By the way, there isn't a question that Tebow will be on the cover of at least one edition of NCAA Football 11, is there?
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
EA NCAA Football 10 Release Day
It's EA NCAA Football 10 Release Day! Even if you aren't a Florida fan, you know you sort of want to play as the Gators so you can "be" Tim Tebow for a little while. Does it include Google-juicing mystery girlfriends, ministering to prisoners and drawing unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties against Oklahoma?
By the way, there isn't a question that Tebow will be on the cover of at least one edition of NCAA Football 11, is there?
By the way, there isn't a question that Tebow will be on the cover of at least one edition of NCAA Football 11, is there?
Is This Tim Tebow's REAL Twitter Account?
@TimrTebow
Hmm: I'm open-minded, but skeptical.
(Biggest piece of circumstantial evidence against: That "Tim" would register himself for wefollow.com under #celebrity.)
Hmm: I'm open-minded, but skeptical.
(Biggest piece of circumstantial evidence against: That "Tim" would register himself for wefollow.com under #celebrity.)
Monday, July 13, 2009
Poor Man's Tim Tebow Rankings, 2009
"Poor man's Tim Tebow." An analogue that will stifle creative college football QB comparisons for a generation.
The preeminent basketball blog Free Darko has long-used a construction called "Myth of the Next" as a way to describe the expectations saddled on "similar" players -- similar for any number of qualities, including style of play, physical traits and -- yes -- looks. Here is a great primer on that.
I have more commonly heard and used the phrase "Poor Man's...": As in "So-and-so-player is a poor man's fill-in-superstar-here." Like "Jake Locker is a Poor Man's Tim Tebow."
What that automatically suggests is that the former can never match the latter. Even the phrasing "poor man's" suggests a demeaning, cheap comparison. (Perhaps in today's economic climate, "poor man's" should be valued -- or reframed as "bargain.")
As soon as Tim Tebow exploded on the scene -- first as a short-yardage-specialist/"energy" spark off the bench, then as a "20/20"-reaching, Heisman-winning starter -- analysts have been trying to find other large-framed QBs who are considered "dual-threat" to label "poor man's Tim Tebow."
It is unfair on many levels, but I'm not going to reject the notion of Tebow as some sort of gold standard at the position -- or as an archetype within the position. (After all, there should be "poor man's Sam Bradford" et al across the "QB type" skills spectrum.)
TimTeblog.com will track the contenders for Poor Man's Tim Tebow -- or "PMTT" -- throughout the season, ranking them on the right side based on observation and your feedback. Here is my preseason Top 10:
Dan LeFevour
Matt Grothe
Joe Webb
Colin Kaepernick
Jeremiah Masoli
Terrelle Pryor
Austen Arnaud
Mike Kafka
Austin Davis
Jake Locker
Who should be higher on the list? Who is missing but belongs there? Who doesn't? Please weigh in. That covers starters.
Meanwhile, what I would also love your help with is any freshmen who are playing the "Tebow 2006" role -- the part-time QB who will come in to rumble through in short-yardage and goal-line situations. Fans may not know their names yet, but they will.
The preeminent basketball blog Free Darko has long-used a construction called "Myth of the Next" as a way to describe the expectations saddled on "similar" players -- similar for any number of qualities, including style of play, physical traits and -- yes -- looks. Here is a great primer on that.
I have more commonly heard and used the phrase "Poor Man's...": As in "So-and-so-player is a poor man's fill-in-superstar-here." Like "Jake Locker is a Poor Man's Tim Tebow."
What that automatically suggests is that the former can never match the latter. Even the phrasing "poor man's" suggests a demeaning, cheap comparison. (Perhaps in today's economic climate, "poor man's" should be valued -- or reframed as "bargain.")
As soon as Tim Tebow exploded on the scene -- first as a short-yardage-specialist/"energy" spark off the bench, then as a "20/20"-reaching, Heisman-winning starter -- analysts have been trying to find other large-framed QBs who are considered "dual-threat" to label "poor man's Tim Tebow."
It is unfair on many levels, but I'm not going to reject the notion of Tebow as some sort of gold standard at the position -- or as an archetype within the position. (After all, there should be "poor man's Sam Bradford" et al across the "QB type" skills spectrum.)
TimTeblog.com will track the contenders for Poor Man's Tim Tebow -- or "PMTT" -- throughout the season, ranking them on the right side based on observation and your feedback. Here is my preseason Top 10:
Dan LeFevour
Matt Grothe
Joe Webb
Colin Kaepernick
Jeremiah Masoli
Terrelle Pryor
Austen Arnaud
Mike Kafka
Austin Davis
Jake Locker
Who should be higher on the list? Who is missing but belongs there? Who doesn't? Please weigh in. That covers starters.
Meanwhile, what I would also love your help with is any freshmen who are playing the "Tebow 2006" role -- the part-time QB who will come in to rumble through in short-yardage and goal-line situations. Fans may not know their names yet, but they will.
Tebow 2/1 Favorite To Win Heisman
Great post by the PB Post's Ben Volin, breaking down the Florida dominance not just among preseason college football magazine editors (consensus No. 1 across Steele, Sporting News, Athlon and Lindy's... have to imagine SI will go contrarian, just for its own sake) but with Las Vegas oddsmakers, too. Great detail here: Tebow is the 2/1 favorite to win the Heisman, with a slight edge over Bradford and McCoy (2.75/1).
Would Urban Leave Florida After 2009?
UPDATE (7/13): "I'm not going to Notre Dame. Ever." -- Urban Meyer (h/t: Pat Dooley)
Original Post (7/7):
Would Urban Meyer leave Florida after the 2009 season? That's what Paul Finebaum is spouting -- and rival coaches are using it on the recruiting trail (don't buy it, Matt Elam!)
Circumstantially, it is not entirely a wack-job theory:
*Urban should be coming off his 2nd straight national title, his 3rd in 4 years. Anything left to prove? Hardly.
(Alternative: With the ridiculous recruiting classes the past few years, the team should only get better -- he came to Florida to win championships. His work hasn't even begun to return substantial dividends yet: The whole "2 titles in 3 years" thing is a bonus.)
*His favorite player of all time -- Tim Tebow -- will be leaving the program for the NFL.
(Alternative: And so he would want to go to, say, Notre Dame and coach... a QB he didn't recruit? John Brantley is no Tim Tebow -- frankly, he's a better pure passer and will bring an interesting intellectual challenge for Meyer, Adazzio and Co. to creating an offense around him.)
*The Notre Dame job -- Meyer's so-called "dream job" -- will likely be open next year, after Charlie Weis underachieves...yet again.
(Alternative: Meyer will be coaching well into January. Notre Dame's job may be open as early as mid-November. Meyer wouldn't leave early, and Notre Dame may not be interested in waiting 6 weeks for a new coach -- even Meyer. And no coach would want to enter a situation that late, either.)
So let's get real: Meyer isn't leaving Florida after the 2009 season. He isn't going to Notre Dame after the 2009 season -- perhaps not for a decade after that, either.
If I was a rival coach trying to push a theory, I would go with this:
It is well-established that Urban Meyer loves Bill Belichick. They are, within the coaching fraternity, best friends. Meyer visits the Pats; Belichick visits Gainesville. Meyer models Florida after the way Belichick runs the Patriots.
Patriots owner Bob Kraft loves Urban Meyer, too. Bill Belichick has long been on the record as admiring Tim Tebow, both as a competitor and as a player around whom innovative schemes can be built. Just the kind of challenge Belichick likes.
You see where I'm going here.
The Patriots will draft Tim Tebow, putting him in the enviable position of learning from Tom Brady, while taking a handful of "Wildcat"-style snaps in goal-line and short-yardage situations. At some point, Belichick will retire. At that point, Kraft and Belichick will call Urban Meyer and give him the chance to coach for the best NFL organization, arguably the best NFL owner and reunited with his favorite player.
I'm not saying Meyer will leave Florida to take it. But if he was ever going to take an NFL job, he would take it with the team he admires more than any in the game. It represents a much more compelling opportunity than simply winning more college titles at another university.
So will Meyer leave Florida in 2009 with his star protege? No.
Will he leave eventually? Yes. I give him as many years as it is until Bill Belichick retires from the Patriots.
Then Meyer heads to the NFL, secure in his college football legacy after a half-dozen national titles.
(If it doesn't work out in the NFL -- and maybe it won't -- Meyer would be able to pick his college opportunity: Yes, including Notre Dame. But between his next 5-6 years at Florida and his 3-4 years in the NFL before he decides he doesn't like it, that puts him in South Bend in 2020.)
Original Post (7/7):
Would Urban Meyer leave Florida after the 2009 season? That's what Paul Finebaum is spouting -- and rival coaches are using it on the recruiting trail (don't buy it, Matt Elam!)
Circumstantially, it is not entirely a wack-job theory:
*Urban should be coming off his 2nd straight national title, his 3rd in 4 years. Anything left to prove? Hardly.
(Alternative: With the ridiculous recruiting classes the past few years, the team should only get better -- he came to Florida to win championships. His work hasn't even begun to return substantial dividends yet: The whole "2 titles in 3 years" thing is a bonus.)
*His favorite player of all time -- Tim Tebow -- will be leaving the program for the NFL.
(Alternative: And so he would want to go to, say, Notre Dame and coach... a QB he didn't recruit? John Brantley is no Tim Tebow -- frankly, he's a better pure passer and will bring an interesting intellectual challenge for Meyer, Adazzio and Co. to creating an offense around him.)
*The Notre Dame job -- Meyer's so-called "dream job" -- will likely be open next year, after Charlie Weis underachieves...yet again.
(Alternative: Meyer will be coaching well into January. Notre Dame's job may be open as early as mid-November. Meyer wouldn't leave early, and Notre Dame may not be interested in waiting 6 weeks for a new coach -- even Meyer. And no coach would want to enter a situation that late, either.)
So let's get real: Meyer isn't leaving Florida after the 2009 season. He isn't going to Notre Dame after the 2009 season -- perhaps not for a decade after that, either.
If I was a rival coach trying to push a theory, I would go with this:
It is well-established that Urban Meyer loves Bill Belichick. They are, within the coaching fraternity, best friends. Meyer visits the Pats; Belichick visits Gainesville. Meyer models Florida after the way Belichick runs the Patriots.
Patriots owner Bob Kraft loves Urban Meyer, too. Bill Belichick has long been on the record as admiring Tim Tebow, both as a competitor and as a player around whom innovative schemes can be built. Just the kind of challenge Belichick likes.
You see where I'm going here.
The Patriots will draft Tim Tebow, putting him in the enviable position of learning from Tom Brady, while taking a handful of "Wildcat"-style snaps in goal-line and short-yardage situations. At some point, Belichick will retire. At that point, Kraft and Belichick will call Urban Meyer and give him the chance to coach for the best NFL organization, arguably the best NFL owner and reunited with his favorite player.
I'm not saying Meyer will leave Florida to take it. But if he was ever going to take an NFL job, he would take it with the team he admires more than any in the game. It represents a much more compelling opportunity than simply winning more college titles at another university.
So will Meyer leave Florida in 2009 with his star protege? No.
Will he leave eventually? Yes. I give him as many years as it is until Bill Belichick retires from the Patriots.
Then Meyer heads to the NFL, secure in his college football legacy after a half-dozen national titles.
(If it doesn't work out in the NFL -- and maybe it won't -- Meyer would be able to pick his college opportunity: Yes, including Notre Dame. But between his next 5-6 years at Florida and his 3-4 years in the NFL before he decides he doesn't like it, that puts him in South Bend in 2020.)
Tony Barnhart on Tebow, SEC East
Mr. College Football, the AJC's Tony Barnhart, weighs in on the SEC East. Money quote:
Complacency is the only thing standing in the way of Florida and another run at the national championship. Tim Tebow is not going to let anybody get complacent. The one thing Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, has not achieved in his remarkable career is leading a team to an undefeated season. He has made it clear to teammates and coaches that he will accept nothing less in 2009.Read the whole thing here.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Again, Lucy Pinder NOT Tebow's Girlfriend
But "Tim Tebow Girlfriend" is, as of this posting, the No. 8 search phrase on Google Trends.
Not quite the same as when Tebow wore the "John 3:16" eyeblack in the national-title game and it spent the next 24 hours as one of the most-searched terms on Google.*
(* - And, according to statements from Urban Meyer relayed from Tebow's mom and dad, that Google search activity was a material reason cited for his return to Florida for one more year.)
Not quite the same as when Tebow wore the "John 3:16" eyeblack in the national-title game and it spent the next 24 hours as one of the most-searched terms on Google.*
(* - And, according to statements from Urban Meyer relayed from Tebow's mom and dad, that Google search activity was a material reason cited for his return to Florida for one more year.)
Tim Tebow vs. Tommie Frazier
Related to the promotion of the new "Gator Gridiron 2009" book and my cover story about Tim Tebow's place among all-time great college QBs, one name stood out:
Tommie Frazier.
I looked closely at virtually every top QB from the past 30 years, and I would argue that no QB -- perhaps no player -- is as underrated as Frazier.
Sure, he makes every Top 5 QB list -- as he should. But for some reason, he is never given the respect of other top QBs.
Maybe that's because he is considered "one-dimensional" (although you need to go back and look at his excellent passing stats -- when he needed to, he threw great).
Maybe that's because he was surrounded by arguably the greatest team in college football history (of course, one of the reasons they are considered the greatest is because of their QB).
And it is almost certainly because he never won a Heisman, which is a crime. (The Heisman selections in 1994 -- Salaam over McNair, who finished 3rd -- and 1995 -- George over Frazier should be an embarrassment for anyone who voted.)
Sammy Vegas from the Nebraska blog Double Extra Point has a fair analysis comparing Frazier to Tebow.
Unsurprisingly, Vegas comes out in favor of Frazier. For now, I would agree, although the fact that Tebow is already in the "Top 5 all-time" conversation with his senior year to go is a testament to Tebow's ridiculous career.
To his credit, Vegas allows for Tebow passing Frazier -- I agree with the general premise: For Tebow to top the list, he will need to win a national title, ideally doing something dramatic or defining to get there. A Heisman wouldn't hurt, but he almost assuredly will end up in the Top 3...again.
Heading into the season, Tebow's place in history will be a huge storyline -- and I fully expect fans of Frazier and of Vince Young (and plenty of other worthy QBs) will have something to say.
Tommie Frazier.
I looked closely at virtually every top QB from the past 30 years, and I would argue that no QB -- perhaps no player -- is as underrated as Frazier.
Sure, he makes every Top 5 QB list -- as he should. But for some reason, he is never given the respect of other top QBs.
Maybe that's because he is considered "one-dimensional" (although you need to go back and look at his excellent passing stats -- when he needed to, he threw great).
Maybe that's because he was surrounded by arguably the greatest team in college football history (of course, one of the reasons they are considered the greatest is because of their QB).
And it is almost certainly because he never won a Heisman, which is a crime. (The Heisman selections in 1994 -- Salaam over McNair, who finished 3rd -- and 1995 -- George over Frazier should be an embarrassment for anyone who voted.)
Sammy Vegas from the Nebraska blog Double Extra Point has a fair analysis comparing Frazier to Tebow.
Unsurprisingly, Vegas comes out in favor of Frazier. For now, I would agree, although the fact that Tebow is already in the "Top 5 all-time" conversation with his senior year to go is a testament to Tebow's ridiculous career.
To his credit, Vegas allows for Tebow passing Frazier -- I agree with the general premise: For Tebow to top the list, he will need to win a national title, ideally doing something dramatic or defining to get there. A Heisman wouldn't hurt, but he almost assuredly will end up in the Top 3...again.
Heading into the season, Tebow's place in history will be a huge storyline -- and I fully expect fans of Frazier and of Vince Young (and plenty of other worthy QBs) will have something to say.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Gator Gridiron 2009 Preview
UPDATE: EDSBS comes strong with the self-promotion that does this book justice.
Coming very very soon. The book is edited by Spencer Hall (of EDSBS) and I guess you could say that I wrote the "cover story" -- as Tim Tebow is on the cover of the book and I wrote the essay breaking down Tebow's place among all-time great college QBs. I won't ruin the ending.
Coming very very soon. The book is edited by Spencer Hall (of EDSBS) and I guess you could say that I wrote the "cover story" -- as Tim Tebow is on the cover of the book and I wrote the essay breaking down Tebow's place among all-time great college QBs. I won't ruin the ending.
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.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Nobody Takes Down Finebaum Like EDSBS
You could simply ignore Paul Finebaum's hackneyed rantings -- or you can obliterate them. (h/t: EDSBS)
Saturday, July 4, 2009
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.)
Thursday, July 2, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, June 29, 2009
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?)
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
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
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
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
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.
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.
Friday, April 24, 2009
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.)
Friday, March 27, 2009
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.
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.
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