The Paradox of Tim Tebow

            Oh no! Not that name again. Not him! YES! HIM! I’m talking about Tim Tebow. And with his current lack of employment in the NFL I believe that many people might not ever talk about Mr. Tebow again. Why is the subject of Tim Tebow so polarizing? Why are the fans of Mr. Tebow SO fanatical and the critics of Tim Tebow SO critical?

                                                            

            The adoration of Tim Tebow comes from the fact that he was hailed quite literally as “the chosen one”. The first time I ever heard of Mr. Tebow was when he was a high school senior and ESPN gave him an hour long documentary special dedicated to his recruitment process. In said special, viewers learned about Tebow’s phenomenal athletic prowess. His leadership qualities. His profound faith. His dedication to his family. He was the sports hero that most sports writers would have a wet dream about. A Caucasian scrambling QB that wins and is a Christian. He also looks like he should be a model for Dolce and Gabana. That probably explains why Tebow got two more hour-long ESPN specials detailing his training and preparation for the NFL draft and also an examination of “Tebowmania” itself.

            Now comes the venom. Why would such a vast amount of people have such a surplus of hate for someone who is a good citizen and a good athlete? The reasoning is probably the belief that he has been catered to and protected by the media. Also the fact that his talents, while far superior to most men, seem to be pedestrian at best in the NFL. His passing completion percentage, number of interceptions thrown, and overall quarterback rating were near the bottom of the NFL. Yet he still has a plethora of endorsement deals and is a hot commodity.

            Other quarterbacks, particularly those of color, seem to not have the multiple chances that Mr. Tebow has been afforded. Maybe because his college resume was so astounding. The man was on two national championship teams. He was, at the time, the youngest player to win the Heisman trophy. He was the SEC’s all-time leaser in quarterback rating (170.8), completion percentage (67.1%), passing touchdown to interception ratio (5.5 to 1), rushing yards by a quarterback (2947), rushing touchdowns total (57), and total touchdowns (145). Tebow has many NCAA D1 records. His is second in passing efficiency, third in career yards per attempt (9.33), 8th in career rushing touchdowns, and he owns the record for consecutive games in which he both passed and ran for a touchdown (14).

               Despite all the accolades and records, Tim Tebow’s professional career has not had the consistency and excellence that his collegiate one had. Maybe it’s because he was not put in a pro style offense in college. The “spread” offense is geared more towards the athleticism of the quarterback and his ability to run and set up the pass. The spread is very effective in college, and the read/option plays and “pistol formation” became en vogue last year in the NFL with Robert Griffin III and Colin Kapernick. But, like most gimmick offenses, its vitality is short lived and both quarterbacks are experiencing sophomore slumps. And interestingly enough, Tebow refuses to switch positions and play in the NFL or humble himself and play quarterback in the Canadian Football League and refine his skills.

            My singular issue with Tim Tebow was solved when the New England Patriots cut ties with him during the pre-season. I always wondered how someone with one miraculous playoff win, sloppy mechanics, and poor decision making still had a job. When Bob Kraft and Bill Belicheat…..I meant Belichick cut ties with Tebow, it was the dawn of reality on the world of Tim Tebow. The previous season, when Tebow was with the NY Jets, was one of stagnation, frustration, and perpetual media coverage. Tebow, who was the backup to Mark Sanchez, got a press conference. What the shit was THAT about?!? And the big headline during preseason, “Tebow runs shirtless through the rain”. Really?!? I did feel sorry for Tim Tebow towards the end of the season because the Jets were such a train wreck, he really wasn’t given the opportunity to hone his skills, and he was relegated to a role that basically made him a fullback. The Jets never emphasized the wildcat formation in their offense. Moreover, they reneged on their promise to make the quarterback competition open.

            Has the NFL seen the last of Tim Tebow? The asinine fad of “Tebowing” has ceased. Has Tebow’s professional career done the same? I think that Tim Tebow has an exceptionally bright future……..as a college football analyst. Or he could capitalize on his popularity with Christians and team up with Joyce Meyers and sell out arenas all over this nation. Any way it goes, I doubt the man is going to be broke any time soon. But the question remains, how will he be remembered? I believe as a QB with a great passion for the game but a skill set that was too underdeveloped. The infamous Skip Bayless video about Tim Tebow being a “gamer”, “baller”, “playmaker”, and “shot caller” only perpetuated the fervor of his fan base. As previously stated, I don’t have any disdain against Tim Tebow. He could marry my sisters, if he was a glutton for punishment. He might be a natural “winner”. But I think most NFL teams actually want a quarterback with consistency and good mechanics. 

To playoff or not to playoff

            Being that this year marks then end of the BCS (bowl championship series) for all FBS schools, I thought it might be a good idea to reflect over the good, the bad, and the ugly of it all. Most people believe that the 4 team playoff that will be instituted next year, will be systematically and ethically better than the BCS system. But is that necessarily true? In my amateur opinion, I think the 4 team playoff will end up being problematic, just like the BCS.

               Can anyone remember the system before the BCS? It was known as the bowl coalition pairings system. A system by which a series of bowl games, usually played by top 10 teams, would determine which team was the best. The system was largely effective. My only problem is the #1 very rarely played #2. That was the promise of the BCS system. It was designed to have the best two teams in D1 football play each other. But the BCS took the autonomy away from the pollsters, and put it in the hands of mathematicians who designed a formula based on strength of schedule, poll position, and win/loss record to determine which two teams “deserved” to play in the BCS championship.

              A lot of pundits and average joe bullshiters like myself believe the system was flawed because the best two teams didn’t end up playing each other. The most infamous of these cases coming from the 2004 undefeated Auburn team which was not placed in the national championship. Boise State in 2006 and 2009 was undefeated but completed ignored by the BCS formula. The 2008 Utah Utes defeated a very strong Alabama team to go undefeated. If perfection isn’t a prerequisite to play for the highest honor in college football, what is?

             The Southeastern Conference has dominated college football for the past 7 years. A representative from that conference has been in the national championship game and won in 7 years in a row. In that time, the SEC as a whole has took on an almost monopoly with top tier high school talent. With that being said, the conference is flourishing at an astronomical rate. In the initial AP poll released at the beginning of the season, 6 out of 14 SEC teams were ranked in the top 25. As of today, 7 teams are ranked in the top 25 and another school, Vanderbilt, is on the cusp of being ranked.

              My contention is this; even with the 4 team playoff, the SEC conference could still have a virtual lock on the playoff with 2 and maybe even 3 teams in the playoff. Is this fair? What about the other conferences like the Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12, and the severely underrated MAC? I understand the SEC has been hailed as the premier conference in college football and a factory for the NFL, but I think that stigma might be a little overhyped. Every conference has talent. And most schools within the top 10 in the AP/coaches poll have an abundance of talent on both sides of the ball.

         This year, Northern Illinois, with wins over Big 10 opponents each of the past two seasons will probably be shunned again. Their program is by far the best one in the state of Illinois, and that includes U of I and Northwestern. I think they are worthy to make a playoff game. But because they play in the MAC, which has rendered NFL all-pro talent very recently, they are seen as an inferior “perfect” team.

           To make matters worse, The Ohio State University, who has undefeated regular seasons each of the past two seasons is currently #2 in the BCS standings. And their resume is barely stronger than NIU’s. Who have they beaten that warrants their position? The University of Wisconsin is their greatest victory and it was a narrow one. And Wisconsin lost 3 regular season games. Not a bad season, but nothing that would be considered special. Ohio State’s regular season finale against Michigan could have dashed their hopes if a failed 2 point conversion would have found its home. Moreover, my alma mater the University of Illinois scored 35 points against the much vaunted Buckeyes. The same Illini team who has won a grand total of one conference game in the last two seasons. So, the BCS considers Ohio State the 2^nd best team in the land and they allow one of the worse teams in college football to remain competitive with them until the 4^th quarter. This is not the domination I would expect when I examine the discrepancy in skill levels between the two conference foes.

            And let’s not forget the committee that will select the teams for the playoff. The human element is back in play. I know there are supposed to be no ulterior motives or agendas but people are fallible and I guarantee that possible revenue earnings will favor the schools with the chance to travel well. That will also favor their position in the polls. In essence, the meritocracy that is supposed to happen is a charade. The committee will make mistakes and I believe there will continue to be a conference bias.

             The only possible cure for this inevitable debacle in sportsmanship and fair competition is the institution of a 8 team playoff. An 8 team playoff would give the average joe bullshiter like myself and the well paid pundits on sports stations throughout the nation something to talk about. It’s also the only possible solution I see to creating equity in a system that seems to be devoid of integrity or credibility.

Things that make you go hmmm?

1. Why do the New England Patriots have a perception as a squeaky clean team despite the fact they have had multiple thugs on salary?

2. The guy from Mallrats has two Oscars, is married to Jennifer Garner, and now gets to be Batman. Think about it.

3. In a nation with an educational system outside of the top 50 in the world, why does the federal government continue to cut money from education?

4. A double cheeseburger costs $1 but hormone free beef is $3.75/lb.

5. Try to ask an adolescent to carry on a decent conversation. They can’t because texting has impaired their social skills, spelling, and grammar.

6. People hate the Yankees because of their high payroll but the Boston Red Sox have a top 5 payroll and no one says anything. Shenanigans!

7. It’s not cool to let your kids date in elementary and middle school.

8. It’s also not cool to give your kids ipad’s, ipod’s, or cell phones if they can barely read or write.

9. Victoria’s Secret has a new line of lingerie for middle school girls. Think about that, parents.

10. Teachers want to complain about the lack of refinement in academic writing by their students, but practices like diagramming sentences and teaching phonics have been deemed futile and archaic.

11. Blackpeoplemeet.com. Why?

12. The UN= international house of nothingness.

13. Black Friday has now turned into “Grey Thursday”. Once again Thanksgiving gets the shaft for the commercialism of Christmas.

14. Philosophy majors= thinking deep thoughts about being unemployed

15. English majors= working coffee shops everywhere

16. Education majors= changing careers within 3 years of employment

17. $5 footlong. Fundamentally flawed by design, it’s only 11 inches, and purpose. While delicious, people forget that they are eating processed meat on 11 inches of bread. Hmmmm?

18. Return of the Jedi and Trading Places were both released 30 years ago.

19. Lost in Translation and Kill Bill vol. 1 were both released a decade ago.

20. Honey Boo Boo will be able to legally drive in 8 years.