Before you do an eye-roll, let me make one thing clear: I’m not a Tebow hater or lover.
At times, I’ve enjoyed his acts of heroics. You couldn’t help but get caught up in the hoopla. It was Rocky meets Rudy. While during other times, I thought the guy couldn’t throw the football and was a byproduct of the 24-hour news cycle. I think what jumped out most was the hype involved with his play. On one hand, you had Skip Bayless going nuts about loving the guy (IE: I’d rather have him in the 4th quarter than Aaron Rodgers) and on the other hand, you had Stephen A. Smith’s head exploding when seeing Tebow play. He’s the perfect talk show topic. Haters and lovers on both ends. No in between stance unless you are rational…like me 😛
To me, the hoopla is what made Tebow have a fan club of fanatics and haters.
If ESPN wasn’t into propaganda and creating stories, Tebow would be a whisper in the dark in my opinion. I think people can’t stand the guy because he’s always on TV and everyone seems to be a breakdown away after breaking down his play. It reminds me of why I can’t stand Fox News. Just too many blowhards for my taste. There’s also the religious factor, which I’m not touching because I separate my faith from my football.
Before the 2010 Draft, Tebow was a hot topic in WNY. There were rumors the Bills liked him and even brought him in for interviews and that world famous dinner with Jim Kelly. I remember Bulldog was a HUGE fan of Tebow and wanted him to come here because he wanted something new to believe in with this pathetic franchise. Others, like Brad Riter, didn’t want anything to do with him because he couldn’t throw in his view.
As my history with Tebow goes, I never bought into the hype that he brought to the NFL. It wasn’t that I thought he couldn’t succeed, but it was more about me watching only like 3 Florida games and ignoring the Mel Kiper world that we live in. In other words, I was indifferent and thought everyone else was insane. No one knows if the guy was going to be a bust or not. I mean, they can assume it, but in the end, fans and draft experts have been batting .250 when it comes to predicting whether this or that player will play well. I just wanted to see what he’d be like in real life (The NFL).
For this year, Tebow seemed to be the ultimate lightning rod for controversy. Some thought he was a clutch QB with the way he engineered comebacks with the Broncos winning six straight games. Others thought it was because of Denver’s defense and their easy schedule. I’d probably agree with the latter. However, the thing that keeps biting me in the ass about Tebow is that he’s still young. He’s only started 13 NFL games. That’s still too early to figure out if the guy can play or not. Guys like Alex Smith and Drew Brees took years before they started becoming established QBs. I think you need at least 2-3 seasons worth of games to really find out what sort of QB you have.
Stats wise:
- Career: 17 touchdown passes and 9 interceptions.
- Career: 887 yards rushing for 12 touchdowns.
- Sacked 33 times in 11 starts in 2011.
- As a starter, he only averaged 150 yards passing a game in 2011.
- QB rating of 72.9 in 2011.
- Completed less than 50% of his passes.
Look, these aren’t terrible numbers for a guy who has only started 13 NFL games. You can’t ignore how well he played against the Vikings and Steelers last year, but you also can’t ignore the duds he put on the scoreboard against Buffalo and New England.
The problem goes back to the hoopla. It was just too much too soon. I think the fans who are anti-Tebow are just sick of hearing about him and having Skip Bayless as the ring leader sure doesn’t help matters. The popular kid in school can also get the most resentment.
As for the Bills, they liked him when he was coming out of college and I think if he was there in the 2nd or 3rd round, they would have made a run at him. I remember after the 2010 draft, Ralph Wilson said he believed Denver panicked when trading up to select him. He was right. If the Bills traded for him (I’d say a 5th or 4th rounder would be worth it), he would go into an offense that knows how to maximize strengths of guys who are average at best. Just look at what Stevie and Fitz were with and without Gailey. Chan is a better offensive coach than anyone on the Broncos staff. Stevie Johnson is better than the #1 WR for the Broncos. Fred Jackson is better than Willis McGahee. In other words, if pressed into action, I think he’d have more success here than in Denver.
You could also use Tebow as a wildcat type option. He could be Gailey’s version of Kordell Stewart. I think he’s much better at doing that than Brad Smith.
Right now, there are only like two teams that Tebow can goto and start right away (Jacksonville and Cleveland). I can see Jacksonville because they can’t sell out their stadium and he’s like a legend down there. As for Cleveland, you really think Mike Holmgren would want Tebow? Come on.
I think it would behove him to go somewhere that has a offensive minded staff attached that will let him sit the bench for a year or two. I think Gailey’s spread offense and his ability to help out mobile QBs (See: Fiedler and Stewart) would be a benefit for Tebow. We keep hearing that the spread is what you have to put Tebow in it.
As for Fitz, he starts of course, but he isn’t getting any younger (He’ll be 30 in November), so why not find a young guy to try and develop? Maybe the Bills could turn Tebow around and trade him down the road. Kind of like a “flip this QB”. Look, if the Bills liked him in 2010, why not now? I think his stock is better now than what it was in 2010.
Yes, I know the biggest problem in all of this would be what would happen if Fitz struggles? We’ll get a shitload of Skip Bayless telling us that Fitz is from Harvard and was never meant to be a QB. Even though the likes of WGR and TBN make fun of the propaganda machine of ESPN, you know they would join the overkill parade of over analyzing Tebow. We will also get Pinto Kenny or Elvis calling for him to play if Fitz looks anything like he did in the final 8 games. Yeah…BLAME MEDIA!
Again, it goes back to the ESPN machine. Of course, some buy into that. Most of WNY love the ESPN attention. All I kept hearing after the Bills signed Mario Williams was that we were relevant again. This would do that and then some. I can already picture the hoopla. You thought I was annoyed at The Mariowatch with reports of fiancees at airports and why Mario Williams checked out of a hotel? Paul Peck would be staking out Churches instead of airports. Ugh..I’m already regretting this piece while thinking what it may bring to us.
I can also picture a number of fans gravitating towards Tebow.
He fits what Buffalo fans would like: A fighter.
A guy who was told he was no good. A player that the city will envy because he actually believes in himself without having someone else validate his psyche. Someone who plays QB like a tough guy with the ability to run over linebackers. OK, I’m going down the ESPN road of hype. I’ll stop now.
If you take away ESPN and social media, I think it would make sense for them to try it out. Of course, we don’t live in that world.
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