The Front Row with Jason Elliott January 7, 2012

For weeks, even months when you turn on the television, all you hear about when watching ESPN is Tim Tebow.

And for what? Because he doesn't have the completion numbers of Tom Brady, Drew Brees or even Tarvaris Jackson.

There's one thing you can't argue - at least his team is still in the playoffs.

GRANTED THAT once the Broncos take the field on Sunday, they'll be overmatched against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Or so you'd think.

Pittsburgh represented the AFC in the Super Bowl last year, but lost to the Green Bay Packers.

They return most of the same starters from that team and outside of an injury to Rashard Mendenhall, will have the same guys on the field against Denver.

Meanwhile, the Broncos haven't been to the playoffs since they lost to the Steelers in the AFC Championship game in 2006.

The Broncos quarterback at that time was Jake Plummer, who now spends time mentoring players with the Sandpoint High football team and playing in handball tournaments in the area.

Critics have said that the Broncos offense won't be successful in the NFL, let alone the playoffs, but considering they are still playing, who knows?

Denver did the one thing that others couldn't - found a way to win some games when it needed to.

IT MIGHT be tough for a player like Carson Palmer to watch the opening round of the playoffs today.

Not only did he think the Cincinnati Bengals weren't interesting in winning, but he flat refused to play for them, even declining to report to the team before being traded to the Oakland Raiders.

With Palmer starting again, many believed the Oakland Raiders had a shot at the playoffs, and with a few more wins could have knocked Tebow out of the playoffs with a win in the final week of the season.

That didn't happen.

And while Cincinnati didn't win its finale either, the Bengals still advanced to the playoffs without Palmer and Ochocinco, who was traded to New England once the lockout was lifted.

Had Palmer played for the Bengals this season, who knows if they'd be in playoffs this year.

Instead, rookie quarterback Andy Dalton got his team into the playoffs along with fellow rookie A.J. Green.

It might not be a commitment to excellence, but they were good enough this season.

WHILE THIS playoff run might end quicker for both the Bengals and Broncos, it won't be because of a lack of effort.

Dalton has the potential to become a great quarterback someday, as does Tebow.

Rome wasn't built in a year.

But neither are Hall of Fame careers.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected].