Brady Quinn Calls Out Tim Tebow; Blames Fans

Denver Broncos starting quarterback Tim Tebow is very familiar with criticism having dealt with it his entire NFL career. This week, that criticism goes to a whole new level as Broncos teammate and backup quarterback Brady Quinn has spoken out about his feelings regarding Tebow, while also taking a potshot at the fans of the phenom.

Speaking in an article entitled The Year of Magical Stinking: An Oral History of Tebow Time by Michael Silver for GQ magazine’s March issue, Quinn had some choice comments about how Tebow got the starting job:

"Early in the season, there was a game when Kyle (Orton) got hurt and the coaches were calling for me to go in, but Kyle got up and finished the game out. So I was the second-string guy. Then, a few weeks later, they decided to put Tim in. I felt like the fans had a lot to do with that. Just ’cause they were chanting his name. There was a big calling for him. No, I didn’t have any billboards. That would have been nice."

Many NFL analysts and players have criticized not only Tebow’s play, but also that he is playing at all when incumbent quarterback Kyle Orton was playing reasonably well himself. While Orton has not come out and said anything publicly as Quinn has, one cannot deny that there is alot of sense in what Quinn is saying and that the way Tebow became the starter could have something to do with the Broncos cutting Orton shortly after his demotion.

Many say Tim Tebow is a miracle worker and has the fabled “clutch gene”. Quinn gives his own interpretation:

"The entire game, the defensive line is chasing the quarterback around, and that wears down the pass rush. Meanwhile, the defensive backs are chasing receivers, but you only throw eight passes, so they start to feel lazy. It only takes that one play, that one big pass, for a touchdown."

What Quinn says is plausible and repeats what some NFL analysts have said in the past. The question is — did Quinn really need to say it?

Regardless of how you feel about Tim Tebow and his accomplishments, he certainly creates debate among NFL fans. That debate will continue tomorrow when in my You Heard It Here First column I explore one possibility for Tebow’s future in the NFL so be sure to check it out.

In the meantime, ponder this – is what Brady Quinn said acceptable? Is he right? Or is this just a case of sour grapes from a quarterback who sees his career (if you can call it that) ending without having anything close to the fame and fortune of his heralded teammate? That, dear readers, I will leave you to decide.

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