AP/Ed Andrieski
Of the 32 NFL franchises that Tim Tebow could've ended up with, the Denver Broncos could very well be the best team for him to embark on his pro career. Tebow's experience in the college ranks as a Florida Gators standout should enable him to face the rigors of the NFL game in the "Mile High" city.
While most NFL atmospheres are quite different from the ones found in college, some are comparable. In this way, Denver's support of the Broncos approaches some major college programs at times. When the AFL selected Denver as one of its original franchises in 1960, the Broncos were the only game in town. There were no other major pro franchises in the city. While the NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball eventually came to Denver, the Broncos have always been the marquee attraction in the city.
Fans of the Denver Broncos had to endure a lot of defeats in the early days of the franchise. The Broncos failed to produce a winning season from 1960-72. When the Broncos finally broke through to win the AFC championship in 1977, the town went crazy. The arrival of quarterback John Elway in the next decade helped to elevate Denver as one of the top squads in the NFL for many years to come.
While there is a great deal of interest surrounding the Broncos in Denver, the scrutiny of the team isn't quite as severe as some other teams in the league. In other NFL cities, like Dallas, New York, Washington and Philadelphia, the pressure to win can be overwhelming. In Denver, Broncos players are revered in the community a little more than some other NFL towns. Tebow can certainly understand this concept based on his collegiate career.
Ultimately, Tebow will have to perform on the field. While his character and work ethic can't be questioned, the results will have to come at some point. However, the atmosphere in Denver should enable Tebow to feel a little more comfortable in his pursuit of pro excellence. He is used to playing in a high-energy environment where winning is expected to take place. The union of Tebow and the Denver Broncos has a chance to be an ideal fit for the quarterback and team.
Comments
You obviously know very little about pro-football and Denver in particular. Denver easy on pro qb's? That is so wrong it must be a joke. Ask Elway about the pressure he received (and the press reporting on everything he did including the candy he handed out on Halloween). Ask Griese how it was playing after Elway. Ask Jake Plummer how he enjoyed being the qb in Denver. Ask Cutler? Denver is ideal for many reasons, none of which you pointed out (qb friendly coach, that has run the spread very successfully in the NFL, and has the complete trust of its owner being the #1 reason). Denver is probably tougher on qb's than pretty much any town in the league. Denver's rabid fan base that has sold out every game since 1970 and chased every qb since Elway out of town with their tales between their legs.
Banjo,
You obviously know what you are talking about. This is probably the best place for Tebow (besides Jax) but it has nothing to do with the fans. It's actually in spite of the fans. Luckily, McDaniels has enough confidence in his own knowledge and ability not to listen to the fans. He treats them like the feeble minded fairies they are and that's why they hate him. But winning cures all that ails you.
BTW, I so like to think that we are better on QB's than the Eagles. I think we would have supported McNabb if he were here, but who knows.
Banjo, you need to get out some. Maybe move to a *real* metropolis to find out what pressure is really like. "Denver is probably tougher on qb's than pretty much any town in the league." Umm, not. NY, Chicago, Dallas, Washington, Oakland. These cities have all had QB carousels, too, in recent memory. And by the way, they all have more than one newspaper in town and most listed, have 5 times the population.
Got to agree w/Banjo, Aaron&superman are probably 18 years old and don't have any historical knowledge. from SI
And mediamania has been out of control. Get this. On Saturday, The Denver Post published 14 photos of the Broncos-Seahawks game (including two in color, one on the front page), eight stories and five charts and graphs. The Rocky Mountain News had 10 stories, five photos and one chart. Come on, News, more photos, more charts. Get with it.
At the Bronco training camp at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, seven communications trailers for television and radio use are parked alongside the practice field. Seven! Three of the trailers are for daily sports talk shows that last three to four hours.
The main subject of conversation and calls generally is Elway. Both of Denver's newspapers run a feature which is called "The Elway Watch," made up of every tidbit that they can scrape together. An example from The Post: "Elway spent some time Wednesday examining an ea
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