Looking back on Tebow Mania brings back all sorts of funny memories

On a recent episode of “Mile High Memories,” Sandy Clough and Mike Klis flashback to Tebow Mania.

As I listened, I was reminded of the confusion that ran through my head when the Broncos drafted Tebow. He was a great college quarterback, but would that translate to the NFL? We all know how that turned out.

Sandy and Klis helped me recall that when Denver drafted Tebow that Kyle Orton was the quarterback of the team. Yea, the guy with horrible hair that rivals Mark Davis’ locks was leading this amazing franchise!

Anyway, Sandy gave great detail of a locker room showdown between Orton and Tebow. He shared a story I had never heard before. It was a story that changes my overall opinion of Tebow, as well as Orton.

“He was a terrible passer, but actually a good quarterback,” Klis said at one point in this episode.

There was a time when I was covering the Broncos, I saw a poorly thrown ball. I thought to myself, “It must have been thrown by one of the players kids or something.” Nope, it was Timmy!

I’m just saying he threw the football like a preteen who is just had a growth spurt and isn’t completely sure how his newly lengthened limbs work. (FYI, that’s how you paint a picture with words)

Speaking of covering Tebow Mania, I remember being in awe of the craziness that followed him, on and off the field. How people would justify his poor play with, “But he’s a great guy” or “He’s exciting to watch” or “He tries really hard.”

Train accidents are oddly satisfying to watch. So what I’m saying is Tebow was a train wreck that smashed into the Broncos and the NFL. It was cool to watch for a bit, but then you realize, “Wow, this is horrifying.”

I also recall that we in the media would poke fun of the idea that Tebow was always the first guy on the field. No doubt about it, he tried hard. That’s fine, I guess. But I could try really hard to be a movie actor. If I keep butchering my lines, forget where to look and mess everyone else up around me, eventually the only gig I’ll get is “Random guy No. 4” in a B movie. That’s right, Tebow is the random guy eating an ice cream cone as the real talent moves across the screen.

Oh wait, who could forget about “Tebowing?” Thousands, if not millions, of people were doing it. In fact, my brother who lives in Australia was doing it. So it was an international sensation, in case you cared.

Tebow was great with his fans and the community. That’s something nobody can deny and he should be applauded for it. And despite some mild success in the NFL, overall it just didn’t work out in the end.

This is a fun trip down memory lane. Love him or hate, Tim Tebow changed the Broncos and the NFL forever.

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To listen to the Tebow Mania edition of “Mile High Memories,” click here