Not too long ago, the word "determination" wasn't just an overused term thrown around by sports announcers.
Determination in sports used to be about that undeniable fire that an athlete had to succeed. That determined athlete was going to do whatever it took to lead his team to victory under any circumstance.
We all got a glimpse of what that overused word truly meant on Sunday.
Because I was forced to take a sabbatical from Giants fandom because of the bye week, I got a chance to see the NFL from a broader standpoint. I was stunned at how terrible the Colts were without Peyton Manning (they lost 62-7). However, I was more awestruck by what Tim Tebow did against the Miami Dolphins.
It seemed that I was right about Tebow at first. I always felt that Tebow's scrambling style of play had no business against the dynamic defenses of the NFL.
But with four minutes remaining in the game, Tebow decided that he wasn't going to join the ranks of Jamarcus Russell and David Carr as a bust.
No, this was a game Tebow was going to win. He led his team to a comeback after an abysmal first half, and tied the game up using the very same thing I ridiculed him for: the QB run.
Maybe it was a fluke. Maybe the rookie took advantage of a lackluster Dolphins team and had a fluke of a comeback.
However, I don't believe that's the case with Tebow.
Think back to "The Pledge" in 2008. After losing to Ole Miss in a heartbreaking 30-31 loss, Tebow told the nation that we will never see a team work, play, or push as hard as his Florida Gators would.
That claim would seem like nothing more than a boast for the typical college athlete. However, Tebow said the promise with such vigor and tenacity that most of us had no choice but to believe him when he ended his speech with a simple "God Bless."
The nation soon found out that Tebow was a man of his word. The Gators went on to win 22 straight games, while winning both the BCS National Championship and the Sugar Bowl. Now Tebow's pledge has become part of college football lore.
That said, I still maintain that Tebow's skill level isn't NFL-caliber. He's inaccurate, he has a slow delivery, and his footwork is far from polished. In short, he's what an NFL quarterback shouldn't be.
But as NFL players before him demonstrated, talent doesn't automatically produce winners. True champions have that inner instinct, that drive that leads them to victory.
Tebow has that instinct. He looked almost as sloppy in those final game-winning drives, yet he still found a way to lead his struggling Broncos team to victory.
The ability to win isn't just something that's defined by skill and statistics. It's intangible, which makes the game that much more exciting.
That unquantifiable ability is the reason I think Tebow will eventually become successful in the NFL. Determination is something that does not go away when you're as young as 24. As long as he has that fire, Tebow will become as threatening as any quarterback in the league.
Email: brian.josephs@ubspectrum.com
