May the power of Tebow compel you

As anyone who knows me will tell you, I live and breathe for Denver Broncos football. Since an abrupt fall from 6-0 grace under Josh McDaniels (don't mention that name to me) to start 2009, this living and breathing has mostly been of the desolate and downtrodden variety.

Naturally, when I got the news that Tim Tebow would be replacing Kyle Orton on Sunday against San Diego, I felt a new life for the 2011-12 Bronco campaign.

While Tebow's ability as an NFL quarterback is yet to be determined, his potential is much higher than Orton's. Denver Post sportswriter Woody Page said it best: "I've seen Orton. I know what he is. I haven't seen enough of Tebow to know if he can play or not in this league."

It ought to be acknowledged that the buzz in Denver is just as much about ousting Kyle Orton as it is giving Tebow a shot to play. If the Broncos had a productive starting quarterback, only die-hard Florida Gators fans and devout Christians would be calling Tebow's name. Rather, we have suffered through having the quarterback with the worst combination of arm strength and mobility of NFL starters since the beginning of the 2009 season.

This is the paramount difference between the two quarterbacks: Tebow's playmaking ability. Consider Denver's run down the stretch against San Diego. Designed running plays and Tebow's escapability in the pocket led to a very effective (albeit not exactly pretty, save a spectacular catch by Brandon Lloyd) few drives for the Broncos, the last of which gave them a chance to win from 30 yards out.

With Orton, these plays never happen. Designed running plays for Orton would be a schematic disaster, and he rarely could take off on a passing play, let alone evade a sack. Tebow brings to the table the unexpected, which for the Broncos is a massive upgrade from the expected futility of a Kyle Orton-led offense.

Orton has committed nine turnovers through the first five games, four of which came at critical junctures of Denver's first four contests. In addition, he threw for just 34 yards on 13 attempts (2.6 yards per attempt) in Sunday's first half, which would be a horrible yards per carry average even for a halfback. The argument for Orton at the start of 2011 was that he gives Denver the best chance to win. That is no longer the case.

The bottom line is that Orton cannot lead this offense, and in Tebow's short time under center, the Broncos are a more competitive and potent team. Now that he has been officially handed the reins, the next step is determining the right kind of offense to run.

Head coach John Fox has emphasized a power-running attack early in his first season with Denver. That part of the offense is already starting to take form, with Willis McGahee notching three 100-yard outings in Denver's last four games. Keep in mind that these came against teams who were free to stack eight men in the box because of no downfield passing threat from Orton.

With McGahee off to a successful start, adding Tebow to the mix will create a dual-threat quarterback with a power-running emphasis. Fox has a chance to mesh the old school with the new school, and Tebow could be the perfect player for this kind of revolutionary offense. In an era with the highest emphasis on passing in NFL history, the Broncos can buck the trend.

Fox would do well to go against the norm and let Tebow stick to his running roots. While he may not have the accuracy of the former starter Orton (nice to finally say that!), Tebow's threat of running and more arm strength will dramatically open up an offense that since 2009 has been mostly reduced to plays designed for 10 yards or less.

After a bye in week six, Denver has 11 games to see if Tebow can play consistently enough to succeed in the NFL. If not, they can cut bait on him along with Orton and look to the NFL Draft for the next franchise quarterback.

I have been singing Tebow's praises here, and ought to point out that I am not sold on his ability to play as a full-time starter in the NFL. For one, his running emphasis is likely to cut his career short because he will take more shots than the average quarterback. It is also hard to imagine he can throw the ball down after down if and when the Broncos need to switch to the passing attack.

The good news is that no matter what, the team is moving in a direction that will provide answers, and maybe even a little bit of hope, by season's end.

If nothing else, the conclusion to Sunday's game was exciting and even, dare I say, quite a bit of fun. When the team heads to Miami Oct. 23, Bronco Nation finally has something to look forward to.