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Blame it on the cook.

Denver coach John Fox was asked by media members Wednesday to respond to a Yahoo! Sports report that quoted an unnamed team source as saying Denver quarterback Tim Tebow has not been as impressive as undrafted rookie Adam Weber, who is the fourth-string quarterback in Denver.

Here is a passage from that story:

As one highly knowledgeable member of the organization told me Monday: “If everything was totally equal, and this were a competition based only on performance at this camp, Tebow would probably be the fourth-string guy. Kyle [Orton] is far and away the best, and Tebow’s way behind [Brady] Quinn too. And I’m telling you, Adam Weber is flat-out better right now.”

Fox disputed that characterization in quotes distributed by the team:

“First of all, I would like to say that nobody in this building that is in the decision-making process -- coach, official, or I don’t know, maybe they heard it from the cook … I’m not sure, but we hold Tim in high regard,” Fox said. “I think he’s got a bright future in this game. He’s playing maybe the hardest position I know in the NFL there is to play, and maybe in all of sports. He’s progressing fine.”

Tebow fell to No. 3 on the depth chart behind Brady Quinn last week. Quinn threw 16 passes against Buffalo while Tebow threw two passes in the game. Fox said he hopes to get Tebow more passes in either of the final two preseason games. He wouldn’t say who is going to backup Kyle Orton this weekend. I’d be surprised if it wasn’t Quinn.

Meanwhile, add Boomer Esiason to the list of those who don’t think Tebow will make it as an NFL quarterback. Among his colorful criticism was this dandy: “What [former Broncos coach] Josh McDaniel saw in him God only knows. Maybe God does know -- because the rest of us don't.”

Tebow is a polarizing figure. Everyone has an opinion. Yet, these days it seems the anti-Tebow push is taking over.

Fox said the immense coverage of the quarterback situation is part of the business.

"I understand that that’s what we sign up for,” Fox said. “These guys are all big boys; they understand that whether it’s right or fair, that’s not for me to judge. It’s part of the deal. There’s a lot of stuff about this game that’s a little crazy.”

Brock Huard quickly returned a phone message.

“I don’t get a chance to talk about left-handed quarterbacks much,” Huard said. "You don’t see it much. I go to a lot of youth football camps and the quarterbacks are almost always right-handed. It seems all the lefties are playing baseball. ... I’m interested to see Tim Tebow because we lefties are hard to come by.”

Huard, now a college football analyst for ESPN, is a member of a rare club. He was a southpaw gunslinger as a backup in Seattle and Indianapolis from 1999-2004. The NFL is a right-handed quarterback’s game. Only 12 left-handed quarterback have started more than 50 NFL games.

The only lefty currently slated to be a starter in 2010 is Arizona’s Matt Leinart and his status is far from solid. The only other left-handed quarterbacks currently in the NFL are backups Mark Brunell, Michael Vick, Chris Simms, Pat White and Tyler Palko.

Besides Brunell and Vick, the last truly successful left-handed quarterbacks were Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Young and Boomer Esiason. Other successful left-handed quarterbacks throughout the years include Ken Stabler, Jim Zorn, Bobby Douglass and Frankie Albert.

Being left-handed is one of the reasons Tebow enters the NFL with such intense interest. The intrigue is not just whether the former Florida quarterback can prove he simply wasn’t a Saturday star with an awkward delivery. People are eager to see if Tebow can become the next lefty to succeed in the league.

“I have no doubt that he can,” said Houston quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp. "I know it can happen."

Knapp would know. He coached Young in San Francisco and Vick in Atlanta.

“I’ve seen it firsthand,” Knapp said. "Don’t tell me left-handed quarterbacks can’t make it in this league. I know it can be done.”

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