It's Official (Again): Tebow to the Jets

See two posts down for reactions, which haven't changed.
It's going to be a wild scene.

Aaand...Maybe Not.

Let's pause that "Tebow to Jets" talk while they work out the contract issues. Sounds like it's down to the Jets or Jags, NYC or Jacksonville.

Tim Tebow Traded to New York Jets

Wow. Wow. Just... wow.

Tim Tebow is coming to New York City.

The biggest name in the NFL is coming to the biggest city in the country.

It's going to be nuts. It's going to be crazy. It's going to be wild.

And that's just the tabloid newspaper covers.

Tebow will fit great on a team that has largely been characterized as a bit of a nut-house, because he is one of the best teammates in the NFL -- works hard, wants to win.

If Mark Sanchez has a problem -- and he very well might -- that's Sanchez's problem, not Tebow's. And not the team's. I think Tebow will immediately win over his teammates.

Wow. Of all the destinations....

I go back to one of the truisms of Tebow: Just when you think it can't get any bigger, it does.

Much, much more soon.

-- Dan

Where Will Tebow End Up, Cont'd

Speculation is swirling: Jaguars? Dolphins? Packers? Bills? Mystery team?

This almost reminds me of the week before the 2010 NFL Draft, when we were wondering which team would take Tebow.

Here's a really good take from Peter King, affirming a few things I strongly agree with:

(1) Tebow can be and should be an essential contributor to a winning football team.

(2) That doesn't necessarily mean Tebow would start full-time at QB.

(3) The right fit for Tebow is with a head coach secure in his position and innovative in his schemes.

What is the ideal outcome here? That Tebow is a starting QB in the NFL? That he makes tangible contributions to a winning team? That his team wins a Super Bowl? There are a lot of paths to success -- I know Tebow wants to be a starting QB in the league, and he has shown he can be successful in that role. He has earned the chance to compete, and he has shown a limitless capacity to work hard and learn.

I also know he wants to contribute however he can, and when he is finally on a team that wants him (unlike the Broncos), making that contribution in whatever way the coach can dream up (and hopefully the coach is plenty creative in doing it) will be a satisfying next chapter in Tebow's NFL career.

BTW, here's another read: The Redskins have been on zero radars and just forked over a trove of draft picks to position themselves to draft Robert Griffin III as their QB of the present and future, but in the Washington Post, I laid out the case for why trading for Tebow makes sense for D.C.

-- Dan

Broncos Signing Peyton, Trading Tebow

And there we have it: Peyton Manning has picked the Denver Broncos -- whose top executive John Elway pursued him with a passion that he never had for Tim Tebow. According to ESPN, Tim Tebow will be traded.

The Tebow Era in Denver is over. Where it continues instantly becomes the biggest story in sports.

A few snap judgments:

*Anyone who didn't see this coming hasn't been paying attention to the way John Elway has acted since Week 1.

*Betting on Peyton Manning returning from a year away with a neck injury is the biggest "if" in sports history. I guess they figure if Peyton goes down, they'll pull a Colts and "Splat for Matt [Barkley]."

*Where will Tebow end up? Well, the Jaguars just signed Chad Henne, to back up last season's first-round pick Blaine Gabbert. Unlikely he ends up there. (But you never know.) Peter King posits that he ends up on a team with a coach secure in his own stature -- the Patriots and Ravens come to mind. The fact is, teams will be able to get Tebow for a 3rd-round draft pick -- the question is: Do they want the hysteria that comes with him?

Ironically, there isn't a better teammate in the league than Tebow. He will do his best, no matter what the situation is -- what roster couldn't use that kind of presence? I wouldn't be scared away by the media frenzy -- I would focus on the value Tebow adds to any roster.

More later. Much much more.

-- Dan

Where Will Tim Tebow End Up?

Here are the scenarios:
(1) Peyton comes to Denver; Tebow gets traded.
(2) Peyton comes to Denver, Tebow gets kept. Awkward!
(3) Peyton snubs Denver, Tebow gets kept. Still awkward!

There is a very good chance Peyton Manning goes to the Broncos. I cannot imagine that he wants to play with Tebow, and beyond John Elway's interest in wanting to exile Tebow anyway, this gives him the pretext to do it. And so the natural question is: Where might Tebow end up?

There is a conventional wisdom that the Jaguars would love to have him. The reality is that the Jaguars new owner would love to have him; his football staff is less excited about the prospect. (Let's be real here: What the owner wants, the owner will get. I'd like to see him call the GM's bluff -- does the GM really want to quit over this? GM jobs don't exactly grow on trees.)

Anyway, Peter King had a nugget buried in his weekly Tuesday column, worth paying attention to:

I wouldn't be surprised if the most Denver could get for Tebow is a fourth-round pick. I know the fans in Jacksonville want him, but I can't see GM Gene Smith brining him in to muddle the quarterback situation with a guy they're trying to salvage, Blaine Gabbert, who'd be in an unwinnable situation with the fans. It'd take a strong coach -- Bill Belichick, John Harbaugh, Pete Carroll -- not worried about the public pressure to play him to take Tebow on, in my opinion. I could see Belichick or Harbaugh making him a wild card type of player, playing 15 snaps a game all over the offense.

I absolutely agree with King's assessment that a strong coach would definitely want Tebow -- that's at the heart of why we've been saying for years (really: since 2009 or before) that Tebow would end up with the Patriots, even if he isn't the starting QB but merely an ultra-back that Bill Belichick unleashes on the rest of the NFL to the tune of 20 TDs a year.

I still think that if the Jaguars' owner wants him, he'll get him. The Jags are willing to pay more than the market rate (say, a 4th rounder).

This remains the most intriguing storyline of the NFL offseason -- even more intriguing than where Peyton Manning goes. And if/when Manning signs with the Broncos, this is going to become a frenzy, as usual.

-- Dan

Peyton Manning vs. Tim Tebow, Cont'd

At this point, let's hope that the Broncos sign Peyton Manning and trade Tim Tebow to a team that actually wants him (ie, Jacksonville), because this situation is brutal.

It's funny to read the "reports" that the Broncos would get rid of Tebow if Manning came in -- what, exactly, is the other choice? Keep Tebow? Relegate him from starting QB of a playoff team to backup for the next 2-3 years? (Or 2-3 games until Manning snaps in half.)

The best-case scenario for Tebow is that he gets traded to a team that actually wants him.

The worst-case scenario is that Peyton Manning picks the Cardinals and Tebow is left playing for a team president and coach who so obviously don't want him there.

-- Dan

Another View of Tebow vs. Manning

This has been floated around a couple of times over the past few weeks: What if the Broncos signed Peyton Manning and traded Tim Tebow to the Jacksonville Jaguars?

Jaguars fans and ownership would obviously be thrilled. John Elway and John Fox would be thrilled to finally unburden themselves of a player they don't support.

And, for all his enthusiasm for Denver, Tebow would presumably be happy to return to his hometown and home state (where his support is more rabid than anywhere else) -- and assuredly happy to join a team thrilled to commit to him as their starting QB.

Broncos fans would surely miss Tebow, but it's not like they would be replacing him with a slouch like Brady Quinn or any other inferior QB.

Did the Jaguars just use a first-round pick on Blaine Gabbert? Yes. They can trade him or let him develop slowly as Tebow's backup (before trading him).

But it's not like the plan doesn't make sense. I still think Manning ends up in Miami or Washington, and the entire question is moot -- aside from the signal Elway sends to Tebow and Broncos fans by entertaining the idea of bringing in Peyton Manning in the first place.

Tim Tebow vs. Peyton Manning

It's unclear who leaked to the media that the Broncos are interested in Peyton Manning -- let's accept it on its face that it is true.

That would make Denver the only team among the dozen or so angling for Manning who (a) already have an entirely capable incumbent QB, and (b) made the playoffs last year with an incumbent QB.

People ask why I think John Elway is disingenuous and why I think the media totally mis-read Elway's "supportive" quotes of Tebow, and it's things like this. The Broncos don't need Manning -- they have a starting QB who got them to the playoffs under some severely limited conditions.

Beyond that, the Broncos have virtually no shot at Manning -- he doesn't want to play for them and there are plenty of other teams he would rather play for (and would be thrilled to bid up to get him). So I'm not sure I see the point in floating the idea they would want him.

All it does is (continue to) undermine Tebow.

(This topic is totally aggravating, and yet it's still probably preferable to talking about whether Tebow is dating Taylor Swift, the discussion of which you'll notice has been absent from this site.)

John Elway Talks Tebow at NFL Combine

Broncos honcho John Elway is finally figuring out that there's no point to qualifying his fundamental problems with Tim Tebow in public. He understands that by seeming to support Tebow -- by saying all the right things -- he sidesteps the headache of a media-ginned controversy, with no downside:

Who is going to call Elway on his support for Tebow on February 24 if he benches him or trades him or does something else months from now? Trust me: If that happens, the accompanying hysteria won't be about Elway's flip-flopping. And so Elway meets the media and offers banal support. And yet: Elway still can't help using hedging language:

"We're happy with his year last year. He really added a great spark for us and we really had some good things happen two us. I was really happy with his progress. I know Tim is going to work hard this offseason, and we're hoping that he's going to be the guy for a long, long time."

Emphasis mine. Why not say "Tebow. Is. Our. Starting. QB. Period. Preseason. Regular season. Period." Every other coach or GM of a 2011 playoff team would say it -- none of them have to; it's assumed their starting QBs' jobs are safe.

-- Dan

Tim Tebow and Alec Baldwin at the NFL Honors

A Tebow Postscript to the 2011 Season

The end to the Broncos' and Tim Tebow's season was only nominally surprising.

On the one hand, no one expected the Patriots' leaky D to bring it like they did; on the other hand, it's not like Fox and McCoy proved particularly adept at modifying their offensive schemes when defenses figured them out.

At the same time, for all the breathless "Tim Tebow vs. Tom Brady!" pregame hype, it's not like Tebow was responsible for Brady and the Pats offense putting up a bazillion points.

I'll stick with the bigger picture: Tebow led a team that was projected in August to win less than a half-dozen games (and predicted in early October to win half of THAT) to the playoffs and a thrilling first-round win over the defending conference champs. It was a smashing success of a season.

And that's why it's so frustrating to get the return of John Elway's underminey schtick yesterday, when he said that Tebow was the team's starting QB... heading into training camp.

For the record, of the 11 other 2011 NFL playoff teams, not a single one would say that their starting QB only has the job heading into training camp. For that matter, of the 20 other teams in the NFL, maybe a half-dozen (bottom-feeders) aren't already committed to a Week 1 starter for 2012.

Would it have been so hard for Elway to have said "Tim Tebow is our starting QB next season." (1) It should be true; he's earned it. (2) It's not like anyone will hold Elway to that in the event something goes horribly awry in training camp.

What you're left with is the feeling we all had after Week 7 or Week 8 or Week 9 or Week 10 or Week 11 (and on and on) -- that Elway isn't committed to Tebow. Not really, in any case. (We already knew Fox wasn't.)

I'll stand by my analysis from October: Staring at a lost season after that 1-4 start, Elway and Fox figured they would start Tebow, he would flail his way to one or two wins over the next 11 games and the team execs would have the air cover to cut Tebow loose. When Tebow won, the execs' plan was spoiled -- even as they tried to enjoy the ride through the playoffs (knowing full well it was creating a problem for them in the longer-term, if they didn't want Tebow).

If Elway and Fox don't see Tebow as the long-term starter, it is the height of disingenuousness for them to string everyone along. It is laughable that they would be so afraid of public reaction and/or media reaction -- let alone that Tebow would sign on elsewhere and have a good NFL career -- that they would leave their principles at the door and continue to claim to work with him if they really don't want to.

I suspect that they will simply collect the house money they won in 2011 and shift their original 2011 strategy to 2012 -- let Tebow start and hope he loses enough that they can justify benching him and, ultimately, letting him go.

The proof will be whether they refine the Tebow offense -- more sophistication, more counters to what defenses do to adapt, more variety of plays as Tebow improves in other areas. Let's remember that they got to the playoffs with an offense that barely scratched the surface of innovation. (Of course, Fox's own myth-making to the contrary, he's not an innovator.)

I don't believe Elway and Fox want to create something long-term and successful with Tebow, both because they don't believe he can pull it off and, without question, because they lack the gumption to try. I do believe that we're in for many many more months of conversations like this. And I do believe that with a commitment to innovation and to Tebow, the Broncos could be even more successful than this season's run into the NFL's Divisional Round.

-- Dan

Tim Tebow Wins

This has been an insane week for the Tim Tebow phenomenon -- the most insane week ever (and there have been plenty of weeks where I have said, "Wow, it's even crazier than ever.")

There were not one but two big musical parodies (the "St. Elmo's Fire" guy and Jimmy Fallon last night), the "Most Popular Athlete" poll and column after column after column (after column after column...)

It's probably appropriate that the biggest column of them all -- "Believing in Tim Tebow" by ESPN's Rick Reilly, on the front page of ESPN.com right now -- comes on the eve of tomorrow night's game. Essentially, Tim Tebow wins over Rick Reilly -- Reilly being a proxy for the legion of folks who don't buy into Tebow or think the whole thing is overblown. Money quote:

I've given up giving up on him. I'm a 100 percent believer. Not in his arm. Not in his skills. I believe in his heart, his there-will-definitely-be-a-pony-under-the-tree optimism, the way his love pours into people, right up to their eyeballs, until they believe they can master the hopeless comeback, too.

Reilly picked up on a longstanding TimTeblog theme: Tebow's goodness (through action) transcends religion -- Reilly doesn't mention Christianity at all, actually -- and speaks to an essential humanism that everyone can appreciate and be inspired by.

If you want a takeaway of the Tebow phenomenon -- before tomorrow night's game is played and we layer on whether he loses to the Patriots or advances one game from the Super Bowl -- it is that. And to the extent that the message gets across -- from Reilly and others (don't miss this op-ed column in the Orlando Sentinel by Tebow biographer Nathan Whitaker) -- all this Tebow hysteria is worth wading through.

I think that's what Tebow thinks, too -- you never know where someone will find that glimmer of inspiration. Maybe it's seeing a story about Tebow working with a sick kid, maybe it's hearing Tebow talk about working his hardest or being a great teammate. Maybe it's just watching one more improbable play.

But somewhere in that avalanche of media coverage, maybe you -- or anyone -- finds the thing that makes them think or act differently, for the better.

That's why I titled this post "Tim Tebow Wins." Because it has nothing to do with whether or not he wins tomorrow night -- although that's always more fun, and certainly if he didn't win the game last week, we wouldn't be having this week's hysteria. It has to do with his essential belief that winning that comes the way he lives his life and, equally important, from inspiring people -- Rick Reilly, whoever -- to be better people.

-- Dan

Tebow and That "Favorite Athlete" Poll

Tim Tebow's reaction to that ESPN poll released yesterday that had Tebow as America's most popular athlete in December:

"What's that tell me? It tells me they have a lot of crazy polls out there. I hope people see I'm real and genuine. I hope they see that I make a ton of mistakes but that I always get back up and try again."

Get more here.

Tebow Mania Round-Up for the Week

I mostly love Tebow tributes, but the "Tim Tebow's Fire" remake of "St. Elmo's Fire" (below) is really terrible. On to the rest of what I'm seeing:

*This "Tecmo Tebow" T-shirt, however, is awesome. Click the image to buy.


And here's the Tecmo recreation of the Tebow-to-Thomas TD pass:



*Surprise: Tebow was America's favorite athlete in December. (Just a hunch that he'll maintain the title in January.)

*Tebow on TV: You've probably seen the Tebow documentary "Everything In Between" -- covering his stretch between finishing at Florida and the night of the NFL Draft -- but you might not have seen the doc that ESPN did about his senior season at Nease H.S. Both are going to be re-aired on various ESPN channels on Friday and Saturday. Here's a schedule.

*Punditry: CBSSports.com's Gregg Doyel praises Tebow's "corny enthusiasm." (It's part of the charm, frankly. As much as anything, because it's actually who he is.)

More as it shows up...

Submitted Without Comment

Remember that old song "St. Elmo's Fire?" The guy rewrote it -- and re-recorded it -- to call it "Tim Tebow's Fire." Just passing it along...

Tebow Leads Broncos Past Steelers

It is a Tebow truism -- perhaps THE Tebow truism -- that just when you think that things with Tebow can't get any more unbelievable or crazy or hysterical or awesome or epic... they do.

This is the essence of faith in Tebow: No matter the circumstances, allow for even a smidgen of belief -- and you can feel free to believe all the way to 100%, but a smidgen will do -- and that belief, that faith in the guy, will be rewarded.

Right up until the end of the 4th quarter, I was pretty secure in the idea that a win or a loss in the game doesn't change the fundamentally incredible accomplishment of Tebow this season in helping a team everyone thought would be terrible get to the playoffs. A win is a bonus.

But then to have Tebow play his greatest game as a pro -- not just the career-high in yards passing (316!), but the verve and accuracy of the throws, plus the gutsy chain-moving runs -- against the No. 1-ranked defense in the NFL, capped by that insane overtime-opening, game-winning 80-yard TD pass.

If you consider the moment and the players involved and the stakes, Tebow was responsible for nothing less than the greatest play of the NFL season, by any player, and one of the most memorable plays in NFL playoff history.

Let's do it again: Almost no one will give Tebow and the Broncos a chance against the Patriots next week in Foxboro. That's OK. The season is now not just a success but wildly beyond a success. If folks want to say "Tim Tebow can't beat the Patriots next week," OK.

Just remember: "Tim Tebow can't beat the Steelers in the playoffs."

-- Dan

Tebow Playoff Game Day: All Gravy?

Start with this: Of course we're rooting for Tim Tebow to lead the Broncos to a playoff win over the Steelers.

But that's not the point. The point is that what happens in this game won't define Tebow's season or his career. He's already done that, simply by leading the Broncos to the point where they are even IN the NFL Playoffs... there are 20 teams out there that would love the chance to lose during Wild Card Weekend, rather than be sitting at home.

And so we'll get a best shot. Hopefully, John Fox won't bungle the playbook and the strategy. Hopefully, the Steelers are a bit less cruelly effective on defense than usual.

Tebow tweeted out Hebrews 12:1-2, which features the "great cloud of witnesses" phrase. If that sounds familiar, it's because he used that same passage on his eye-black for his college finale at the Swamp in late-November versus FSU. The game featured 5 Tebow TDs (3 pass, 2 rush) in a huge Gators win. Thousands of fans came to the game wearing eye-black. (It was covered here, naturally.)

Two good reads for you, both from the Washington Post. First, a good overview of the Tebow philosophy. Second, a discussion about the evangelical differences between Tebow and Ben Roethlisberger.

Enjoy the game.

-- Dan

John Elway talking to Woody Paige about Tim Tebow:

"That's human nature, especially when you're young, to become more cautious. He had a tough week before (the Chiefs game) against Buffalo. The key thing for (Tebow) is to go out, put everything behind him, go through his progressions and pull the trigger."

My only question is whether Elway gave the same advice to John Fox, who has shown a risk-aversion ("cautious," to use Elway's word) on fourth-and-short that is more like timidity than "conservative."

The team has nothing to lose this weekend against the Steelers -- there is absolutely zero pressure to win. Hell, if they keep it close, it's as close a moral victory as you find in the NFL.

So here's hoping Elway is as concerned about his coach's decision-making in short-yardage situations where Tebow's mastery is complete as he is about Tebow's decision-making on 2nd- or 3rd-and-long.

(FWIW, I think they should go back to the style that got them into the playoffs: Run, run, run -- run some more, ideally with Tebow carrying the ball -- with a pass from time to time when the Steelers inevitably put 9 in the box.)

-- Dan

Tim Tebow Led the Broncos to the Playoffs

Tim Tebow led the Broncos to the NFL Playoffs.

Let's repeat that: Tim Tebow led the Broncos to the NFL Playoffs.

Go back to August and try that one out. Heck, go back to Week 7 and try that one out.

Let's be clear: No matter how Tebow and the Broncos enter the playoffs -- winning streak, losing streak, whatever -- they are entering the playoffs. They have out-performed 20 other teams, at least as it relates to the most important goal of the season.

The Broncos are going to get throttled next week by the Steelers? Who cares! Three other teams are going to lose in the first round of the playoffs, too. Four of the 12 playoff teams ALWAYS lose in the first round of the playoffs.

The point is that Tim Tebow led the Broncos into the playoffs. The playoffs! The Broncos! A team that, before the season, was expected to win maybe 4 or 5 games as a best-case scenario -- even fewer if Tebow was given the chance to start at QB. "But Tebow is going to get shellacked in the first round of the playoffs!" is the dumbest sports argument of the day. The most important words in that statement are "Tebow" and "playoffs."

Every NFL season is an exercise in expectations management. The overall parity means that most teams think they have a shot at making the playoffs -- their fans would be thrilled if that happened. A few elite teams are "Super Bowl title or bust." The Broncos' expectations -- expectations for Tebow -- were nothing short of "Suck enough to give Elway and Fox the permission to boot Tebow and draft a real QB." (That was the expectation as recently as midway through the Broncos' Tebowfied winning streak!)

The Broncos have -- and Tebow has -- exceeded expectations more than any other team (or player) in the NFL this season. That is -- excuse the blasphemy -- damn impressive... the exact opposite of the cynical chuckling we're seeing today about how the Broncos backed in or how they are going to get dismantled by the Steelers next week.

That's not the point. Not even close to the point.

-- Dan

Why Are So Many Afraid of Tim Tebow?

Great column on Tebow yesterday, by the Washington Post's Sally Jenkins:

So why does Tebow’s expression of faith make people so silly-crazy? Why do they care what he does?

Because he emphasizes the aspect of his talent that is given, not earned.

And that makes people nervous.

She continues:

Belittle Tebow if you must. But the trouble with shouting down Tebow’s religion, never mind the sheer offensiveness, is the same trouble with shouting down any other form of inspired expression. Do that, and you also shout down mystery, possibility, surprise. And some perfectly good questions. You drown out an awful lot that’s of interest, whether you agree with it or not.

So much commentary about Tebow -- whether related to football or religion -- is done with a bludgeon, not with nuance (let alone intelligence or thoughtfulness -- see Bill Maher). This is a great take on what so many seem to feel is a hyper-complicated topic.

Happy new year, everyone. Thanks for your continued support of TimTeblog.com.

-- Dan

Tim Tebow: Marvel Super-Hero

But when is the comic book coming out?

Tebow Mania Enters Week 17

After two weeks of losses, that Tebandwagon has cleared out a bit, hasn't it? The haters get to have their fun. The die-hards stick around, regardless. We'd all rather have wins and big performances -- it's only narrow consolation that fairweather bandwagoneers have moved along to other things.

And yet here is the testament to the mid-season run: Even after two straight losses, Tim Tebow and the Broncos are still in a massively commanding position -- win this weekend vs. the Chiefs, and the Broncos are in the playoffs. And even if Denver loses, if the Raiders lose, too, the Broncos still win the division and host a first-round playoff game.

Let's keep all of this in perspective: If you told NFL pundits (or even Broncos fans) in August that the Broncos would be in position to earn their way into the playoffs and a division title in Week 17, you would have been laughed at. The guffaws would have been even more pronounced if you had brought up this scenario in early October, when the team was 1-4 -- when even John Fox and John Elway figured that inserting Tim Tebow as the starter would only position the team more favorably to pick a QB at the top of the NFL Draft in April 2012.

Then Tebow and the team flipped the script. They won. And won again. And won again. And kept winning, right up until they put themselves in a spot to control their own destiny for a playoff spot (and even have a halfway decent chance to make the playoffs even if they lose).

Somewhere along the way -- as Tebowmania got larger and larger -- the experts and bandwagon fans completely lost sight of where this team was before the season started (or a month into it). The expectation was NEVER that this team was going to win a Super Bowl this season. Heck, the expectation was NEVER that this team was even going to make the playoffs, let alone win the division. Most folks figured that it was a 6- or 7-win team... at BEST.

Instead, Tim Tebow and the defense and Matt Prater have led the fans on the best kind of ride -- the unexpected run into playoff contention by a team everyone else had written off.

Tebow fans figured that he would give the team a puncher's chance -- if only HE was given the chance (and given the chance within an offense that played to his strengths... let's not even get into how/why Fox went away from the successful run-based offense last week) -- the team would have that chance. And that's why you've enjoyed this one so much.

Confounding expectations has defined the Tebow experience in the NFL, ever since his final play at Florida, when the NFL "experts" immediately pounced that he could never be a first-round pick, never be an NFL starter, never be a successful QB in the league... never lead his team to the playoffs (let alone lead them to the playoffs in only his second year).

As we look back on 2011, "Tebowmania" became one of the top stories of the year -- it has been the biggest story in the NFL this season (even bigger than Aaron Rodgers and the Packers -- that doesn't change, no matter what happens next Sunday.

No one can take away the magical run that put the team in a position to simply win a game in the final week of the season to clinch a division title and a spot in the NFL Playoffs.

-- Dan

New Yorker Calls Tebow "Year's Best Sports Story"

The New Yorker's terrific sportswriter Ben McGrath tabs Tim Tebow as the year's best sports story:

Certainly Tebow-mania offers plenty of crossover fodder for the non-sports-obsessed. You don’t need to be a connoisseur of quarterback throwing mechanics to find debates over Tebow’s conspicuous religiosity of interest, or to marvel over the fact that teen-agers on Long Island have apparently been suspended from school for imitating a silly made-for-TV pose. But that’s all just context. What’s great about Tebow is the live-action performance: maddening, baffling, and, just often enough, jaw-dropping. In an era where passing statistics have been inflating to Bondsian levels, Tebow has brought his team to the brink of the playoffs with a style that might as well have come from the dead-ball era. Is it luck? Divine intervention? Here’s to watching and cursing and shaking our heads in disbelief in 2012.

McGrath isn't wrong. (And at the risk of indulging in a bit of #tebowcant, if you look back to last January -- heck, last August -- not many beyond this site's readership would have considered Tebow to be a "story of 2011" nominee. But anyone who has followed Tebow over the past half-decade would know that is the moment precisely to figure it would be Tebow's year.)

-- Dan

John Elway Supports Tim Tebow (For Now)

"Tim Tebow's not going anywhere. I mean, he's going to be a Bronco and we're going to do everything we can and hopefully he's that guy."

-- John Elway, who just weeks ago was entirely ready to bench Tebow (and ultimately jettison him in the offseason) if a few breaks didn't go the Broncos' way and those Ws became Ls.

Hard to tell if Elway is sincere or just resigned -- maybe a little bit of both -- but he clearly learned from his mistake of a few weeks ago that there's no point in publicly doing anything but supporting Tebow, even if privately he doesn't.

(If that sounds conspiratorial -- even cynical -- it's because Elway himself made it so clear just last month how he felt about Tebow. Pardon if I don't swallow Elway's line whole.)