Is Tebow Hype or Hope?

Tebow: Hype or Hope?

As soon as Tim Tebow's college career ended, the debate on whether or not he can be an NFL quarterback has taken the league by storm.  Since entering the game in Week 5 in relief of Kyle Orton, Tebow has been moving the NFL "meter."  He has a chance to be a savior of a franchise that has needed one since John Elway.

If you watch "First Take" on ESPN2 daily like I do, other than Skip Bayless, there's one constant... Tim Tebow!  It seems like at least half there topics are discussing Tim Tebow.  As a starter this year, Tebow is a remarkable 7-1.  It's not often that a quarterback has that type of winning percentage, with so many questions still remaining about whether or not he's a quality NFL quarterback.  Tebow has done everything needed to be successful, obviously.  It's the way he's done those things that brings debate.  He's running a lot of the spread option (that supposedly doesn't work in the NFL) that also helped make him a star at Florida.  His completion percentage is nowhere near starting caliber, much less a "pro bowl" level.  He often goes long stretches of the game without a completion.

There's one thing that does stand out.  He has six fourth quarter or overtime game-winning drives.   But it's not like he's doing it by himself.  Willis McGahee is seemingly revitalized next to Tebow.  Denver's defense needs a large amount of credit for giving him a chance to win ball games late.  Kicker, Matt Prater, also has been drilling every kick in crunch time.  These bring up two huge questions.  Where were they when Kyle Orton was starting?  And is Tim Tebow inspiring them to play this kind of football?  If you believe the answer is "yes" to the second question, then Tebow is worth more points than what shows on the scoreboard and is rightfully getting most of the credit.  If your answer is "no," then you either believe it's luck or God has something to do with it.

This is where it gets confusing.  There's an old saying: "I'd rather be lucky than good anyday."  If you believe in luck, you are likely to believe luck eventually runs out or wears off.  In that case, executive vice president John Elway would be smart to look for "good" quarterback instead of a "lucky" one.

If you believe God has something to do with it, you've probably asked yourself, "Why would God waste time on football? Or maybe why would he favor Tim Tebow over Christians he's playing against?"  Many people think God doesn't pick winners and losers in sports.  I tend to agree.  But what if this is bigger than sports?  What if God has decided to take a strong, high-character individual like Tim Tebow, and use him for his glory?  Tebow has said before that he gets to use football as a "platform" to profess his faith.  The NFL has become this multi-billion dollar business and football in general, is now (like it or not baseball fans) America's pastime.  Each time Tebow defies the odds and brings his team back, he's gets another week on ESPN and radio waves all over.  They ask him about God, and he gladly answers.  They show teams in "prayer circles" after the game.  (They have those after almost every game, but it's only showed when Tebow's in it. Coincidence?)  Also, the quarterback position has become unlike any other position in any sport.  It is the face of the team more often than not.  It gets the blame for losing and the credit for winning.  His career gets extended that much longer with each miraculous victory.  Why wouldn't God use an intriguing player, like Tebow who plays the most popular sport in the United States?  I'm not saying this is exactly what is going on but if you're a Christian, like me, I don't see why it wouldn't be in the realm of possibility for you.  And if you are not a Christian, maybe God is using football to show you how he works.

So, is Tebow hype or hope?  It's really too soon to tell.  All I know is it'll be a great game this Sunday when New England comes to town.  So, in the words of Terrell Owens, "Get ya popcorn ready!"  Let's all sit back and enjoy the show.