Does Tim Tebow Even Control His Own Fate With the Denver Broncos?

The Denver Broncos got absolutely hammered on their home field against the Detroit Lions, and as expected, Tim Tebow is receiving much of the blame for it. Everyone who said he would fail in this league is taking this opportunity to puff their chest and let everyone know they were right, and everyone who says he can succeed is trying to find some reason to believe he can still do it.

I still believe Tebow can do it, but he has a heck of a lot to prove.

Over his last four starts--which were in separate seasons with different players and coaching staffs--Tebow's ability to throw the ball has seemingly deteriorated. He looked excellent on the opening drive when he tossed a perfect touchdown pass to Eric Decker, and when that play was called back, it was all downhill.

I don't remember seeing Tim make a really nice throw like that one at any point in the rest of the game, and along with atrocious play-calling, I definitely think Tebow played his worst overall game in the NFL on Sunday, but so did about 90 percent of the guys on our roster.

You can't blame the quarterback for nobody covering Titus Young, can't blame him for atrocious tackling and not getting pressure on Matt Stafford.

I am not going to make excuses for Tebow, because he has not been making improvements as a quarterback but I don't think the Broncos' coaching staff is making changes for improvements to take place. From the last five minutes of the Miami game to the first drive of the Detroit game, it looked like Tebow was hitting some kind of stride.

Then the offense changed.

The way I see it, the Broncos' front office and/or the coaching staff is attempting to let everyone know that Tebow isn't the future of the Broncos, and that has become blatantly obvious. In a league where Cam Newton and Andy Dalton are making immediate impacts, the Broncos would rather have a guy who can do that than a guy they have to actually invest time in, a guy they have to coach up for a while.

Again, I'm not going to make excuses for Tebow. I have believed in him from the start and his last two games have been really bad. You have to wonder where the discussion would be if not for one of the most improbably comebacks in NFL history.

Where is Tebow's development at right now? Well he's taking baby steps to becoming an NFL quarterback, and the Broncos are arguably the worst overall team in the NFL. When you mix the two together, you get what we saw on Sunday.

The Lions are a far superior team to the Broncos, they have better coaching, better talent, better execution, and far superior depth. I don't think anyone is going to try to dispute that, but at the same time, Tebow's struggles will be well-documented, and after five starts in the NFL, people already want to say his career is over.

I'm definitely not ready to do that, but if Tebow plays like this for the rest of the season--nine more games--then we can all safely say that the Broncos have to move on at the position.

But you have to give him time. You have to give any player time. Despite it all, the Broncos still have the same number of wins as the Panthers and Can Newton, who has arguably been the best rookie in the NFL. They still have the same number of wins as the Vikings, who have the best back in the league and a pass rush worth discussing.

I still believe Tim Tebow can succeed in the NFL, but every week I feel less and less like his shot will come with Denver. But, he still controls his own fate, and if he can start to execute the game plan--fair or not to his strengths as a player--then he alone can put this to bed.

The Broncos go to Oakland next week to take on the Raiders, the place where Tim Tebow made his first career start in the NFL.

At this point, we can only hope to see a different product than we saw on Sunday when the Broncos were absolutely blown out on their home field. This is obviously a team in dire need of some talent, and one game shouldn't define a player's career.

What we have seen from Tim Tebow this season has been below par at best, but he is a young quarterback, and should be evaluated as such. I don't really want to compare Tebow to other rookie quarterbacks or other young guys even from his own class who are struggling (see: Bradford, McCoy).

This is part of the process when you have a young quarterback, and I still think the upside of Tebow is too much to ignore. Obviously, it's going to take more than five games for that upside to be evident, and at this point ,Tebow has given plenty of ammo for his detractors and basically left his supporters like the kid left alone against a wall in a game of dodgeball.

But, only time will tell whether or not this guy can do it. I don't think it's fair to call him a bust after five games, and I don't think it's fair for the fan base to give up on him after five games. A lot of the people who dislike Tebow out there are doing the exact same thing the guys who love him unconditionally and blindly are doing.

They are continuously saying he's failed and done in the NFL before he's had a fair opportunity, while they get angry at people who say he is great after just playing five games. It's a double-edged sword and a heck of a lot like politics, which is why Tebow is so polarizing.

For now, I think Broncos fans just have to ride out this season. We knew it would be ugly at times, and while you never expect to get blown out on your home field, are we really shocked by any of this?

The Broncos are one of the worst teams in the league, and the fans simply need to realize that and settle down. It's going to get worse before it gets better.