Tim Tebow gets the nod in Denver

Broncos fans are getting what they wanted: Tim Tebow as their starting quarterback. (Ron Chenoy/US Presswire)

Tim Tebow will be the Denver Broncos' starting quarterback when the team takes on Miami in Week 7, a decision announced Tuesday, two days after Tebow replaced Kyle Orton and nearly led a fourth-quarterback comeback against San Diego.

Tebow finished that game just 4 of 10 throwing the ball, but one of those completions went for a 28-yard TD to Knowshon Moreno on a screen pass. Tebow also ran for a touchdown and had a chance to win the game in the closing seconds, but his last-ditch Hail Mary fell incomplete.

The Denver fans have been lobbying for Tebow ever since the Broncos drafted him in 2010. Those calls have gotten louder and louder this season, with Denver off to a 1-4 start and the offense faltering under Orton.

Broncos coach John Fox stuck by Orton, in an attempt to quell any quarterback controversy. But with Denver stuck at 1-4 and Orton set to become a free agent after the season, the time was right for Fox to make a move.

How well Tebow responds to being the full-time starter will be one of the NFL's more intriguing storylines going forward.

In three starts at the end of last season, Tebow posted a 1-2 record and completed 49 percent of his passes, while rushing for 199 yards. He had 38 yards rushing in Sunday's relief effort.

Denver has a Week 6 bye, before traveling to Miami for Week 7. And there may not be a more fitting place for Tebow to make his first start of 2011. The former Heisman Trophy winner, of course, played his college ball at Florida, and the Dolphins -- despite an outcry from their fans -- will honor the 2008 national championship Gators team, quarterbacked by Tebow, during the Oct. 23 game.

Miami put that promotion in place in hopes of drumming up some ticket sales -- attendance continues to lag at Sun Life Stadium.