Faith No More

You almost have to wonder what Tim Tebow would have to have done to make believers out of head coach John Fox and VP John Elway. Is turning around a franchise that started off 1-4, clinching a division title and notching a huge upset victory over the defending AFC champions not enough for one to keep their job? In an era where atheism is at its apex, does it not matter that the Crown Prince of Christianity has managed to still emerge as the NFL's most popular athlete?

The Broncos' decision to axe Tebow Time in exchange for making the Rockies "Peyton's Place" is the latest in a string of slights that the former Heisman winner and two-time NCAA champion has had to endure since he bid adieu to Gainesville, Florida. It wasn't enough that everyone watched his every step at the Combine. It wasn't enough that guys like Merrill Hoge took every opportunity to bash the most decorated collegiate athlete of our time. We always had to find some wrench to throw in Tebow's way. It's the kind of chicanery that feeds the legacy of Tim Tebow as America's most beloved underdog: the unappreciated good guy who triumphs no matter the odds. This time, however, this latest debacle feeds into what bloggers and media outlets love to do during news lulls: create conspiracy theories. My take on why Fox and Elway were so desperate to end Tebowmania has been mentioned before but was reinforced when the team was finally able to snag this offseason's biggest free agent fish in Peyton Manning.

For Fox, it's pretty simple. Tebow doesn't fit the mold of the type of conservative quarterback that was not only the lynchpin of Fox's teams in Carolina but also the prototype used by Fox's mentor, Bill Parcells. Tim Tebow didn't evoke memories of Phil Simms or Jake Delhomme. Instead, he was a one of one. A true original. A superb athlete with no real precedent. Tebow was a huge wad of clay and Fox wasn't exactly an architectural expert.

For Elway, the theories that Tebow's overwhelming popularity in Denver was making Elway a bit nervous got a bit more weight with Elway's increasing anxiousness to exile Tebow. After all, we live in a "What have you done for me lately?" world and Elway had just sat back and watched the memory of former rival Brett Favre get washed away in Green Bay in large part because of the success of heir apparent Aaron Rodgers(Although, Favre's three-year "Fuck you, Green Bay!" campaign was just as big a factor). You don't think that, given Tebow's knack for winning and insatiable want to get better, there was a possibility that Tebow could be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy with greater speed than Elway, who was infamous for his postseason failures up until the final two years of his career? You don't think that Elway, one of the great clutch performers of any era, was starting to get scared with every fourth quarter comeback Tebow was putting under his belt? In the social networking society we live in, all it takes is a couple triumphs here and there to turn you into an icon. It doesn't take much to be famous. Don't think for a second that Elway doesn't know. Tim Tebow was the most talked about athlete in an NFL season that saw rookie records shattered and three QB's surpass the once-unfathomable 5,000 passing yard mark.....and that was after putting together a season that was, statistically, average. Imagine if Tebow would have spent the next few seasons committing himself to becoming a more pure passer and started putting together 4,000 yard passing seasons to go along with that bulldozing running style of his. Imagine if Tebow emerged as the bigger, stronger version of the Micheal Vick that Vick was supposed to be in Atlanta. Elway would be shitting his pants in the press box with every pass.

As soon as the season ended, the plot was simple: We need to get rid of Tebow but only if we can get back someone that won't cause a mutiny. Viola! Enter Peyton Manning. The problem with that is obvious. For one, as big a name as Manning is, he isn't going to make everyone forget Tim Tebow unless Broncos fans are every bit as fickle as, say, Knicks fans. Second, you've now given one of the most tireless workers in the league a reason to make you regret giving up on him. This isn't cutting the cord on a fat tub of lard like Albert Haynesworth. Tebow is going to make Denver pay for this. Third, while everyone wants to soak their shorts over doctors' reports and non-contact workouts, the fact remains that we don't know if Manning will still have his fastball when the season opens up in six months. He's 36, coming off three neck surgeries and he hasn't taken a hit in a year and a half. Even the biggest optimist will tell you Manning returning to MVP form isn't a near-certainty. So, in a twist of irony, if this Manning-Tebow swap, which was partially made by Elway out of fear that Tebow would replace him in the hearts of the Denver faithful, goes awry, it will cause a backlash in Denver that will bring along the very vitrial towards the two-time Super Bowl winner that he was so deathly afraid of.

So, Elway's decision is mostly tied to Manning's health, but it's also tied into what Tebow does in his second act in his new locale as well as where that new locale is. Jacksonville has been the rumored destination for Tebow even before he was a Denver Bronco and it makes sense on so many levels. First, Tebow's obviously an icon in Florida and his presence on a team that couldn't sell out a game with a rope and a gun would be huge. Second, the team is in desperate need of a QB. Whether Tebow is a potential elite QB remains to be seen but it goes without saying that he'd be an upgrade over Blaine Gabbert. A Gabbert-for-Tebow trade makes sense because it allows Gabbert to get the tutlege he was never allowed to get in Jacksonville and it also allows Denver to place Tebow on a team with a higher degree of difficulty in terms of biting the Broncos back on the ass. Even though Tebow succeeded with guys like Eddie Royal and Demaryius Thomas as his go-to guys, those guys look like the "Greatest Show On Turf" compared to Tebow's would-be supporting cast in Jacksonville. Miami looked to be another ideal spot for Tebow, but they just signed David Garrard. Granted, a 34-year old QB coming off back surgery isn't exactly a reason to turn down alternative options, but considering Tebow is only on the market because he's being replaced by the scant hopes that a 36-year old with a broken neck can return to MVP form, you'd have to say Tebow-to-the-Dolphins is a bit more of a long shot than initially planned.

It's the latest saga in a string of Tim Tebow-related events that seem almost staged for maximum effect in the hopes that they will someday lead to an ESPN-produced/Channing Tatum-led Tim Tebow movie. It's fitting that the most unconventional quarterback in years was replaced by the man who might be the ideal specimen when looking for a prototypical quarterback. From the minute Tebow lands at his new destination, the fates of Elway, Manning and Tebow will be forever intertwined. For now, Denver's decision to move on from Tebow is the latest in what has been a smattering of disrespect since the new regime came to town. Perhaps it's a great deal of fortune by Tebow that Manning's arrival will finally allow Touchdown Jesus to get the full appreciation he never received by the powers-that-be in Mile High.

The only thing better than good underdog movie......is the inevitable sequel. For Elway and Fox, it's coming to theaters near you very soon.