Another Great Take on Tebow

Echoing the persistent refrain here that NFL coaching orthodoxy -- not Tim Tebow's skills -- is the bigger problem right now for Tebow's future, here is Deadspin's Nate Jackson:

I am hoping and waiting for a brave coach to put in some plays called "Get Open" and "Throw to Whomever the F#$% You Want." Those plays will work. I'm sure of it. When things are right, there's a telekinesis on the football field that supersedes everything. I've felt it. And I've felt the triumph of flawless execution. I'll take the magic over the execution any day. The magic is Tim Tebow's milieu. The flawless execution is not.

If you found yourself watching last night's MNF debacle, muttering: "And the football 'experts' rip Tebow?" this is your column.

Tebow x Religion: Here's a Good Take

I read almost everything written about Tim Tebow. I pay particular attention to the stuff that directly talks about Tebow and religion. I don't know why I punish myself, because most -- almost all -- of this writing is painfully bad, a combination of stridency and self-assurance and sequestration that almost always loses sight of the essential nuance of the topic.

Grantland's Brian Phillips has one of the more thoughtful, nuanced and interesting takes on the intersection of Tebow and religion and how religion sits at the intersection of much of the Tebow debate (if buried underneath the strictly football discussion). I don't want to excerpt it here. I just want to point you to it with my strongest recommendation you read it.

Hopefully, I can circle back later this week and we can talk more about it.

Morning-After Tebow: So Many Links

So many day-after links about Tebow. I'll try to point you to a few I liked:

*One of my favorite writers, SmartFootball's Chris Brown, wrote about the 2-point conversion play for Grantland.

*Brown's Grantland colleague, Bill Barnwell, was less generous. I thought there was perhaps a bit too much straw-man in this argument, but it's a fair one about where credit goes.

*Woody on Tebow: "What you saw Sunday is what you get with Tebow."

*Kiszla on Tebow: "From happy feet in the pocket to throws so errant you worried that a spectator in the stands might get hurt, everything that could ultimately cause Tebow to fail at the pro level was on display until he had no choice except to be great."

*SI's Don Banks: "Are the Broncos really any closer to knowing if Tebow is their long-term answer at quarterback based on Sunday's rollercoaster ride against the still-winless Dolphins? I don't think so... But Denver also saw just enough of the part of Tebow's game that can be difference making."

Will add more later. Email timteblog-at-gmail if you see any other really good ones.

-- Dan

Tebow Leads Broncos to OT W in Miami

*My favorite part -- and I think the most important and telling part: Tebow's reaction immediately after the game.

While his teammates jumped around -- certainly deservedly -- Tebow was restrained. He bent to his knee for a moment, then stood up and calmly walked around hugging teammates.

No demonstrative fist-pumping. No rah-rah cheering -- and he certainly had earned it by the time the game was over.

But you got the sense that Tebow was entirely satisfied with the game's result -- undoubtedly, he expected to win -- but knows full well that he didn't play great. Well enough, but not great.

And he expects more of himself than that. That's part of who Tebow is and why the reaction was so impressive.

He acted like he'd been there before. All the haters and skeptics and doubters and mockers could take a lesson.

More instant reactions:

*What a final few minutes. Wow.

*Tebow was getting killed by fans and media on Twitter for the first 55 minutes of this game, some fairly and some unfairly. But he was getting crushed.

*I think it's fair to say that Tebow led the team to a win despite John Fox's play-calling on offense.

*Yeah, this is going to be just a little bit of a big deal tomorrow -- and all week. It's Tebow, after all.

*Wow, was that exciting.

-- Dan

Today's Tebow Must-Read

We mentioned that Tim Tebow was on the cover of the latest issue of ESPN The Magazine. Here's the cover story, which captures almost all of the scope of the Tebow situation right now. Well done by reporter Tim Keown. Really good read for today (and to get you ready for Sunday).

ESPN Mag Puts Tebow on Cover

That's more like it: ESPN The Magazine put Tim Tebow on its cover this week. Not just smart, but entirely relevant.

Tim Tebow in This Week's SI

I thought that between the Broncos' bye week, the lack of a timely way to cover the World Series participants and the overall interest in Tim Tebow, Sports Illustrated would put Tebow on their cover this week. You'll have to settle for a Phil Taylor essay in the magazine. Money quote:

You don't have to be a Broncos fan to hope that he makes his skeptics look foolish, if only to remind them that allowing for the possibility of magic is the logical thing to do.

Big week coming up.

Let's Stop Arguing About Tim Tebow

A nice supplement to the post earlier this week that most Tim Tebow fans simply wanted Tebow to get a chance to play (even if he is hand-cuffed by John Fox's clod-hopping tactical judgment) is this post by SBNation's Spencer Hall about the proliferation this week* of stupid debates about Tebow coming from multiple sides. I'm inclined to promote this kind of analysis because since the beginning, this blog was about finding nuance in a topic that generates so much stridency.

(* - This week? It's been going on since before Tebow turned pro, but certainly has been humming along ever since January 2010.)

Tim Tebow in... "Die Hard 5" (Wait: What?)

This idea floated by the head of Fox movies that Tim Tebow could play a role in the next "Die Hard" is absurd... yet entirely in line with everything we know about the Tebow phenomenon.

(I actually think Tebow has a natural sense of comedic timing, and even though he has the "action-hero" build and temperament, I can't see him even wanting the role.)

That said: Kudos to Fox's Tom Rothman for floating it out there. He knows that even just mentioning Tebow puts this story -- and his movie -- at the top of every talk-radio, TV talking-head and blogger discussion list.

Just one more addition to the Tebow pop-culture canon.

It's About (Tebow) Time

If I could summarize the position of many -- starting last season but certainly culminating on Sunday and today, when Tim Tebow is expected to be named the Broncos starter a week from Sunday in Miami -- it is simply this:

Give Tebow a chance.

We saw what happened at the end of last season: Capable (even winning) play from a QB that way too many people said had no business being on the field as a rookie. (And, as a bonus, eye-popping fantasy football numbers.) Give Tebow a chance.

We saw what happened on Sunday: Kyle Orton was ineffective. The team was behind. John Fox begrudgingly inserted Tebow. Presto: A boost of crowd enthusiasm. A boost of player enthusiasm. "Vitamin T." Then the scores. Then the oh-no-WAY last-gasp sequence, where Tebow pulled off a play that maybe 3-5 other QBs in the league could -- spinning out of the defense's way for seemingly endless extra time, then a pass delivered into an open window the size of a football helmet. (BTW: Is there any doubt that on that missed 2-point conversion, Tebow could have run it in himself, rather than put him in a position to throw to Lloyd? Then all the Broncos would have needed was a game-ending field goal.) Give Tebow a chance.

There are plenty of reasons the Broncos should be starting Tim Tebow:

*In an otherwise lost season, fans will be engaged as enthusiastically as if the Broncos were a playoff contender. We saw that Sunday.

*The media -- nationally -- will give close attention to a team that is otherwise among the league's bottom-feeders. We saw that Sunday and Monday -- and every day for the next two weeks, culminating in an insane scene in Miami (for "Gator Day").

*In a point we've made here regularly: Even if John Fox HATED Tim Tebow (and he seemingly does), playing him has no downside: If the team wins, Fox gets credit; if Tebow plays terribly and the team loses out, Fox can say he gave Tebow a chance, then go draft Andrew Luck or Landry Jones or Matt Barkley.

But for all the power of Tebow as a passion point for fans or a draw for the national media or fun with fantasy football or even a backdoor way to find a different QB, the biggest reason to give Tebow a chance is this:

He can play. He makes the team better. He gives the team a different kind of chance to win. He will only get better with experience. He is a gamer.

There's such a "straw-man argument" out there in the media that Tebow fans insist Tebow will be an NFL superstar. I follow Tebow and the Tebow phenomenon as closely as anyone, and I just don't see that.

What I do see is Tebow fans -- and, now, national media coming around -- simply asking for the Broncos to give Tebow a chance.

(And by "a chance," I mean a real chance: Starting every offensive snap for the next 11 games. Even then, I'd say that he would have only begun to climb the learning curve and if he shows any progress at all, he will have earned the right to start a full season next year.)

He may flop. He may excel. He may exceed expectations. He may increase expectations, only to fall short of them. He may -- he will -- probably land somewhere in the middle, something even Tebow himself would agree with: He will make some great plays; he will show room for improvement. He will never be satisfied, even when he makes plays and wins games.

But all Tebow wants is a chance. All the fans want his for him to get that chance.

He's going to get it, and -- like the end of last season -- it's going to be fascinating and thrilling and even sometimes maddening (particularly if the coaches keep insisting on cramming Tebow into their pre-conceived notions of NFL offensive orthodoxy, rather than tweaking things to play to his unique skills).

But Tebow is going to get the chance to play. That's all he, we, you or anyone can ask for.

-- Dan

Broncos Finally Play Tim Tebow

"What mattered is the Broncos finally gave Tebow a chance. That’s all the fans in Denver wanted. Now that Denver coach John Fox has gone to Tebow, there is no chance that the Broncos can or will go back." -- Bill Williamson, ESPN.com

Much more coming.

Tebow vs. Packers: One Measly Play

One play. One measly play. After all that talk about Fox being ready to deploy Tebow, the coach of the Broncos used Tebow once, early in the game. Even when the game was laughably out of reach, Fox refused to play Tebow. Hell, the Packers played backup QB Matt Flynn, and if you didn't know better, you'd think they were rubbing it in.

The only solace is that you look across the field at Aaron Rodgers -- a QB who is/was at the top of his game (or any QB's game, frankly) -- and you realize that he sat (and sat... and sat...) for years before he got his shot. I'm not arguing that Tebow is going to have as good of a career as Rodgers. What I'm arguing is that he deserves a shot, just like Rodgers got one.

It's so obvious he won't get that shot with John Fox in Denver. It's equally obvious that the only reason they won't trade him or release him is that they are deathly afraid that if/when Tebow does get that shot -- with someone else -- he makes the most of it.

Tim Tebow To Play in NFL Week 4?

Via Denver Post's Mike Klis, apparently so.

"Give Tim Tebow a Chance"

"If a low-scoring, losing NFL team can't find a way to get Tim Tebow in the game, then new coach John Fox is a stubborn goat so stuck in the 1970s and so hopelessly out of touch with his fan base that one might begin to wonder why the Broncos hired him in the first place. All we're saying is: Give Tebow a chance." -- Mark Kiszla, Denver Post, 9/27/11

Why Didn't Broncos Use Tebow?

One more piece of compelling evidence that John Fox doesn't have a great idea of what he's doing:

On anything-and-short -- let alone 3rd-and-short or 4th-and-short -- it should be Tebow Time. If Kyle Orton can't handle that, maybe he's not the "pro" everyone in the "brain trust" in Denver thinks he is.

If Fox doesn't recognize "Tebow short" as potentially one of the most efficient play-calls in his (or any) playbook, the Broncos coach is even worse than we thought he was.

The Broncos lost the game because John Fox didn't use Tim Tebow -- what compounds the error is that Fox didn't even THINK to use Tebow.

And, make no mistake, it cost the Broncos the game.

Tim Tebow, Wide Receiver

Can't decide if I was happy that Tim Tebow got on the field yesterday in any capacity or that this was just the most recent deflating episode.

(Tebow, to his credit, seemed game to contribute however he could -- or however the coach wanted him to.)

The shame is that getting the ball in Tebow's hands as a playmaker IS a great strategy -- too bad John Fox only seems to think it's a good idea when every other receiver option is out.

As I tweeted out yesterday: Wonder which fantasy league -- ESPN.com, Yahoo, CBSSports.com, NFL.com -- will be the first to give Tebow dual-eligibility at QB and WR?

-- D.S.

The "Start Tebow" Billboard Campaign

Hey: Why not?

(And, as with everything Tebow, these folks ARE going to get their money's worth -- in media coverage.)

Broncos Lose Opener, Fans Chant for Tebow

Why were Broncos fans chanting for Tim Tebow last night in the Broncos' season opener?

Because Kyle Orton -- despite going over 300 yards passing -- was largely ineffective. He couldn't produce a touchdown for the offense until just minutes remained in the game, and his interception-and-fumble combo went a long way to costing the Broncos the game.

The whole idea from the Broncos' "brain trust" of Elway, Xanders and Fox was that Orton was "more prepared" to be the starter than Tebow. Sure didn't look like it.

If the Broncos were going to produce a limp offensive night in a loss, Tebow certainly couldn't have done worse than Orton. And, in that case, there is no reason the team shouldn't start Tebow.

Jacksonville Homecoming for Tim Tebow?

With the Jaguars cutting incumbent QB David Garrard today, a brief flurry of speculation if the team would go after trading for Tim Tebow, who they could probably get at a discount from Denver.

This is easy: They absolutely should try to trade for him for a very simple reason -- the franchise is a bit of a mess, and what we know is that Tebow's presence alone offers national media attention, cachet and, most of all, enthusiasm among the fan base (a perennial Jaguars problem).

Here's the thing: If Jack Del Rio -- like John Fox -- isn't willing to use Tebow creatively (if not as the starting QB), then it is entirely for marketing purposes. Now, that has its value, but you'd like to see Tebow's marketing value in north Florida paired with his football value.

Tim Tebow's NFL Future

Really fair, well-thought-out post by Yahoo Sports' Doug Farrar about Tim Tebow's future in the NFL -- so much better than the knee-jerk half-baked "analysis."

One quote from Jon Gruden stood out: "I think you have to have a plan for those guys to utilize their physical capabilities, and I think you have to modify your offense to a degree to enhance some of the things that they can do themselves running the ball."

That's a common theme here: That to maximize Tebow's unique talents, you need a coach willing to be much more creative than the typical NFL coaching orthodoxy (typified by John Fox).

Whole post is worth a read.

Peter King Defends Tim Tebow

*I guess Tim Tebow was Den's 4th-best QB when he led Broncs to 24-second-half pts and 24-23 win over Houston.

*There's no 3rd QB rules anymore. If coaches can't find a role for Tebow in their offense, Den must be more explosive than 80s Niners.

*Last Tebow point: Don't get me wrong; I'm not advocating he start over Orton. I'm saying he should have a package of Wildcat/option plays.

-- Peter King on Twitter, about Tim Tebow in the wake of Michael Silver's piece about Tebow being a 4th-stringer and this morning's comments from Boomer Esiason.

Comments: Agree 100% with the first tweet. Agree 100% with the second tweet. Agree 100% with the third tweet. All things we've been saying here for a year.

"Tim Tebow Can't...": Boomer Esiason Edition

"He can't play. He can't throw. I'm not here to insult him. The reality is he was a great college football player, maybe the greatest college football player of his time. But he's not an NFL quarterback right now."

"Just because he's God-fearing, and a great person off the field, and was a winner with the team that had the best athletes in college football, doesn't mean his game is going to translate to the NFL."

"What (former Broncos coach) Josh McDaniel saw in him God only knows. Maybe God does know — because the rest of us don't."

-- "NFL Today" analyst Boomer Esiason, trying to score cheap points by trolling Tebow for an audience of sports-media reporters who know that anything they publish about Tebow will get lots of attention. (The "God" stuff is particularly cheap -- you don't have to be religious to find that type of comment to be an unnecessary attempt by Esiason to draw attention to himself. The "I'm not here to insult him, but..." was a particularly inane touch.)

Tim Tebow Not Going Anywhere

“They’re not about to trade him, they’re not about to release him.”

-- Chris Mortensen. More from ProFootballTalk here.

Tebow In Denver...Or Elsewhere

I think most Tebow fans -- and they transcend parochial interest in the Broncos (in truth, they would have rooted for Tebow wherever he was drafted) -- are interested in one thing:

That Tebow end up with an NFL coach who is secure enough and brilliant enough to deploy him in an unorthodox way that maximizes Tebow's unique skills and optimizes their own team's chances.

I'm not sure that exists in the NFL -- the late (and best-ever) Bill Walsh is long gone; the Steve Young comparison falls flat not because of Tebow, but because of NFL coaching.

If Denver isn't committed to doing that with Tebow, then it's in Tebow's best interests if the team lets him go, either through trade or release. (If the latter, I'll bet Bill Belichick finds room.)

It's funny: The Broncos had an amazing opportunity -- play Tebow full-time to give him a shot (and try to develop him).

If Tebow failed utterly, the consolation prize was being in a position to draft Andrew Luck to replace Tebow; if he did OK, they are that much further to having a long-term solution at QB.

The team's milquetoast approach is doing themselves -- not to mention Tebow or Broncos fans -- no favors.

Tim Tebow: Third String?

How did we get from a compelling argument for Tim Tebow starting for the Broncos... to Tebow as third-stringer behind both Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn?

It's unclear what kind of strategic or tactical value the Broncos get from giving Quinn 2nd-team snaps ahead of Tebow -- it's not like Quinn has a long-term future in Denver.

And if Kyle Orton gets injured early in the season, are the Broncos really going to play Quinn over Tebow? If the team is more likely to lose than win either way, why not play Tebow?

It is a baffling decision by John Fox and John Elway -- if they don't want Tebow (or simply don't believe in him), they might as well trade him to a team that is willing to give him a chance.