Tim Tebow stands out in Eagles debut

It's been two long years, two long offseasons, a stint on television, and another with quarterback guru Tom House this winter, but at long last, quarterback and all-round object of love and devotion Tim Tebow made his debut with the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon. 

The Eagles topped the Colts 36-10 behind a pair of scores by Kenjon Barner and a stellar 34 yard reception by rookie Nelson Agholor. But, if we're judging by the reactions to those plays, none compares with what came in the fourth quarter.

Tebow authored a couple of drives, first good, then not so much. But an Ed Reynolds interception set the declared No. 4 quarterback up within striking distance, culminated in his seven yard touchdown rush. 

His running ability and toughness, though, were never questioned. It was the well-documented throwing motion that had coaches and supporters alike assessing whether the Tebow addition was wise or not. 

Count Chip Kelly as a believer.

"I liked the way Tim threw the ball," Kelly said after the contest. "That was the big question coming in was how did he throw. He threw the ball well."

That famous drooping motion is gone and the time from snap to release has come down, which means he's making decisions faster and with greater conviction. That's a major plus. After making his first four passes, Tebow finished 6-of-12 for 69 yards. The fifty percent completion could raise eyebrows, if not for what was around him as time wore on.

He inherited Matt Barkley's third-team protection, which was wilting fast. Before Tebow had the chance to set himself into some throws, or even to roll out properly, he found the left side of the line had collapsed. 

"You also have to look at who is in with who," Kelly said. "There were a different set of receivers in there with Tim than with Matt [Barkley] and Mark [Sanchez]. And really a different line at times. There were some plays where you might say 'Why did Tim do that' but the receiver ran the wrong route. He's expecting a shallow cross, and there is no shallow cross. So what do you do?"

If you're Tim Tebow, the answer is: whatever it is, keep doing it.

"[I] did some things decent and some things we have to work on," Tebow said. "I have to be more consistent."

He'll likely get the chance to. With Chip Kelly's apparent kid-gloves approach to starting quarterback Sam Bradford, and the seeming incapacity of Mark Sanchez to complete passes to wide open receivers, much of the exhibition campaign will fall into the hands of Tebow and No. 3 Matt Barkley.