LITTLE ROCK — It is impossible to be agnostic about Tim Tebow.
That is not a reference to the man’s faith. In fact, this has nothing to do with religion.
It’s about the gap between those who believe in Tebow’s viability as an NFL starting quarterback and those who doubt it. It’s a debate with no middle ground, opinions as unambiguous as a pregnancy test.
You believe in him or you don’t. And by him, I don’t mean Him. I mean Tebow. Again, not about religion.
It is about whether you believe in clutch hitting, inspirational essences and that certain indescribable something that defines an All-American winner. Is that how you see Tebow? Former Broncos Coach Josh McDaniels must have, drafting him in the first round last year, and there are plenty of supporters for the player who’s been mediocre as a Broncos starter.
To doubt Tebow is to believe a player is the sum of measurable parts. That arm strength, release time and field vision comes together in a cold, logical formula that determines a quarterback’s likelihood of success. And whileit’s not impossible for Tebow to succeed, those who believe in scouting reports and percentages would say it’s unlikely.
Quarterback is football’s black box, a position not only laden with physical and mental demands but with leadership responsibilities, too. It’s a place where terms like intangibles, poise and pocket presence are used to try to capture the effect a quarterback’s persona can have on the rest of the offense.
Does Tebow have that? Is there a certain charm that transcends all the observable flaws? Because there’s a lot of them, including a windup that could be considered slow in baseball.
And for 57 minutes against Miami, he was bad as critics had forecast. It was the final three minutes, though, that he was in middle of a historic comeback - scoring 15 points to force overtime and make you wonder whether Tebow has the kind of leadership that is tough to describe and impossible to fake.
There is no middle ground here. Not for Broncos fans. Not for anyone who spends a chunk of his or her Sunday watching the nation’s most popular sports league.
Can he be a good NFL quarterback? It’s a very compelling question.
If you believe in process, the Broncos’ victory in Miami was aconfluence of statistical oddities from an outrageous reception by tight end Daniel Fells to the unlikelihood of the Broncos recovering an onside kick.
If you believe in destiny, well that was Tebow at his most pure, coming through the way winners do.
Tebow’s flaws are obvious even to an amateur eye. He doesn’t get rid of the ball quickly, his passes seem to float more than zip and even a quarterback built like a linebacker is going to get busted up when he runs around like Tebow does.
I don’t think he’ll be a longterm starter in this league.
That doesn’t mean I don’t want him to succeed, though. He’s an underdog, which is hard to believe given all the games he won in college, and he doesn’t feel an ounce of doubt despite all the disbelief and debate over his ability.
The NFL is a results-oriented league. Scouting reports and forecasts are trumped by wins and losses, and it will be fascinating to watch this debate with no middle ground answered over the final two months of this Broncos season.
Sports, Pages 14 on 10/31/2011