Every year, we witness some crazy chain of events that captivates the fans of the National Football League. Most people have a team they root and cheer for, others gravitate towards spewing hate and malcontent against the teams they despise. Regardless of why they watch the game, they do watch this great game in the end.

   They mix cheers with boos, they celebrate those close wins that leave them breathless, and we all have had that sour taste of defeat linger in our body when our team looses. These are the emotions of the game that all avid and loyal fans enjoy and experience throughout the season.

   Yes, we all love Football, but this year something else has taken over our sport. Records were broken, as usual. Will this season be remembered for the Giants repeated dominance over the Patriots? Will we remember the 2011 season as the year Dan Marino’s 17 year record was finally bested and shattered by Drew Brees? What about Cam Newton and his impressive rookie campaign? Will we remember this year as the year of the quarterback? Depends on the fan, most definitely, but these facts and stats all fail in comparison to the one, single most absorbing phenomenon that has ballooned and overshadowed all other NFL headlines.

   Tebowmania.

   Yes, Tim Tebow, the devote Christian, has taken over the NFL. Aaron Rogers, Tom Brady, Michael Vick. None of these great, athletic players have reached the heights of praise and scrutiny that Tebow experienced. The real question is how and why one man, one single, statistically sub-par human quarterback who started the season as the Denver Broncos 3rd string QB is so darn polarizing.

   When did this all start? This is Tim Tebow’s second season in the NFL. Last year he served as a backup for journeyman Kyle Orton. Yet, even in his rookie season, the hype was there, and it was growing. As a rookie back up, Tim Tebow was the best-selling jersey in all the NFL. That does not normally happen, nor did it go unnoticed. From the start of his career, the supposed gurus of the game found many chinks in Tebow’s glorious armor.

   It was always a “This is wrong”, or “That motion was too slow” remark, and everyone had something to say about Tebow, usually it was not positive. None of this seemed to bother him however. It did not affect Tebow. It was not the first time people doubted him, and it would not be the last time. They said he would never win a playoff game. It was impressive what he did, and how he did it, regardless of what they said. Josh McDaniels was the coach who drafted Tebow, but McDaniels did not last long in Denver, and soon John Elway, the legend of this very Bronco team came along and assumed the role of Vice President of all Operations for the team. It was obvious the moment that Elway stepped in that he was not a fan of Tebow.

   With McDaniels fired, and Elway assuming the position of power, it seemed as if Tebow would never get another chance to prove his critics wrong. 2011, he got his chance. The Denver Broncos came out of the gate almost as if they were never truly awake to begin with. After a horrendous 1-4 record, John Elway had seen enough. His team was going nowhere, and fast. His team was not playing tough, and something had to be done.

   The fans were clamoring for Tebow, the same Tebow who had slid to 3rd string on this team behind Orton and Brady Quinn. Elway, in what appeared to be an attempt to satisfy the Denver natives, broke down and did what they wanted. Kyle Orton and Brandon Lloyd, the two staples of the offensive game for this team, were traded away. Tebow was named the starter for the upcoming game. You could almost already see Elway begin his “I told you so” speech after the next eventual loss. He wanted to please the fans, and also prove that Tebow was not qualified to be his starting QB.

   Tebow would get his first chance of stardom and hype against the hapless Dolphins; a team that had yet to win. What better opponent for a second year flawed QB to go up against? The game was ugly. The ratings were high. All eyes were on Tebow. The Dolphins had a commanding fifteen point lead in the fourth quarter, and Tebow had done little to silence his critics. His stats were unspectacular and the offense was sputtering as much as it had with Orton under center. Tebow was about to be labeled a bust, the Dolphins were about to get their first win, the football analyst would be right, and all would be right with the world.

   Then something happened. Tebow came alive, and so did the Broncos. He led his team down to score their first points of the afternoon with 2 minutes and 44 second left on the clock. On the ensuing onside kickoff, things started to bounce in Denver’s favor. They recovered the onside kick, and it was Tebow time once again.

   He led his team down the field yet again and capped off a 44-yard drive with a touchdown pass to Daniel Fells. This made the score 13-15, so the Broncos needed a two point conversion. This is where Tebow shines the brightest. Near the end zone, Tebow scampered in with a quick QB sneak to send the game into overtime. In less than three minutes, a Tim Tebow-led Broncos team scored fifteen unanswered points. And they were not finished. The Broncos ended up winning in overtime, and the fuel for the Tebowmania fire had begun.