AS ONE OBSERVER TWEETED, IT TOOK LONGER TO EXPLAIN OVERTIME THAN TO PLAY IT: Yes, that was something. Pure coincidence that the Denver quarterback finished with 316 yards in the shortest overtime in NFL history.
I think ESPN worships Tim Tebow which is a bit ironic and completely ridiculous. And an interesting discussion could be had on how much the love for him stems from how he is the stereotypically ideal, good-looking, w/m.
That being said, in a game where the quarterback is considered the leader and main representative of the team, I will take what Tim Tebow's sellin every day of the week over the douchery that is Roethlisberger. It warms my heart that Roethlisberger was shown up today by a guy with half his talent.
I don't share in the anti-Tebow thing. He's got his faith; it matters to him in a sincere and profound way. Good for him.And he's a maddening quarterback to watch, but one who could be great.
Oh you really missed an opportunity there to go with "Every day of the week and twice on Sunday"!
But yeah, hard to hate him when he really is such a nice guy. And it's not like he isn't a legit NFL QB, he can make a lot of the throws. And his scrambling and difficulty to bring down are worth praising. But he's so flipping inconsistent, and has such poor accuracy, it's impossible to take him seriously for the long term. But, he nailed Thomas in stride on that pass, and was a huge benefit to his team today. Maybe Denver is figuring out how to make this work. But no way he beats NE next weekend.
Is there a reason to think Tebow could be great? A lot of analysts have suggested that his low completion rate suggests a pretty low cap on his potential for growth, and Tebow's moments of success (including today) seem to have come against poorly chosen schemes by opposing defenses.
Anti-Tebow sentiment only makes sense if you have trouble blocking out his annoying supporters.
if you want to play your safeties that far up, you take the chance that even a pedestrian QB will burn you. See, e.g., the Giants getting their butts kicked up and down the field by Trent Dilfer.
"<span>And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him"</span>
"<span>John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire"</span>
Revelations 3:16. I don't know what it means, but it seems to apply to so many things: "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth."
If he can force defenses to respect his arm, with games like yesterday's, then it just opens up more space for his legs to be a factor. I'm not sure what that offense ultimately looks like, but I'd like to see it.
Isn't the more interesting problem whether the NFL's overtime structure places undue weight on who wins a coinflip (though admittedly less than it could if it were straight sudden death)?
Also, let us celebrate that this is the last time CBS's Sunday primetime lineup is going to get delayed for football this season!
As a Bronco fan, there have been only two really uncomfortable parts of this phenomenon for me: (1) the looks I've been getting from football-tolerant or football-curious friends and family members week after week when the Broncos win despite my dire and often strident predictions of doom; and (2) the non-ironically intended profile pictures of my positive and intelligent and poitically conscious/activist liberal out gay Jewish friends "Tebowing" on Facebook.
Thankfully, the near contentless wall-to-wall ESPN / Fox Sports / [insert name of lip-flapping sports dipshit(*) here] coverage is as easy to ignore as their coverage of anything else. This is why God gave us the DVR.
Otherwise, the Tebow thing has been fun to watch in part because so many are so hot to love him or to hate him, in part because so many NFL teams have had so much trouble containing John Fox's Pop Warner offense, and in part because of the cascade of improbable mistakes that left the Broncos on top of "better" teams like the Jets and the Cowboys. It has also been fun to watch Tebow's passing game improve, and it was big fun to see them scrap past the dinged-up Steelers.
I'm not bothered by Tebow's professed faith or it's manifestations. Not my cup of tea. Not my business. Not my problem. Whatver works is fine, and this appears to work for him. (Ahman Green reportedly thought of himself as Batman. Also fine. Seriously, whatever.) Other Broncos have been far weirder in this department and sailed more or less completely under the radar, after all.
*The term "lip-flapping dipshit" is a service mark of Spaceman Sports Commentary Commentary and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Superfluous Peter King 'Analysis' Analytics. No claim to that term is asserted or implied by its limited and modified use herein.
He really isn't a legitimate NFL quarterback. He doesn't throw the ball so much as convulse it with his entire body. He had the greatest game of his career yesterday, and it was a great game, no doubt. He made better decisions and more accurate throws (or convulsions), and more of them, than in any prior game. But if he doesn't fix his mechanics, he is going to regress toward his own particular mean.
I don't know a ton about football, but it sounds like, from your comments, that the main complaint against Tebow is his mechanics. It seems to me that, if he's doing this well without great mechanics, think of how well he'll do when they can teach him the right way. They probably don't want to mess with his throw in the middle of a season, but I wonder how much he'll learn in the off-season?
Deadspin had a roundtable piece to the effect that Pittsburgh's mistakes consisted of being really injured but also the choice to take away the short passing game and run but leave him the deep ball. If he has to do 10 yard completion after completion, he's done.
I lived in Denver for a couple of years in the immediate post-Elway era. I come from a number of insufferable sports fan bases, which makes me qualified to point it out when I see them. Broncos fans? Insufferable. For that reason alone, I will always root against them.
I don't have a problem with Tebow or his religiosity. I have a problem with a multitude of others taking his success as a sign of divine intervention or some kind of blessing on the Broncos because of his faith. I imagine religion is close enough to The Rule that I'll not expound any further and I will apologize if I've offended anyone with this. But I still don't think any Judeo-Christian deity gives a rat's ass about football.
1. God smiles on Tebow, therefore Tebow wins. Proponents: all fictional. Opponents: Democrats, atheists. Refutable: Yes How: When Tebow loses, nobody will say God has abandoned Tebow or God loves Tom Brady more (though the empirical evidence is with the latter)
2. Tebow's wins are affirmations of human goodness Proponents: Peter King, Internet trolls Opponents: Scouts, economists Refutable: No
3. Tebow played a great game Proponents: Most everybody, Bill Barnwell, Phil Simms Opponents: Grantland, Football Outsiders personnel other than Bill Barnwell Refutable: Debatable. Depends upon which statistics you like
4. Tebow was the beneficiary of outside circumstances (defensive scheme, defensive injuries, Dem[unspellable] Thomas), as he has been most of the season Proponents: Grantland, Phil Throckmorton, Prius drivers Opponents: Televangelists, UF alumni Refutable: Yes How: Keep playing games until there is a statistically significant sample without confounding data, probably 18-24 games from now
You don't think coaching could help him improve? Accuracy can be worked on. Anyway, I like the guy, and I think he's doing fantastic in a season that he shouldn't have been playing yet. No one should expect college players to go directly to the NFL and be Tom Brady in their first season.
I'm curious that you believe the notion of divine grace is refutable but "affirmations of human goodness" is not. I think, though I am loath to read him, Peter King thinks Tebow wins not because he's nice but that he has a positive attitude and makes his team believe, so isn't the refutation any deconstruction of "intangibles" ever? I think when Tebow loses, it's God testing him, per narrative one. I don't believe it, but it's no more or less refutable than the existence of God, itself.
As far as I'm concerned it's win win. I simultaneously enjoy him succeeding despite a throwing motion that resembles a marionette playing football, and because I'm demographically preconditioned not to like him, I'm fine with watching his face get stomped on by Suh.
The difference between #1 (which I have never heard anybody espouse, by the way -- I have only seen people having allergic reations to it) and #2 is that #1 posits that God is the cause of Tebow's good fortune, whereas #2 doesn't posit a causal relationship -- it just says that everybody should feel warm and fuzzy when somebody who is good is also great. I don't think King thinks Tebow is a winner because he is a good guy; I think King thinks Tebow is a winner and he is a good guy. If I thought #2 implied a causal relationship, then I'd say it was falsifiable.
if it's not causal, then how the hell is point 2 supposed to be a narrative? it's either a narrative, and falsifiable, or it's just stupid bullshit, and I feel quite confident that I can refute the notion that people should be warm and fuzzy about enjoying someone's success because he's a good person -- in that i might doubt he's a good person for reasons that might run awfoul of the rule, though this is a hypothetical; in that i might point to people on the losing side who are as good if not better people;or people on Tebow's own team who are horrible people like his deadbeat running back; in that one might refute the notion that one should feel any fuzzies at all about the outcomes of sporting events except to the extent one has a territorial pride or monetary interest. it's also sort of funny to watch him cry when he loses. It may be spiteful, but it refutes the notion that it feels better when he wins.
isn't point 1 sort of implicitly espoused by Tim Tebow? would he ever deny believing that God dictates the outcomes of football games, like St. Thomas of Arthroscopic Surgery?
I like to think a wrathful God punished Big Ben in advance for that hat, what made him look like Muggsy from Looney Tunes.
<span>Really looking forward to next week when a football team owned by a Jew will end Tim Tebow.</span>
ReplyDeleteI think ESPN worships Tim Tebow which is a bit ironic and completely ridiculous. And an interesting discussion could be had on how much the love for him stems from how he is the stereotypically ideal, good-looking, w/m.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, in a game where the quarterback is considered the leader and main representative of the team, I will take what Tim Tebow's sellin every day of the week over the douchery that is Roethlisberger. It warms my heart that Roethlisberger was shown up today by a guy with half his talent.
I don't share in the anti-Tebow thing. He's got his faith; it matters to him in a sincere and profound way. Good for him.And he's a maddening quarterback to watch, but one who could be great.
ReplyDeleteOh you really missed an opportunity there to go with "Every day of the week and twice on Sunday"!
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, hard to hate him when he really is such a nice guy. And it's not like he isn't a legit NFL QB, he can make a lot of the throws. And his scrambling and difficulty to bring down are worth praising. But he's so flipping inconsistent, and has such poor accuracy, it's impossible to take him seriously for the long term. But, he nailed Thomas in stride on that pass, and was a huge benefit to his team today. Maybe Denver is figuring out how to make this work. But no way he beats NE next weekend.
Is there a reason to think Tebow could be great? A lot of analysts have suggested that his low completion rate suggests a pretty low cap on his potential for growth, and Tebow's moments of success (including today) seem to have come against poorly chosen schemes by opposing defenses.
ReplyDeleteAnti-Tebow sentiment only makes sense if you have trouble blocking out his annoying supporters.
if you want to play your safeties that far up, you take the chance that even a pedestrian QB will burn you. See, e.g., the Giants getting their butts kicked up and down the field by Trent Dilfer.
ReplyDeleteJust for the hell of it, the other 3:16s:
ReplyDelete"<span>And Simon he surnamed Peter"</span>
"<span>And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him"</span>
"<span>John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire"</span>
Revelations 3:16. I don't know what it means, but it seems to apply to so many things: "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth."
ReplyDeleteIf he can force defenses to respect his arm, with games like yesterday's, then it just opens up more space for his legs to be a factor. I'm not sure what that offense ultimately looks like, but I'd like to see it.
ReplyDeleteHarumph.
ReplyDeleteIsn't the more interesting problem whether the NFL's overtime structure places undue weight on who wins a coinflip (though admittedly less than it could if it were straight sudden death)?
ReplyDeleteAlso, let us celebrate that this is the last time CBS's Sunday primetime lineup is going to get delayed for football this season!
As a Bronco fan, there have been only two really uncomfortable parts of this phenomenon for me: (1) the looks I've been getting from football-tolerant or football-curious friends and family members week after week when the Broncos win despite my dire and often strident predictions of doom; and (2) the non-ironically intended profile pictures of my positive and intelligent and poitically conscious/activist liberal out gay Jewish friends "Tebowing" on Facebook.
ReplyDeleteThankfully, the near contentless wall-to-wall ESPN / Fox Sports / [insert name of lip-flapping sports dipshit(*) here] coverage is as easy to ignore as their coverage of anything else. This is why God gave us the DVR.
Otherwise, the Tebow thing has been fun to watch in part because so many are so hot to love him or to hate him, in part because so many NFL teams have had so much trouble containing John Fox's Pop Warner offense, and in part because of the cascade of improbable mistakes that left the Broncos on top of "better" teams like the Jets and the Cowboys. It has also been fun to watch Tebow's passing game improve, and it was big fun to see them scrap past the dinged-up Steelers.
I'm not bothered by Tebow's professed faith or it's manifestations. Not my cup of tea. Not my business. Not my problem. Whatver works is fine, and this appears to work for him. (Ahman Green reportedly thought of himself as Batman. Also fine. Seriously, whatever.) Other Broncos have been far weirder in this department and sailed more or less completely under the radar, after all.
*The term "lip-flapping dipshit" is a service mark of Spaceman Sports Commentary Commentary and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Superfluous Peter King 'Analysis' Analytics. No claim to that term is asserted or implied by its limited and modified use herein.
He really isn't a legitimate NFL quarterback. He doesn't throw the ball so much as convulse it with his entire body. He had the greatest game of his career yesterday, and it was a great game, no doubt. He made better decisions and more accurate throws (or convulsions), and more of them, than in any prior game. But if he doesn't fix his mechanics, he is going to regress toward his own particular mean.
ReplyDeleteGod: The original foodie.
ReplyDeleteBacked up by Leviticus 3:16:
ReplyDeleteAnd the priest shall burn them on the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet smell: all the fat is the LORD's.
I don't know a ton about football, but it sounds like, from your comments, that the main complaint against Tebow is his mechanics. It seems to me that, if he's doing this well without great mechanics, think of how well he'll do when they can teach him the right way. They probably don't want to mess with his throw in the middle of a season, but I wonder how much he'll learn in the off-season?
ReplyDeleteHARUMPH!
ReplyDeleteDeadspin had a roundtable piece to the effect that Pittsburgh's mistakes consisted of being really injured but also the choice to take away the short passing game and run but leave him the deep ball. If he has to do 10 yard completion after completion, he's done.
ReplyDeleteI lived in Denver for a couple of years in the immediate post-Elway era. I come from a number of insufferable sports fan bases, which makes me qualified to point it out when I see them. Broncos fans? Insufferable. For that reason alone, I will always root against them.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a problem with Tebow or his religiosity. I have a problem with a multitude of others taking his success as a sign of divine intervention or some kind of blessing on the Broncos because of his faith. I imagine religion is close enough to The Rule that I'll not expound any further and I will apologize if I've offended anyone with this. But I still don't think any Judeo-Christian deity gives a rat's ass about football.
Sure, and it probably wouldn't take you all that long to teach yourself to write left-handed even better than you write right-handed.
ReplyDeleteTebow playoff narratives, no particular order:
ReplyDelete1. God smiles on Tebow, therefore Tebow wins.
Proponents: all fictional.
Opponents: Democrats, atheists.
Refutable: Yes
How: When Tebow loses, nobody will say God has abandoned Tebow or God loves Tom Brady more (though the empirical evidence is with the latter)
2. Tebow's wins are affirmations of human goodness
Proponents: Peter King, Internet trolls
Opponents: Scouts, economists
Refutable: No
3. Tebow played a great game
Proponents: Most everybody, Bill Barnwell, Phil Simms
Opponents: Grantland, Football Outsiders personnel other than Bill Barnwell
Refutable: Debatable. Depends upon which statistics you like
4. Tebow was the beneficiary of outside circumstances (defensive scheme, defensive injuries, Dem[unspellable] Thomas), as he has been most of the season
Proponents: Grantland, Phil Throckmorton, Prius drivers
Opponents: Televangelists, UF alumni
Refutable: Yes
How: Keep playing games until there is a statistically significant sample without confounding data, probably 18-24 games from now
You don't think coaching could help him improve? Accuracy can be worked on. Anyway, I like the guy, and I think he's doing fantastic in a season that he shouldn't have been playing yet. No one should expect college players to go directly to the NFL and be Tom Brady in their first season.
ReplyDelete-- an atheist Florida fan
Tell Cam Newton and Andy Dalton.
ReplyDeletethis raises the possibility that in the Superbowl, he's going to pull an Inigo Montoya and reveal he's right-handed all along.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious that you believe the notion of divine grace is refutable but "affirmations of human goodness" is not. I think, though I am loath to read him, Peter King thinks Tebow wins not because he's nice but that he has a positive attitude and makes his team believe, so isn't the refutation any deconstruction of "intangibles" ever? I think when Tebow loses, it's God testing him, per narrative one. I don't believe it, but it's no more or less refutable than the existence of God, itself.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I'm concerned it's win win. I simultaneously enjoy him succeeding despite a throwing motion that resembles a marionette playing football, and because I'm demographically preconditioned not to like him, I'm fine with watching his face get stomped on by Suh.
The difference between #1 (which I have never heard anybody espouse, by the way -- I have only seen people having allergic reations to it) and #2 is that #1 posits that God is the cause of Tebow's good fortune, whereas #2 doesn't posit a causal relationship -- it just says that everybody should feel warm and fuzzy when somebody who is good is also great. I don't think King thinks Tebow is a winner because he is a good guy; I think King thinks Tebow is a winner and he is a good guy. If I thought #2 implied a causal relationship, then I'd say it was falsifiable.
ReplyDeleteWould "A wrathful God is punishing Ben Roethlisberger" qualify as a separate Tebow narrative, or a subset of #1?
ReplyDeleteif it's not causal, then how the hell is point 2 supposed to be a narrative? it's either a narrative, and falsifiable, or it's just stupid bullshit, and I feel quite confident that I can refute the notion that people should be warm and fuzzy about enjoying someone's success because he's a good person -- in that i might doubt he's a good person for reasons that might run awfoul of the rule, though this is a hypothetical; in that i might point to people on the losing side who are as good if not better people;or people on Tebow's own team who are horrible people like his deadbeat running back; in that one might refute the notion that one should feel any fuzzies at all about the outcomes of sporting events except to the extent one has a territorial pride or monetary interest. it's also sort of funny to watch him cry when he loses. It may be spiteful, but it refutes the notion that it feels better when he wins.
ReplyDeleteisn't point 1 sort of implicitly espoused by Tim Tebow? would he ever deny believing that God dictates the outcomes of football games, like St. Thomas of Arthroscopic Surgery?
I like to think a wrathful God punished Big Ben in advance for that hat, what made him look like Muggsy from Looney Tunes.
...and here I was all set to deploy the "Hey! I didn't get a 'harumph' out of that guy!" line.
ReplyDelete