Tim Tebow Criticized By His Own Backup Quarterback

A new Tim Tebow critic has surfaced: Denver Broncos quarterback Brady Quinn, who finished the 2011 NFL season as Tebow’s backup.

As nominal No. 2 quarterback when starter Kyle Orton was injured, Quinn expected to take over the offense. Broncos coach John Fox had other plans, calling on Tebow.

While that worked out well for the team, it left Quinn wondering if there were ulterior motives.

“I felt like the fans had a lot to do with that,” Quinn says in the March issue of GQ. “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.”

Tebow’s success allowed the Broncos to send Orton packing, and Quinn continued to gather splinters on the bench.

Sour grapes? Perhaps. But Quinn also provides his take on Tebow’s late-game magic, the secret to his success.

“The entire game, the defensive line is chasing the quarterback around, and that wears down the pass rush,” he says. “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.”

Quinn isn’t the only player spilling on Tebow. Other quotes in the article include:

— Shawne Merriman, Buffalo Bills: “His teammates are making him look a lot better than he is.”

— Terrell Suggs, Baltimore Ravens: “No matter how many bad games Tim Tebow is going to have, it’s, ‘He’s great.’ I’ll never understand it.”

Quinn’s take on why the Broncos excelled under Tebow? “We’ve had a lot of, I guess, luck, to put it simply.”

Whether Quinn will be in the mix with the Broncos next season is unclear, but he is not on their roster and has become an unrestricted free agent. Fox told reporters Monday he hopes to bring to camp this summer quarterbacks who can press Tebow for the starting job.

As for Tebow, Fox said: “He’s going to come into our camp as the starting quarterback. He’s young. He can get better.”

Apparently, Tebow’s critics have no argument with that.