The Denver Broncos are parting ways with general manager Brian Xanders, reports Mike Klis of the Denver Post.

“It was tough because I have a great deal of respect for Brian as a football man but also as a person,” Broncos exec John Elway said. “Even more so as a person. He was very helpful to me in this first year getting acclimated back to the NFL. I owe him a lot.”

Xanders, now 41, was hired after the 2008 draft as the Broncos’ assistant general manager; the following year, he was promoted to the GM position. With one year left on his contract, Xanders mutually agreed with the Broncos today on his exit.

“John and I had a lengthy conversation today, and we mutually decided to part ways for the best interest of my career aspirations,” Xanders said. “I appreciated everything that [owner] Pat Bowlen has done for the Broncos and for bringing me here in 2008. It was great working with Coach John Fox. I’m telling you, he’s a great coach to work with. And it was great working with John Elway.”

Xanders also worked for 14 years in a variety of capacities with the Atlanta Falcons before arriving in Denver.

John Elway provided Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow with his strongest endorsement to date, according to USA Today.

“He added a great spark for us, and we really had some good things happen to us. I was really happy with his progress,” Elway said

“Tim’s gonna be the guy for a long, long time.”

As recently as late November, Elway’s confidence in the second-year quarterback’s ability to play a significant role in the team’s plans were not high. In an interview on Nov. 20 with 102.3 FM in Denver when asked if he saw Tebow as the team’s future starting quarterback, he simply said, “no.”

“I think obviously [Tim Tebow] is making progress week in and week out,” Elway continued, “When you look at our third down numbers, those have to improve. I mean, that’s the bottom line. We can’t go 3-for-13 and win a world championship. Those are the type of things we have to keep improving.”

Tebow helped the Broncos win six games in a row, and was 7-4 as the team’s starter in the regular season. Through 14 games last season, the 24-year-old threw for a 46.5 completion percentage, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also ran for 660 yards and six touchdowns.

Tim Tebow is pleased that legendary Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway, now a Broncos executive, is gaining confidence in his unconventional game, NFL.com reports.

Elway said yesterday that he believes that Tebow can transform from a scrambler to a pocket passer. Tebow’s passing abilities have been a topic of discussion and have caused many to doubt the young quarterback’s capabilities of leading Denver to a Super Bowl.

“Mr. Elway is obviously one of the best to ever play the game,” Tebow said, according to NFL.com. “To get any compliment from him is extremely nice. He’s been around this game a long time. That’s nice to hear.”

Earlier this week, Elway expressed his sentiments on Tebow to the Associated Press, telling AP, “Tim Tebow’s not going anywhere … he’s going to be a Bronco.”

Throughout the season Elway has failed to express confidence with Tebow’s style of play and in late November, even told a Denver area radio station that he did not see Tebow as the Broncos future starting quarterback.

Tebow has gone 7-2 as the Broncos starting quarterback with many of the wins in come-from-behind fashion. On the season, Tebow has thrown for 1,484 yards, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. He has also recorded five rushing touchdowns.

Despite previous remarks insinuating that Tim Tebow may not be the Broncos quarterback of the future, Broncos executive vice president John Elway said today that he saw “big strides,” from Tebow in their come from behind victory yesterday, the Denver Post reports.

“We saw him read out the two passes, the long passes — the touchdown to Demaryius [Thomas] in the end zone, and the long gain in the fourth quarter. He did a great job against Cover 2.  Offensively, especially in the second half, we came out and did some play action, which really helped us, and receivers did a heck of a job getting open, and Tim did a good job of getting them the ball,” Elway told a local radio station, according to the Post.

Tebow, who had yet to complete over 50 percent of his passes in a single game, completed 10 of 15 through the air while picking up 202 passing yards and two passing touchdowns.

The Broncos are currently 7-5 and are tied with the Oakland Raiders at the top of the AFC West. They are now 6-1 with Tebow as the starting quarterback.

Although Tim Tebow has helped Denver win four of  its last five games since becoming the team’s starter, Broncos executive vice president of football operations John Elway still does not acknowledge  Tebow as the team’s quarterback of the future. 

When asked today during his weekly radio appearance on 102.3 FM whether he was any closer to feeling that he had the quarterback set for his team, Elway reportedly responded, “no,” according to the Denver Post. 

“I think obviously [Tim Tebow] is making progress week in and week out,” Elway continued, “When you look at our third down numbers, those have to improve. I mean, that’s the bottom line. We can’t go 3-for-13 and win a world championship. Those are the type of things we have to keep improving.”

Tebow helped cap off a 17-13 victory over the New York Jets on Thursday with a 95-yard drive in the closing minutes of the game, including a game-winning 20-yard touchdown run. The victory helped the Broncos improve to 5-5 on the season.

The victory also marked the second consecutive game the Broncos had won despite Tebow completing less than 10 passes in each contest. The second-year quarterback completed just nine of 20 pass attempts Thursday for a total of 104 yards. On the ground he totaled 68 yards in eight rushes.

Two weeks ago, Tebow completed just two of eight passes for a total of 69 yards. In that game he ran for 43 yards and one touchdown.