It's Tebow Time in Denver

The 2010 Denver Broncos have become one of the worst laughingstocks in the NFL. The feelings of Bronco nation hover between infuriated and depressed, with many simply becoming numb to the piling losses. It has become commonplace to watch Denver's opponents storm to victory in effortless blowouts, in which teams like the Chargers, Raiders, Ravens, and Cardinals have provided the "effort" and the Broncos have provided the "less." Now, with the playoffs completely out of their reach, it may be more exciting for the Denver faithful to follow the news about the NFL's negotiations to structure a new collective bargaining agreement in hopes of us seeing football in 2011. Then again, if you're a Denver fan, maybe you might want a break from this new, lifeless form of Broncos football.

The blame for the Broncos' topple from a mile-high can be accurately ascribed to multiple parties. Pat Bowlen and Joe Ellis made a questionable move bringing in a young, arrogant offensive coordinator to take charge of what was once a proud, competitive franchise. That same coordinator-turned-head coach, Josh McDaniels, did everything he could to drive true talent off of Denver's squad, shipping Jay Cutler to Chicago, Brandon Marshall to Miami, Alphonso Smith to Detroit, and Peyton Hillis to Cleveland. He even drove away Mike Nolan, the defensive coordinator who turned the Broncos defense into a respectable unit in 2009 after it had been one of the league's worst units in 2008. This year, the defense is a pitiful 28th in yards allowed and 32nd in points allowed (which, for those counting, is dead last in the NFL). The brutal math comes out to 376 points scored against the Denver defense through week 14, which means that opposing offenses have managed to score a whopping 28.9 points a game. Fantasy football fans in the playoffs, take note that Denver plays Oakland, Houston, and San Diego in the last three games of the season. Adjust your rosters accordingly.

Yet, Bowlen, Ellis, McDaniels and the defense aren't the only ones at fault for Denver's woes. Although Kyle Orton did manage to put up impressive numbers during the first half of the season, most of his numbers came in garbage time. When the game is on the line, Orton demonstrates to the world why he is not a franchise quarterback, throwing costly picks and taking sacks like a wide-eyed rookie. But even more frustrating for Bronco fans is that he looks like he doesn't even care anymore. Over the last three games, the kindest words to describe his play include "miserable," "gruesome," "ugly," "repugnant," and last, but not least, "apathetic." Orton no longer jogs onto the field from the sideline; rather he slinks his way into the huddle. Recently, his modus operandi when defenses bring the pressure is to assume the fetal position in order to accept the fate of the oncoming sack rather than seeking to avoid the rush and make a play. When his horrible performance on the field is over after an embarrassing three-and-out, he returns to the sideline to mope (probably in anticipation of the time when he can be a defensive lineman's side-dish on the next series).

The stats bear out this ringing indictment of Orton. In the last three games, he has completed 52 of 110 passes for a pedestrian 47% completion percentage. He's been sacked eight times, held to a 61.3 QB rating average, lost two fumbles, and thrown three interceptions against only three touchdowns. Remove the game in which he played respectably against the St. Louis Rams, and his rating and completion percentage fall respectively to 36.7 and 40.6 over the last two games. During that span, the Broncos have scored a combined total of 19 points and Orton has not thrown a touchdown in either of those contests.

Admittedly, Josh McDaniels did much to destroy the Denver Broncos as a franchise. Hopefully, we are not about to see the Broncos take the Lions' old spot of "perennial laughingstock," much as they are currently in a position to compete with Carolina for that role. As FOX Sports analyst, Adam Schein put it, "The NFL is better when the Broncos are relevant." However, cleaning up the radioactive fallout from the Josh McDaniels nuclear meltdown is not going to happen overnight. Pat Bowlen and whoever the Broncos bring in as the new head coach will have a monstrous workload on their shoulders to restore Denver back to the status that Adam Schein and the rest of Broncomania wish to see. Although the defense, coaching staff, and front office issues will take at least a year or two to revamp, there is one area where the Broncos could start immediately...and that is at quarterback.

The time for Tim Tebow in Denver has come. Although the Tebow pick was controversial back in April, perhaps it was one of the few things Josh McDaniels actually got right. Even though Tebow's NFL experience has been limited to one goal-line pass for a touchdown this season, he stands as the last reason for Broncos fans to believe in anything by the end of December. Tebow brings more passion for the game in his little finger than Kyle Orton probably has ever had in his entire life. Even Broncos' pro bowl cornerback, Champ Bailey, has publically stated that, "[Starting Tebow at QB is] not my decision to make. I just hope, at some point, I can play with him. We'll see how that goes." Bailey's comments are significant considering that the Broncos are not in negotiation to give him a new contract and he will probably leave the team at the end of this season, barring a minor miracle. Clearly, when a team captain and Pro Bowler like Bailey expresses a desire to see Tim Tebow at quarterback while he's still on the team (and even though Kyle Orton is the official starter), then something has to be wrong with Orton.

Perhaps Tebow is not the ultimate answer for Denver at QB and they will have to begin yet another search for the man who can help the Mile High city get past the glory days of John Elway. Yet, the Broncos will never know what they have in Tebow if they keep him on the bench. In the meantime, fans will continue to become alienated (and thus, more seats will remain empty at Invesco Field) as Kyle Orton continues to make an absolute fool of himself on the football field. If Denver continues to lose, something tells me that the Bronco faithful probably would prefer to see Tebow giving it his all on the field--including making mistakes and taking his licks--rather than watching Orton meander his way into complacent wretchedness. When all is said and done, Tim Tebow is a potential superstar who will electrify a city otherwise blacked out by ten losses and Kyle Orton's neckbeard.

At the beginning of the week, Denver's interim head coach, Eric Studesville, "decided that Orton will remain the starter next weekend at Oakland." Some speculated that this is because Studesville didn't want to throw Tebow into the Raiders' dreaded Black Hole for his first NFL start, but Tebow insisted that, "In college, times like that, I always enjoyed playing on the road just as much in hostile environments, so that wouldn't be a distraction for me." That's the sound of a fighter who's tired of watching his teammates surrender before the game even begins. When it all comes down to it, Tebow just wants the chance to show that he cares about the game even if the rest of the Broncos organization is just happy to collect a paycheck. That's something that the fans need to see if Bowlen wants to sell tickets for the games against San Diego and Houston.

Fortunately, Kyle Orton is suffering from a rib injury, meaning that Tebow will make his first start against the Oakland Raiders later today. Hopefully, Studesville will keep starting Tebow even after Orton heals from his injury. If he does, ultimately, time will tell whether or not Tebow is the right man for the Denver QB position.

This article opened with the idea that Broncos fans want a break from the lifeless, uninspired football that their team currently leaves on the field week in and week out. Outside of the bold efforts of Knowshon Moreno, it's hard to find a true competitor on their starting squad that shows up to play every single week (even Champ Bailey has had his off-weeks). It's time to give the fans the glimmer of hope that comes with watching a young, competitive quarterback fight for every down, every score, and every win with everything that he can muster. Such a warrior spirit has been missing from Denver since the days of John Lynch and Al Wilson. Such a warrior spirit at quarterback has been missing for over a decade since John Elway raised the Lombardi trophy over his head at the end of Super Bowl XXXIII. The Broncos have fallen to a depressing low since that glorious day for the franchise, but it's time to inject some passion into the organization, the city, and its fans with the exuberance that can only come from starting the young man from Florida.

It's time to let Tim Tebow run wild.