Tebowmania!

It's gone from a cute phrase to a full-blown sporting and cultural phenomenon. The Denver Broncos are 7-1 since Tim Tebow has taken over as the starting quarterback. The team has gone from last place to first place in the AFC West thanks to the unlikely lefthander from Florida who has made believers out of cynical fans, experts, opponents and teammates.

Tebow, obviously gets most of the credit for taking advantage of this opportunity. Few expected him to succeed as an NFL quarterback, even after a stellar collegiate career, but his singular belief in his own ability and the way he has silenced the critics has been remarkable.

Denver head coach John Fox also deserves praise for his willingness to go against the grain and change the offense to fit Tebow's skill set. Fox was brought in to rebuild a forlorn team, and when his chosen starter, Kyle Orton, failed to deliver, fans clamoured for Tebow. Fox bristled at first, then gave in. Now he's riding the Tebow train towards an almost unthinkable playoff berth.

And the rest of the Broncos also deserve credit for putting their scepticism to the side and following this unlikely star. Even after a couple of wins, a number of players - particularly those on defense - still weren't prepared to back Tebow. Now they've pretty much all become believers.

Interestingly, there's one man who hasn't gotten much credit in this whole developing storyline and ironically, he's the reason Tebow is in Denver.

That man is Josh McDaniels.

Remember him? The boy wonder head coach in the hoodie? The Bill Belichick disciple whose overall record was 11-17 and got him run - er, laughed - out of town? His two year stint with the Broncos was seen as a genuine low point in what is one of the NFL's strongest franchises. Owner Pat Bowlen actually apologised to the fans for hiring McDaniels.

In 2010, McDaniels insisted on drafting Tebow in the first round of the NFL draft. The Broncos took Demaryius Thomas first - the 22nd choice overall - but Tebow was controversially snapped up three picks later. Many called it a wasted selection and even those who loved Tebow believed he wouldn't succeed as a quarterback and would have to switch to running back.

Tebow sat the bench for most of his rookie season, as Orton - who came from Chicago in a swap for Jay Cutler - ran the show. This year, Tebow started third on the depth chart behind Orton and Brady Quinn before embarking on his history-making journey.

So did McDaniels expect this day to come? I'm not convinced, because his plan with Tebow was to turn him into a prototypical pocket-passing NFL quarterback. Clearly that hasn't happened and probably won't. But McDaniels evidently saw something in Tebow that caused him to gamble on a precious first round draft pick.

Despite his disastrous reign as head coach, McDaniels - now offensive coordinator at St. Louis - clearly made some positive personnel moves. He drafted wide receiver Eric Dekker, one of Tebow's favourite targets, as well as offensive linemen Zane Beadles and JD Walton. He also signed hard-hitting safety Brian Dawkins who is an inspirational part of the Denver defense.

This week, the Broncos and Tebow get a reality check. They play freewheeling, high-scoring New England, the club where McDaniels learned his craft. It will be fascinating to see how Belichick, Tom Brady and Company go against the growing legend that is Tebowmania.