"He was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance" -- 1 Samuel 17:42

It's a chilly Sunday morning here in central Florida. The grass is tawny and the dry, crisp leaves skitter by in the breeze. The earth seems almost lifeless, and a metaphorically perfect day for Tim Tebow and his upstart Broncos to begin the winter of their discontent.

Back when Tebow played Goliath, I couldn't have cared less about him. He smiled boyishly and ran roughshod over college kids who'd be gainfully employed as teachers, accountants, and policemen in a year or two. While Tim seemed like a good fellow at the college level, he clearly disregarded the acquisition of what many considered to fundamental quarterbacking skills: Natural ability and off-the-charts leadership skill were all he needed. The Florida coaching staff simply sneered at pundits who criticized his game, arrogantly failing to consider the young man's future in the sport.

Now, cast as David, Tebow makes a much more interesting story. After having been anointed Denver's starter, the drama of his battles against the minor Philistines of the league seemed epic. Goliath, in the form of the Patriots last night, had the proverbial last laugh.

Watching the Patriots win last night was like watching a teeming school of piranha strip an unwary capybara, swimming unwittingly across the Amazon, to the very bone. And the key word there is 'school.' The Broncos en masse , including their experienced coaching staff, were all taught a difficult and predominantly violent lesson.

One recalls boxers gratuitously punching a nearly unconscious opponent who was somehow hanging on the ropes, turning to the referee between blows and imploring him to stop a bout that was clearly over. The Patriots, however, really never let up.

Anyone who blames this loss on Tebow is daft. Tebow, I'm sure, stoked the Patriots' collective competitive fire and was obviously a prime target of their ferocity. New England took the lumber to the entire team—any Bronco who can look at himself in the mirror today and blame the quarterback is delusional.

All we really learned last night was that the Patriots remain a slumbering giant, prone to smug self-satisfaction, but a veritable sleeping dog of a team that it would be far better to let lie. That, and the real difficulty of having a popular but polarizing Tim Tebow as your quarterback and ostensible face of your franchise: He wears a colossal target, and when talented teams with plenty of ill will decide to shock and awe him, everyone wearing orange and blue is potential collateral damage in the terrible carnage sure to follow.

Regarding Tebow, here’s hoping that New England finally knocked the pigskin saviour right out of the minds of the Broncos. Here's hoping that with this adversity he'll now face far more reasonable expectations for a young quarterback with a limited skill set and a heart the size of Nebraska.

Perhaps he be taught—as others have been (Can you say Michael Vick?)—to read defenses, know the playbook, check down his receivers, stand tall in the pocket, and, seemingly most importantly, hit the open man with an accurate spiral more often than not. A full offseason of OTAs, an entire training camp, and a complete schedule of preseason games won't hurt at all.

Now, hopefully, begins the winter during which Tebow starts to become a real big league quarterback, and not merely a swollen cash cow to be slaughtered violently on the altar of the national media and the NFL.