Tim Tebow's Wild Ride

Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone: "Before he even set foot on an NFL field, it was football gospel that the beatific Gator was a 'great competitor' with 'great intangibles' who was a 'born leader,' breathless descriptions ... that carried with them one powerful underlying message: Tebow sucks."

Oct. 23: Playing in front of his former Florida coach, Urban Meyer, in the stadium where he won the 2008 national championship, Tebow throws two touchdown passes in the final 2:44 at Miami and runs in the two-point conversion with 17 seconds remaining to tie the Dolphins at 15. The Broncos win with a field goal in overtime. Tebow's line: 13 of 27, 161 yards, 2 TDs; 9 carries, 59 yards. Denver's record: 2--4, fourth in AFC West.

The New York Times, Oct. 23: "For 55 minutes, Tim Tebow had barely looked like a functioning NFL quarterback. He took sacks and threw poorly. He was hesitant and overwhelmed. The Broncos' coaching staff had so little confidence in him that through three quarters, he attempted just eight passes. But with five minutes left and the Dolphins playing prevent defense, Tebow turned into the player who inspires fans to erect billboards and opposing teams to honor him when he visits... ."

Fox, explaining the unlikely comeback with a nod to Hall of Famer Elway: "There's competitive greatness. Not everybody that plays in this league has it. It's a great quality to have. We have a guy—number 7, that I work with every day—he had it. He definitely had it."

Jason Hunter, Broncos defensive end: "Tebow's amazing, man. Tebow is an amazing player. He's a playmaker. He won. We support him."

@jdawgnorris98: @TimTebow "I'm Tebowing while Chemoing! Im a cncr srvivr whos trsting u wth his fntsy team. hope your not getting anoyed"

Oct. 30: Detroit sacks Tebow seven times and romps 45--10 at Invesco. Tebow's line: 18 of 39, 172 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 10 carries, 63 yards. Denver's record: 2--5, fourth in AFC West.

The New York Times: "The Lions even mocked the 'Tebowing' prayer pose that became an Internet phenomenon last week, in the wake of Denver's comeback from a 15-point deficit against the Miami Dolphins."

Unnamed Detroit defensive player, to Yahoo! Sports: "We were like, 'Come on, that's your quarterback? Seriously?'"

Mark Kiszla, The Denver Post: "So maybe we need a new definition for Tebowing. It's a prayer for mercy. Please, in the name of heaven, bring us somebody who can actually play quarterback... . Those five minutes of wonder against Miami now look like an aberration. Right here, right now, Tebow is the worst quarterback in the NFL."