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December 11th, 2011:
NEW YORK, NY--Bob Costas, "Here's the quarterbacks with a higher winning percentage than Tim Tebow: Aaron Rodgers."
December 30th, 2011:
DENVER, CO--Since then that list of quarterbacks with higher winning percentages has gone on to include five more quarterbacks. Due to the two loses the Denver Broncos suffered to AFC East opponents the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills. Those five quarterbacks are: Drew Brees, Alex Smith, Tom Brady, Joe Flacco and Ben Roethlisberger.
Those five quarterbacks, along with Rodgers all have the fact in common that this weekend they are either quarterbacking the first seed team in their respective divisions or playing for the second seed. All except Tebow.
"There is nobody else quite like Tebow. No fewer than five of his seven wins have featured late fourth quarter comebacks approaching, okay we'll say it, the miraculous," Costas went on to state.
Despite the recent history of the Broncos since 2005 (with the exception of 2010) of choking in the final game of the season and not making the playoffs this years team seems to be about as primed as a team can be for a win in week seventeen.
The stage is set, it really couldn't be more epic than this scenario right here. As noxiously as it has been pointed out this week, the fact that remains that Kyle Orton is the man that Tebow usurped to finally become the starting quarterback in Denver. Now, six weeks later he is back for one last shot at the kid.
If this season can be divided into quarters (which it is), week seventeen is about as late in the fourth quarter as it can get.
"Who Tim Tebow is, is not only genuine, but for the moment at least it makes him and the Broncos one of the most fascinating and in whatever sense you interpret it--uplifting stories in sports," Costas ended his halftime diatribe on Tebow and the Broncos.
Now let's see what happens when the team gets into that tournament where it matters less how one wins, but that one wins.
Brady, Roethlisberger, Flacco, and yes Orton you are all on notice.