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CINCINNATI -- Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Tim Tebow made his highly anticipated NFL debut Sunday night in a 33-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Entering the game in the third quarter, the first-round pick produced a mixed bag. Tebow led the Broncos with 105 yards on 8-of-13 passing.

Here are five things we learned:

1. Tebow's mechanics must improve. Tebow spent countless hours with coaches this offseason working to improve his mechanics. But his throwing motion looked similar to what we saw in college at Florida. Tebow held the ball very low at times and he still has a long, winding delivery. Tebow had some success Sunday against Cincinnati's third-stringers, but he may have a difficult time against better competition without shortening his delivery.

"There are a lot of things I can get better at," Tebow said. "I really went out there and tried to compete. We did some pretty decent things, but we still have a long way to go. I have a long way to go."

2. The arm strength is there. Although his throwing motion isn't textbook, Tebow displayed NFL-caliber arm strength. He displayed good zip and velocity. Sometimes it was too fast, as Broncos receiver Matthew Willis dropped a potential third-down completion along the sideline. Tebow also made a couple throws that were nearly intercepted, but Bengals defenders couldn't handle his fastballs.

"He has a strong arm. It's a different technique, but he gets it there," said Jonathan Long, who was scouting Tebow and the Broncos for AFC West rival Oakland Raiders. "But arm strength doesn't mean much if you can't hit the wide receiver. You gotta have accuracy in this league ... and that's something he has to work on. But he can do it because he's got a great work ethic."

3. Tebow isn't used to the speed and feel of the NFL yet. Perhaps the most telling play of the night occurred in the fourth quarter when Bengals safety Jeromy Miles put a big hit on Tebow at the 34-yard line. Tebow held the ball too long, and despite being lefthanded, he failed to see or feel the safety blitz coming from his front side and paid for it. The initial ruling was a sack and fumble, but the call was overturned and ruled an incomplete pass.

"It felt great," said Miles, who was congratulated in the locker room by teammates for his big hit on Tebow. "I think he was just locked into his receivers. He probably saw something out there and just never really looked or seen me coming, and I just ran through him."

4. Tebow is resilient. Following the big hit by Miles, Tebow didn't get down on himself. Instead, he showed his toughness by coming back to lead a touchdown drive on the Broncos' next possession. With 1:09 remaining, Tebow led Denver 73 yards and finished the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run. Tebow's biggest play on the drive was a 33-yard strike to his right to receiver Britt Davis.

"It shows resilience, and I like him for that," Bengals quarterback coach Ken Zampese said. "He's got toughness, and he’s got the leadership skills, and he sure showed me something tonight after he got hit."

5. The No. 2 quarterback job could be Tebow's for the taking. Backup quarterback Brady Quinn, also playing in his first game with Denver, struggled. Quinn completed 6 of 16 passes for 68 yards and threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Tebow looked more sure of himself and the offense than Quinn, whose accuracy was off and was bothered by Cincinnati's pressure. If this trend continues, Tebow could move up the depth chart quickly and become backup to starter Kyle Orton. AFC West blogger Bill Williamson agrees.

MIAMI -- As we await word on the conclusion of Chicago’s search for an offensive coordinator -- Mike Martz? Kevin Rogers? -- Brandon of Huntington Beach, Calif., brings up an interesting point.

Would you compare the Bears’ potential hiring of Mike Martz to the Packers search last year that lead to the hiring of Dom Capers? Both seem to be/have been controversial, big-name hires. If the Bears pull the trigger on Martz, do you think he can have similar, immediate results?

My short answer, Brandon, is that I think Martz is the best candidate the Bears have interviewed to produce immediate results. And there are some similarities between the way the Packers decided on Capers and the way the Bears have meandered to Martz.

The Packers interviewed at least three other candidates -- Mike Nolan, Gregg Williams and Jim Haslett -- before hiring Capers. The Bears interviewed Rogers, Ken Zampese and Rob Chudzinski before giving Martz his interview.

Capers’ defense is based on being unpredictable and coming at the quarterback from all angles, making big plays through forced turnovers and lost yardage. It was flexible enough to cover for some personnel mismatches in his 3-4 scheme.

The same is true for Martz’s offense. Martz is by no means perfect, and there is a reason his services are available. But of all the candidates the Bears have interviewed, I think Martz has the best chance to effect a quick turnaround.

That’s my take from the baseball press box here at Sun Life Stadium. Don’t believe I’m actually at the Pro Bowl? Take a look at the byline on the picture above.

Chicago fans, forget our Hue Jackson discussion from this morning. ESPN’s Michael Smith reports Jackson won’t interview for the Bears’ offensive coordinator job because he will accept a similar position with Oakland.

To this point, that leaves the Bears 0-for-5 on candidates they are known to have either sought out or have interviewed for the job. A quick summary:

Jeremy Bates
Previous position: USC offensive coordinator
Decision: Canceled interview to become Seattle’s offensive coordinator

Tom Clements
Previous position: Green Bay quarterbacks coach
Decision: Packers denied permission to interview

Ken Zampese
Previous position: Cincinnati quarterbacks coach
Decision: Bengals closed hiring window

Rob Chudzinski
Previous position: San Diego assistant head coach/tight ends
Decision: Unclear, but apparently will remain with Chargers

Hue Jackson
Previous position: Baltimore quarterbacks coach
Decision: Will become Oakland’s offensive coordinator

Jacksonville assistant head coach/tight ends coach Mike Tice interviewed Wednesday for a job on Chicago’s coaching staff. There are conflicting reports, however, about whether it was for offensive coordinator or offensive line coach.

Jeff Dickerson of ESPN Chicago reports it was to be the Bears’ offensive coordinator. Jason LaCanfora of NFL.com reports it was for their line job, while Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune suggests the Bears are mulling multiple scenarios, one of which would be to divide coordinator duties among more than one person.

Tice, who was Minnesota’s head coach from 2002 to 2005, has never been a coordinator or called plays. He established himself as an excellent line coach and has spent the past three seasons coaching tight ends in Jacksonville. He is a disciple of the offense Dennis Green installed with the Vikings in the mid-1990s, featuring power running and vertical passing.

Tice and Cincinnati quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese are the only known interviews the Bears have conducted for their multiple offensive positions. Coach Lovie Smith has also spoken generally with former St. Louis coach Mike Martz.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• Minnesota coaches are mulling how much, if at all, they can use cornerback Antoine Winfield as an outside defender Sunday against Dallas. Most recently, he has been playing only in the slot in nickel situations because of a foot injury. Chip Scoggins of the Star Tribune explains.
• Attorneys for Minnesota defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams will be in court Thursday for a preliminary hearing as part of their ongoing legal battle over four-game suspensions the players received in 2008. Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press has the latest.
• Minnesota kicker Ryan Longwell on the pressure of kicking a game-winning field goal: “But when we sign up to do our job, we know it's either an A or an F. There's no C grade in field-goal kicking. It goes through or it doesn't." Tom Powers of the Pioneer Press examines the Vikings’ kicking advantage over Dallas.
• There might not be much change this offseason in Green Bay, writes Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
• Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel outlines how the Packers will go about dissecting their defense this offseason.
• Detroit was disappointed in the rookie year of third-round draft pick Derrick Williams, writes Nicholas J. Cotsonika of the Detroit Free Press.

Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker

Here are the most interesting stories Friday in the AFC North:

• Could Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor be headed for stardom in Super Bowl XLIII?

Morning take: This article is correct. These are the games that create stars. If Taylor shuts down Arizona Cardinals' receiver Larry Fitzgerald -- a tall order -- Taylor would quickly become a household name.

• Former teammate Shannon Sharpe recently told Ray Lewis to stay with the Baltimore Ravens.

Morning take: Lewis learned a lot under Sharpe when the two were together in Baltimore. At the very least, Lewis will pay attention to Sharpe's words.

• With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hiring former Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski as offensive coordinator, this means candidate and Cincinnati Bengals assistant Ken Zampese will return to the Queen City.

Morning take: It looks like the Bengals will get both their quarterbacks coach (Zampese) and quarterback (Carson Palmer) next season.

• Cleveland Browns safety and pending free agent Mike Adams says he wants to stay with the team.

Morning take: This is the time of year when every player says this. My guess is, with a new coaching staff, Adams and many other in-house free agents will not return.