. I watched the Broncos against the Packers in week 4 and then yesterday against the Vikings. News flash: their defense is not very good. I also witnessed, with my own eyes, Tebow hit a few wide open receivers down field and win a football game with his arm. I didn't read about it, I saw it. It was in the same game that the opposing quarterback - who also happens to be a first year starter drafted in the first round - missed some very important passes and threw a bone headed interception in the closing minutes of the game, two things Tebow has not done as a starter. Yet, he gets raked over the coals and they spare the Vikings starter who "had a record day" and is 1-5 as a starter.

This week tells it all. He improves to 6-1, the Vikings future star drops to 1-5. He has a game winning drive after his opponent throws a game deciding interception and Tebow gets criticized. His defense gave up 32 points this week. Why doesn't he get a few kudos for this victory? The truth is, people don't like Tebow because he's a Christian. That's it.

Jake Plummer recently made a comment about how he wished Tebow would just quit talking about his faith in Jesus Christ. This argument is really starting to bother me. I follow football very closely and I have yet to hear Tebow talk about Jesus when the topic is football. Others talk about it around him and to him, but he's a football player. His post game interviews are about football, not Jesus. Plummer and the others are simply making this stuff up. Of course, he prays or points to the sky after a touchdown, but so does Greg Jennings and probably 100 other players, including a handful of quarterbacks. He's a Christian and everyone knows it, but he's not proclaiming it nearly as much as the media says he is.

Before this week, I thought a lot of the negative remarks and criticism were because Tebow is unconventional and unorthodox. He's not traditional and analysts are more comfortable with things they've already seen and things they can predict. They haven't seen the likes of Tebow and he's difficult to predict. That's an awful combination for journalists who are trying predetermine the winner. After this week, however, I now understand it no longer has anything to do with football. In fact, I'm not sure if it ever did.

He's an easy target for these vultures because no matter how much ridicule there is about him, he takes it and continues to play football. He doesn't fight back, so their drivel has no recourse. This must drive Boomer Esiason and others absolutely crazy. It's like he completely ignores them and goes out and proves them wrong. He continues to win in spite of their assurance that he won't. For them, it would be much easier if he lashed back, told them to shut up or tried to stick up for himself, but he doesn't, and they despise him even more because he continues to prove that he's better than them. He wants to play football, and he is.

I don't think Tim Tebow should win the NFL MVP and I think he has a lot of things that he needs to work on as a quarterback. He would agree, and has stated that he needs to improve. However, he's winning football games and has led a team from worst to first in a matter of weeks. Any argument that says he's not a good NFL quarterback is outlandishly ignorant, naive and ridiculous. Mechanically and technically, he's not Joe Montana. No one claims he is. In Montana's second season in the NFL, by the way, he was 2-5 as a starter with 15 touchdown and 9 interceptions. Peyton Manning was 3-13 in his first year as a starter and had more interceptions than touchdowns (26-28). John Elway, his boss, was 4-6 and threw twice as many interceptions as touchdowns (7-14). Come on, people, the kid can play. He is 6-1 and has a 10-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

If you don't like Tebow because he's a positive role model (for kids and adults), is a humanitarian, doesn't get in trouble, demonstrates great sportsmanship, works hard, etc., then come out and lead your critique with those statements. Otherwise, hold the rest of the NFL's young quarterbacks to the same standard (e.g. Christian Ponder, Tyler Palko, Blaine Gabbert, Curtis Painter, Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, etc.) and don't tell me how the NFL needs better people representing the sport than the Ben Roethlisbergers or Ndamakung Suhs who make poor decisions. The truth is, Tebow wins. The truth is, he's a great man. The truth is, people don't like him because of it. And they don't like him because he's a Christian.