Season Preview Mag Porn: Sporting News

Vote Tebow for a 2009 ESPY

Tim Tebow already has one ESPY, Best Male College Athlete from a year ago. Given that the Gators are heading for back-to-back championships this year, why not make it the same with another ESPY? Vote here.

Nobody Takes Down Finebaum Like EDSBS

You could simply ignore Paul Finebaum's hackneyed rantings -- or you can obliterate them. (h/t: EDSBS)

Tebow: This Era's George Washington?

Spencer Hall at The Sporting Blog pays tribute to a great American on the 4th of July. (h/t: LSUFreek and his Photoshop skills.)

Key to Upsetting Florida: Pass Rush

Can Florida be stopped this year? There is a "silver bullet", says Yahoo's must-read "Doc Saturday," Matt Hinton. The only teams that have found success (think Ole Miss in 2008 or Michigan in the Outback Bowl) have put unusually high heat on Tebow.

Hinton gives LSU the best shot, with Arkansas as the Mississippi-style dark horse. I am less worried about an SEC team than a potential match-up with Texas in the national-title game. At Auburn, defensive coordinator Will Muschamp -- now with UT -- owned the Gators offense.

Last season, I thought only two teams could give Florida a game in the national-title game: Utah, because the coaching staff knows Urban's tendencies, and Texas, because of Muschamp's success against the Gators offense while he was at Auburn.

Low on Tebow Refining, Not Reinventing

Money quote: "Tebow is still going to be Tebow."

(h/t: Chris Low, ESPN.com)

Lucy Pinder And Tim Tebow Are NOT Dating

There might be some wish-fulfillment in there somewhere, but Lucy Pinder is NOT Tim Tebow's girlfriend. The fact that Tim might be with someone who even LOOKS like Pinder is, itself, fairly impressive. (It's very interesting: You NEVER hear about girls Tim is dating. Either they are very discreet -- which seems weird in this day and age -- or maybe he's not really dating?)

Ranking the Top 25 CFB Players of '09

1. Tim Tebow

(per Sporting News)

Adjusting Tebow's Throwing Motion

Have you ever heard of a top team -- the leading contender for the national title -- adapting their star quarterback's style to get him ready for the NFL? That's what Florida is doing.

I'm not averse to it, by any means. In fact, I'm all for it:

(1) I certainly root for Tebow to have a long and productive NFL career as a QB (if only to shut up the haters). And he needs to work on his delivery to do it. QB coach Scott Loeffler is the guy to teach him.

(2) Despite his phenomenal efficiency (Top 5 in D-1 for 2 years in a row), Tebow has never thrown a "good-looking" ball -- it wobbles. If Loeffler can work out the kinks in Tebow's mechanics and make him that much more of an accurate passer, that makes Tebow that much better... THIS YEAR (and not just in his NFL career).

Take note of one underrated quote from Urban Meyer from Schlabach's piece: "At the end of the day, Tim is going to be a very good NFL player. If he goes to the right team and a well-coached team, he's going to be a very productive player for a very long time."

That kind of statement just confirms my strong feeling of Tebow's draft prospects: Tebow will be drafted by Bill Belichick and the Pats. (That Meyer will take over for Belichick in a few seasons when Belichick retires, to coach his protege Tebow, is just an added conspiracy-theory bonus.)

Reprinted from DanShanoff.com, 5/20/09

Mock Draft Watch

It is hard to believe that "Will Tebow be a 1st-rounder?" was even an issue back in April in the lead-up to the 2009 NFL Draft.

All signs point to him going in the 1st round. I don't see him slipping past the Patriots, wherever the Pats are picking.

This mock has him going in the top half, to the Redskins.

When Tim Tebow Met Barack Obama

April 24, 2009. The President greeted the Gators at the White House with his support of a college football playoff, but he WAS quick to point out that Florida would have won the title anyway. (The only team that worried me was Utah.)

The Plaque for The Promise

Premature? I don't think so. It was arguably the most impressive utterance in college football since Knute Rockne's (fictitious) "Win one for the Gipper."

It was like Joe Namath's Super Bowl III guarantee, only a little bolder, given that Tebow made the Promise with two months to go in the season, not in the days before the title game.

Clay Travis Gives In To Tim Tebow

When uber-Vols fan Clay Travis is capitulating to Tim Tebow's spring-break beard awesomeness, the domination is damn near complete.

Jon Gruden Loves Tebow

"Concrete cyanide": I'm not quite sure what that means, but with Gruden on "Monday Night Football," expect plenty of discussion from Gruden of how good of an NFL player Tebow will be. (I fully expect and encourage Ron Jaworski to do the right thing and pick apart Tebow's mechanics, at least if Tebow has designs on being a full-time starting QB, rather than a Wildcat specialist.)

The NFL's Tebow Experiment

Great piece by SI's Tim Layden on the NFL's "Tim Tebow Experiment." (Layden should know: He is working on a book about the history of the NFL through its greatest playbook innovations.)

Money quotes:

The NFL is fascinated with Tebow because he represents a potential evolutionary step in offensive professional football. (Emphasis here on potential because it's all a guessing game at this point.)

...

Slowly, however, rigid old rules are loosening. There is no movement afoot to install the Air Force flexbone in the NFL, but there is absolutely an interest in using option principles to complicate defensive preparation. "Somebody, someday is going to run the option in the NFL,'' says Gailey, "and when that happens, all bets are off.''

...

As I quoted Belichick in the Dec. 1 issue of Sports Illustrated, "It's going to be very interesting to see what happens when Tebow comes into this league. There aren't many players who can run and throw."

[D.S.: Feeds my "Pats-Will-Draft-Tebow" Theory.]

...

The challenge for NFL thinkers is how best to use Tebow. Can he be a full-time quarterback? (Not likely, unless he is re-made as a pocket passer). How many times can he carry the ball, making himself a threat without getting, as Belichick says, "broken in half?'' (Maybe 10 times a week? Maybe only five?). Can an NFL offense function effectively with two quarterbacks. Say, Tyler Thigpen for 40 snaps and Tim Tebow for 20? What would this do to your salary structure? Is a Super Bowl worth paying two quarterbacks NFL-starter money?

No answers here. Not yet. But know this: The questions are being asked by the people who write the checks. The Tebow Experiment is forestalled for a year, but it will absolutely take place.

"Oh, And By The Way...": Tebow Comes Back

"Oh and by the way, one more thing, let's do it again. I'm coming back!"

Deadspin's Dash Bennett had the best overview of "what it all means" that Tebow was returning to college football in 2009.

(I merely dubbed 2009 "The Year of Tebow.")

Austin Murphy On The Jump Pass

Phenomenal breakdown of Tebow's jump-pass TD that sealed the BCS title-game win for Florida over Oklahoma. The phrase that pays is: Trey Left, 341 Stop Bend X Fake

Should Tebow Stay a Gator Or Go Pro?

Should Tim Tebow stay at Florida or enter the NFL Draft?

I have laid this out before: Tebow can't do much more as a college player. National title? Check (twice, including once as a starter). Heisman? Check (one win, one 3rd-place finish).

Further, given what you read about what NFL scouts say about him, I'm not sure his draft stock improves with another year of college "seasoning." His NFL flaws will remain his flaws. (UPDATE: Not necessarily true. Florida's new QB coach is Scott Loeffler, who was the QB coach at Michigan and for the Lions -- OK, don't snicker; he knows what the NFL needs in a QB.)

And then there's the money: Sure, he won't make first-round money -- this year or even perhaps in 2010 -- but the endorsement dollars should be among the highest in the NFL. And if Tebow wants to support his father's ministry with his pro earnings, why put it off a year?

That said, there is an appeal to staying:

*If, in fact, he is not seriously considered a long-term NFL starter, why not just stay in college, where he is not only prolific, but beloved -- the poster guy for the sport.

*The endorsement dollars will still be there in a year, and the ministry can probably wait for it; they have waited this long.

*Finally, for all of his accolades and accomplishments, if Tebow returned, he would have the chance to cap an unprecedented career:

Another title? Another Heisman? How about an unbeaten season, which has never happened in Florida history?

How about status as the greatest college football player of all time? How about leading a team that would compete for status as the greatest college football team of all time? (USC '05 alert)!

The idea is hardly unprecedented -- it's not even unique for Florida. When the basketball team won their first title, Joakim Noah and Al Horford would have both been Lottery picks. Corey Brewer would have been a first-round pick.

But they all came back, for the chance to accomplish something special: Back-to-back titles, and status as -- arguably -- the greatest starting five of the modern college hoops era and -- inarguably -- status as one of the greatest teams/dynasties of the modern college hoops era. All that, plus a hell of a lot of goodwill for putting the game and each other ahead of pro dollars.

I'm sure it is tempting for Tebow to stay.

In college football, he is a god (no: not a "lower-cased god," like that creepy "Zombie Jackie Robinson" in the Gatorade "What Is G?" ads). In the NFL, he is a sideshow.

Opportunities for true, Mount Zeus immortality in sport are rare. There are probably only a dozen or so athletes ALL-TIME who qualify -- none in college football. Tebow could be It.

You could argue that he is already almost there -- one of the "all-time greats" in his sport -- even if his career ended now.

There are two telling tales from recent years:

*Vince Young: VY left early, after a transcendent season and championship-game performance, and that hasn't dimmed his place in college football's Pantheon any.

(More similarities: In addition to reaping tons of endorsement dollars that Tebow is likely to similarly create -- more, actually -- VY has run into problems in the NFL on the field, similar to what Tebow might face.)

*Matt Leinart: Leinart stayed all 4 years -- for much of the same reasons Tebow would stay: He loved college life. His USC team had the potential to be one of the best -- if not THE best -- ever. Win another Heisman. And it all ultimately collapsed around him, unfulfilled. I would argue that Leinart's star as a college football super-great dimmed, perhaps just slightly, by staying.

It is a complex decision.

I think that Tebow has nothing left to prove in college -- success came so early, so comprehensively and so exhaustively that his senior year seems superfluous.

And yet I think Tebow IS college football; how could he be one of "those" players who abandons it early? Particularly -- especially -- if there is no great demand for him in the NFL.

I will be torn either way he decides. I will be thrilled if he comes back -- it is almost overkill. (Almost.) I will support him as an all-time college football great if he leaves.

I can only imagine how difficult it is for him. His particularly unique disposition -- and I would say his disposition, of anything, is what puts him over the top as an all-time great -- is uniquely suited for a decision like this. He possesses an uncanny sense of clarity.

And yet in analyzing it here, there are simply no easy or obvious answers.

My prediction: I think he will come back to Florida for his senior year. And it will be mayhem.

(Reprinted from DanShanoff.com, 01/09/09)

Tebow: The Next Donovan McNabb?

Tim Tebow's closest college football -- and perhaps NFL -- analogue is... Donovan McNabb. So says Allen Barra of the Village Voice, with stats to back it up.

About Tebow's John 3:16 Eyeblack

OK, so about Tim Tebow's "John 3:16" eye-black...

Some don't like the in-your-face evangelism. Unsurprising.

However, surprising even myself, I don't mind it, because -- generally -- he's so much less in-your-face than others...

...And much less in-your-face than you would expect from a player whose faith is as integral to his life as Tim (a development that made me re-think my own biases, to be honest).

In his first interview last night on the award podium, note the first thing he said. It wasn't "I want to thank Jesus." It was this:

"I just want to thank the fans. They are so unbelievable... I just love being a Gator and I thank all of you!"

From my observations -- and I have observed him a lot (specifically about this issue of proseletyzing) -- he seems to make an active effort to be inclusive. He doesn't -- and won't -- ignore his faith; he brings it up all the time. He simply does it in a fairly thoughtful/careful way.

Just got this message on my Facebook Wall from an old college buddy, with an Onion-like headline mashing up Tebow's faith -- and my faith in Tebow:

This just in: Shanoff Converts to Christianity - "Christ makes me feel closer to Tim."

Want to hear the most ridiculous part? When Tebow originally came out onto the field last night, I was like, "Hey, what happened to Phil 4:13? John 3:16 is so cliche."

(Seriously: It's like I was waiting for the guy in the rainbow wig who sits behind field goals to show up and do a little dance on the sidelines about it. He totally ruined John 3:16. Honestly: What was wrong with Phil 4:13? There was a nice little winning streak with Phil 4:13! Did he really want to jinx things by changing it up NOW? Come ON!)

Tebow John 3:16 Eye-Black a Google Sensation

Tebow changed his eye-black from Phil 4:13 to John 3:16 -- and the Bible verse is dominating Google Trends. Talk about a symbol of Tebow's influence...

Two Takes on Tebow

If you love Tebow, read this.

If you hate Tebow, read this.

(But, seriously, how can you hate Tebow, beyond hating the IDEA of Tebow? Yes, I'm biased: He is my favorite college football player -- probably my favorite athlete -- of all time. But he really does seem to live up to his ideals; not to be too messianic about it, but he is a once-in-a-lifetime player. I hope he comes back to school, if only because he is the very ideal of a college football player. While he may or may not be an effective pro player on the field, he will continue to be the model pro player off the field.)

Tebow's NFL Potential

Tim Tebow's NFL potential?

Mel Kiper isn't a fan (at least as a QB.)

Matt Hinton asks "Why not?"

MJD says "That's why."

As for me, I think, at worst, he can have an impact with a coach who is willing to go crazy with the Wildcat: Let your "game manager" QB get you to the 15; let Tebow do the rest. At the very least, how about using him innovatively; he doesn't have to take a lot of snaps to have a big impact (see Florida's 2006 national-title season).

At best, I think Tebow can be an NFL starter; don't underestimate the ability of NFL coaches to turn unpolished passers with big size and mobility into NFL starters. As always, it will totally depend on the context he is drafted into -- coach, team around him, etc.

I stand by my prediction that Bill Belichick will draft Tebow, then unleash him. (I wouldn't be surprised if Belichick made it clear through back-channels -- perhaps Beli BFF Urban Meyer -- that the Pats won't let Tebow slide past them in the 1st round.)

BTW: I find Kiper's gold standard of "pure NFL pocket passer" as Matt Stafford to be laughable. Two words: Rex Grossman. I spent all weekend in Atlanta and Stafford came up a lot. Someone tell me how Stafford isn't the next Grossman -- a strong-armed dummy.

Instead of calling Tebow "the next Eric Crouch" (or "next Frank Wycheck" -- where the "W" stands for "WTF?!"), why not call him the next Donovan McNabb?

-- D.S.

UPDATE: WSJ's Allen Barra on Tebow's bonafides -- if not as an NFL player than as arguably the greatest college football player of all time. BTW, for the commenter who said Tebow didn't stack up to Donovan McNabb statistically, you were right: Tebow is actually superior in all the stats you cited -- yards per attempt, passer rating... let's not even count TDs, TD/INT ratio, yards-per-carry, rushing TDs, etc. As good as McNabb was in college, Tebow is -- statistically -- much better.

On Heismans, Vince Young, Tebow AndElements of College Football Immortality

For all the Tebow slobbering I do, it's widely overlooked that I put Vince Young at or very very near the top of my "best CFB player of the last 25 years" list.

(Yes, even ahead of Tommie Frazier, who -- make no mistake -- was awesome. But just about as one-dimensional as you get. And while that '95 Nebraska team was arguably the Greatest Team Ever, it wasn't all because of Frazier. But if you're wondering, yes, I put Frazier in the Top 5.)

But, to reiterate: "Best ever" is derived, more than any other single factor, from mythology. But mythology itself is fairly complex.

The lesson of VY is that mythology isn't made from merely winning the Heisman. The Heisman is a resume item, which folks can break out to make the argument that so-and-so is among the best ever.

But championships matter. Playing big in big games matters. Stats matter... sort of. (You don't remember how many total yards VY had; you do remember that he had 500 yards of offense against USC. You don't remember Tebow's precise totals from last year; you know he was the first-ever to be a "20/20" player.) Which supports the following:

The transcendent talent you can see with your own eyes matters (like VY scoring against USC in the NCG). "Storyline" matters (Tebow's "Promise"; Tebow's handy circumcision work, representative of his larger philanthropical angle; he just won that "most inspirational" award).

Is it fair to credit Tebow with "well, he's already won one national title" in the same way Young has? Hardly. Young carried that UT team in a uniquely spectacular way; to his credit, Tebow was the offensive MVP of that Florida title team, even in limited action. But it's not the same.

I think everyone -- including Tebow -- knows that Tebow needs to be THE guy on a national-title team to truly rise to the top, or even the top tier. Consider how much he has been elevated simply by leading Florida to that comeback win over Bama in the SECCG.

Winning a national title as a freshman (and having a powerful role in it) and becoming the first player ever to win the Heisman as a sophomore opened up never-before-seen possibilities for Tebow this year, especially with a better team around him. From the debacle against Ole Miss to the Promise to the performance after that, the myth is elevated.

If he does win the Heisman -- or, more accurately, if he does win the national title (see the VY Corollary that you don't need to win the Heisman to be immortalized) -- the resume -- no, the mythology -- is stuffed so ridiculously that he elevates into that "Best Ever" conversation almost by default.

Where it gets more intriguing is whether -- realizing that he won't be a first-round NFL pick -- he comes back to Florida for his senior year.

(The NFL, amusingly, doesn't give a crap about college mythology, and the NFL teams that do -- see Vince Young -- usually make a terrible pick; there are exceptions, obviously -- see Barry Sanders -- but among QBs, mythology is almost always a terrible indicator of future NFL success.)

There has been some talk -- wishful thinking, more like it -- on Florida message boards about Tebow, Percy Harvin and Brandon Spikes all wanting to come back next year to make a run at real immortality: An unbeaten season (the first in Florida football history) and status as one of the greatest teams of all time. (Hey, it worked for the basketball team.)

If that happens, we're in truly uncharted territory and Tebow has a shot at permanent placement above all the other college football immortals. I don't think it will happen: Spikes is a 1st-rounder, and you don't waste that in football. Harvin is a likely 1st-rounder AND has a history of injuries; he better get into the pros now. Tebow could work his way into the 1st round (I'm convinced Bill Belichick schemes to take him) AND he just lost his mentor, Dan Mullen, AND if he wins the national title, what more can he do? (I think there's a part of him that thinks that leading Florida to an SEC title is already enough.)

Obviously, the notion that Tebow is, already, the greatest college football player ever is premature, at best. (And I'm obviously so biased as to disqualify the entire argument an irrational one.) In fact, it's fairly stupid to discuss it before Jan. 9. But he's already in the discussion -- with your Vince and Tommie and Herschel and Barry and Bush -- as being among the greatest ever. That's a hell of a thing before you've completed 3 full seasons.

It's all about the mythology.

First published here.

Thamel On Tebow: The Definitive Article

The New York Times' Pete Thamel is the best reporter in college football. He was very early on recognizing Urban Meyer's greatness at Utah and has been ahead of the pack with Meyer, Florida and Tebow ever since. This was a tremendous piece on Tebow's preparation. (And the accompanying Q&A is a must-read for all Tebowphiles.)