The Denver Broncos’ starting quarterback position has been one of the NFL’s major question marks since the lockout ended.  Clearly, if we were to judge jersey sales and overall popularity, Tim Tebow would already have won the job – and likely saved the world multiple times during the process, too.

But Tebow also has his fair share of critics, and recently, no one has had a stronger opinion about the former Florida QB than retired NFL star and current ESPN football analyst Merril Hoge.

As reported earlier today by Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com, Hoge presented the Twitter world with a series of strong opinions on the Orton-Tebow battle in Denver.

Hoge opened with the following message, which immediately drove the point home:

@merrilhoge Merril Hoge
Sitting watching tape off bronco offense from last year! Orton or Tebow? It’s embarrassing to think the broncos could win with tebow!!

That line was just the tip of the iceberg.

And tonight, Tim Tebow – the two-time National Champion and Heisman winner – has responded.  Via his Twitter account, Tebow said:

@TimTebow Tim Tebow
Hey Merril…… ‘ppreciate that

What a simple, yet classic response.

It’s quite clear that Tebow is a “love him or hate him” kind of player.  It’s also apparent that there’s a fair share of folks landing on both sides of that fence.  But you really have to admire the guy and how hard he works.  Plus, you have to appreciate how professional and upfront he is with his responses.

In a time when millionaire sports stars frequently lash out in the public eye (James Harrison, for example), Tebow is nothing but calm, cool and collected – staying to his business and trying to earn the job in Denver by shedding nothing but blood, sweat and tears.

The National Football League would be more interesting if Tim Tebow were seeing significant playing time on the field, instead of having a full-time gig holding onto a clipboard.

And if you don’t ‘‘ppreciate that’ opinion, then you’re just drinking “Haterade”.

tim-tebow-in-broncos-uniform

Love him or hate him, Tim Tebow has the right attitude and the right remarks, too

Updated: August 3, 2011 11pm

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Kyle Orton – featured in numerous trade rumors – will be the starter in Denver.  But to this point, there doesn’t appear to be any official word from the Broncos.