Jock Itch Tebow time already? Please, God, no   

The Tim Tebow era officially got underway as the Denver Broncos dropped a 17-24 heartbreaker to the Jacksonville Jaguars this past Sunday. If this trend continues, the steady drumbeat for Tebow to assume the role of starting quarterback will grow louder and louder—in fact, it’s already started. Let’s hope, for the Broncos and for the fans, that Tebow stays right where he is though: as number two QB, but No. 1 in your hearts.

Bear with me here: English music legend Paul Weller played at the Ogden Theatre a few years back, and some clown kept holding up a poster of Johnette Napolitano while he played. She opened the show (and also recorded a song with Weller), so this Concrete Blonde fanboy naturally wanted her to come out again, even though one of the most famous musicians in UK history was standing onstage. Weller eventually got pissed and called out the guy, who then sheepishly tucked away the picture. This is what I want Broncos fans to do: Stop shouting out for Tim Tebow, at least for now. Though Kyle Orton is no Paul Weller—he’s Bruce Foxton, at best—he’s still the Broncos’ best chance at winning this year.

I understand the Tebow infatuation: He’s awesome, and his positive vibe is so infectious that even this atheist has professed his love for the extremely Christian do-gooder. Still, I don’t want Tebow leading the Broncos until absolutely necessary. Tebow will be good, no doubt, but he’ll need another year or two of seasoning before he’s fully ready.

In spite of this, though, Tebow has shown to be more popular than the two other quarterbacks on the roster put together. He launched an official Twitter page last week, and the Internet needed a diaper change shortly after. Tebow already boasts nearly 30,000 followers, each new tweet treasured by every one of those fans like a baby panda. Tebow has even come up with his own sign-off: GB² (for God Bless and Go Broncos).

If 140 characters is too little contact with the dreamy Christian, he also has his own website, Facebook, and charity. In contrast, the two other QBs on the team have virtually no web presence: Neither has his own site, and Twitter pages featuring Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn are either unofficial or joke entries. (King Neckbeard, for example, mostly just makes lame references to Orton’s booze-filled past.) It would be safe to assume that it’s a personal decision on their parts to not partake in the celebrity game, that their football duties take precedence over their off-field crusades. Anyway, I don’t think there’d be much to report on.

Unfortunately for the Broncos, a popularity contest doesn’t determine the outcome of a game. If Tebow does start for the Broncos at any time this season, we’ll know the team has cashed it in. He’s simply not ready for the job yet, and considering the team already has a more-than-competent QB filling the role, it would just be plain insane. Will we still have to endure the nauseating Tebow idolatry that would make even the biggest Johnette Napolitano fanboy blush? You bet. But for all of our sakes, it’s best that the Broncos get on the winning track soon, before the rising drumbeat for Tebow is reduced to a tragic rimshot.