I’m no Tim Tebow fan, the way he flaunts his religion turns me off, and he comes off as a bit arrogant. I think former Denver coach Josh McDaniels over-reached by a good two rounds when he traded up to pick him in the first round two years ago. That being said, the guy is getting a serious screwjob by the Broncos right about now. It does raise an interesting philosophical question, though. Does your virginity remain intact when you get bent over by your employer?
Look, there is no debate in my mind that, until he proves otherwise, Kyle Orton is and should be the starting quarterback in Denver. The guy’s pretty good. He’s not great, but he can run an offense, he doesn’t make a ton of mistakes and he’s not gonna kill you on Sundays. I’ve got no issue with Orton being the guy.
But Brady Quinn as the backup? Seriously? I’ve watched Tebow play in his starts last season and in the preseason. I’ve watched Quinn play in his three seasons in Cleveland. There is quite simply no conceivable way anyone, anywhere could possibly believe that Quinn has more upside than Tebow. Quinn was nothing short of absolutely putrid in his previous on-field efforts. I’m pretty sure I could play better, given a chance. Yet somehow, we’re expected to believe that Quinn is the better choice and that Tebow needs to either be traded or outright released.
This is complete bull. This has more to do with the two John’s (Fox and Elway) trying to wipe out McDaniels’ short legacy than anything Tebow has or hasn’t done. What has he done, by the way? Well, he threw 5 touchdowns against 3 interceptions with a QB rating of 82.1 and rushed for 5.3 yards per on 43 carries and 6 more touchdowns in limited action last year as a rookie. In the preseason this year, he’s 7 for 9 passing, 11 yards per attempt, with a rating of 113.7 and 22 rushing yards on just 3 carries for a 7.3 clip. Yeah, he totally sucks. Why are they keeping this hack around?
Quinn, on the other hand, has had ample opportunity to win the starting job in Cleveland over the years, and he’s produced a career QB rating in the mid 60s. In the preseason with Denver, he’s got the most attempts, the lowest completion percentage, the lowest yards per attempt, the most interceptions and the lowest rating of the three Denver QBs. Yet somehow, he’s “outplayed” Tebow and has “earned” the backup spot.
John Fox isn’t exactly a coaching mastermind, either. He’s what I refer to as a member of the retread carousel, that being a failed coach who gets fired from one job and then inexplicably lands another right away. He had a couple good years in Carolina, more bad ones, and his idea of a great QB was overpaying to keep World League retread Jake Delhomme in the league several years after it was obvious he was finished. Fox is little more than a poor man’s Jeff Fisher. Lots of talent year after year, and consistently disappointing results.
I’m not sold Tebow will ever be a consistent contributor in the NFL, but I’m damn sure that Quinn will never be. Tebow has infinitely more potential, and a range of skills that far exceeds Quinn’s in a much smaller body of experience. At this point, I hope he does get released just so he can get a chance somewhere else with a coach who’s not judging him based on some difficult to comprehend standard and might be able to figure out a way to use his unique skill set.
Far be it for me to wish an injury on any player, but if they do move Tebow out, it would totally serve Fox and Denver right if Orton were to go down and Quinn be forced to play. Maybe then, they’ll see what everyone in Cleveland (and anyone who’s actually watched an NFL game) already knows; Brady Quinn is a total, indefensible trainwreck under center.
Killer Crossover 