Sporting News had an interesting column today, putting Tim Tebow's attempt to repeat as a national champ up against the 5 other QBs of the BCS Era who had a chance to repeat, but failed.
Here is how I see it:
1999 Tennessee (Tee Martin): They failed because Phil Fulmer was too self-satisfied after winning the first title. Tebow, Urban Meyer and Florida want this 2nd one -- and history -- way more.
2000 Florida State (Chris Weinke): Weinke was absurdly overrated. Oklahoma was at the front-end of a half-decade reign of destruction, and FSU was at the tail-end of its relevance. Florida, on the other hand, appears to be at the peak of its dynasty -- last year was a bonus.
2002 Miami (Ken Dorsey): Beyond the fluky ending, the U simply didn't take Ohio State seriously. Mentally unprepared. Meyer, Tebow and Spikes have Florida insanely focused on taking nothing for granted.
2003 Ohio State (Craig Krenzel): Regression to the mean. If OSU played Miami 10 times, the Canes would win 9. OSU's close calls from 2002 finally caught up with them. Meanwhile, Florida had a 30+ point average margin of victory last season (before the SEC title game, the only close call was the one-point loss to Ole Miss), with more to come this season.
2005 USC (Matt Leinart): Ahh, Leinart comes up often. Here is the reality: That '05 USC offense was prolific; its defense was mediocre, particularly for a national-title contender. On the flip side, Florida's defense this season is -- on paper -- potentially the greatest defense in the history of college football.
With history as a guide, the three biggest keys to Florida's bid to repeat:
(1) Mental toughness.
(2) Defense.
(3) Insulating themselves from inevitable flukes.
Tebow leads on No. 1. He has no problem -- as he did in the SEC title game and national title game -- running into the defensive huddle to fire them up. He is the trigger-man for the scoring that will ensure flukes can't hurt the team. That combo separates him from the 5 QBs above.
This sounds a lot like Urban Meyer's "Plan to Win." And it is why Florida will repeat as champs, becoming the first team to do it since the equally dominant Nebraska team of the mid-90s.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Tebow Quote of the Day: Myth of Haters
Does Tim Tebow think he is overexposed? From Florida Media Day yesterday, via Antonya English's blog at TBO.com:
I don't believe people think he goes in front of the media "for the hype." I don't believe there is a backlash. I don't believe ther is "Tebow Fatigue." I certainly don't buy that there are Tebow "haters." (Although there are certainly haters of Florida.)
In fact, I think precisely because he is "nice" and "polite" and "genuine," he has immunized himself from backlash, fatigue or haters -- even though, under any normal circumstance, there should be a backlash by now.
(But Tebow is hardly a "normal circumstance.")
I just try to handle it the best I can, and be as nice as I can and (be) polite. Just be myself, be genuine, and if people get upset with that or people say it's this or that and he just does it for the hype, well you know there's going to be haters just like everything, just like haters of the University of Florida. You have to deal with that.I have weighed in on this a couple of times over the last few weeks:
I don't believe people think he goes in front of the media "for the hype." I don't believe there is a backlash. I don't believe ther is "Tebow Fatigue." I certainly don't buy that there are Tebow "haters." (Although there are certainly haters of Florida.)
In fact, I think precisely because he is "nice" and "polite" and "genuine," he has immunized himself from backlash, fatigue or haters -- even though, under any normal circumstance, there should be a backlash by now.
(But Tebow is hardly a "normal circumstance.")
More Tebow Quotes from Media Day
More quotes from Tim Tebow from Florida Media Day:
"Our goals for the offseason were to get bigger, faster, and stronger, but also to build chemistry. The strengths of our team right now are chemistry and the leadership. The attitude of guys improving, spending time together, and training has been great."
Who motivates and leads the team leaders?
"Our position coaches, Coach [Charlie] Strong and Coach [Vance] Bedford, lead us. Coach [Urban] Meyer is the number one leader for me. We talk several times a day. His attitude towards the game, improving, and making a difference every day is why I think he’s a good leader."
Do you want to be a great team?
"Absolutely! There is a huge desire by everyone on this team to be great. Not only to be great, but to have a standard of excellence that everyone lives up to is our goal. Every year we want to be great, but I think this year everyone really means and believes it with everyone deep down in their heart."
What about John Brantley?
"I have a really strong relationship with Johnny B. He’s one of my closest friends on the team. We hang out all the time. I try to encourage him overall with his leadership, being more out-spoken. He works hard and does all the right things. I’m very excited for him and the things he will do here. I’m a big fan."
"Our goals for the offseason were to get bigger, faster, and stronger, but also to build chemistry. The strengths of our team right now are chemistry and the leadership. The attitude of guys improving, spending time together, and training has been great."
Who motivates and leads the team leaders?
"Our position coaches, Coach [Charlie] Strong and Coach [Vance] Bedford, lead us. Coach [Urban] Meyer is the number one leader for me. We talk several times a day. His attitude towards the game, improving, and making a difference every day is why I think he’s a good leader."
Do you want to be a great team?
"Absolutely! There is a huge desire by everyone on this team to be great. Not only to be great, but to have a standard of excellence that everyone lives up to is our goal. Every year we want to be great, but I think this year everyone really means and believes it with everyone deep down in their heart."
What about John Brantley?
"I have a really strong relationship with Johnny B. He’s one of my closest friends on the team. We hang out all the time. I try to encourage him overall with his leadership, being more out-spoken. He works hard and does all the right things. I’m very excited for him and the things he will do here. I’m a big fan."
Tebow Quote of the Day
"We have higher expectations on ourselves than anybody else could possibly have."
-- Tim Tebow, at Florida Media Day (8/12/09)
-- Tim Tebow, at Florida Media Day (8/12/09)
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Yahoo's Hinton: Let Tebow Be Tebow
Doc Saturday presents some profound commentary about all this talk over the past week about having Tebow share snaps with John Brantley and Joe "Wildcat" Haden.
Money quote is the Doc's kicker:
Money quote is the Doc's kicker:
Not that anyone is trying, but it's worth reminding anyway that that level of total physical and emotional abandon -- Tebow's trademark from the very beginning, and probably the one element of his game that most bothers his critics at the next level -- is the last thing that should ever be polished away.Let Tebow Be Tebow isn't a bad slogan. I am excited to see more of Brantley and I wouldn't mind seeing what Haden can do and I'm all for improving Tebow's NFL stock. But really.
Florida Media Day: Tebow On Podium
Follow the Orlando Sentinel's Andrea Adelson for live-Tweeted quotes.
What Is G? Tebow, Says Clay Travis
Taking a brief break from Florida Media Day crazy.
I continue to be fascinated by Tennessee uber-fan Clay Travis's love-hate (but mostly, interestingly, "love") relationship with Tim Tebow.
He avoids the cliched -- and disingenuous -- opposing fans' weariness of Tebowmania. At worst, it is begrudging respect. Or is that... admiration?
I respect Clay for a lot of reasons, but on this particular topic, it is because he isn't afraid to express the idea: "Damn, I wish he was on MY team."
Clay linked to this YouTube mash-up from back in January set to the Gatorade "What is G?" advertisement, but featuring... well, you-know-who.
No, really: Buy Clay's new book. Doesn't matter that it is about Tennessee. If you love ANY college football team, you'll love this book.
I continue to be fascinated by Tennessee uber-fan Clay Travis's love-hate (but mostly, interestingly, "love") relationship with Tim Tebow.
He avoids the cliched -- and disingenuous -- opposing fans' weariness of Tebowmania. At worst, it is begrudging respect. Or is that... admiration?
I respect Clay for a lot of reasons, but on this particular topic, it is because he isn't afraid to express the idea: "Damn, I wish he was on MY team."
Clay linked to this YouTube mash-up from back in January set to the Gatorade "What is G?" advertisement, but featuring... well, you-know-who.
No, really: Buy Clay's new book. Doesn't matter that it is about Tennessee. If you love ANY college football team, you'll love this book.
Florida Media Day: Brantley a Next Tebow?
Is backup QB John Brantley a "next Tebow" candidate? Umm, no. He has a better arm but not the running skills (and a much slighter build, obviously).
But Brantley will be Florida's starting QB next season (and probably 2011) and, according to Meyer and Addazio at today's media event, Brantley will be getting "meaningful minutes" this year, even though he backs up the best player in the country.
Why? Given that Florida will likely have large leads late in games, there will be plenty of live snaps during mop-up duty for Brantley. But the coaches are also presumably looking ahead to 2010.
(Presumably, this doesn't have any impact on the use of Joe Haden in "Wildcat" formations -- that is going to be something to see, I can already tell you.)
No, don't worry: There won't be a "BrantleyBlog.com" -- at least not from me.
Oh, and by the time he's done, I expect there won't be any questions about Brantley's NFL-worthiness as a QB. I think if he stays through 2011, he will be a 1st-round NFL pick.
So is Brantley the next Tebow? More like the next Grossman.
But Brantley will be Florida's starting QB next season (and probably 2011) and, according to Meyer and Addazio at today's media event, Brantley will be getting "meaningful minutes" this year, even though he backs up the best player in the country.
Why? Given that Florida will likely have large leads late in games, there will be plenty of live snaps during mop-up duty for Brantley. But the coaches are also presumably looking ahead to 2010.
(Presumably, this doesn't have any impact on the use of Joe Haden in "Wildcat" formations -- that is going to be something to see, I can already tell you.)
No, don't worry: There won't be a "BrantleyBlog.com" -- at least not from me.
Oh, and by the time he's done, I expect there won't be any questions about Brantley's NFL-worthiness as a QB. I think if he stays through 2011, he will be a 1st-round NFL pick.
So is Brantley the next Tebow? More like the next Grossman.
New York Times Goes New York Tebow
When the Times met Tebow...: I would hope that the New York Times' college football blog -- The Quad -- is already on your must-read list, daily.
And I'm not just saying that because the Quad's Connor Ennis has a lengthy Q&A with me posted earlier this morning, talking all things Tim Tebow -- and TimTeblog.com.
Check it out here, and it addresses many of the questions you have seen here before (like "Why?") -- and a couple of new ones (like "Do you think Tim Tebow reads TimTeblog?")
The NY Times (via ace reporter Pete Thamel) has arguably been the best in the nation at covering Urban Meyer, from his time at Utah to his move to Florida, the spread, Tebow, etc.
The in-depth reporting Thamel did last October on Tim Tebow's game preparation was one of the best pieces about Tebow ever produced, an all-time valuable addition to "Tebow scholarship."
And I'm not just saying that because the Quad's Connor Ennis has a lengthy Q&A with me posted earlier this morning, talking all things Tim Tebow -- and TimTeblog.com.
Check it out here, and it addresses many of the questions you have seen here before (like "Why?") -- and a couple of new ones (like "Do you think Tim Tebow reads TimTeblog?")
The NY Times (via ace reporter Pete Thamel) has arguably been the best in the nation at covering Urban Meyer, from his time at Utah to his move to Florida, the spread, Tebow, etc.
The in-depth reporting Thamel did last October on Tim Tebow's game preparation was one of the best pieces about Tebow ever produced, an all-time valuable addition to "Tebow scholarship."
Tebow Quote of Morning: Jeremy Foley
"I've heard some people say Timmy is overexposed, and that's probably more of a reflection of the world we live in. But in terms of how he lives his life, how he treats people, the way he has time for people, the way his passion is legitimate, his heart is legitimate, he is the most genuine, unique guy I've ever been around."
-- Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley, on Tim Tebow. (via PBPost's Ben Volin.)
-- Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley, on Tim Tebow. (via PBPost's Ben Volin.)
Florida Media Day: Questions for Tebow?
The Miami Herald's Jo Goodman estimates that 150 media folks will be at Florida's Media Day today.
Needless to say, I suspect there will be a few questions for Tim Tebow.
(Remind me: What hasn't been covered yet?)
All kidding aside, there is ALWAYS something new to come out. I will be updating as news emerges from the event. Should be a fun one.
Needless to say, I suspect there will be a few questions for Tim Tebow.
(Remind me: What hasn't been covered yet?)
All kidding aside, there is ALWAYS something new to come out. I will be updating as news emerges from the event. Should be a fun one.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Monday Practice: O-Line Must Back Tebow
“What gets lost in the media and fans and everybody else is Tim Tebow -- it’s not Tim Tebow."
That's Urban Meyer from today's practice, which he wasn't happy with. But, wait! There's more:
"It’s everybody else, five guys playing like maniacs out front..."
Translation: The offensive line needs to step up.
"I love Tim, but Tim’s on every magazine. When Tim’s on every magazine, there should be five guys right behind him standing there."
Translation: Credit the offensive line, but they really gotta earn the credit.
"Tim's nothing without those five guys. We have to get back to that."
Translation: The O-line REALLY needs to step up.
That's Urban Meyer from today's practice, which he wasn't happy with. But, wait! There's more:
"It’s everybody else, five guys playing like maniacs out front..."
Translation: The offensive line needs to step up.
"I love Tim, but Tim’s on every magazine. When Tim’s on every magazine, there should be five guys right behind him standing there."
Translation: Credit the offensive line, but they really gotta earn the credit.
"Tim's nothing without those five guys. We have to get back to that."
Translation: The O-line REALLY needs to step up.
More Video! Tim Tebow: Juggernaut
Instead of the usual 3:30 "read," here's the 3:30 "watch." Tim Tebow highlights set to the soundtrack of "Juggernaut." Lyrics most def NSFW.
(h/t: EDSBS for finding/pointing. Glad you're back from vacation, Orson.)
(h/t: EDSBS for finding/pointing. Glad you're back from vacation, Orson.)
Video: Tosh.0 on Tebow (and Leinart)
The joke was a weird combination of overly simplistic and a little too insidery for non-sports viewers -- though you get the sense Tosh may be a sports fan -- but if you can't have a sense of humor about Tebow Mania, then you probably have no sense of humor at all:
(By the way, feels like Leinart gets much more of the brunt of this bit -- as it should be.)
h/t: An Eye and an Eer
(By the way, feels like Leinart gets much more of the brunt of this bit -- as it should be.)
h/t: An Eye and an Eer
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Start the Debate: Is Tim Tebow The Greatest College Football Player Ever?
You know it's a topic near-and-dear to this blog, perhaps the nearest-and-dearest. The question that underscores the entire premise of the blog and what makes this season so insane:
Is Tim Tebow the greatest college football player ever?
Four days into the season, the St. Petersburg Times' Antonya English wastes no time putting the topic of "Tebow-as-greatest-ever" front-and-center on Sunday morning.
The fact that he is even in the discussion is monumental enough. When was the last time we had a player in the the "greatest ever" discussion?
Actually, Matt Leinart was a contender in 2005 -- until Vince Young ripped it away from him. I would put VY up there.
But while VY has one national title -- and in the most impressive way, mind you -- he didn't win the Heisman (although many think he should have).
There are others in recent memory: Reggie Bush was certainly awesome, as was Herschel Walker. Orlando Pace was about as dominant a player as most of us have ever seen.
If you read the Gators Gridiron 2009 cover essay I wrote on the topic of "Greatest college QB ever?", you will see that I have a couple of criteria you can also use for "Greatest player ever":
*National championships.
*Individual awards.
*Statistical dominance.
*Mythology.
I would argue that, based on that widely accepted criteria, Tim Tebow is already in the conversation for "Greatest Ever," even before this season starts. NOW let's start talking...
Layer in another national title and another Heisman, and I don't think it's close. I think he needs the national title (ideally unbeaten) -- rather than another Heisman -- to secure the status.
What I don't get is the way the so-called "experts" hedge about it. "Oh, he could be..." Why not at least concede that he is ALREADY on the short-list of the greatest ever. (Danielson does.)
At this point, he is playing for "best player ever" (even if it isn't a personal goal for him). That superlative is the biggest reason this season so fascinating -- and why I launched the blog.
As I have put it before: When was the last time we got to follow along with someone who might very well be the greatest player of all-time... in real-time?
(My only complaint: Antonya! How could you not interview me for this article? Who has done more thinking and heavy intellectual lifting on this topic than I have? And I give good quotes!)
Is Tim Tebow the greatest college football player ever?
Four days into the season, the St. Petersburg Times' Antonya English wastes no time putting the topic of "Tebow-as-greatest-ever" front-and-center on Sunday morning.
The fact that he is even in the discussion is monumental enough. When was the last time we had a player in the the "greatest ever" discussion?
Actually, Matt Leinart was a contender in 2005 -- until Vince Young ripped it away from him. I would put VY up there.
But while VY has one national title -- and in the most impressive way, mind you -- he didn't win the Heisman (although many think he should have).
There are others in recent memory: Reggie Bush was certainly awesome, as was Herschel Walker. Orlando Pace was about as dominant a player as most of us have ever seen.
If you read the Gators Gridiron 2009 cover essay I wrote on the topic of "Greatest college QB ever?", you will see that I have a couple of criteria you can also use for "Greatest player ever":
*National championships.
*Individual awards.
*Statistical dominance.
*Mythology.
I would argue that, based on that widely accepted criteria, Tim Tebow is already in the conversation for "Greatest Ever," even before this season starts. NOW let's start talking...
Layer in another national title and another Heisman, and I don't think it's close. I think he needs the national title (ideally unbeaten) -- rather than another Heisman -- to secure the status.
What I don't get is the way the so-called "experts" hedge about it. "Oh, he could be..." Why not at least concede that he is ALREADY on the short-list of the greatest ever. (Danielson does.)
At this point, he is playing for "best player ever" (even if it isn't a personal goal for him). That superlative is the biggest reason this season so fascinating -- and why I launched the blog.
As I have put it before: When was the last time we got to follow along with someone who might very well be the greatest player of all-time... in real-time?
(My only complaint: Antonya! How could you not interview me for this article? Who has done more thinking and heavy intellectual lifting on this topic than I have? And I give good quotes!)
This Week In Tebow
Catch up on what you may have missed about all things Tebow:
(1) Practice Begins! Tebow has a beard!
(2) Tim Tebow vs. Matt Leinart, Part 1
(3) Tim Tebow vs. Matt Leinart, Part 2
(4) Tebow's legacy: "Promise" vs. 14-0
(5) Tebow as antidote to fan cynicism
(6) Tim Tebow vs. Vince Young, Part Nth
(7) Florida won when they got Tebow to commit.
(8) NFL: Joe Montana needs under-center proof.
(9) Awards Watch: O'Brien
(10) Tim Tebow Song emerges as a meme.
(1) Practice Begins! Tebow has a beard!
(2) Tim Tebow vs. Matt Leinart, Part 1
(3) Tim Tebow vs. Matt Leinart, Part 2
(4) Tebow's legacy: "Promise" vs. 14-0
(5) Tebow as antidote to fan cynicism
(6) Tim Tebow vs. Vince Young, Part Nth
(7) Florida won when they got Tebow to commit.
(8) NFL: Joe Montana needs under-center proof.
(9) Awards Watch: O'Brien
(10) Tim Tebow Song emerges as a meme.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Haden : Tebow :: Tebow : Garrard
Urban Meyer just made Joe Haden a bunch of extra NFL money. More on that in a sec.
So there has been a lot of talk about Tim Tebow earning his NFL keep at QB by playing the "Wildcat" (aka single-wing) role in the pros.
Urban Meyer flipped that: Tebow may be the starter, but Joe Haden is getting "Wildcat" snaps for the Gators on the second day of practice.
Haden is, arguably, the best athlete on the team, and not only is he a sure-fire NFL 1st-round pick, but I would argue he is the best DB in the country.
(Put it this way: Haden started as a true freshman, after having played QB in high school. He's that much of a freak.)
It is just those prep QB skills that Meyer wants to put to work, and it is brilliant.
As for those NFL millions: With the way the Wildcat has become the rage in the pros, that Haden is a 1st-round talent at DB *and* can flip to offense to run the Wildcat makes him all the more valuable to an NFL team.
(By the way, if you find the title to this post curious, it's the old SAT short-hand for analogies. Translated: "Joe Haden is to Tim Tebow what Tim Tebow is to David Garrard." Garrard is a stand-in for the starting NFL QB that Tebow will replace in Wildcat packages.)
So there has been a lot of talk about Tim Tebow earning his NFL keep at QB by playing the "Wildcat" (aka single-wing) role in the pros.
Urban Meyer flipped that: Tebow may be the starter, but Joe Haden is getting "Wildcat" snaps for the Gators on the second day of practice.
Haden is, arguably, the best athlete on the team, and not only is he a sure-fire NFL 1st-round pick, but I would argue he is the best DB in the country.
(Put it this way: Haden started as a true freshman, after having played QB in high school. He's that much of a freak.)
It is just those prep QB skills that Meyer wants to put to work, and it is brilliant.
As for those NFL millions: With the way the Wildcat has become the rage in the pros, that Haden is a 1st-round talent at DB *and* can flip to offense to run the Wildcat makes him all the more valuable to an NFL team.
(By the way, if you find the title to this post curious, it's the old SAT short-hand for analogies. Translated: "Joe Haden is to Tim Tebow what Tim Tebow is to David Garrard." Garrard is a stand-in for the starting NFL QB that Tebow will replace in Wildcat packages.)
Tim Tebow 2009 Vs Matt Leinart 2005
The headline on the front of Yahoo! Sports was gently mocked, but Jason Cole's on-site reporting is a great read, particularly if you want a "national" view of Tebow and Florida.
The gist: Repeating as national champ is brutal. Cole revisits Oklahoma's back-to-back champs in the mid-1970s and Nebraska's back-to-back champs in the mid-1990s.
Another gist: This is going to be a hell of a good team. The expectation SHOULD be 14-0, and beyond: This team has the potential -- for now only the potential -- to be an all-time great team.
Here is my cautionary tale, and I'll hammer it all season: Let's all consider how people were talking in August 2005 about USC. Heck, how they were talking about USC throughout 2005...
...Right up until the calendar flipped to 2006 and USC's "all-time" aspirations imploded. Now most fans remember those great USC teams for losing to Texas rather than being a champion.
As the crazy coverage of Tim Tebow continues this fall, remember back to August 2005, when we were all ready to call Matt Leinart the Greatest College QB of All Time.
And, at the time, it seemed totally justified: He was coming off a title season (USC's 2nd straight, if you count the AP title in '03) and a Heisman year. (He was 6th in Heisman voting in '03.)
Leinart even had the off-field mojo -- a Bizzaro Tebow. Leinart was admired for being a shallow, pretty-boy Hollywood partier. He was the perfect symbol for the fake economic bubble.
Everyone was saying: Well, Leinart is already one of the top QBs of all time. Just one more title... just one more Heisman... and, wow, he'd be the BEST. (Sound familiar?)
And what's scary is how assumed away that title and that Heisman were. Of COURSE USC was going to win another title. And, OK, maybe Leinart won't win a Heisman; Reggie Bush will. Leinart will be No. 2. Good enough.
We all know how that ended: USC didn't win the title. Matt Leinart didn't win the Heisman.
In fact, not only did Leinart not come out of that season considered the greatest QB ever, he was leap-frogged on the "all-time college QB" scale by Vince Young.
Beyond the back-to-back title or unbeaten season -- if you want to think about the history -- Tim Tebow is Leinart 2.0: Just one more title... just one more Heisman... an idealized off-field story...
The stakes are very clear: If Tebow wins another title -- presumably an unbeaten season -- and wins another Heisman, he will be considered the greatest college QB -- perhaps player -- ever.
And if he doesn't? Well, we still view Matt Leinart as a Top 5 all-time college QB. But no one ever talks about him being the greatest ever anymore.
The gist: Repeating as national champ is brutal. Cole revisits Oklahoma's back-to-back champs in the mid-1970s and Nebraska's back-to-back champs in the mid-1990s.
Another gist: This is going to be a hell of a good team. The expectation SHOULD be 14-0, and beyond: This team has the potential -- for now only the potential -- to be an all-time great team.
Here is my cautionary tale, and I'll hammer it all season: Let's all consider how people were talking in August 2005 about USC. Heck, how they were talking about USC throughout 2005...
...Right up until the calendar flipped to 2006 and USC's "all-time" aspirations imploded. Now most fans remember those great USC teams for losing to Texas rather than being a champion.
As the crazy coverage of Tim Tebow continues this fall, remember back to August 2005, when we were all ready to call Matt Leinart the Greatest College QB of All Time.
And, at the time, it seemed totally justified: He was coming off a title season (USC's 2nd straight, if you count the AP title in '03) and a Heisman year. (He was 6th in Heisman voting in '03.)
Leinart even had the off-field mojo -- a Bizzaro Tebow. Leinart was admired for being a shallow, pretty-boy Hollywood partier. He was the perfect symbol for the fake economic bubble.
Everyone was saying: Well, Leinart is already one of the top QBs of all time. Just one more title... just one more Heisman... and, wow, he'd be the BEST. (Sound familiar?)
And what's scary is how assumed away that title and that Heisman were. Of COURSE USC was going to win another title. And, OK, maybe Leinart won't win a Heisman; Reggie Bush will. Leinart will be No. 2. Good enough.
We all know how that ended: USC didn't win the title. Matt Leinart didn't win the Heisman.
In fact, not only did Leinart not come out of that season considered the greatest QB ever, he was leap-frogged on the "all-time college QB" scale by Vince Young.
Beyond the back-to-back title or unbeaten season -- if you want to think about the history -- Tim Tebow is Leinart 2.0: Just one more title... just one more Heisman... an idealized off-field story...
The stakes are very clear: If Tebow wins another title -- presumably an unbeaten season -- and wins another Heisman, he will be considered the greatest college QB -- perhaps player -- ever.
And if he doesn't? Well, we still view Matt Leinart as a Top 5 all-time college QB. But no one ever talks about him being the greatest ever anymore.
Tebow's Beard, Continued: Fans Like
Nearly half of readers polled by the Orlando Sentinel's Jeremy Fowler think Tim Tebow's preseason beard looks great. I suspect it will be gone in a week or two.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Mocking Mainstream Tebow Coverage
The bloggers at Sports Hernia noticed Yahoo's top-story coverage of Tim Tebow and Florida opening practice today, led with the headline "Out With a Bang?" Juvenile amusement follows.
Tebow Quote of the Day: First Practice
"It's something that we want. That's not our goal. We're not writing that anywhere. We're not posting that. But obviously when we step on the field, we're going to want to win."
-- Tebow, at today's first practice, on an unbeaten season.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but what nationally contending team DOESN'T want to win every game? Hell, what team ANYWHERE doesn't want to win every game? Obviously, you don't want to look ahead -- or too far ahead -- but shouldn't every team expect to go unbeaten?
Two great details from the report: Tebow had a full beard and is weighing in at 242 lbs.
-- Tebow, at today's first practice, on an unbeaten season.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but what nationally contending team DOESN'T want to win every game? Hell, what team ANYWHERE doesn't want to win every game? Obviously, you don't want to look ahead -- or too far ahead -- but shouldn't every team expect to go unbeaten?
Two great details from the report: Tebow had a full beard and is weighing in at 242 lbs.
Breaking! Tebow Sports Beard at Practice
Kudos to the St. Pete Times' Antonya English for putting up a post about Tebow's notable facial hair at today's first practice. Click through to her blog to view the must-see picture.
Tebow: Kryptonite for Fan Cynicism?
I just linked to a provocative column by college journalist Zach Zimmerman of the Stanford Daily that he's tired of Tebow. Made me think. Here is my reaction to his column:
Zimmerman makes a fair point, but he seems pretty cynical for a college kid -- Zach's theory: Tebow's seeming absence of problems doesn't mean he won't have problems in the future.
I guess if you're a college-aged sports fan, your formative sports memories began when you were 10 or 11 and McGwire and Sosa were dueling in '98 -- and it was nothing but disappointment and dissolution since.
They have never known anything but sports in the 24/7, instant-history Internet Era, where hyperbole is the norm and what happened yesterday must be some superlative "greatest. thing. ever." (I made a living off that philosophy for 4 years.)
But isn't it possible -- just possible -- that Tebow's remarkable ability to maintain a consistency of performance (on and off the field) is very real... once-in-a-generation?
Hyperbole and instant history have deadened -- perhaps cheapened -- our sensibilities. I think fans have a hard time separating the sensationalized from the superlative.
Maybe, after hearing "Best. X. Ever." so often, they are rightly skeptical whenever they are presented with a REAL candidate for "Greatest of all time," as Tebow is making the case.
In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, I think the earnest belief in Tebow's superlative ability and character is the antidote to the cynicism and skepticism pervading sports right now.
So now Tebow is single-handedly counterbalancing cynicism and skepticism in sports? One more thing to add to his list of accomplishments.
Or, for Zimmerman, one more thing to get fatigued about.
Zimmerman makes a fair point, but he seems pretty cynical for a college kid -- Zach's theory: Tebow's seeming absence of problems doesn't mean he won't have problems in the future.
I guess if you're a college-aged sports fan, your formative sports memories began when you were 10 or 11 and McGwire and Sosa were dueling in '98 -- and it was nothing but disappointment and dissolution since.
They have never known anything but sports in the 24/7, instant-history Internet Era, where hyperbole is the norm and what happened yesterday must be some superlative "greatest. thing. ever." (I made a living off that philosophy for 4 years.)
But isn't it possible -- just possible -- that Tebow's remarkable ability to maintain a consistency of performance (on and off the field) is very real... once-in-a-generation?
Hyperbole and instant history have deadened -- perhaps cheapened -- our sensibilities. I think fans have a hard time separating the sensationalized from the superlative.
Maybe, after hearing "Best. X. Ever." so often, they are rightly skeptical whenever they are presented with a REAL candidate for "Greatest of all time," as Tebow is making the case.
In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, I think the earnest belief in Tebow's superlative ability and character is the antidote to the cynicism and skepticism pervading sports right now.
So now Tebow is single-handedly counterbalancing cynicism and skepticism in sports? One more thing to add to his list of accomplishments.
Or, for Zimmerman, one more thing to get fatigued about.
3:30 Read (Early Edition!): Tired of Tebow?
Want some perspective on Tebow Fatigue (or, "Tebacklash") from a college student from as far from SEC country as you can get? Try Zach Zimmerman's column from the Stanford Daily:
It is a fair point. Cynical (perhaps a product of the era Zimmerman grew up in), but fair. I have a reaction to this column coming at 1:45.Once again, I’m not trying to make the point that Tebow is secretly a hoodlum. I believe he is a great guy and I understand why he has attracted so much attention from the public. He’s extraordinarily marketable and is a living version of the ideal all-American athlete.
What I am troubled by is the fact that we are so quick to latch on to athletes and label them as perfect.
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