Quinn and Tebow battled for the backup job during the preseason (Jeffery Beall, Creative Commons)

Tim Tebow, he of endless college accomplishments and debatable success as a professional quarterback for the Denver Broncos, has quickly developed a rabid fan base that is quick to defend his faults and even quicker to attack those who dare question his greatness . 

And now the newest victim of Tebow defenders is former Broncos quarterback Brady Quinn. While Quinn should not receive a free pass for his comments, and has apologized for the way his statements were misconstrued in an article released last week by GQ Magazine, the media attack he has endured over the past few days shows how Tebowmania has turned into a dangerous phenomenon.

Too often the sports media world criticizes a player or coach, Derek Jeter and Bill Belichick being among the two most notorious, for being too cautious and basically revealing nothing in their public interviews and statements.

Yet, Quinn was ripped in sports world this week earlier this week for going against the grain, by not kissing the ground upon which Tebow walks. Take a look at his comments, and see why Tebowmania has let emotion exaggerate a couple true and mostly harmless statements.

“Early in the season, there was a game when Kyle [Orton] got hurt and the coaches were calling for me to go in, but Kyle got up and finished the game out. So I was the second-string guy. Then, a few weeks later, they decided to put Tim in. I felt like the fans had a lot to do with that. Just 'cause they were chanting his name. There was a big calling for him. No, I didn't have any billboards. That would have been nice.”

What does that sound like?

That’s right, a quarterback controversy. And as the quarterback who lost the battle, does Quinn rue how the situation played out? Of course he does.

That being said, nothing he says in this quote is wrong. Broncos coach John Fox said throughout the preseason that Quinn was the backup quarterback, yet after Orton went out, Tebow got the nod. As Quinn suggested, that was only after Broncos fans clamored for Tebow to start, even buying billboards and using other ad campaigns to promote the second-year pro.

Yet, Quinn has been blasted on this comment for sounding bitter and vengeful. While a tinge of regret and jealousy can be heard in Quinn’s comments, he by no means attacked his former teammate. He simply stated the sequence of events that led to Tebow becoming the starter. Yet, Tebowmaniacs claim Quinn's comments make him a bad teammate.

Prater, not Tebow, ensured the Broncos' victory over Chicago (Wikimedia Commons)

Though the article just went to print, Quinn was interviewed in late November, just as Tebow was leading the Broncos on a six-game winning streak. Quinn likely saw Tebow on his run and felt like he deserved his chance to lead the Broncos on a similar streak. Football players are among the most competitive human beings on the planet, and Quinn was eked out of the starting job partially thanks to off-field factors--he has the right to be miffed by the turn of events.

Quinn also shared his thoughts on the Broncos' 17-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, in which Tebow completed only two passes.

“The entire game, the defensive line is chasing the quarterback around, and that wears down the pass rush. Meanwhile, the defensive backs are chasing receivers, but you only throw eight passes, so they start to feel lazy. It only takes that one play, that one big pass, for a touchdown.”

Once again, Quinn told the truth. The Broncos ran the ball 55 times during that victory against eight pass attempts, setting the NFL passing game back around 60 years. It should be a defensive coordinator’s job to make sure his unit is prepared for all situations, but when a team goes deep on you, which Tebow did for his 56-yard TD pass to Eric Decker in the 4th quarter, after completing only one pass the whole game, then it throws you for a loop.

The backup quarterback role in the NFL is to relay play calls to the starter, and be “that guy” giving out high-fives and butt-slaps for all the players coming back to the sidelines. So though Quinn did not embrace the “good guy” role, it is hard not to fault him for lamenting the fact that Tebow received immense media praise despite his futile play for 90% of the game.

"We've had a lot of, I guess, luck, to put it simply."

This comment especially irks Tebow-backers. Yet, the focus of this question was about the Broncos’ 13-10 victory over the Bears, in which Matt Prater, not Tebow, was the hero after kicking a 59-yard field goal in regulation to send the game into overtime, followed by 51-yard game-winner in overtime. Tebow did have a late-game touchdown drive to get the Broncos within three points after subpar play for most of the game, but without Prater’s leg Denver would have fallen.

In fact, NFL analyst and former pro quarterback Kurt Warner echoed Quinn’s statements on Tebow, saying “being a faithful man and knowing where he stands at this stage, it was almost like divine intervention”. An informed Broncos fan will agree that the tides turned into the Broncos favor during their midseason run, whether it was be late turnovers by opponents or fortuitous drops by opposing cornerbacks of Tebow passes during the seven-game winning streak.

Tebowing shows devotion, but is it over-the-top? (Wikimedia Commons)

When religion gets involved is when the Tebow movement gets a little bit touchy.

Quinn has a valid point. A devout Catholic himself who attended Notre Dame of all schools, Quinn holds to the view that a sense of modesty and separation should be applied to one’s on-the-field religious behavior. Just like an office or a classroom, an NFL field is a professional work environment.

As intriguing as “Tebowing” has become to view, is it really necessary?

We all know, Quinn included, the relationship Tebow has with his religion, and just because he displays his devotion on such a public level does not make him a better Christian than the hundreds of other religious NFL players. Buffalo Bills linebacker Nick Barnett agreed on Quinn’s point of modesty in the article, stating “For a lot of Christians, using football as a measuring stick of how good God is—it's not necessarily what you're supposed to be doing”.

In short: Brady Quinn had the option to play it safe and play the role of happy backup.

Instead, he gave his true thoughts and showed a player’s perspective about the debate that has been sparked about Tebow’s questionable quarterbacking skills and on-field conduct.

There is no doubt Tebow is great as a person, but Tebowmaniacs need to calm down, be open to criticism of their “savior,” and not let Hurricane Tim cloud their judgment of his on-field performance.

______________________________

Reach Jacob by email or follow him on Twitter