This step is nearly as shocking as the fact that Barack Obama hasn't announced a switch to the Republican Party. Simply put, fans would not have accepted a return to Kyle Orton at this point, especially given his increasingly mediocre, spark-free performances in recent weeks. And while a great many NFL analysts think Tebow will fail as a pro quarterback -- including plenty of those who spent much of yesterday gabbing about the subject on ESPN -- he's simply built up too much momentum to be denied.
Whether he'll last the entire season is another question -- but our Magic Eight Ball suggests that only an injury will keep him out of the starting lineup. The Broncos season has suddenly become the Tebow Experiment. That's something many of us expected from the jump. Instead, it took five mostly miserable regular season games to come true.
Look below to watch the ESPN report:
More from our Sports archive: "Ten slogans for the pro-Tim Tebow, anti-Kyle Orton billboard."
