You see, I live in Denver. I have watched this entire Tim Tebow phenomenon from back when he was drafted in 2010. I like the guy, and I've rooted for the Broncos since he became the starter.
However, my loyalty to the Chicago Bears was so strong that, despite the fact that I actually believed the Broncos should win the game, I put myself 100% behind the Bears. For one game only, I looked at Tebow from an outsider's perspective.
What I saw boggled my mind. The Bears defense held Tebow and the Broncos offense in check for 55 minutes. As a Bears fan, I felt like the game was in the bag. I just KNEW our defense would be able to hold the Broncos back from scoring 10 points in 5 minutes. KNEW IT. I just wasn't going to believe anything else. MY TEAM was going to be the one to prove Tebow wasn't that good. I wouldn't listen to anyone else who said Tebow still had a chance.
It was if I had forgotten all the other games this year when Tebow has managed to pull something out of nothing. Every time he got the ball back in the fourth quarter, I kept saying to myself "Tebow time," but I didn't really believe it. When the Broncos fumbled the ball in the middle of the fourth quarter, and then had to punt on the next series, I really thought time had run out on them.
It certainly should have if Marion Barber had just stayed in bounds. But enough about that. Barber made some key mistakes, but there was a lot of crap tossed around by the Bears on Sunday. You can't punt 11 times in a game and expect to win, even against Denver. The Broncos gained more yards (345) than the Bears (245). You can't expect to win ANY games when you only gain 245 yards.
Rant over for now.
As for Tebow, I like him more and more each game. What you're starting to see now is him using his running reputation to draw the defense toward him and away from his receivers. He did it in the Minnesota game, and he did it when he threw that touchdown pass against the Bears. He hasn't thrown any wounded duck-like passes down the field like he did in the first few games. He's improving as he's winning.
No, the Broncos don't win only because of Tebow. John Fox has instilled a sense of trust and team into the Broncos that had been lacking for a long time. They are playing hard and smart. They also happen to love their hard-nosed quarterback who inspires them all with his attitude and play. A lot of good things happen on a team where they like their quarterback. The Broncos are lucky, but they are also making their own luck.
I really hated being on the opposite side of the Broncos in this last game. You watch the whole game, and you can't believe what you're seeing. After the game was over, my mind raced with all the reasons why the Bears should have still won the game.
But they didn't. Ultimately, that's what matters the most. If you haven't watched the Broncos this year, you simply must. This is a brand of football that defies all convention at this point. It shouldn't work, but it does. It's awesome.
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