So, after a mediocre but respectable first start as an NFL quarterback, Tim Tebow lifted the Broncos to a 4th quarter comeback victory, 24-23, over the struggling Houston Texans.
Tebow’s stats were again relatively pedestrian, but it was his first 300 yard passing game and he completed one TD pass and ran for another in bringing the Broncos back from a 17 point halftime deficit.
I only watched the second half, so I missed the fans booing the Broncos play selection, but what I hear is that the Broncos called very few passing plays and the Texans were teeing off on Tebow and the running game just like Oakland had done the week before. After halftime the coaches finally decided to let Tebow be an actual quarterback and he lit the place up on a couple of high-pressure, high-drama drives, including the eventual winning score which he ran in on a broken play when his right side blocking broke down and he simply turned and sprinted about 30 yards to the left pylon for a 6 yard TD run. On that play he looked like the sort of QB who can turn a broken play into a big play using his feet.
My initial impression of Tebow was more or less reinforced. He looked like a rookie on a few plays, and looks like he’s still getting used to the speed and defensive reaction of NFL caliber defensive players. He has a very nice feel for the pocket when he wants to, and stepped up to deliver very well thrown balls on the few plays that the Broncos offensive line was able to actually create a pocket. When the pocket collapsed he ducked left and right with equal ease, on one play making a pass that would have done Jay Cutler, Dan Marino and Brett Favre proud, going back across the field probably 40 yards to an open receiver on the other end of the field.
He managed the game well, as far as I could tell. He didn’t screw up assignments, he identified the blitz and was able to find the man-on-man receiver, he was brilliant on the bubble screens that the Broncos called, turning several of them into critical first downs.
But most importantly to me, he clearly won his teammates over. He reminded me of Brett Favre in his jubilant enthusiasm after every first down and especially after touchdowns. It was clear that the whole team fed off his energy. Even the defense, after making a critical stop, found Tebow on the sidelines grabbing the playmaker and high-fiving or chest bumping with them.
I didn’t see Tebow’s first quarter interception, but he said it was a ball he shouldn’t have thrown and he didn’t seem overly upset with it. Drew Brees made two TERRIBLE throws on MNF so I’m not going to judge Tebow on one poor decision.
In the main I would say that Tebow has shown some real promise with his skills, and has shown himself to be a leader that the team gets behind and feeds off his energy.
Keeping my fingers crossed, but right now I think Tebow is doing fine.
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Every sport needs heroes. He could be one.
I’ve been reading the comments on ESPN’s Tebow stories. The comments are off the scale, in every imaginable way, including quantity. He gets attention for sure. What amazes me is the number of people who come right out and say the most ignorant or foolish things imaginable.
A common statement is that Tebow is a joke compared to Michael Vick or Steve Young. But if Tebow were to totally tank in the next game, and get yanked for Orton, he’d still compare well with Young’s or Vick’s rookie year. People forget that Steve Young was told he couldn’t be a quarterback, that he relied too much on his legs, could not throw the ball or read defenses. In fact he was asked to play running back by his first team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and when he refused, they traded him. I think he was regarded as a draft pick bust for the first five years of his career, even well into his Joe Montana backup days. How do people forget that? Vick’s first year was comparable. In fact I believe Tebow has scored more touchdowns in his rookie year than Vick did, in spite of playing less than 1/3 as long.
Comparing Tebow to other rookie QBs this year, he compares favorably as well. The only rookie QB with a winning record has something like a 2 – 1 record right now.
And of course the comments are full of nasty comments about his religion.
I had earlier pointed out that Tebow had to deal with that sort of prejudice from NFL players and coaches, but I neglected to mention how prevalent hard-core lefty attitudes are among sports reporters. My guess is that 70% of sports reporters are either Tebow Haters or only begrudgingly give him credit. The ESPN story on Tebow’s win was full of comments about his inability to throw, his tendency to leave receivers open to hits and his inability to handle the snap from center. Now I watch a lot of football, and I see a lot of experienced QBs make the same sort of mistakes Tebow made Sunday. Drew freaking Brees threw two of the worst interceptions I’ve ever seen and had a number of other poorly thrown balls. Peyton Manning has been an interception machine this year. But I haven’t read an ESPN story about how they can’t read defenses, can’t handle snaps or put their receivers in danger.
Closet haters is all.
Things have really unraveled. I remember when Landry, Staubach, and even more recently Reggie White were respected, and admired for their religious beliefs.
I don’t know, but I think Brees is a religious, church-going guy. And, I’m sure hundreds of others throughout the league are.
I guess they just didn’t do any pro-life commercials…or, maybe some have.
Regardless, it’s a sad thing to watch. The guy is good. Really good. And smart. Really smart. Maybe if he lived with a chick outside of marriage for years like Eli did, or womanize like Romo, he’d get the same grace that everybody else does.
But, he’s a big boy. I’m pretty sure that ducking stones is not nearly as frustrating to him as it is to his supporters.
Plus, he’s rich. Filthy rich. He can do anything he wants in life, be it on the field, or off.
Here are the reasons I think Tim Tebow generates so much hatred.
1. He and HIS MOTHER put out a pro-life TV ad. Much like with Sarah Palin, this meant that Tim’s mother is a gender-traitor. Since his mother is not a public figure, Tim is the lucky recipient of all the pent-up outrage from those who would really like to Palinize Tebow’s mother, but don’t get the chance.
2. Tebow is unabashedly Christian and outspoken about it. This infuriates a large fraction of the public who consider overt Christian faith to be the moral equivalent of Al Qada.
3. Tebow is the only player in the history of college football to win the Heisman trophy in his sophomore year. To many people this is simply inexcusable. Some take issue with this because they were rooting for Tim’s competitors, some take issue with it because they just feel it isn’t right for a sophomore to win the award. Add to that the large number of people who are simply jealous of any person who achieves such success so early.
4. Tebow’s detractors have always predicted failure at every level of the game, from high school through the pros. When you’ve invested so much emotion in predicting failure, success is a slap in the face and just escalates the hatred.
5. Tebow is unfailingly optimistic and enthusiastic about life and the game of football. Many, many people view this sort of thing as “phony” by definition. And any chance to hate “phoniness” is jumped upon by a surprisingly large segment of the population.
In some ways Tebow is a perfect storm of controversy. If it weren’t for the public pro-life statements though, I would guess the hatred would be substantially less.
Some truths:
1) If Teebow were black, his “athleticism” would be heralded and he would be tagged the next Vick or McNabb.
2) If Teebow were black, his unorthodox QB throwing motion would be minimized and concentration on his “intangibles,” his “will to win” or his “other attributes” would be highlighted as with Vince Young or Demarcus Russell.
3) If Teebow were black, his Christian activism would be trumpeted and highlighted, especially if he brought his message into black communities as with Reggie White and this new college DT (can’t remember his name) who is compared to White and has the nickname “Pastor of Defense” (whereas White was the “Minister of Defense.)
Drax, quite a few of the comments on the ESPN story about Tebow were comparing him to Michael Vick, and many, many people made the derogatory comment that Tebow was a fan favorite merely because he was a “poor white version of Michael Vick”. In most cases his athletic skills were ridiculed in comparison with Vick, mostly due to Vick’s slightly faster time in the 40 yard dash. (I think it was 4.2 sec for Vick and 4.4 sec for Tebow, or something like that).
(Editorial comment here… I suspect that in spite of Vick’s faster sprint time, that if you put both of them in full pads and had them do a 40 yard race, you wouldn’t see much if any difference between the results.)
I don’t disagree with any of your comments above, but I don’t think they play a big factor in the Tebow-hate that is out there.
(UPDATE:) OK, so let me clarify. I think that you are correct that there would be far less Tebow-hatred if he were black. But I don’t think people hate him because he’s not black. It’s just a totally different dynamic for white vs black. I consider the “if he were black” approach to be mostly a hypothetical thought experiment. I’m trying to stick with why he’s hated as he is, not as he could have been in a different world.
The point is that Teebow being hated “as he is” is that “as he is” is …. white.
Each of the things he is derided for, black QB’s are admired for – by the same group of talking heads (athletic, throwing motion, religious activism, etc.)
As to all “Vick” comparison, we have to remember all the OTHER black QB’s who were “athletic” coming out of college (Kordell Steward, Donovan McNabb, Young, et al) who always had the “WOW” factor on their scrambles and “finding a way to win with their feet” in the view of those same talking heads – whereas Teebow (who is FASTER than almost every one of those QB and a much better runner – AND is a better thrower even with his “looping” (Bledsoe?) throwing motion than ANY of them) should be a fullback or a tight end – with this narrative beginning BEFORE the end of his sophomore year.
Sure, his Christianity (activism) plays a part. But, as illustrated above, BLACK Christian activists don’t get this treatment, so…what’s the difference…
Yeah.
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