It must have been a curious sensation for John Fox, finding himself minutes deep into a radio interview with no mention of Tim Tebow.
But then, inevitably, the quarterback questions poured out, one after the other, turning the affair into yet another Timmy omnibus for the Broncos coach.
The radio guys wanted to know the difference between Florida's Tebow of legend -- where he's idolized in bronze -- and Denver's Tebow, a man shoved to the sideline, forced to watch Kyle Orton attempt to dig the Broncos out of one mess after the other.
"It's not the same as college," Fox told San Diego's XEPRS-AM on Wednesday (via SportsRadioInterviews.com). "It is a different game. You've got to come in and learn a new system. You've got to learn different coverages. It's just a different game, and it takes a minute for any rookie, in particular at quarterback, which may be the hardest position in sports to know and learn."
It won't do anything to quell amassed Tebowites, but Fox believes the second-year pro someday will make an impact.
"There's no doubt in my mind that Tim Tebow will be a good quarterback in this league," Fox said. "I think with no offseason (because of the NFL lockout), that hurts some growth. It's just a lot to put on a young player."
A young player who's the subject of billboards in a city burning for a winning football team.
There's no question that Fox is carefully weighing how to best use Tebow -- and how to turn around the Broncos -- but if the hope of a winning season slips any farther away, we expect Tebow fans to receive their wish.
