Of all the incredible comebacks the Broncos have had this year, this one was the most unlikely. Teams do not come back from a ten point deficit with two minutes to go without some serious assistance from the other team (my favorite Bobby Knight quote is "stupid loses more games than smart wins." That standard certainly applied to Sunday's game). But the mark of a good team is one that capitalizes on the other team's mistakes. This Bronco team is special, not because of Tim Tebow, but because they play as a team. We get so focused on superstars that we forget that in the end, football is won by the best teams, not the best players. Tebow has changed the culture in Denver. Everyone on the Broncos is accountable for everyone else and no one player is bigger than the team. Tebow's humility and deference to his teammates in the face of unprecedented media attention on him has set an example for the rest of the Broncos to follow.
Marion Barber is more to blame for this win than any member of the Broncos. As he evaded Rahim Moore's tackle (best missed tackle of the year?) he proved that the stupidity that seems to be bred into every Cowboy player is difficult to rid. As soon as he fell out of bounds, everyone in America had the exact same thought: "holy shit, Tebow's gonna have a shot at this." At this point, it was difficult to envision the Broncos losing the game.
It sounds strange to say that a team down three with a minute to go and no timeouts seemed destined to win but that's where we're at with Tim Tebow. Even as the Bears drove into field goal territory in overtime, you had the sense that the Broncos were going to get the ball. A blocked kick, a stupid penalty, a fumble; something was going to happen to get the ball back into Tebow's hands. Tim Tebow has demonstrated an incredible amount of faith in his teammates and that has resulted in his teammates returning the favor in spectacular fashion.
The reason that Tim Tebow and the Broncos have overtaken the national conversation is because they embody everything about sports that we love. They don't have the most talent or the best schemes. They just work and work and work without any regard to the scoreboard. As long as there is time left on the clock, they think they can win and they bust their asses every second to reach that goal. Tim Tebow stepped into the spotlight on a 1-4 team without an identity and imposed his will on each and every player. The Broncos embody the American Dream. We all believe that with hard work, anything is possible in this country and the Broncos transport that ideal to the gridiron.
Tim Tebow gets all the press but there are so many unsung heroes on this team. On some teams (like the Eagles) this dynamic could sabotage the team. One player receiving all the accolades for what is clearly a result of the hard work of 55 men could create an aura of resentment. Instead, Tebow takes every opportunity to point out the efforts of his compatriots and he seems sincere in doing so. The fact that the biggest star on the team is not too important to recognize the little guys making the forgotten plays (like Quan Cosby getting positive yardage on every single punt return) has enabled the rest of the team to be more accountable for their own actions. If Tebow is not being selfish in the face of the waves of adulation from his fans, then no one on the team can afford to be selfish.
There are a lot of reasons why the Broncos won on Sunday. Most of them had to do with the Bears. Barber's miscues kept the door open for Tebow and the Bears' inexplicable defensive calls in the 4th quarter and overtime gave the Broncos receivers more room than they should have had. But at the end of the day, none of the Bears' miscues matter unless Tebow makes them pay. Brian Urlacher's pettiness was in full swing after the game after he said Tebow is a pretty good running back, but whatever, people always hate what they don't understand. I don't understand what is going on with the Broncos either but at this point I don't really care about figuring them out. This is a ton of fun. And isn't that why we watch sports in the first place?
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