So all this is coming off the back of the news that Peyton Manning is currently finalising a deal with the Denver Broncos, reported to be in the region of $95 million for 5 years. That's $19 million per year, or as we say in my neck of the woods, "what f**king mug agreed to give him that?".
Anyway, the result of this deal is that in all likely hood, Tim Tebow will be traded. There's talk about 5th round picks, maybe more, maybe less. Whatever it is, pretty much every media outlet has panned the idea that any team would be stupid enough to do so. They all claim it's a waste of a pick and the usual bandwagon bullshit about how Tebow will never win games as a starter in the NFL, joking about him moving to tight end etc.
The NFL Networks response was to ask Warren Sapp and Joey Porter what they thought if Tebow was brought onto a team that they were playing on. Porter responded by saying that he would want to know who "was to blame" for bringing Tebow to his team and that he would take the signing as an indication that his team wanted to lose all season to get a high draft pick next year. Sapp exclaimed that he would "want out", and that team mates of Tebow would have to get used to not being frustrated by pick sixes and being down by 24 points every game.
This, this right here, is one of the multitude of reasons that I've lost any interest what so ever in the NFL Network over the years. What a pile of ignorant horse shit.
Now I don't care if you like Tebow or if you don't, here's the indisputable truth. Last year the Broncos were 1-4 to start the season with Kyle "a pure pocket passer" Orton at the helm. Tebow comes in and the Broncos win 7 of their next 8 games, including a six game winning streak, before struggling in the final three games. As a result of this turn around, the Broncos made the playoffs.
This is why I couldn't help but laugh at Porter. Playing for a pick? What a late rounder? I suppose the Broncos didn't win those games no? And then Sapp's comments about pick sixes? Last year Tebow threw 6 interceptions against 12 touchdowns (Orton threw eight TD's and seven INT's in 5 games). He also ran in another 6. There are some quarterbacks in the NFL right now who can't even achieve a positive TD to INT ratio. It's one of the many oddities that people seem to over look when bashing Tebow as a passer.
By the way, did I mention the Broncos beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in a play off game? Thanks to a Tim Tebow pass? No? Oh well, there was that too.
Look, by no means do I consider Tebow to be an elite pocket passer, but a simple study of the film and in particular paying attention to the amount of dropped passes should tell the average fan that much of the crap you hear from the press is just that, crap.
With some better pass catchers and an offense that isn't afraid to actually allow him to go out and, you know, pass the ball, then I think you'll see a much better Tim Tebow. Tebow has shown, repeatedly, that he can throw passes accurately to receivers when given the opportunity. Whether they catch them or not is entirely down to them.
We also have to be wary of the numbers game here. The average accuracy rating for a good quarterback in the NFL is 60%. In one game Tebow threw 20 passes and completed 9. If he hits just three more passes in that game, hardly a massive leap in terms of on field production, then he achieves the holy 60% mark that everyone is so fixated by.
With the limited offense that he worked with in Denver, the difference between being deemed a success or failure in the eyes of the media was literally that thin. If the Broncos receivers weren't so bloody butter fingered, the Broncos might have won more games and Kyle Orton might not even have lost his job.
All I can say in the end is good luck to Peyton Manning. In exchange for the $19 million a year salary that you'll be receiving you have inherited; possibly one of the worst pass blocking O-lines in the NFL, a group of receivers that need a lot of work, a pretty good running game... that you wont use properly because you never do, and a defense that is very strong and will likely decide the fate of the Broncos in 2012.
Tuck in.
To Tim Tebow I say this; keep your chin up, work hard in the off season to improve yourself, find a bunch of young receivers who have no problem spending all day practicing with you, and then stick it to people like Sapp, Porter, Rich Eisen, Mike Florio, and all the other wider collective of dick head "analysts" on TV who have said you'll never make it.
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