Denver Broncos

He tried to reproduce a miracle, the one that stunned the disbelievers and shocked the world so incredibly, and felt he could beat the New England Patriots. But this time, Tim Tebow, a prodigal son and messiah, couldn’t pull the trigger to quiet the doubters and whisperers.

It’s time we realize that Tebowmania has suddenly diminished – because the Denver Broncos were no match for the Patriots and never had a response every time New England scored to pummel them in a hostile environment. It’s time to realize that Tebow, especially for a polarizing figure in a game where many have the feeling he’s unproven and an overhyped player at the toughest position in a team sport, has opened himself to criticism.

He looked devastated, knowing he had no more miracles to share in a crazed playoff run. For once, he looked hopeless and beleaguered in yet the biggest challenge of his sensational career after taking over for Kyle Orton during the regular season that drew our attention nationally.

And he was blessed and delivered the Broncos from evil each week. Set aside the ambiguity of whether Tebow was promising or either an inferior pass thrower following the remarkable comebacks.

“I feel like I learned a lot this season,” said a humbled Tebow.

The reactions to this humiliating 45-10 beatdown were anything but charming and instead were horrific, and the agonizing loss will haunt the Broncos for years. He’s credited for turning around the Broncos’ season, becoming a savior, when he took over as starting quarterback, took a knee in prayer after every touchdown and gestured skyward to truly express humility and disclose public faith.

We prefer to witness upsets in the realm of pop culture, as we root for the underdogs in the patriotism of sporting miracles, like Villanova over Georgetown or Buster Douglas over Mike Tyson or Dodgers over A’s or George Bastl over Pete Sampras.

He was tired of the haters, the misgivings in the air, the daily judgments that he’d never grow as an elite NFL pass thrower, as analysts and critics advised the Broncos to switch him to the tight end or fullback position.

Before it all came to an end, he was a miracle-working quarterback – ridiculously described in the same breath as the next John Elway and had been following his legacy by attempting the unthinkable. It was a sad ending, nothing more to be quite honest.

On a disgraceful night in an unfriendly territory, far away from home, it was the most embarrassing defeat since the 55-10 clobbering to San Francisco in Super Bowl XXIV. It cannot be emphasized more clearly that Tebow hasn’t developed into an NFL elite quarterback and, in what was the worst game of his engaging career, he stumbled in a prime time event on center stage for an AFC divisional-round showdown with Tom Brady, a quarterback duel of the largest mismatch since Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito in Twins.

So now what? Will the Broncos keep Tebow as the starting quarterback in the future?

Before he left Gillette Stadium, he stood in the hallway proud, walked in the press conference room somberly but wore a smile, and then talked to the swarms of reporters with maturity, class and optimism. He’s only 24 and talks with common sense as if he’s been living 50 years on this earth. Already, in the NFL, he’s a spectacle and a magnificent tale to be told every week it seems, and as long as he is in the league, Tebow will listen to praise from worshippers but won’t be given much admiration from sports atheists or disbelievers.

What we saw was a newfound icon rise before our very eyes, and the world suddenly stopped to embrace Tebowmania that stole most of the publicity this season. It’s a grudging tribute no better defined for a disliked and equivocal quarterback, drawing as much appreciation as a top-tier player normally would, not a second-year star with many questions about his throwing motion and potential.

It’s all over now, all the talk surrounding Tebowmania – and the Broncos were extremely manhandled and eliminated by the Patriots on a frigid night. The holes on the Broncos were so greatly apparent that seemingly we all witnessed an inexperience team with the lack of real playmakers as if they were performing like a JV high school team, relapsing and faltering when meeting its toughest opponent – exposed to New England’s high-flying offense.

It was as if they knew the way to contain and hinder Tebow from gaining a chunk of yards through the air and ground, unable to avoid the pressure or run through the seam, sacked play after play. At which point, he had exposed all his weaknesses by throwing incomplete passes and handing the ball off frequently, when he found it difficult to take advantage of New England’s horrendous pass-rushing defense. America, sadly, knows he’s a modest human being, but refuses to acknowledge his achievements this season, mocking and turning the Tebow conversations into sport’s biggest tease.

It might not have been so bad after a remarkable seven-game winning streak and after taking the Broncos to the division championship and a home-game appearance. When the Broncos beat the Steelers last week, Tebow was clearly the heavy talk of the NFL postseason, stealing the show and attention by pulling off another miracle, one that generated tremendous hype. It all suddenly died so fatally, in the bone-chilling, crisp night skies at Gillette Stadium, where the night turned into darkness as prayer wasn’t enough to erect a comeback, so help him God.

The first thing we should note, struggling to deliver complete passes and finding space to run, as it was a miserable and horrible ending to a season of aspiration and promise, is that Tebow was harried and harassed throughout the night. In every series, just about, he was sacked numerous times, he failed in throwing passes effectively, he took hard blows and, by the end of the night, he could have used a nice spa in the comfort of a luxury suite.

He didn’t fight tears but quickly smiled then spoke nicely after a miraculous season had come to an end so miserably, and midway in the third quarter as the game was pretty much out of reach, the entire stadium serenaded “Te-Bow, Te-Bow.” Fans were rubbing it in, making it real clear that Brady is the far more superior passer in the league and, in truth — it ended the Tebow hype. As he was slammed to the turf by defensive end Shaun Ellis, flatted out on the field like a sheet of paper, Tebow was lost and swaying nervously.

But when the familiar marvel stopped Saturday night, he wasn’t drawing much noise publicly and now the astonishing story no longer revolves around him – for the time being. He’s not a showboat, an overpaid bum, but the speedy version of a wild horse with strength and quickness, all those ingredients that led to this point. This time, in the show business of NFL studs, he wasn’t nearly as flawless like the Patriots’ sensational quarterback.

Whatever the unfulfilled disappointment or plights showed on Saturday night, he suffered in the cold and finished 9-of-26 for 136 yards with no touchdowns. That essentially summed up the night for Tebow. But it was, as usual, a superb night for the pretty boy, the actor who could’ve won an academy award when Brady was photographed wearing and walking in a protective boot on his right foot after surgery and had also been seen with his wife, Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen.

He’s the one who had the bigger and more efficient game, throwing-wise – that is. Which explains why Brady completed his first eight passes and had thrown 26-of-34 overall for 363 yards, finding and connecting with Patriots’ tight ends. He’s one of the greatest quarterbacks, in a sense, and exposed the Broncos’ poor secondary, wearing down their bodies and, by the time it was over, their throats were scratchy, they had fatigued legs and were short of breath.

So here they are again, one win away from another trip to the Super Bowl for the first time in four years and Brady is loaded with a bottomless receiver core, particularly with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, two tight ends having sensational runs this season. Brady is always hurling those passes, and against the Broncos, he found Gronkowski and Hernandez to combine for 18 catches, 200 yards and four touchdowns.

It’s a story that has been told so many times, and assuming that the Patriots defense was soft and terrible in pass defense and rushing defense, it was easy to discredit and speak foul of New England even when Bill Belichick is the best defensive mind in football. It was surprising, very surprising that the Pats dismantled and pushed around Tebow like he was a puppet on strings in a theatrical show in Foxborough.

Limited to only three pass completions in the first half, he watched the Patriots pile on points and painfully was the fallen star. As it turned into an aerial performance, Brady eclipsed the Tebow drama and tossed five touchdown passes in the first half, the most in NFL postseason history. The Patriots, unlike the Steelers last week, were able to create a disadvantage for the Broncos with an acute strategy and a well-designed game plan and weren’t intimidated by Tebow’s running abilities in the option plays. They were disciplined well and changed up their schemes defensively to confuse the baffled quarterback, and indeed, he was lost – not able to escape the pocket and run routes.

At the end, he talked about the future in humbleness and said that he plans to work hard and improve each day — and knowingly so — he will inspire his players and will develop. Knowing him, he’ll work harder in the weight room and watch film. Knowing him, he’ll try whatever it takes to polish his throwing motions and mobility.

He wants to become consistent and meet the biggest challenges next season, driven and having the state of mind to rebound from a poor playoff performance. There are doubters everywhere that never believed he could win a single NFL game, but he fooled us all and accomplished just that, unfortunately falling short, way short in the divisional-round. He can’t throw the ball so well, obviously.

“I was really proud where he started and where he brought his team,” Denver coach John Fox said. “We are a work in progress. We have got a lot of work to do and that hasn’t changed. And from the two matchups we had against the New England Patriots [this year], I think it is evident that we have work to do.”

If he’s a long-term plan for the Broncos, then Tebow must grow, throw efficient passes and have a sense of awareness – otherwise it will be tough years ahead for not only him but Denver as well, as they tried out this experiment that took them far into the playoffs.

I guess all you need is much faith.

He could be the future in the Mile High City.
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Written by Jonathan Mathis, Columnist (Archive/RSS)

An aspiring sports journalist, a sports columnist for three sports sites. Sports Judge is all sports. Follow @Jon9685