Tim Tebow is Losing the Denver Broncos QB Battle

I’ve been called a “Tebow hater” many times in my time. A label that is tossed around far too much when it comes to the untouchable, teflon don in some people’s eyes, Tim Tebow. People act like the entire planet wants to see Tim fail. They act like Tim didn’t have the fastest selling rookie jersey of all time. They act like if you criticize Tim you hate Jesus, God, and everything Holy.

If you are one of those people don’t read this post.

I’m serious. Click the little red [x] and leave. You aren’t going to like this post.

Now that the Broncos have decided to keep Kyle Orton as the starter for 2011, the Broncos fans are starting to separate themselves from the Tebow fans parading around as Broncos fans at an extremely fast rate. Those Tebow fans claim that the Broncos have given the job to Tebow and that is a foregone conclusion that Kyle Orton will be traded quicker than I can complete this sentence.

Here is what we know. Before the Broncos opened camp they intended on Tim Tebow being the unquestioned #1 QB. Kyle Orton was on the trade block, but the Broncos were not prepared to just GIVE him away. Remember they have no idea if Tebow can even play. We will get back to that subject later. The Miami Dolphins low-balled the Broncos, and the Broncos felt that it was worth it to retain Orton and pay him well over $9 million dollars this season.

Then training camp broke. The date to pay Orton’s roster bonus got closer and closer. Tim Tebow played so underwhelming in camp that reporters started reporting that Brady Quinn was more competition to Orton than Tebow, and it wasn’t even close. John Fox and Brian Xanders must have felt this way as well, because Orton’s roster bous was paid and he was quickly taken off the block for the near future.

Broncos veteran WR Brandon Lloyd took to the media, doing his best impression of Terrell Owens. Lloyd claimed he was putting all his energy into getting Tebow ready, and that the Broncos were planning on trading Orton to avoid dealing with “the Tebow thing.”

The Tebow thing. What’s that? Its overblown expectations of a player that was drafted at least 30 picks than he should have went in the NFL Draft. Overblown expectations for a player that the Broncos blew three draft picks to trade up for. Overblown expectations of a Quarterback that the coach that drafted him only used him in gimmick running packages. And now John Fox has to inherit THESE expectations in this Quarterback who simply doesn’t have it.

That’s the fact of the matter.

If Tebow was the prospect that Josh McDaniels and Tebow Nation think he is, then Kyle Orton would have taken his talent to South Beach with Reggie Bush and Lebron James.

Instead, Orton is back in Denver on a one-year $9 million plus deal as the unquestioned starter according to Adam Schefter and several other trusted media outlets. You don’t pay $9 million dollars to anyone to sit on the bench, not when you can trade him. Brandon Lloyd can work the media all he wants. Everyone at Invesco can wear their #15 jerseys. It will not matter if Tebow doesn’t have the goods.

I don’t hate Tim Tebow. I’ve even said publicly that he would be a very good player if he were to switch positions. That still doesn’t take away the fact that there is a mountain of hype and false expectations for the guy.

Tim has all August to prove us critics wrong and win the job. But he is on an uphill battle against Kyle Orton, Brady Quinn, and that mountain of expectations.