I know you’re captivated by the Tim Tebow drama unfolding in Denver. After all, Sunday’s AFC Wild-Card Playoff game between the Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers drew a 29 share in the Nashville market.

That’s on par with virtually any Titans regular season game, and just short of what the ratings might have been had the Titans themselves been in the postseason.

The Tebow phenomenon is fun to watch. There always seems to be high drama, and there are many people who want him to succeed based purely on what type of person he is and what he stands for.

Yes, there are those who are put off by the fact that Tebow wears his Christian faith on his sleeve, but doesn’t the NFL need a little dose of good-guy image, given the number of self-promoters we see roaming the sidelines every week, not to mention those whose names consistently dot the police blotter.

In that regard, Tebow’s wholesome and spotless image is something the league should embrace and point to as an example of how NFL players are good citizens.

In fact, it’s puzzling to me as to why some folks are so anti-Tebow simply because he’s not afraid to speak his mind on and stand up for his beliefs.

But let’s focus on Tebow the quarterback, not Tebow the goodwill ambassador. After all, if Tebow had not been so hyped and polarizing to begin with, would his critics be as hard on his statistical production as they are? I think not.

I looked up Tim Tebow’s career stats through the not-so-sizable sampling of 14 regular-season starts, not counting the playoff win Sunday. The second-year quarterback’s stats are admittedly not impressive, but not horrible except in terms of completion percentage. Tebow has completed just 47.3 percent of his regular season passes in his career, which is certainly not a good number in the days of liberalized passing rules.

Back in the 60s and 70s, when defensive backs were allowed to basically mug receivers all along their pass routes, that percentage might have flown. (Hall of Famer Joe Namath was just a 50.1 percent passer in his career). But not now.

His other numbers, though, are certainly respectable enough for a quarterback who, Saturday in New England, will be making what would be the 16th start of his pro career – or the equivalent of one full NFL regular season.

Tebow’s numbers are actually comparable to some of the other members of his 2010 draft class, who have come under far less scrutiny thus far in their careers.

Tebow’s touchdown-to-interception ratio is solid. He has thrown 17 touchdown passes to just nine interceptions, a nearly 2-to-1 ratio that any offensive coordinator would find acceptable. We’re intentionally not counting Tebow’s 12 rushing TD’s in two years.

By comparison, the Rams’ Sam Bradford, the first overall pick in the draft two years ago and regarded as a franchise-type quarterback, has 26 touchdown passes but has been intercepted 21 times in two years. Colt McCoy of the Cleveland Browns is break-even at 20 TD throws and 20 picks. And Jimmy Clausen, well, let’s not even go there.

Here is the other overriding factor: Tebow is in the playoffs in his first year as a starter. Bradford and McCoy look to be eons from their first taste of the postseason. And it’s not like Tebow came to ready-made playoff team, either. The Broncos had been driven into the ground during Josh McDaniels’ tenure and at one point, before Tebow took over, both the Rams and Browns were considered as good or better teams.

Admittedly there are times when Tebow’s passes flutter and flop. But there are other times when Tebow shows signs of developing into the competent passer he was when it mattered most Sunday against the Steelers. Several of his deep throws to Demaryius Thomas and Eddie Royal were perfect, and right at the right time for a Broncos offense that had struggled badly in three previous weeks.

As a second-year quarterback, Tebow is very much a work in progress. But progress is the key word here. There are those who have drawn the comparison of Tebow to Vince Young, i.e., “he wins games” while trying to learn the nuances of the position. That comparison is fair to a point, but Sunday’s win certainly moved Tebow well ahead of where Young was at this juncture of his career.

Tebow has won a playoff game. He is far more secure and mature in who he is as the Broncos’ leader, and gets the concept of team in a way Young never did as a Titan.

Tebow may never throw a pass as well as John Elway, the man charged with deciding if he is indeed the Broncos’ future. But in terms of being clutch and having the work ethic and intangibles any team should look for in a quarterback, the Broncos could do much, much worse than Tim Tebow.

Terry McCormick covers the Titans for TitanInsider.com and is the AFC blogger for National Football Post.