Tebow's only explanation

If a quarterback completes two passes in the first three quarters, he gets booed off the field. If he doesn’t maintain a lead throughout those first three quarters of any game he starts, he loses his job. If he is called the worst technical passer any analyst has ever seen, he usually won’t play a set in the NFL.

Unless, of course, he wins.

Tim Tebow shouldn’t be winning football games. He shouldn’t even be playing in them. Yet every Sunday, Tebow dons his Denver Broncos jersey and marches out onto the field, plays three quarters of atrocious football and wins the game in the fourth. Then, after the game, he sits in a press conference and talks about Jesus.

The religious evangelizing that Tebow usually puts out has never been seen before. The overwhelming presence of religious belief found in this football player’s postgame press conference is about as normal as a Bears jersey at Lambeau Field. Except for Bills wide receiver Steve Johnson blaming God for dropping a touchdown pass in a loss Nov. 28, 2010, God usually stays off the football field.

A player speaking so openly about his faith does not rub everyone the right way, though. The last time the Broncos had a successful quarterback, they had a man named Jake Plummer, who has been vocal about the choice in leadership since Tebow’s debut. Plummer criticized Tebow, telling him to leave Jesus out of it and focus on football.

The bottom line doesn’t agree with Plummer. Quarterbacks play the game to win, to bring home a victory for the hometown fans and to put on a show. Well, Tebow may not lead the league in any offensive category, but he sure leads in all three of those categories.

After arriving at training camp to start the 2011 season, Broncos fans instantly threw starting quarterback Kyle Orton to the sharks, calling for Tebow to take the reins immediately. After only a few games they got their wish and haven’t looked back. After an unbelievable five-game winning streak (despite ground-breaking statistical ineptitude), fans had exactly what they wanted: a dynamic personality, a good human being and a winning quarterback.

So let Jesus have a seat at the press conference. Let Tebow talk all he wants about God and his own spirituality. Let “Tebowing” — a special touchdown dance that has infiltrated celebrations of all types — roll on.

There is simply no answer for Tebow’s unbelievable win streak except some sort of divine intervention.

­— azoot@indiana.edu