Tebow!

Patriot Post ^ | 1/12/12 | R. Emmett Tyrrell

[rhema]

I have officially called off my boycott of the National Football League. I do not care how many felons or frotteurs play the game. Now there is Tim Tebow to redeem it. He can pass and run. He inspires his teammates. He inspires many returning fans like me. I shall follow him through the playoffs and maybe even next year as the season resumes anew. He is an American original -- and he is controversial. I am for him.

No, I shall not fall for the NFL's gimmicks. You will not see me wearing a jersey of the Denver Broncos, for whom Tebow plays. I shall not even buy a coffee mug. In fact, I think I shall add up how much money I could spend on Tebow paraphernalia and donate it to charity. Tebow inspires his teammates, and now he has inspired me.

I first noticed Tebow when he won a string of games in the last minutes. It was phenomenal, but then I seemed to have brought him bad luck, for he lost the next three games.

Then came the Denver Broncos' surprising upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday. The Steelers played a great game behind the two-time Super Bowl winner, Ben Roethlisberger (himself an almost-convicted felon who has now confessed his errors and mended his ways), but Tebow outplayed him. Roethlisberger did lead his team to an overtime Sunday.

That worried me, for I had already sat through hours of play, and one of my complaints with the NFL is that the games are the closest thing we can experience on earth to eternity. Yet the Broncos won the flip of the coin. They elected to receive. And on the first play from scrimmage, Tebow threw a pass to Demaryius Thomas (note the noble Roman name), and Demaryius outran the desperate Steeler secondary for 80 yards and a touchdown. Good show, fellows! The whole play took 11 seconds -- the briefest overtime in NFL history.

Then came the grounds for controversy. After congratulating his Roman receiver, Tebow knelt on one knee and thanked God. His recollections convey the essential Tebow. "When I saw him scoring," recalled the victorious quarterback, "first of all, I just thought, 'Thank you, Lord.' Then, I was running pretty fast, chasing him -- like I can catch up to D.T.! Then I just jumped into the stands. First time I've done that. That was fun. Then, got on a knee and thanked the Lord again and tried to celebrate with my teammates and the fans."

Tebow is very pious, very humble ("like I can catch up to D.T.") and a lot of fun ("that was fun"). How can anyone dislike him? He runs charities in the offseason. He invites sick children to games. He does all manner of good deeds. He is the son of missionaries, and he takes his religion seriously.

This appears to be a problem for some players in the NFL and other concerned Americanos. Some have uttered insults at him over his religion and, in fact, over his general good-guy deportment. Why should this be? One can strut and perform the most lurid dances on the field. One can demonstrate on behalf of various controversial causes. Nary an eye is batted. Yet a show of piety to one's creator is deemed an offense.

By the way, Tebow was not the only person on the field expressing a prayer. I saw a fellow from the Steelers make the Sign of the Cross repeatedly, and after an exceptionally good pass, I dare say Roethlisberger raised his hands to the heavens. So what is so outrageous about a pause for a prayer of thanksgiving?

I predict that Tebow is in for some serious controversy in the weeks and years ahead. Some say he does not deserve his fame, that he is an unorthodox passer and a terrible ball-handler. I do not know what they think they know. He is as strong as a bull, and his running and passing win games.

Yet his real problem is the religious angle. Many Americans do not like it. They prefer their own gestures of false piety. They need our prayers.

[crazydad]

Thank you!

[Defiant]

Anyone that says that Tebow is not a good NFL quarterback illustrates their football ignorance and their inability to think creatively. Don't worry, that includes 90 percent of the NFL pundits, so you are in good company. Tebow is not a good dropback passer in the mold of the classics, like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. I will grant you that. However, what Tebow does is make the QB a threat to run on every single play. The defense has to worry about a QB run, instead of keying the run defense to the running backs. That is a significant advantage to the offense, if the offense adjusts its tactics accordingly. Denver is getting better at creating the kind of offense that can take advantage of having an extra running back in the backfield, and when they mix it up well, as they did against the Steelers and in some of the regular season games, they succeed. Where they fail is when they rely too heavily on the run, instead of using the threat of the run to improve the odds on the passes.

Michael Vick is also a great running QB with a strong arm who has not been utilized to the full extent of his capabilities. He is more fragile than Tebow, so it is understandable that he rarely runs except as an unplanned scramble. When he came into the league, he was killing teams with his running, and his passing was not that great. No matter, his team won, and he passed well enough. Now, he is very sharp with his passes, and his arm is still strong. Tebow will get better as time goes on, too. But until then, teams can win with him just as he is, as Denver proved last week.

[peeps36]

Tebow won't be a pure pocket passer like Marino but he could become something like a bigger version of Steve Young. The experts didn't like the way Steve Young threw the ball when he came out of college. He had better mechanics at this stage of his career but he still improved as he gained experience.

[hinckley buzzard]

Tebow is really not a very good NFL caliber quarterback

Passing rating of 125 against the Steeler defense? Yeah he just got lucky. You're right, Tebow sucks. Just ask Troy Palomalu--he's got a lot of time on his hands right now, he'll be glad to agree with you probably.

Geez, we got einsteins galore around here.

[lonestar]

I gotta say...you’ve got a problem because nobody makes you watch anything about Tebow!

[Cvengr]

Tebow is really not a very good NFL caliber quarterback.

David wasn't a very good Philistine caliber opponent to Goliath.

[TheOldLady]

Slap those Dems!

Slap those Dems!

[spankalib]

He’s actually like the old single-wing QBs when you think about it.
Maybe that’s another reason I enjoy watching him.
I’m a throwback too. Old skool.

[SendShaqtoIraq]

then stop clicking on these threads

[Longbow1969]

My prediction was a New England win 44-10. Final score, 45-10 ;)

Told ya New England would slaughter Denver. Tebow isn’t even in the same league with Brady. One day maybe. I seriously doubt it, but maybe. But New England and Brady outclass Denver and Tebow by miles right now. The Patriots could have hung 75 points on them if they’d wanted.

Gratz to your team.

[rhema]

Elway's going to take Tebow under his wing in the offseason. An ESPN columnist writes:

. . . Tebow said Saturday night that he must become more accurate and consistent, and he plans to soon start working on what will be his first full offseason as an NFL player. Legendary Denver quarterback John Elway, who is now the Broncos’ football leader, has said he plans to personally work with Tebow in the offseason, focusing on improving the youngster’s footwork.

Elway was in Denver’s locker room after the game and appeared satisfied with the season. He wasn’t ready to chat about the future and has yet to confirm the Broncos will ride with Tebow as their quarterback in 2012. Don’t be surprised, however, if the Broncos commit to Tebow soon.

That’s the direction the players want the team to take. Several Denver players said Saturday night that they believe Tebow will continue to make strides and he is the answer at quarterback.

“He’s our guy,” Denver rookie safety Rahim Moore said. “Our team jells around him. He is only going to get better.”