Opinion : Tim Tebow: An Inconvenient Hero

Back in 1961, the San Francisco 49ers drafted a single-wing halfback from UCLA by the name of Billy Kilmer. He was drafted, primarily, to be a back-up quarterback, but over six seasons, the only thing Kilmer was ever known for was fumbling – playing as a halfback – in a game against the Minnesota Vikings. Hall of Famer Jim Marshall picked up the ball and proceeded to run it 80 yards, the wrong way for a 49er safety.

From there, Kilmer went to New Orleans for four years, becoming the Saints’ first quarterback. He threw erratic, wobbly, at times end-over-end passes and had a habit of running when there was no one to throw to. He smoked cigarettes on the sidelines and partied and caroused off the field. His big grin showed a lot of missing teeth and they were easy to spot since he wore just a single bar facemask.

But Kilmer was big and tough and had a cocky streak, despite a career of getting booed through a decade of losses. And in 1971, Washington Redskins’ coach George Allen saw something in Kilmer and traded two draft picks for him. A year later, Kilmer won the starting job and with his ugly passes and unorthodox style, he guided the Redskins to the 1972 Super Bowl, where they became the 17th straight victim of the Miami Dolphins, who were on their way to an unbeaten season and a Super Bowl title.

He played six more years after that, but age and a young star named Joe Thiesmann began to cut into his time. But Kilmer never changed, and played hard, right up to the end; a man’s man!

So what does all of this have to do with anything? Who cares about Billy Kilmer, 40 years after his prime?

Well, it’s because of Tim Tebow.

With Southeastern Conference and National Championships on his resume and a Heisman Trophy on his mantle, Tim Tebow entered the 2010 NFL Draft with impressive credentials. But he also entered the draft with a lot of question marks. He threw erratic, wobbly, at times end-over-end passes and had a habit of running when there was no one to throw to. In fact, running was a big part of arsenal, as Tebow played at Florida in a spread-option offense that bears little, if any, resemblance to anything currently being run in the National Football League.

Because of all of that, experts and fans alike were stunned when the Denver Broncos took Tebow in the first round of the ’10 draft and stated that he’d be given the opportunity to compete for the starting job. He didn’t get the job, and eventually the men who hired him were out of jobs. Under a new coach (John Fox) this year and with a new vice president of football operations (Hall-of-Fame legend John Elway) in charge, Tebow was again relegated to the third team. But a 1-4 start to the season, the ineffective play of starter Kyle Orton and a huge demand from fans gave Tebow his chance. Let him play, let him fail, and we’ll move on seemed to mollify the fans, and would give the Broncos their out next year to get a new QB and ship Tebow elsewhere.

But a funny thing happened on the way to elsewhere. Tim Tebow is winning. With an unconventional spread-option offense, minimal passing and a confident, almost cocky attitude, Tebow has inexplicably led the Broncos to five wins in their last six games and they sit just a game behind first-place Oakland in the AFC West.

And Tebow is playing the part of the gun-slinging hero; handsome, a big smile and an incredible work ethic. And, he is a devout Christian and loves to share his message with anyone who sits still long enough.

And through all of this success, he has had to suffer through experts who are waiting for the bubble to burst, team executives who have given him just mild support at times, and ridicule for his Christian beliefs from opponents and even the media.

But you have to wonder something…what is exactly is everyone’s problem with Tim Tebow? Skill-wise he’s at least as good as a guy named Billy Kilmer and people loved him and his unconventional style. And he’s far from the first player to openly testify to his faith. Kurt Warner won two MVP awards and played in three Super Bowls and professed a strong Christian faith. Of course, Warner was a straight drop-back passer who threw 80-yard touchdown passes and ran up 40-plus points a game.

I honestly think that the issue the average fan has with Tim Tebow is a combination. He’s unconventional on the field, but instead of dating a Kardashian or partying across Denver off the field, he works with charities and shares his faith. And for some reason, that makes people uncomfortable.

People desperately want to criticize Tim Tebow. How dare he play this bizarre brand of football? How dare he shove his faith in our face? Why doesn’t he just go away?

But what’s funny is that Tim Tebow isn’t going away. He keeps winning. He keeps winning over fans and his coaches. He has long ago won over his teammates. And he keeps winning games. But he still hasn’t won over the public.

Our heroes can be unconventional on the field, so long as they’re colorful off of it. Or they can be conservative off the field, so long as they succeed by the book. Tim Tebow does neither. Instead of us putting a hero on a pedestal, this hero put himself on one by the way he plays and lives his life. And running around the pedestal are critics and haters who can’t wait to knock him off of it.

Tim Tebow has worked harder to succeed in life than most anyone you will ever meet in your life. Like his play, don’t like it, like his faith, don’t like it, but you can’t criticize the man. He’s gotten his chance and he’s made the most of it. You don’t have to like him, but you have to respect him.