Former Cleveland Browns QB Brady Quinn Opens Up About Tim Tebow
In a recent GQ article, former Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn – and a number of other NFL players/personnel – open up about the never-ending story that is Tim Tebow.
Quinn provides some especially noteworthy comments about his teammate, who passed over him on the depth chart to start. He had this to say about not getting his chance with the Denver Broncos, despite being the second-string quarterback:
"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."
And for those who have taken issue to Tebow’s display of his faith, Quinn covered that as well:
"If you look at it as a whole, there’s a lot of things that just don’t seem very humble to me. When I get that opportunity, I’ll continue to lead not necessarily by trying to get in front of the camera and praying but by praying with my teammates, you know?"
Quinn may come off as bitter in the article (and has already said that his comments were misinterpreted), but he has a valid reason to complain. For much of the season, all signs pointed to Quinn being the logical choice to replace the departed Kyle Orton. But, as Quinn surmised, the fans and, certainly, the media had their sights set on Tebow. People knew to an extent what Quinn could do, while Tebow possessed that mystical untapped skill set.
And, despite his run to the playoffs, it was still painfully obvious that Tebow didn’t belong in that position. For someone like Quinn, it had to be difficult to watch, even as the Broncos kept inexplicably winning.
Browns linebacker D’Qwell Jackson was also one of the initial non-believers:
"My first impression was, hell, I couldn’t believe it. When you look at the stat line, it’s like, okay, you made a great play, but it’s not gonna last."
Jackson was likely not alone in his opinion of Tebow. And it’s likely that many NFL players still aren’t convinced that Tebow can be a sustained success in the league. Regardless of whether Quinn’s comments were taken out of context, the point is that Tebow is a polarizing figure in the NFL, and for someone like Quinn, it’s understandable that he would attribute the Broncos’ success to “a lot of [luck].”
The only question is, when does that luck finally run out?