The Tebow Crusade rages on
A militant faction of the Broncos fan base insists that winning isn’t everything.
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Tim Tebow thrilled every Broncos fan last season. His 4th quarter comebacks and overtime victories were the stuff of legend. Broncomaniacs will never forget how he helped turn 2011 from a near disaster into something they could be proud of. He not only took Denver to the playoffs, he beat the Steelers in overtime with one of the most memorable passes in franchise history.
What many do seem to have forgotten is how the Broncos won the games that they did – in gut-wrenching last-second fashion. Not a single one of the Tebow games was in hand throughout. Each was a dazzling display of both fortitude and good fortune and each had fans on the edges of their seats. Tim Tebow played more poorly through the opening 50 plus minutes of those match-ups than most people could even believe. In the wake of the a remarkable AFC West Championship much of that is long forgotten – especially by a certain sect who will always be convinced that “all he does is win”. This conviction is based not on Tebow’s ability to play quarterback in the NFL – it’s based on the fact that people like him.
That’s not difficult to understand. He is, after all, a wonderful person by all accounts. He is the kind of man you might want your daughter to bring home – someone you can trust. But, for many, it’s Tebow’s faith that made them love him. Those people refuse to accept that Tebow might not be the Broncos’ best long-term answer at quarterback.
On his radio program this morning, conservative radio host, Peter Boyles, referred to Peyton Manning as “Satan Manning”. Boyles is no dummy. He knows who his listeners are and he makes his living keeping them whipped into a frenzy. His is to speak to the Tebow Crusaders – the “fans” who not only credit Tebow completely with the Broncos recent success, ignoring the other 51 players who’s efforts played a role, but who place their loyalty to him well ahead of their fandom of the Denver Broncos.
I will be honest. I was in denial as the existence of these fans. I, too, have a soft spot for Tim Tebow and, perhaps fearing guilt-by-association, I did not want to believe that there were people who would go so far as to advocate violence against John Elway for pursuing Peyton Manning.
There is an angry mob out there clutching torches and threatening to burn this City down over the Manning signing. Their insanity runs so deep that they are incapable of realizing that there is more than one way to win in the NFL and that last-second miracles are not something a President of Football Operations is prone to rely upon. These people are completely irrational and misguided and it’s because of their religious beliefs.
I was raised in the Church. I was taught humility and forgiveness and to set my ego aside in favor of the common good. I was taught that Jesus gave his life for my sins. Yet the Tebow Crusaders are so obsessed and so upset that they can’t even stand to see a young multi-millionaire lose his job playing professional football? How in Heaven can people who worship Christ hold Tim Tebow up as a deity?
Tebow himself was frankly not thrilled to be in Colorado to begin with. Pro Football Talk dot com ran a feature this morning about Tebow’s feelings towards the Manning signing. Tebow has told close friends that he is not surprised by it and that he hopes to return to Florida. He told one friend: “I miss home. I miss the South. And hopefully I’ll land somewhere in Florida.”
He didn’t say “I am devasated, all I ever wanted was to play for the Denver Broncos.” No. His loyalty to the franchise is no more intense than John Elway’s is to him. He wants attention, he wants to get paid and he wants to run his Foundation. Those things mean more to him than wearing the Orange and Blue. And winning means more to the Broncos than selling a few thousands extra trinkets to fans of Tebow.
I saw a photo on the internet of a female Steelers fan wearing a customized black and gold Steelers jersey with the name “Tebow” on the back. She is a member of the Cult of Tebow. It makes zero difference to her where Tebow plays. She, like the rest of the Crusade, will follow him wherever he goes. Still, she was furious with John Elway.
What she and others like her fail to realize is the damage they are doing to Tim Tebow’s career. Because of the intensity of their emotions, Tebow Crusaders limit him. He can only play in a City where he is behind a proven winner like Tom Brady or in one where an owner desperate to sell tickets is willing to bring him aboard and deal with the insanity.
A brief war is raging between fans who want to see the Broncos win at all costs and fans who would sooner watch Tebow play regardless of the outcome. Thankfully, this war won’t rage much longer. Tebow will be gone soon. If the Broncos cannot find a willing trading partner they will release him. They have to. Tim Tebow can thank the Crusaders for that.
