Just Thinking About Tim Tebow
Ever since Steve Spurrier coached the Florida Gators, I've had an issue with the boys from Gainesville. Of course, this had more to do with the Sports Illustrated cover of December 4, 1972 than anything else. On that cover, Sports Illustrated claimed "Steve Spurrier Steers San Francisco." What a joke. Any Niner fan knew that John Brodie was the man by the Bay and any claim to the starting position by anyone else was spurious. Spurrier was a backup, and, worse, a punter. He played in 1972 and went 8-5-1 and the 38 year old Brodie regained the starting spot the following season. In other words, Spurrier was a washout.
Ever since Steve Spurrier coached the Florida Gators, I've had an issue with the boys from Gainesville. Of course, this had more to do with the Sports Illustrated cover of December 4, 1972 than anything else. On that cover, Sports Illustrated claimed "Steve Spurrier Steers San Francisco." What a joke. Any Niner fan knew that John Brodie was the man by the Bay and any claim to the starting position by anyone else was spurious. Spurrier was a backup, and, worse, a punter. He played in 1972 and went 8-5-1 and the 38 year old Brodie regained the starting spot the following season. In other words, Spurrier was a washout.
It's
always been my contention that Spurrier's failure contributed to his treatment
of quarterbacks as a coach. Who else would develop such talents as Noah Brindise,
Doug Johnson, Danny Wuerffel, and Tim Tebow. Oh, never heard of the first
three? No shocker there. You would never have heard of Tebow if the media had a
clue. Spurrier won a Heisman, just like Tebow, a sure foreshadowing of future
anonymity if there ever was one. Here's a short list of Heisman winning
quarterbacks that were a bust in the NFL in the last 12 years: Chris Weinke,
Eric Crouch, Jason White. Matt Leinart, Troy Smith, and, finally, Tim Tebow.
Leave
it to the Jets to make me feel empathy
for Tebow. I hated the kid, wondered what the Jets were thinking when they
traded for him, and couldn't wait for him to fail. The media circus that
surrounded his arrival in the league was ridiculous and the trade for him was
stoopid, stoopid, stoopid. Sanchez was the man, in my eyes. I'm a Pac 12 fan
and wanted Sanchez to validate the quality of the conference by succeeding in
the Big Apple. And that meant failure for Tebow. Let's watch the Jets lose with
Tebow. Let's watch Tebow fail in the NFL. Let's see that smug Christian explain
His plan after he goes 10 for 40 with three picks and no TD's.
Well,
the circus came to town, and for whatever reason, Sanchez failed. And Tebow
rushed in to save the day. Oh, that's right, the Jets didn't play him. They
traded for him, but never played him,. Of course, I think the Jets coaching
contributed to the lack of offense, but something needed to be done. I couldn't
wait to see Tebow rush in from the sideline, the crowd cheering. I couldn't
wait to see Tebow hand off twice for runs up the middle for no yards, then
throw an ill conceived out that got picked by a corner. But, it never happened.
Tebow never got off the bench. What a rip off. The Jets ripped off the fans,
and they ripped off Tebow.
So
now Timmy Terrific exits New Jersey. A year from his life has been stolen by
Jets management and he is left to pick up the pieces. He's been above the fray,
a good team mate and a consummate professional. That's more than the Jets can
say. Exit, stage right Tim Tebow.
Enter,
stage left Geno Smith. He joins four other quarterbacks in the fold. The new
messiah, the chosen one. Sanchez will soon be gone. Matt Simms? Next. What do
these quarterbacks have in common?
A
reason to rejoice. They have disembarked the flaming Jets. Ryan goes 6 and 10
this year and we start another rebuilding process. In the meantime, who is that
other team in New Jersey? Oh yeah, those guys.
Maybe
media attention isn't a good thing?
