When would the team’s struggles with Kyle Orton at quarterback force new coach John Fox to make a change? When would the chorus of “We want Tebow” from the Mile High faithful become too loud to ignore? When would one of the most popular players in the NFL who has yet to accomplish anything finally get his chance to be “the guy” for the Broncos?
On Sunday the wait ended as Tebow replaced Orton with Denver trailing San Diego 23-10 to start the second half.
Despite a shaky start that saw him complete just one of five passes for zero yards, Tebow found some rhythm in the fourth quarter, showing his running ability with a 12-yard scamper and then tossing a 28-yard screen pass to Knowshon Moreno that went for a touchdown to pull the Broncos within 26-24.
Tebow was unable to lead his team all the way back, but the moxie he displayed on Denver’s final drive showed why the fans have been clamoring to see more of the second-year signal-caller — and why the Broncos may turn the reins over to him full-time following their bye week.
Denver got the ball back with 24 seconds left in the game, trailing 29-24. On the first play Tebow threw a deep out pass down the right side to Brandon Lloyd who made a phenomenal catch that was initially called incomplete — likely because the sideline official could not conceive of such a ridiculous catch — but was overturned for a 20-yard completion. Tebow’s next throw went down the middle for 31 yards to Daniel Fells. With two seconds left he spiked the ball at the Chargers 29-yard-line, giving Denver one shot at the winning touchdown. The hail mary fell incomplete in the end zone, but on the final play Tebow danced around the pocket, evading pass rushers with the type fleet-footedness Orton could only dream of possessing.
Tebow isn’t going to become Cam Newton overnight — if ever. He still looks uncomfortable in Denver’s offense at times and he doesn’t have the experience or connection with the receivers that Orton does. His struggles in practice have been well-documented and knocked him out of the starting QB conversation early in training camp. And then there’s the issue of his throwing motion.
All that said, the Broncos are 1-4 and Orton — who completed just 6 of 13 passes for 34 yards and an interception in the first half — is not doing himself any favors.
It was tailor-made for his rambling improvisational skills and made for exciting highlights. But it was a mile-high sugar high.
“It’s such a dramatic change when the quarterback changes,” Norv Turner said. “It’s really a whole different offense for our guys to handle.”
The Chargers didn’t handle it well on Sunday, and Sparky was declared the reason. But a closer look reveals there was as much smoke as fire.
Denver punted on Tebow’s first three possessions. A Phillip Rivers fumble gave the Broncos the ball at San Diego’s 41-yard line. Knowshon Moreno turned a screen pass into a 28-yard touchdown.
Tebow finished 4 for 10 for 79 yards. One pass went for no gain, Brandon Lloyd made a spectacular grab to get another, and the final one was to a receiver San Diego left wide open while playing prevent defense.
Tebow did ramble for 38 yards on six carries, including a 12-yard touchdown. But can you build an offense around that?
Not unless the NFL starts prohibiting defenses from putting more than three players on the line of scrimmage.
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The complexion of a game is totally different for a starter. If defensive coordinators know they’ll be facing Sparky, they’ll have their fire hoses out. They’ll make Tebow prove he can hurt them with his passing arm.
The Broncos have a bye week, so he’ll be getting plenty of first-team snaps over the next two weeks. And wouldn’t you know Tebow’s first NFL start is going to be in Miami.
Just to add to the drama, the hapless Dolphins long ago decided to honor Florida’s 2008 national championship team that day. You may recall Tebow had something to do with the clinching BCS win at what was then Dolphin Stadium.
This kind of thing can only happen with Tebow.
As always, he says he’s up for the challenge. All he and the Occupy John Fox crowd ever wanted was a starting chance.
Now that the Broncos are 1-4, Fox has nothing to lose. Put away the drums, a Tebow-centric world will finally start seeing just what kind of quarterback he really is.
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