John Elway pins hopes on Tim Tebow

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INDIANAPOLIS -- Denver Broncos vice president John Elway said he hopes Tim Tebow is the team's long-term solution at quarterback.

It was a step beyond Elway's statement at season's end that Tebow would be the starter going into training camp. Tebow completed less than half of his passes last season, but posted a series of dramatic comebacks in leading the Broncos to the playoffs, where he threw an 80-yard TD pass to Demaryius Thomas in overtime to beat Pittsburgh in the first round.

“

He added a great spark for us, and we really had some good things happen to us. I was really happy with his progress. I know Tim's going to work hard this offseason. We're hoping that he's going to be the guy for a long, long time.

” -- Broncos VP John Elway on Tim Tebow

He went 8-5 as the starter, but lost four of his last five games.

"He added a great spark for us, and we really had some good things happen to us," Elway said Friday at the NFL scouting combine. "I was really happy with his progress. I know Tim's going to work hard this offseason. We're hoping that he's going to be the guy for a long, long time."

Elway said he likes Tebow's physical tools, but he needs to work on his throwing fundamentals.

"I think there's things that we have to get him to do within our offense to be successful as an offense," Elway said. "Tim's strengths are, no question, he's able to run the football, he's a big guy and physical and likes to run it. We also want to see strides in Tim and his ability to throw the football down the field from in the pocket. We feel like that's something we have to do to get better as an offense. To add that threat there makes everything else he does that much better."

Tebow is working on his throwing with new UCLA offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone in Los Angeles.

"One thing I don't have a concern about is that Tim Tebow is going to do everything he can this offseason to get better," Elway said. "If that's working with Mazzone, or whatever he's doing, he's going to do everything he can to get better."

Denver is looking for backups for Tebow. The Broncos have Tebow and Adam Weber under contract and are interested in bringing back free agent Brady Quinn. Elway didn't say what style the possible newcomers would have.

"When I look at Tim and I look at our offense, we can go with either one, whether it be a guy like Tim, or if it's more of a drop-back-type guy," Elway said.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

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