Broncos Tebow: TV Ratings Went Up

Want one of the best examples yet of the "Tebow Effect?"

From last night's NFL exhibition opener, TV ratings in Denver actually went UP as the game came closer to finishing.

Please consider that for a moment:

An NFL preseason game -- where the starters usually play a quarter before giving way to the 2nd-stringers and, by the 4th quarter, the scrubs -- saw its audience increase.

They weren't tuning in for the scrubs. They were tuning in for Tebow.

Again: More people watched the END of the exhibition game than the start, because of the Tebow Effect.

Broncos Tebow Debut: Analysis

The analysis is rolling in from last night's NFL debut of Tim Tebow against the Cincinnati Bengals. I will try to point to the best out there.

For starters, here is a tough-but-fair take from Yahoo's Doug Farrar -- an excellent analyst, by the way, for the must-read Shutdown Corner blog. The money quote is his kicker:

"The early results as I see them are that he's far more valuable in a situational role right now. His NFL future has a lot of work involved."

Per Farrar: The bad? The mechanics need a lot more development (which is something everyone knew already, right?). The good? Tebow could/should contribute in the red zone immediately.

Broncos Tebow: Mortenson Bullish

The quote of the day comes from Chris Mortenson, via Twitter:

I don't care about Tebow's windup. Josh McDaniels will find enough plays 4 Tebow to win 2-to-3 games Broncos lost last yr even w/o Marshall

Mort is closer to reality than the folks insisting Tebow won't have an impact.

Broncos Tebow: NFL Debut Success

Let's start with this: Tim Tebow made an otherwise entirely forgettable first-week Sunday-night preseason game between the Broncos and Bengals into An Event.

*Next: Regardless of how Tebow played -- we'll get to that in a second -- the bigger issue is that the No. 2 QB role is entirely up for grabs after Brady Quinn's miserable performance. (I think it is clear that Tebow will be the No. 2 QB for the team, if only because it gives Josh McDaniels the strategic flexibility to deploy Tebow creatively.)

*Now, on to Tebow's performance: Entered to boos from Ohio fans, promptly completed his first pass, and finished 8-of-13 for 105 yards (would have been a lot more if WR Matthew Willis didn't drop the sweet 35-yard strike on that first series), plus 2 rushes... including that running TD (naturally) as time expired in the 4th quarter.

Tebow: "I saw an opening, so I went to go get it and thankfully got in there." (OnlyGators has the video.)

*All in all, a perfectly fine start, given that it was Tebow's first-ever NFL game situation -- regardless of whether it was against 3rd-teamers. (I'd contend 3rd-teamers try extra-hard.)

*Much commotion was made over Tebow's throwing motion -- mechanics he has been working on since January. Reviews were mixed. Some said it didn't look like there was any change; I trust Smart Football's Chris Brown, who noted that Tebow's delivery looked quicker.

Let's give Josh McDaniels the last word:

"Tim showed the ability to take what the defense gave him late, in that two-minute drive. He didn't panic. He showed some toughness getting it in, and I thought he made some loose plays. That's part of him. You can't script him in practice, but sometimes he's going to make those plays and when he makes them, sometimes they're big ones."

The Denver Post has the complete game story. Here is a video clip of the Tebow TD:

Broncos Tebow: Tim's NFL Debut

It is "only" the preseason, but tonight marks a milestone in the football career of Tim Tebow: His first game action as an NFL quarterback, against the Cincinnati Bengals tonight at 7 p.m. ET (televised on the NFL Network).

Though most fans won't be able to watch and the results should be extremely qualified, I suspect that how Tebow does -- however many snaps that might be (and it could be a substantial part of the 2nd half, if very few snaps against the Bengals' 1st-team defense) -- will be a huge topic of discussion among NFL fans tomorrow morning.

Complete post-game coverage will be coming here tomorrow morning.

Happy 23rd Birthday, Tim Tebow

Happy 23rd birthday to Tim Tebow.

Have to believe that getting his first-ever snaps in an NFL game -- even if it is "only" a preseason game -- makes this one of the most memorable birthday weekends he has ever had.

Broncos Tebow: Corso Off By a Month

Will Tim Tebow be the Denver Broncos starting quarterback in 2010?

Most people seem to think it's a "when," not "if" proposition. The only question is at what point the Broncos' 2010 season is "over" (playoffs as an impossibility), because at that point, it would make no sense not to give Tebow as much experience as possible as the starting QB.

It's just one person's opinion, but Lee Corso said he thinks that Tebow will be starting by Week 6. That implies the Broncos will quickly be out of playoff contention -- like 1-4 after 5 weeks.

Let's see:

Week 1: At Jacksonville.
I think Denver wins this.
Week 2: Home vs. Seattle.
Another toss-up.
Week 3: Home vs. Colts.
Likely loss.
Week 4: At Tennessee.
Likely loss.
Week 5: At Baltimore.
Likely loss. (But I'll be there!)

So let's call it 2-3 as a best-case scenario, but even if the Broncos are 1-4 (or even 0-5), here's where I don't think Corso is right on the timing:

Week 6 is a home date against the Jets, as nasty of a defense as you'll find in the NFL this season. There is no way Josh McDaniels has Tebow make his first NFL start against Rex Ryan's Gang Green. (Corso likely didn't look at the schedule before making his prediction.)

Look ahead, though: Week 7 is in Denver against the woeful Raiders. Week 8 is in London against the mediocre 49ers. Both are winnable.

If the Broncos win both and appear to have regained some playoff momentum, I think McDaniels sticks with Orton -- provided Orton isn't injured along the way, which is never an impossibility.

But what if the Broncos stumble through those Week 7 and Week 8 games? After the London trip, the team has a bye week -- a perfect opportunity to make a change and install Tebow as the starting QB. As long as the season is all-but-over (at least in terms of playoff contention), why not?

That puts Tebow's debut as a starter at Week 10 -- November 14 -- a home game against the sorry Chiefs.

Week 10 -- following the bye week -- seems like a much more realistic option for Tebow's debut as the Broncos starting QB.

That said: I fully expect Tebow to play as early as Week 1 in Jacksonville, with increasing (and increasingly meaningful) snaps-per-game as he proves himself entirely effective in short-yardage, red-zone and goal-line situations.

Broncos Tebow: NFL Needs More Tebow

From Austin Murphy's excellent argument in favor of college football on SI.com, about the debate over Tim Tebow's pro potential:

We're about to find out. Yes, Tebow has had to tweak his release point, and no, he's not the prototypical NFL quarterback. (Tebow is actually more multidimensional than that: a superior athlete.) Maybe Tebow will pan out with the Denver Broncos and open-minded head coach Josh McDaniels. Maybe he won't. But if Tebow never thrives as a pro -- well, the way I see it, if one of the most exciting players in the history of college football can't find a home in the NFL, that's more an indictment of the League than it is of the player.

Take a trip in the Teblog time machine: Murphy wrote last summer's cover story on Tebow's off-field activity, headlined "You Gotta Love Tim Tebow."

Broncos Tebow: Start at QB Sooner?

Should Tebow start right now? The Denver Post's Woody Paige tackles that uber-macro issue related to Tim Tebow this rookie season. Per Paige:

"McDaniels had the guts to pick Tebow, but not the nerve to start him immediately."

Here is the crux of Paige's argument of why Tebow should start right now:

*Tebow is a winner.
*He is mobile.
*He can throw short as well as Kyle Orton.
*His exhibition PT will accelerate his development.

And then there's this, based on the idea that the Broncos aren't going to make the playoffs this season -- no matter who is playing QB, including Orton:

"As the starter, Tebow would give the franchise hope, national relevance and excitement unlike anything witnessed in Broncos Country since briefly in 2005 and consistently from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s."

I'm a big believer that if you're not going to win championships -- or at least make the playoffs -- you better find a way to be relevant while you rebuild. Tebow would offer that -- along with the promise that pain now will translate into gains later.

It might be hard for Broncos fans to accept this season as a stepping stone (that their team is closer to Bradford's Rams or Freeman's Bucs than Sanchez's Jets or Ryan's Falcons), but they really need to take the long view here: Give Tebow reps as the starter now now, while the team is in rebuilding mode; reap benefits faster -- in Years 2, 3 and beyond.

Tebow might not -- will not -- start the season as the starting QB. But you can bet that as soon as it appears the team will not be making the playoffs, he will be starting. He should be starting.

That's in the best interests of the team's and the player's development. And, to Paige's point, you will never see a losing team get so much attention or be so relevant as you will with the Broncos using Tebow as starting QB.

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Broncos Tebow: Shaved Head Look

For Tim Tebow, the "Friar Tuck" look is out -- the somewhat badass bald buzzcut is in.

Broncos Tebow: ESPN Goes Camping

Chris Mortenson visited Broncos training camp. The focus of his video postcard? Tim Tebow, obviously:

Broncos Tebow: Hair Update

Tim Tebow was allowed to shave his head completely, to eliminate the weekend's well-publicized "Friar Tim" effect. I'm sure it will grow in by the time the Broncos get to Jacksonville for Week 1.

Broncos Tebow: The Hazing Haircut

Call him "Friar Tim," from the ritual hazing that many/most NFL rookies have to go through:


"I just took it," Tebow said. "Tried to be a good sport with it."

(By the way, how much of an instant national sensation was this haircut? I got no less than 20 emails from readers alerting me to it -- by far a record on any Tebow-related topic.)

Oh, and apparently Tebow had a terrific practice yesterday, on and off the field.

Broncos Tebow: Leitch's "5280" Profile

I mentioned that cover story in Denver's "5280" magazine about Tim Tebow written by my friend Will Leitch. The piece is finally online, and here's a link. It is very well done and worth your read.

Here is Leitch's kicker:

“Football is just a platform for me,” he says, alluding to his very public faith. “The games are a bonus. But I also recognize that to keep that platform, I have to perform. I think Denver fans will see how willing I am to work hard to make sure I keep it.” He pauses. “I think I can make that work.”

And there it is, plainly stated, appropriately humble and yet supremely confident. What, or where, does this come from? Does it come from the fact that he has always been told he was a golden boy—the Golden Boy—and he can’t understand a universe in which he isn’t the best? Or does it come from within, from his God, from an inner confidence that only he understands?

An American icon, in the prime of his life, conqueror of all that he has ever surveyed, is now the Christian being thrown into the lion’s den. He has been handed the future of the Broncos. It’s all on his shoulders. It’s a big moment in Denver. Does Tim Tebow look nervous to you? He doesn’t look nervous to me.

Read the whole thing here.

The Tebow Shoe That Got Away:"Tebow Knows?" Alas: Tebows, No.

The limited-edition Nike Trainer 1.2 collaboration with EA Sports featuring Tim Tebow -- aka "the Tebow shoe" -- was released at approximately 1:50 a.m. ET last night on NikeStore.com.

The shoe sold out in just a few minutes.

I had been sitting with my laptop since around 10 p.m., compulsively hitting "refresh" every few minutes, in anticipation of the "August 6" release at midnight or so.

Midnight came and went. Then 1 a.m. came and went. It was unclear when they would be released on the site. At 1:30, I was lying on the couch.

At 1:45 or so, I dozed off.

At 1:50, the shoes released. (1:50, get it?)

By 2, they were gone.

I woke up startled at 2:20 to a bunch of IMs about the release -- I didn't check their time-stamps; I thought they were live. I rushed to the site and refreshed the page -- no shoe.

Then I checked when the IMs were sent... D'oh! After all that, perfectly poised to buy the shoes within 10 seconds they were released...

...I had slept through it -- and missed out.

Suffice to say, I was most definitely not asleep the next few hours, tossing and turning over my fumble.

I suppose the shoes will make their way to eBay -- they could be bought for $90 but I suspect they will be dangled for much more -- but I was going to get them last night.

There is also a cool "Tebow Knows" T-shirt (a play on the old "Bo Knows" tagline for the original Nike Trainers) that was supposed to release last night but didn't. Look for that at some point.

But as for the shoes?

"Tebows? No."





Note: Writing this post was only midly cathartic.

(Update: My consolation prize -- only small consolation, I can assure you -- was ordering a "Tebow Knows" T-shirt. Here's the link.)

Broncos Tebow: The Religion Angle

Two ways to think about this offensively simplistic and surface-level "human interest" piece by the Denver Post about the way Tim Tebow's religious values polarize fans:

(1) It really took them three months to get to it?
(2) And this was the un-nuanced way they did it?

I know that Denver media is just catching up to the Tebow phenomenon, but they could have at least caught up from Florida (and national) media: It's not a big deal.

When I say that, I don't mean that religion isn't a big deal to Tebow, or to many of his fans. And there are probably lots of non-Bronco and non-Florida fans who appreciate that side of him.

But what I mean is that almost all Tebow fans, religious or not, are ready to set that aside as a point of divisiveness and simply exist of fans of the football player, in all of his complexities.

For some background, go back to that meme from mid-October when some columnists around the country took Tebow to task for his religious values.

This was my response, ironically filed from Sin City.

For those of you who weren't reading last August, be sure to check out Ted Kluck's thoughtful column on ChristianityToday.com. (Read my post initially, then click through to Kluck's.)

Tim Tebow vs. Nick Swisher

No, Tim Tebow apparently did not help Nick Swisher propose to his girlfriend.

But, yes, Tim Tebow did have an indirect role at Colt McCoy's wedding.

Broncos Tebow: QB2 or QB3?

Very interesting analysis in yesterday's Denver Post about the quandary the Broncos would be in if Tim Tebow was the No. 3 QB.

In short, league rules make it very complicated to deploy the 3rd-string QB in any scenario but an emergency -- those rules seem pretty anti-innovation to me, but it is what it is.

The solution, however, is fairly simple: Tebow should be the 2nd-string QB, so that Josh McDaniels can deploy him however -- and whenever -- he wants.

Should Kyle Orton (presumably the starter) get injured, then the Broncos have a bigger problem than QB eligibility, and then-3rd-string Brady Quinn might get elevated.

(Then again, there is a strong argument to be made that in that scenario, Tebow should be thrown into the starter's role and let's let it ride.)

The Post's analysis goes a little astray when it mentions that Brady Quinn might not appreciate being No. 3, behind Tebow, even if he is deemed the "better" QB. That is meaningless.

In the case of the Broncos, strategy has to rule: The starting QB is No. 1; the "situational" QB is No. 2. Tough luck, Brady.

I see it as a non-issue. It would be a waste -- not to mention disappointing -- if McDaniels didn't take advantage of Tebow's unique skills by deploying him innovatively from the QB2 spot.

Whatever you feel about the Wildcat -- let's label it as a running back taking direct snaps -- the real evolution/revolution is when teams have a QB who can run the single-wing.

When McDaniels and Tebow succeed this season, you'll see more teams follow suit with a QB2 who is a multi-purpose threat. And then the QB3 rule will get changed.

That would be a good thing. You don't have to root for Tebow to root for offensive innovation in the NFL.

Broncos Tebow: A Little Hazing

Guarantee that Tim Tebow was happy to submit to his NFL "hazing."


(Photo via John Leyba of the Denver Post, which has entirely embraced the value of covering Tebow. He is the centerpiece of their coverage.)

Camp Tebow: Report from Broncos Fan

Great thanks to Teblog reader Ryan R. for his first-hand account of attending the opening day of Broncos training camp:

The place was a zoo. My wife and I got there with our 2-year-old son and 9-month-old daughter at 8:45 AM when it was scheduled to start.

We had to park almost a mile away and hike it to the fields. Then we waited in line for 45 minutes before we could even get in there as they had already reached capacity and we had to wait until people left before we could get in the gates.

Most of the people around us in line seemed to be attributing the huge turnout to Tebow. A local news crew was interviewing people in line right by us and all of the questions they were asking had to with Tebow.

I'd say 1 in 4 fans that were wearing sports gear were either wearing Gator gear (like my son and I) or were sporting a Broncos Tebow shirt or jersey. The crowd was VERY pro-Tebow, screaming and chanting his name every time he took a snap, completed a pass, or ran it hard up the middle. The rest of the players got golf claps.

Tebow looked....ok. About what one could expect from a rookie quarterback on Day 1 of training camp. On the way home we listened to the local sports talk radio and there was one sports jock who was nit-picking everything Tebow did. Of course this guy has been bearish on Tebow from the day he was drafted.

It was quite an experience. Can't wait to see the Broncos (and hopefully some Tebow) in person at their home opener against Seattle.

Thanks again, Ryan. Always love the first-hand reports. (Of course, given last night's situation, another reminder of "D'oh!")

Broncos Tebow: Camp Craziness

As I mentioned yesterday, the Broncos set a team record for training-camp attendance yesterday (more than 3,100) -- undoubtedly driven by Tim Tebow. Lindsay Jones has a good scene-setter.

(Special treat coming at 12:30 -- a first-hand account of the training-camp scene from a Teblog reader. Check back!)

So About That Tebow Season Opener...

I just booked a trip to Florida with my family for the first week of September. We will be in Gainesville for Florida's season opener, then a trip to the beach, then back to Gainesville for the Jewish high holidays (and another Gator football game), then a flight out of Jacksonville that happens to coincide with Tebow's NFL opener -- in Jacksonville.

Thud.

The sound you just heard was me banging my head against the wall, after I booked an 11:50 a.m. flight out of Jacksonville, when the Tebow-Jaguars game starts at 1 pm.

My attention was on getting a flight that would work with flying with two kids under the age of 4; the next available flight wasn't until the evening; we wouldn't get home until 10 or 11. Logistically, I was thinking about my family, not football. (That'll teach me!)

And so in one of the most insanely followed games of the season -- by fans in Florida, Colorado and around the NFL -- and in the signature Tebow/Teblog game of the year, I will be airborne. That I will be on JetBlue and able to track the game in progress is little consolation. (As I have been predicting for months, I think he will be given plenty of chances to make an impact, including a TD or two. It's just bound to happen that way.)

There will likely be more Tebow fans in the stadium than Jaguars fans. (Hopefully, we can go to the Jaguars tailgate area in the early-morning and spot for ourselves just how Tebow-crazy everything is.)

Just without me in attendance, apparently. It's like an O. Henry short story that the editor of TimTeblog will be in Jacksonville for the day of the Broncos-Jaguars game -- Tim Tebow's NFL debut and a veritable homecoming game, in his hometown and among his loyal college fans -- and won't be able to attend. The cruel irony!

That earns a big, fat "D'oh!"

(I will now revise my prediction that he will score at LEAST two TDs -- the 1st he was always going to, and now a 2nd because it would maximize the irony of me being so close to attending, yet about 36,000 feet up and a couple hundred miles away.)

Tebow Effect: Broncos Set Camp Record

The Denver Broncos had more than 3,100 fans attend today's opening of full training camp, a team record.

I will guarantee that most of the enthusiasm had to do with wanting to see Tim Tebow in person. Why do teams/media/marketers so regularly underestimate the "Tebow Effect?"

Whatever you think the interest will be in your Tebow-related event, double it -- heck, triple it. Assume it will be much, much more than anything you've ever seen.

My only question: After following Tebowmania up close for the past three-plus months, why is Denver sports media so surprised?

(Stat via the Denver Post, but I could have predicted it even before the reporters got to training camp this morning.)

Broncos Tebow: Real Camp Begins Now

The best of the weekend links about Tim Tebow as we look ahead to today's first official (full-team, full-contact) Broncos training camp session, with Tebow continuing to be the headliner....

"I'm out here now and I don't have to worry about anything except playing football."

*Great column from AOL's Fanhouse from Tebow's first extended discussion with the media. Money quote:

"I think I've somewhat had pressure on me the last few years. I don't really ever think about it because all I really worry about is what I can control -- my attitude, my effort, my focus. Those are things I can control. I can't control anything else. So, I'm really not even going to think about it."

*Woody Paige wins the morning with the only column from the trio of Post columnists (Paige, Krieger, Kiszla) who actually bases his analysis on some statistical solid ground, not to mention good old-fashioned reporting. The upshot? The Broncos would have the best shot at long-term success with Tebow at QB by having him play as many snaps as possible as a rookie -- even starting games, even if it means struggling in the short-term.

*Still, we get a thoughtful column by the DP's Mark Krieger, but the jokes and comments about the horde of media around him are cliched, particularly if you are only feeding into it by writing yet another column about Tebow. He's popular. Fans want to hear about him. Get over it.

(Speaking of which, check out this photo at Mile High Report.)

*The Sentinel's George Diaz treads on familiar ground -- how can people hate Tim Tebow? -- but he brings up all of the spot-on arguments. Money quote:

"No question there's a lot of love for him out there, and the kissy-poo infatuation can go overboard. But a lot of people loathe him simply because he's a great football player, a nice guy, and has received a ton of good publicity because of the things that he does. The pop psychology spin goes deeper than the obvious Gator-hater backlash."

*Why am I so sure that Tim Tebow will succeed? Because his coach loves him and will put him in a position to succeed.

*MaxDenver's report from practice on Friday.

*Catch up on all of Tebow's and McDaniels' quotes from Friday through the fine work of the OnlyGators crew. Nothing from either that you wouldn't expect -- but it's all very key to read through anyway.

Tim Tebow vs. Sam Bradford, Again

Compared to Sam Bradford's unprecedented $50 million guaranteed salary, Tim Tebow's $8M guarantee is a bargain. Not to mention the fact that Bradford has not proven he can take the pounding from BYU linemen, let alone NFC linemen.