Tim Tebow in his Denver Bronco glory days.

That sound you hear is my heart leaping at Tim Tebow’s impressive performance with the Philadelphia Eagles as they beat the Indianapolis Colts 36-10 in pre-season action this past Sunday.

Tebow had a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter – typical Tebow late-moment heroics – and even earned a standing ovation before he even threw a pass.

But along with the adulation comes the naysaying: He still doesn’t release the ball quickly enough. He didn’t throw any touchdown passes. He can’t challenge Matt Barkley for the third-quarterback spot. Blah, blah, blah.

Tim Tebow and all the scathing criticism he received in the first iteration of his NFL career are the reasons I wrote my forthcoming novel “The Penalty for Holding” – although my hero, a gay, biracial quarterback, Quinn Novak, is in many ways un-Tebow-like. But I was interested in exploring what a person does when he’s faced with overwhelming hostility in the workplace?

And you know what? He rises by plugging away.

Here’s hoping Tebow makes it.