Even Urban Meyer Says Tim Tebow Shouldn’t Get All The Credit For The Broncos’ Success

by Glenn Davis | 3:55 pm, December 15th, 2011

You won’t find many bigger Tim Tebow fans than Urban Meyer. There’s a good reason for that: with Tebow as his backup, bruising-fullback-taking-snaps quarterback, Meyer won the national title in 2006. The next year, Tebow took the starting job and won the Heisman. In 2008, Florida won another national title. And to top things off, Tebow led the Gators to a 13-1 finish and Sugar Bowl blowout win in 2009.

Of course, it doesn’t end with the on-field stuff. Tebow, as you might have heard, is known to inspire the people around him just a bit, and Meyer’s no different. From a Sports Illustrated profile of Meyer in 2009:

It’s strange to watch Meyer talk about Gators quarterback Tim Tebow. Coaches admire certain players, of course, but whenever Tebow’s name comes up, Meyer’s eyes soften and he can’t help but smile. He speaks without the usual coach’s worry about showing favoritism or looking foolish. His wonder is unabashed, verging on cultish. “He’s different from all of us,” Meyer will say casually. Or, “He is my son.”

So that’s the level of Tebow devotion we’re dealing with. And yet, when Meyer went on The Dan Patrick Show today to talk, among other things, Tebow’s emergence with the Denver Broncos, he made a point that’s a favorite of Tebow’s detractors: there are plenty of other reasons why the Broncos are winning, too.

Sure, he also called Tebow “a magical player” and “a magical person” – the love is still more than there. But when even a guy who thinks that highly of Tebow is reminding us the Broncos have an awfully good defense and great kicker who have contributed much to all those wins…it makes it a little easier to shoot down the “HE JUST WINS GAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!” argument Tebow’s most ardent supporters love to use.

Even Tebow tried to divorce himself from the hype a bit recently when he said that he doesn’t buy into the whole “Tebow Time” idea – rather, he thinks it’s “Bronco Time.” So Tebow doesn’t give himself all the credit. A former coach who all but worships Tebow isn’t giving him all the credit – and indeed, is actively urging him to stay humble. And even that won’t stop the Tebow hype from continuing at a fever pitch, as long as the Broncos keep winning. Somehow, the downplaying of both Meyer and the man himself winds up yet another demonstration of the power of Tebow.

Getty photo, by Streeter Lecka

Pastortomaz

Of course he does not deserve all the credit as he says after every game. But as a person who is a big fan no young QB that I can think of, has been so unfairly criticized as Tebow. How many young QB’s in their first 12 games are 8 and 4 and get blasted by analyst at every turn. Oh by the way he has a grand total 2 ints this year.