"Tim adds a great spark for us, so we're looking forward to seeing what he can do," Elway said on NFL Network's NFL Total Access on Tuesday night.
While joking that the team did not cave to the billboard campaign to play Tebow undertaken by Denver fans, Elway said the team is high on Tebow's intangibles and competitive spirit while ceding a "growing process" should be expected as coaches try to tailor the offense to his strengths.
"I think it's always the case that you do everything you can as an offense to try to take advantage of the guy that's pulling the trigger, and obviously Kyle and Timmy have different skills sets," said Elway.
"But we're gonna stay within the offense but add some things that Timmy can do. Obviously, Timmy's been in this offense now for two years, and so he's got a good feel for the offense. And it's up to us and the offensive staff to get the plays called that best give Timmy the best chance to be successful."
And Elway, a pretty good mobile quarterback in his prime, may personally work more with Tebow down the line.
"I think one of the great things is Timmy's got that work ethic to get better, and I think that we've seen tremendous improvement this year compared to last year in his ability to throw the football and his accuracy," said Elway.
"So we expect that just to continue to get better and better. And obviously when we have an offseason this next year, I'll get a chance to spend some more time with him."
But NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock warned that Tebow's progress could be halting given his well-documented deficiencies.
"Regardless of when you start this kid, you've got to embrace his style. He's not a rhythm quarterback -- I don't think he ever is going to be a rhythm, NFL-style quarterback. So you need to embrace it; you need to change launch points; you need to let him run the football," said Mayock.
He said erratic play should be expected after reviewing Tebow's performance Sunday vs. the Chargers, which included a TD run and throw but also some poorly thrown passes and difficulties handling the snap from center.
The Broncos are currently 1-4 and probably already out of playoff contention. The local fan base has been very rabid in regards to their displeasure with Orton, who is 6-22 in his last 28 starts for the Broncos. From extremely loud chanting at the stadium during games to buying billboards in downtown Denver, the fans made it clear that they wanted Tebow to be their starting quarterback.
As a Broncos fan living in Denver, I've experienced firsthand how strongly Tebow affects this town. It seems everyone you talk to has an opinion on the second-year quarterback. Not everyone is positive, but everyone is now interested to see what happens next. For that reason alone, I believe that Tebow is the only person in Denver who can salvage the Broncos season.
I'm not saying that he's going to resurrect the team and take them to the playoffs. The Broncos simply don't have enough talent to do that yet, and I know from my many talks with other Broncos fans that very few believe it's possible this year. However, he will fill the stadium with fans crazy about seeing him play. They will line up to buy his jersey, and their enthusiastic cheering will make game day at Sports Authority Field At Mile High the hottest ticket in town once again.
Even though the Broncos organization had its back against the wall, they made the right decision in choosing Tim Tebow to be their starter the rest of the season. It will simply be a bonus if he can win some games.
A native of Georgia, Sporting Jules has been living in Denver for the past ten years. As a lifelong football fanatic, she will watch every game on NFL Sundays but her favorite teams are the Chicago Bears and the Denver Broncos.
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