The Winner, the Quitter, and the Quarterback...

With doves flying over the practice field, freezing marbled sized raindrops pierced the lavender scented plains. People half expected the darkened sky to part and a ray of holy light to descend onto the field and embrace Gainesville's favored son Timothy Richard Tebow. That was not the case.
Now I have never claimed to be a sports columnist, nor have I ever specifically gone to a Pro Training camp but today I got to see UF's Warrior-monk on his first day at work as a Denver Bronco...The occasional “Go Gators” would bubble to the surface and was utterly respected. Orange and Blue have a natural home here in the Mile High City and I proudly wore my colors.
Now given his career at Florida with two National titles.. .he has well deserved hype. He did beat the collegiate records of; Peyton Manning [pass %] and Herschel Walker [rushing yardage], while twice nominated for the Heisman and being the first underclassman to win it. Not to mention a litany of accolades, any one of which, would make any athlete blush; you would think that his progression to the starting position of any team would be sealed on day one?
That was definitely not the case...
Ahead of him in the Broncos much maligned Quarterback Roster sits Kyle Orton (8) and Brady Quin (9), respectively. Timmy is third string, meaning he's the backup of the backup and much to the chagrin of many die-hard Bronco fans, they traded 2x Pro-Bowler (nick-named “The Beast”); Brandon Marshall for 2 second round draft picks and $47.5M, thus putting the death knell in the Mike Shanahan years. It also goes against all convention that this third string, backup of the backup has also sold more jerseys in his debut, than the whole team combined.
Which fueled this uneasy feeling I got from the fans who came to see if second year coach Josh McDaniels had made an egregious error in judgment by drafting young Tim and yet still secretly hoping that his spectacular gamble was not folly.
You see as a new resident of Denver I can not call myself a part of its diverse tapestry nor a string in its fabric but more accurately a smudge on the edge of its parchment. Given the proud football tradition this city has; with 2 Superbowl wins and 20 playoff appearances, lasts years 2-8 record burns at the cities core. McDaniels had to do something great and extraordinary to reverse course from the toxic Shanahan era. So he cleans house and recruits a mostly untested rookie class and makes, arguably, the most controversial football drafting decision ever made. That gamble falls again onto Tebows shoulders.
Watching him take his limited snaps you could honestly hear the enthusiasm of the capacity crowd wax and wane with the quarterback cycle. Now I'm not talking about the average; “Way to go!” with “OHHH's” and “AHHH's” at the drop of the ball (Tim and Quin each had theirs). I'm talking about adolescent teenage girls yelling in shrill voices; “TiM tEboW”... At times it much more resembled a Justin Bieber concert than a testosterone filled football camp. Grown men with aspirations of Sundays in the Man-Cave filled with suds & buds would yell “Go Tim!” and it was silly... It was also apparent that the crowd hinged at the snap to see if young Tim would run or pass-it. Denizens of Denver marveled at their first sight of the prodigy from the East. Many where visibly disgusted at his lefty wounded-duck pass. Many more where upset to see both his incompletes.
Still Quin in the second slot has a lot to be worried about. His knowledge of the Norte Dame football systems jargon, is compatible with the Mile-High system, however his audacity (or lack there-of) is not. Quin is by all accounts an intelligent quarterback who is comfortable passing in the pocket. However that strength is also his weakness. I saw him throw away 3 opportunities rather than be sacked or make an incomplete pass. Even when he hit his receiver in the back of the helmet, no one is denigrating his accuracy. They are questioning his fortitude.
But I cannot shake the feeling that everyone’s expectations are greater than the “Rookie” can mange. I have faith in my champion for I heard his speech after the Ole Miss game and I saw him play with both Faith and Moxie. However, I was here in Denver the night of the Kentucky game and saw Superman fall. He is human. He is still uncomfortable in the pocket and would much rather smash into the defender than vice versa. Let us just hope that his style of play matched with his work ethic will win over the city and his team. It almost certainly will. But I digress.
The evening was capped with the stark image of Tebow carrying Kyle Otrens pads, (a rookies traditional duty) and a mob of fans from every socio-economic strata yelling “Tebow” not Orton's name. You see the team I fear is embattled in a search for its identity. Orten maybe the Quarterback and “Quin” maybe his backup, but Tim, he's their destiny, he's their winner...