Tim Tebow vs. Tommie Frazier

You may have missed this over the weekend, but Tom Shatel of the Omaha World-Herald put together a fantastic column.

The premise: In all the talk about Tebow as the greatest college QB ever, don't forget about Tommie Frazier.

I couldn't agree more. I think Frazier may be the most underappreciated QB of all time, even if most fans will put him in their Top 5 all-time. (I certainly do.)

His team's records are unimpeachable -- that '94/'95 Nebraska mini-dynasty has been considered the greatest team of all time; I think that is the standard Florida shoots for this year.

Frazier himself was in complete mastery of the Huskers' offense, and even if it was mostly run-based, Frazier was a terrific passer, with an absurdly good TD-INT rate.

Frazier's myth only grew in 1995, when he led Nebraska to a romp in the season opener in New Jersey against West Virginia, then much of his season was lost to a blood clot, then re-emerged to annihilate then-unbeaten No. 2 Florida in the national-title tame.

What I liked most about Shatel's piece is that unlike most folks in Big 12 country making the case for Frazier, he actually talked with Tebow about Frazier.

Said Tebow: "I was a big Tommie Frazier fan growing up. I loved the way he played. I wanted to be just like him.''

Here is the big quote from Tebow:

I watch that Fiesta Bowl (1996 win over Florida) game two or three times a year. In fact, I just watched it a couple weeks ago. At the time, it made me cry because they were beating my team. But I love watching that run. What did he break, like, 27 tackles? Watching that game gets me going. It's an example of how you play the game. I loved all the Nebraska quarterbacks. I loved how they played the game, with their toughness, their leadership.

But I will save the last word for Frazier himself:

I see a lot of him in me. I see a quarterback who's not afraid to run the ball, not afraid to take charge. I see a quarterback who people feel can't throw the ball but still goes out and gets the job done. He's the leader of the team. Those are all qualities I hope I possessed. And hopefully when he watched me (growing up), he said, that's a guy that I like the way he plays the game.'

Outstanding, well-reported analysis. Kudos, Mr. Shatel. I think this will stand as the definitive reporting and analysis comparing Tebow to Frazier. And from a Nebraska guy!

College Football's Top Villains: Tebow No. 3?

ESPN.com's Chris Low is on to an interesting gimmick. First he picked out the top "villains" for every SEC program (He had Alabama's biggest current villain as Tebow, naturally.)

Then he stretched -- perhaps a bit too far -- in expanding that to biggest villains in all of college football.

He ranked Tim Tebow as the No. 3 villain in all of college football. Hunh? Here was Low's take:

They love him in Florida. And why not? He's the perfect player and a perfect role model. But everywhere else, they're sick of hearing about him and even sicker about him beating up on their teams.

Low seems to ascribe "Tebow fatigue" to non-Florida fans hearing about him too much and being bitter that he keeps beating their teams. Does "sick of" equal "hate?" Don't think so.

I'm not sure that makes a player a "villain." To me, "villains" have to have some sort of nasty side. Being overexposed and a winner isn't quite villainy, as we traditionally think about it.

Let's use the most visceral criteria for "villain":

You wouldn't want a villain coaching or playing for your team. I don't want Lane Kiffin coaching my team. I don't want Lawrence Phillips playing for my team. I think everyone in America -- outside of Norman or Austin -- would want Tebow on their team.

You know my feeling about this: I actually don't think there is a Tebow fatigue or Tebow backlash or Tebow hate or, least of all, Tebow "villainy." There is begrudging respect, even from the biggest rivals in the SEC (see Tennessee's Clay Travis, or even Lane Kiffin himself).

And that is arguably Tebow's greatest achievement of all.

(By the way: Low ranking Barack Obama as the No. 2 villain in college football, simply because Obama weighed in on wanting a playoff in college football -- a point Low agrees with! -- seems odd, almost in a weird has-nothing-to-do-with-sports-Low-just-hates-Obama way. As a throwaway joke at the back of his Top 5? Maybe. At No. 2? That's just cred-undermining.)

Did You Go To Tebow Fan Day?

Oh, sorry, Florida didn't hold "Tebow Fan Day" yesterday -- they held "Football Fan Day."

But -- as with SEC Media Days -- you would be forgiven for thinking it was an event entirely about Tim Tebow. So: Did anyone go? Any stories to report?

I think this picture in the Gainesville Sun says it all:


The picture is of fan Amber Bradley, in a wheelchair following a car accident. Contrary to reports, she did not stand up, healed, after this handshake. But she sure looked happy. Here is to Amber's complete recovery and a long, healthy life.

This really speaks to the point Tebow made after Saturday's practice, about the difference between fans who want to approach him to talk or shake his hand or get an autograph because they are fans, versus their interest in posting about it on the Web or selling it on eBay. Tebow's quote:

"You wish people would be real fans instead of always wanting something from it."

You can only hope that the majority of the fans at Fan Day lined up for Tebow (and the rest of the team) were doing it because they were fans excited about meeting the team, rather than eBay sellers.

The Sun article mentioned that folks started lining up in the middle of the night. So here's the question: Would you spend one sleepless night in line in order to get an autograph and picture with Tebow?

Tebow Quote of the Day: On TMZ

"They’ll do something to get a reaction, but what can people do if you’re just nice to them?"

-- Tim Tebow, after Saturday's practice, on TMZ (h/t: Volin)

Analysis: What an illuminating statement that basically summarizes Tebow's media strategy -- to the extent that it is a "strategy," rather than simply who he is.

Tebow Quote of the Day: On Internet Fodder

"You wish people would just be real fans instead of always wanting something from it."

-- Tim Tebow, after Saturday's practice, on public sightings turning into internet fodder. (h/t: Volin)

Analysis: My kids have a Tebow autograph from 2006 that my in-laws got them from a run-in with Tim at the Outback in Gainesville. Would never even think of posting it online.

Tebow Quote of the Day: On Media Attention

"I still haven’t read the Sports Illustrated article, although I hear about it, people tell me this was nice or whatever, but I’m not a big reader of myself or watching it."

-- Tim Tebow, after Saturday's practice, on whether he pays attention to the media attention. (h/t: Volin)

Analysis: I guess that settles whether Tebow reads TimTeblog.com. He does not.

Tebow Quote of the Day: On G.O.A.T. Talk

"It's definitely humbling, but I don't want to hear it. I just want to go play ball."

-- Tim Tebow on the talk about him as the greatest player of all time, after Saturday's practice (h/t Volin)

Analysis: Aha! But the REST of us get to talk about it, ad nauseum.

Tebow Quote of the Day: On Ole Miss

"Motivates me even more, because I get irritated to myself about that."

-- Tim Tebow, on when people bring up the Ole Miss game to him, after Saturday's practice (h/t: Volin)

Analysis: I think the reason they don't lose this season is, in part, because they can always reference "Ole Miss" and the focus returns. That's why the Arkansas game isn't really a "trap." Not when Meyer and the coaching staff can point to "Ole Miss."

Tebow Quote of the Day: I-Formation Mania

"It won't be our main offense, but I think you'll see it."

-- Tim Tebow, after Saturday's practice, on the Gators using the NFL-friendly I-formation.

You know how I feel about this:

If Meyer wants to adapt his offense because he has the O-line and RBs to implement it; to give opposing DCs something to think about; and to toy around with it in advance of having a more "pro-style" QB in place next year in John Brantley, that's all good.

But no NFL scout is going to be swayed by a couple of I-formation plays in a game, where Tebow will hand off the ball 99 percent of the time. He will have plenty of time to showcase his ability to play under center during draft prep from January through April.

(Given my penchant for creating dorky short-hand for these various memes, I think I'm going to dub this "I-Formania.")

Sunday Tebow Media Amazing: Pete Thamel

What a treat Sunday morning to open up the Sunday New York Times and read an article about Tim Tebow and Florida 2009 by the program's most talented chronicler: Pete Thamel.

Read the whole thing here. It actually downplays Tebow -- I mean, he is at the center of the team's story, but Thamel goes way deeper: The team's depth, the coaches' sense of "urgency and paranoia" (love that), Tebow's role in hiring Loefler, new pro-style sets.

However, I wanted to point out one nuanced thing that Thamel points out that most "national" (ie, anyone but beat writers) almost universally fail to point out:

Punter Chas Henry and kicker Jonathan Phillips are insanely important.

Lost in Tebow as potentially the greatest player of all time or the Florida defense as potentially the greatest defense of all time is the Gators' special teams.

Let's add them to the mix: Florida's 2009 special teams may be the greatest special teams of all time. (Just look at how ridiculous they were last year.)

Urban constantly harps on special teams -- hell, he COACHES special teams. The players (even the starters) WANT to play on special teams for him.

Meyer has proven that excellence in special teams can and will be the difference between a championship-level team and a very good team. It is one of his four pillars of his "Plan to Win."

Henry may be the best punter in the nation (and the most overlooked talent on the team). Phillips is money inside of 40 (though untested beyond 40).

The team has allowed 100 punt-return yards over the last two seasons. Digest that for a second. The rush-team feels like they could block a punt on any given snap.

Brandon James is... well, I literally get jumpy when he trots on the field for a punt-return or kickoff, because I am so sure he will take any given ball to the house.

Why is Florida in 2009 as prepared as any team in the country to vie for "Greatest Team of All Time?"

Because they have one of the best offenses -- and perhaps the best offensive player. They have the best defense in the country -- perhaps the greatest defense of all time. And they have the best special teams in the country. Plus the best head coach. Plus the best recruiting. It's absurd.

But what is absurd isn't that I -- or anyone else -- has expectations that this team has the potential to be "Best Ever" in any number of categories, especially "Best Team Ever."

Read the entire article here.

Tebow Links for a Saturday Morning

What? You missed TimTeblog coverage of Tim Tebow's 22nd birthday yesterday? Just scroll down the page to see it all.

*Ahh: Now THAT is a magazine college football preview cover. (h/t Preston Mack)



*Tebow is on the Maxwell Award watch list. Of course he is. So are the two other guys above.

Pretty quiet Saturday, actually. I'm watching the CBS College Football Preview, which is mostly players and teams in EA animation, but right now (1:32 p.m.), they are doing a segment on Tebow, Bradford and McCoy. Had to have that, right?

Tebow Birthday, Cont'd: Sentinel

Mike Bianchi has 10 things he thinks Tim Tebow will accomplish in his 22nd year.

And here is the Sentinel's Jeremy Fowler weighing in on Tebow's 22nd birthday -- an event that probably cannot be mentioned without the "miracle birth" story included.

Fowler (or his editors) pulled out a picture of Tebow with a baby, but if you are going to use a picture of Tebow with a baby, there is only one:


That is, arguably, the greatest Tebow photo of all time.

Tebow Quote of the Day: Birthday Edition

“We wished him a happy birthday. We didn’t sing."

-- Urban Meyer, on how the team celebrated Tebow's birthday (which I have been calling "Tebirthday" but has developed some Twitter legs as "Tebowmas.")

h/t: The indefatigable Edward Aschoff for the Gainesville Sun's GatorSports.com.

Best of Twitter: Tebow Birthday Messages

I scour Twitter so you don't have to... Today: Birthday shout-outs for Tebow. What else?

GatorsNow: Know someone that is not a Gators fan. Plow over them today to honor Tebow's 22nd birthday!

clintshane My favorite part of Tebowmas is goin to the mall and letting my cousin sit on the fake Tebow's lap. His eyes just light up.

BianchiWrites It's Tim Tebow's birthday. Shouldn't it be national holiday?

edsbs: Happy Birthday, Tim Tebow. BIG HUGS FOR THE BABY RHINO.

sarahrebecca12 It's officially a good day. Because Tim Tebow's birthday cannot in any way, shape or form be a bad day. Happy Birthday, Superman!!! :)

jbowesmusic Just realized I'm going to Gainesville on Tim Tebow's birthday. Will the stores be closed for the high holy day?

davewoodbury Close the banks. Shut down the Post Office. Everyone take the day off. It's Tim Tebow's birthday. Party at my house.

rachelhoff814 Did you know I share a birthday with Magic Johnson, Halle Berry, Tim Tebow, and Pakistan?

SeanCablinasian Taking a poll -- who opened gifts last night on Tebow Eve and who waited till today to open their gifts?

MattyT83 Simming through Madden 10 some, stole Sam Bradford at 9th overall. Drafting a LE next. Tim Tebow just went to Houston in Rd. 2

OSaadelson wish timmy tebow a happy 22nd birthday, #Gator fans! http://bit.ly/CfVWu

wesrucker Today is Tim Tebow's 22nd birthday. @ClayTravisBGID knows how he's not celebrating it.

sarahrebecca12 Okay. I lied. Apparently Tim Tebow's birthday can be a not so great day.

Alternate Sports Illustrated Tebow Covers

The blog Gump for Heisman gets huge kudos for this batch of alternate SI covers for Tebow. Here is one sample that seemed appropriate for today's quasi-holiday, but check out the full batch here.

Vick on Eagles vs. Tebow in NFL

Let's pause from the "Tebirthday" celebration for a moment...

You knew there had to be a way I would fit Mike Vick joining the Eagles into Tim Tebow's NFL future. And here it is:

Fit matters.

Vick always felt like an awkward fit in the West Coast offense in Atlanta (despite the success); he will be in a similar WC offense in Philly.

There are other reasons that the fit is a good one -- McNabb's mentorship, stable team, stable coach, great (if crazy) fans -- but not necessarily because Andy Reid knows how to use Vick.

Similarly, we look at the career of Vince Young, wedged into Jeff Fisher's (incredibly successful) system, rather than built around VY's unique skills.

Tim Tebow's best shot for success in the NFL will come with a coach innovative enough to use Tebow innovatively -- in the single-wing or otherwise.

That is why, despite my general dislike of Boston sports, I would really like to see Tebow playing for Bill Belichick in New England; I think Belichick would unleash Tebow on the NFL.

A lot of teams will want to draft Tebow because he has something -- not the least of which is his toughness, character and history of winning.

(A lot of teams probably wanted to pursue Vick, although it wasn't for his character.)

The question is: Will Tebow end up with a team that can deploy him effectively, which really means innovatively.

Back to the "Tebirthday" celebration...

On This (Tebow) Date: August 14, 1987

Continuing coverage of Tim Tebow's 22nd birthday...

Big kudos to the Sentinel's Matt Humphrey on a fun blog post that looks at what life was like in America back on August 14, 1987 -- when a scrawny baby was being born to Bob and Pam Tebow.

Let me add a few other details:

• There was no internet, obviously. Heck, there was barely cable.
• Newspapers still had "Too late for this edition" box scores.
• BCS? Ha. Not even a glimmer in someone's eye.
• Miami won the national title -- Jimmy Johnson was that era's Urban Meyer.
• The national-title game was undebatable: Unbeaten Miami vs. unbeaten Oklahoma
• (Syracuse was unbeaten, too -- remember when Auburn tied them in the bowl game?)
• Tim Brown won the Heisman -- remember when Notre Dame was relevant?
• Remember who finished 3rd? Two words: Gordie. Lockbaum.
  
• Florida State ended the season No. 2, with its only loss to Miami.
• (FSU would begin a ridiculous run of 14 seasons of Top 5 finishes.)

And on 8/14/87, I was just about to enter my freshman year of high school. Yikes, I'm old.

Tebow Turns 22: What This Birthday Means

And so it is Tim Tebow's 22nd birthday. 22 is a bit of a weird birthday -- 21, of course, you get to drink (not that Tebow would). At 25, you get to rent a car.

22 feels like... well, sort of like adulthood. For most college kids -- particularly the ones born in the second half of the year -- you celebrate 22 during your first months OUT of college. It feels adult.

One of the more interesting details of Tebow's biography is that he was held back a year -- he was always tank-sized, but the extra year on his peers probably didn't hurt. (See Gladwell's "Outliers")

And so Tebow is, in college football years, an "old 22." Doubt that really has much impact on his overall maturity -- he seemed to act maturely from high school on.

It goes without saying that 22 is going to be a big year for Tebow:
He might win another national title.
He might lead Florida to its first unbeaten season.
He might win another Heisman.
He might be crowned the Greatest College Football Player Ever.
He will be drafted into the NFL and begin his pro career.

Not a bad year ahead. Worth celebrating today, because from here on out, it's all business.

Happy 22nd Birthday, Tim Tebow

Don't we all get the day off or something?

Season Preview Mag Porn: Sports Illustrated

Hey, wow, it's great to see SI featuring Tim Tebow and Florida on its college football preview cover...

Whaaa?! That's not Tim Tebow; that's Jevan Snead! And that's not Florida; that's Ole Miss!

Look: I know that SI is going with a theme of "Party Crashers" -- teams that could conceivably break into the BCS (Ole Miss, Penn St, Oregon, Oklahoma State).

But REALLY: Is THIS the year you want to be going with "Party Crashers" as your theme of the season?

This season, of any in recent memory, is DOMINATED -- or WILL BE dominated -- by who-you-think-would-dominate: Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, USC.

Ole Miss, Penn State, Oregon or Oklahoma State may be contenders for at-large BCS bowl bids, but since when has the season been about THAT? There are ALWAYS those teams.

This season will be defined by a true clash of the titans -- if all breaks as we suspect, unbeaten Florida vs. unbeaten Texas (or, at the very least, unbeaten Oklahoma or unbeaten USC).

Now, college football is nothing if not a sport that rarely breaks as you suspect in August, but even if things don't break that way, does anyone not think the Big Four will be in the BCS title game?

I understand what SI is doing - I just don't get why they would. Not when you have the biggest sensation in the sport's history -- Tebow -- plus the two closest competitors in McCoy and Bradford, putting the "Big" in "Big Three."

I am impossibly biased, but I would have begun and ended this year's cover with this:

Can't Spell G.O.A.T. without G-A-T-O-R-S

Either that, or:

Best. Team. Ever.

Sub-headline: "Why Florida May Be the Greatest Team of All Time (And Tebow The Greatest Player)"

I mean, come on. This was a gimme.

Quote of the Day: EDSBS on Tebow's Beard

"It's not a beard, it's a cowcatcher mounted on the front of a pain train."

-- Orson Swindle of the must-read EDSBS. What more could you need to see to read the full post?

(Congrats to Orson Swindle on EDSBS's move to the SBNation network of blogs, where he will join Teblogroll-favorite sites like Alligator Alley and Team Speed Kills.)

Tim Tebow on Wikipedia in 2070

I cannot recommend this parody post from Team Speed Kills more highly -- what Tim Tebow's Wikipedia page will look like in the year 2070. Among the details:

*It is estimated that 1 in 15 American males is named after Tebow.

*In 2010, [Heisman] voters took the unusual step of giving Tebow the Trophy again, "because he's just that good."

*Under [Coach] Tebow, the Gators went 204-0 and won 17 consecutive national titles.

*World peace was achieved in the "Tebow Treaty of 2051."

* In 2059, Tebow was hailed for discovering a cure for cancer.

Read the whole thing here. I tip my cap to you, TSK. "Tebowvania" just might stick.

Tebow Morning Review: Missed Yesterday?

If you didn't stop by TimTeblog.com yesterday -- or only came by once -- you may have missed the half-dozen posts that were published. Here is a quick recap. Check them out here, or scroll down:

*Myth of Tebow "haters" (propagated by Tebow!)
*Does Tebow have a weakness? (Past-tense?)
*Tebow vs. Leinart/Krenzel/Dorsey/Weinke/Martin
*Tebow on expectations.
*Tebow Media Day rundown.
*Tebow-Bradford-McCoy: It is SO on.

More to come throughout the day.

ESPN.com on Tebow, Bradford, McCoy

Time for today's 3:30 read (at 4...): This fantastic overview by ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel of the three-headed trio of Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy -- and how they are the ruling class of college football.

Have we ever seen something like this before? The nation's top 3 players (or top three Heisman contenders) playing on the nation's top 3 teams.

*Bradford and McCoy are not just friends, but intrinsically tied by their teams' Big 12 rivalry -- by definition one must win and one must lose.

*Tebow and Bradford are connected by last season's BCS title game -- not to mention (as Maisel points out) the NFL scouts' uniform love of Bradford versus their skepticism of Tebow.

*Tebow and McCoy? Well, if you believe the polls -- or your own instinct -- the two are on a collision course for the 2010 BCS national-title game, leading two unbeaten teams.

Too much in here to pull out a quote. Read the whole thing.

Tim Tebow's Weakness

Today, the Orlando Sentinel's Matt Humphrey asks: Does Tim Tebow have a weakness?

Yahoo's Matt Hinton would probably argue that his "weakness" might be rush-ends pummeling him (see Ole Miss's defensive line last September -- or Michigan's D-line in January '08).

But it is very possible that since the Ole Miss debacle, Tebow (and the O-line) have gotten infinitely tougher about letting him get "gotten to."

In the same way that without the Ole Miss game, the team would not have found its mettle to make its run to the national title, perhaps that was the moment for Tebow to shore up that "weakness."

"Weakness" is probably the wrong word. I like Hinton's description of it as Florida's -- and not Tebow's -- "soft underbelly."