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FAITH BEYOND THE FOURTH QUARTER continued...
The boys from the Mile-High City, led by their “Mile-High Messiah,” finished the regular season as skin-of-their-teeth AFC West champions with an 8-8 record. Despite falling to Kansas City, now quarterbacked by Orton, on New Year’s Day, the Broncos earned themselves a spot in the playoffs thanks to the San Diego Chargers beating the Oakland Raiders. Tebow began his improbable fourth-quarter win streak with an 18-15 overtime stunner against Miami, lobbing the tying touchdown pass with 17 seconds left. From there, after a loss to Detroit, he led the Broncos to six straight W’s; two games ended in overtime, while five were decided by a touchdown or less. Bronco fans quickly embraced “Tebow Time,” including Coach John Fox. “He’s gotten better every week,” Fox said after another unlikely victory. “Six or seven weeks ago, people said he couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn.” Typical Tebow talk. The 24-year-old consistently references his relationship with God, causing listeners to love him or wish he would zip it. Tebow’s signature postgame pose — knee to the ground, head bowed, and fist pressed to his forehead or “Tebowing” — has even inspired a website where fans submit photos of themselves mimicking the 2007 Heisman winner. Controversy and Tebow are old friends. In 2010, the NCAA instituted what is commonly called “The Tebow Rule,” banning all letters and symbols written in players’ eye black after Tebow’s prominent display of Bible verses. The Alabama legislature has a bill pending that would allow homeschooled athletes to play for their local schools called “The Tim Tebow Bill.” The Jacksonville, Fla. native is used to stirring up strong emotions from fans and media. Dozens of social media webpages are devoted to admiring the quarterback but dozens more have titles like, “Watching Tim Tebow cry makes me happy.” Tebow shrugs off such criticism. “I’m not sure why [they criticize], but I am extremely blessed,” he said in a postgame interview. “God has blessed me with so many people that support me … People aren’t always going to like you, but you have to keep believing.” What about all those, even some well-known Christians, who advise Tebow to dial back his references to Christ? “If you’re married, and you have a wife, and you really love your wife, is it good enough to only say to your wife, I love her, the day you get married? Or should you tell her every single day when you wake up and have the opportunity?” he asked ESPN’s First Take. “And that’s how I feel about my relationship with Jesus Christ.” Such faith has been the hallmark of Tebow’s life from the womb. As told in a widely-debated 2010 Super Bowl commercial, Pam Tebow gave birth to Tim in the Philippines after contracting an often-deadly disease and being encouraged to abort. Along with his four older siblings, Tebow was homeschooled until college and volunteered in his parents’ Filipino orphanage. At the University of Florida, he dominated the gridiron, twice leading the Gators to the BCS National Championship while becoming the first-ever sophomore to nab the Heisman. He also was the first college QB to run for 20 touchdowns and throw for another 20 in a single season — a classic example of his preference to use his legs just as much as his arm. Despite his collegiate success, many considered Tebow’s preferred spread-option offense not viable in the NFL. To the surprise of many, Denver chose him anyway with a first-round draft pick in 2010. After releasing Orton, Tebow now sits ahead of lone backup Brady Quinn. Critics ding him for his often-low pass completion rate and trigger-happy propensity to leave the pocket, but teammates say Tebow has a quality statisticians can’t measure. “The thing about Tim, I respect him, because he’s never pushed his religion off on anybody,” Broncos linebacker Wesley Woodyard told the Associated Press. “He just goes out there and believes in God himself and shows it every day.” Tebow’s belief in Jesus began at age six, three years after moving back to the U.S. His time in the Philippines stayed with him; the Tim Tebow Foundation today supports approximately 50 Filipino orphans and is building a pediatric hospital in Davao City. He also works with Dreams Come True, an organization fulfilling wishes of terminally-ill children. The Tebow Foundation has impressed former NFL coach Tony Dungy. “Tim has already demonstrated he is a young man of uncommon ability, determination and, most of all, character,” he says on the foundation’s website. “This foundation is just further evidence of his belief that what he does off the field is just as important as what he does on it.” No matter his location, Tebow frequently credits others before himself, including fellow Broncos. “I think my teammates make me look a lot better than I am,” he said. “I don’t think its ‘Tebow Time.’ I just think its ‘Bronco Time’ and the team steps up as a team.” Everyone knows, however, to Whom Tebow gives his first allegiance. “That’s the thing about my faith — it’s not just something that happens when you’re at church or happens when you’re praying or reading the Scripture,” he told the Associated Press. “It’s part of who you are, as a person, as a player, in your life and everything.” photo courtesy Denver Broncos Football Club
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