Category Archives: Tebow

New Jags GM made a big mistake with comments on Tebow

January 11, 2013 7:43 am , Leave a Comment ,

Give new Jaguars general manager David Caldwell this: he sure knows how to stun a room full of reporters.

That’s exactly what he did during his introductory press conference on Thursday, a feat he accomplished with his response to the inevitable Tebow Question. With reports circulating that The Chosen One would be making His Great Return this offseason, it was bound to come up. It did, and Caldwell’s answer was as misguided as it was direct.

Asked about the team’s quarterback situation, Caldwell said there would be an open competition between semi-bust Blaine Gabbert and temporary solution Chad Henne, and he added they would look to bring in others. Just not Tim Tebow:

“As far as Tim goes, he is a member of the New York Jets, so I can’t imagine a scenario where he would be a Jacksonville Jaguar.”

That was the final line in a much longer answer, and it just hung in the air, seeming to knock the wind out of everyone in the room for a split second. An audible “Uh-” could be heard from someone in the crowd, followed by a call to “Say that again?”

He did, and when asked whether Tebow would be an option if the Jets released him, Caldwell said no again.

Big ups to Caldwell, because that showed some balls (as a younger Tim might say, “Big Nuts!”). It’s also a major step forward from the way his predecessor, Gene Smith, used to leave people dumbfounded — by a draft strategy that displayed  a level of expertise similar to that of a child playing Monopoly without reading the rules.

But Caldwell’s comment was also stupid and unnecessary. Read More →

Posted in: Jaguars, NFL, Tebow , Tagged: , ,

Tebow to the Jaguars would be bad for both sides

March 20, 2012 12:05 am , Leave a Comment ,

Picture this: You’ve been living in a crappy house with a so-so job and very few friends. The only thing going for you is your car — a badass little roadster that’s fast and reliable. But even with the car, you’re kind of the joke of the neighborhood.

But then you decide to turn things around. You slowly start renovating the house, and you go out and meet an okay-looking blonde from Missouri — she’s like a 6, but you’re thinking she’s a late-bloomer and you get along well enough, so you propose, and now she’s got a bun in the oven.

Things aren’t perfect, but they’re getting better. Even though the fiancee still needs work, the meat loaf is a little less burned every Wednesday night. One day, while you’re out shopping for some new cooking ware to help the lady out and some supplies to fix your leaky roof, you spot a PS3 on sale.

It’s a good deal, but it’s going to mean less time to work on the house, and it’s going to make you a crappy husband and father. On the other hand, you’ll be having so much fun that you won’t give a damn about the roof or the wife. Hell, you might not even need the car anymore. And God, it would be awesome. You’d finally be able to get some friends to come hang out with you!

What do you do?

To unravel that absurd and half-coherent analogy: You are the Jacksonville Jaguars, Blaine Gabbert is the fiancee, your receiving corps is kitchen supplies, the roof is your offensive line, Maurice Jones-Drew is your car, and Tim Tebow is the PS3 (you’re welcome for skipping the part that involved David Garrard and assless leather chaps).

Except in the real-life version, that ps3 isn’t just on sale, everyone is pounding on your windows screaming at you to go buy it.

In addition to sparking a level of outrage not seen in Tennessee since the state made bestiality a felony, Peyton Manning‘s move to the Denver Broncos immediately reignited Tebowmania in Jacksonville, where talk of The Chosen One’s potential return dominated everything from social media to men’s rooms to the local news.

But — with the Jags’ current situation — adding Tebow would be bad for both sides. Read More →

Posted in: Jaguars, NFL, Tebow , Tagged: , , ,

Pats fans think they ended Tebowmania. I hope they’re right.

January 17, 2012 4:22 am , 2 Comments ,

Want to know what my visit to Boston for Patriots-Broncos was like this weekend? Put on about seven layers of clothing and go stand in an industrial freezer with a keg of Sam Adams, a screen showing this kid and his grandma dancing to “Rack City” on loop, and a guy alternately screaming “Tebow!” and “F@#% Tebow!”

My original intent was to document the trip in its entirety for this blog, but my hands were too cold to take notes, and the amount of beer it took to keep warm made sure I wouldn’t be able to do it from memory. There were plenty of good moments, like taking batting practice inside a huge bubble on Harvard’s football field, getting a Pats fan to admit that the Tuck Rule Play was bullshit, and waking up to the news that I had spent the wee hours of the morning walking around in prescription eyeglasses (still no clue on that one).

But, unsurprisingly, the theme of the weekend was Tim Tebow – the whole reason my friend and I made the snap decision to fly north. He was everywhere you turned. Leaving a bar on Friday night, a girl in front of us stumbled and fell to her knees, and when we asked if she was OK, her friend said in a thick Boston accent: “It’s OK, she’s just Tebowing.” We made a habit of yelling “TEEBAUW!” at random points, and we came across several others doing the same. We also picked up metro magazine to find the cover you see here (along with a Mark Wahlberg interview on his new hamburger joint: “Wahlburgers”).

When we boarded the train for Foxborough, it only intensified. I drew some flak for wearing my Mondo Bummer John Brantley jersey (Though that mostly just confused everyone. The closest anyone got was “Is that Chris Leak?”), and a kid in front of us was the subject of many middle fingers and photo requests for his shirt that depicted Tebow kneeling on the front with “Tebro 15″ on the back.

Gillette Stadium was gorgeous, most of the fans — including our neighbors, thankfully — were really intelligent and funny, and getting to see an NFL Playoff game (and a sellout) is a real treat for any Jacksonville native, but what stood out to me the most was how many people seemed to truly hate Tebow. From the religious beliefs to the unorthodox style (I heard countless “Now that’s what a real quarterback looks like” comments about Tom Brady) to the “All He Does Is Win” talk, it was pretty clear they were sick and tired of Tim. They would rather give their wives to Derek Jeter (another name we yelled frequently during the game) than play catch with Tebow, though Jeter would definitely turn that down because Boston girls are very unfortunate-looking.

But during all that, I was struck by how off-base their hatred is. In my experience, the Tebow haters don’t really hate him at all. They think they do, but their ire is actually directed at the media’s creation of Tebowmania, which was encapsulated by ESPN saying his name 160 times in one episode of SportsCenter last week — including many references during highlights of other sports. I thought the hype was bonkers when I was a senior in high school. Now we’re really out there.  Read More →

Posted in: NFL, Tebow , Tagged: , , , , ,

Tebow’s real fans admit it when he sucks

January 4, 2012 2:40 am , 2 Comments ,

Go ahead, you can say it.

Tim Tebow sucked on Sunday.

See? No lightning bolt came crashing through your ceiling. And you know what else? You can say that and still be a Tebow supporter.

You can even say that we need to change the definition of Tebowing. No longer does that mean kneeling in prayer — the true Tebowing is walking at a brisk pace, eyes straight ahead, shoulders slumped forward. It’s a tribute to something Tebow does more often than kneeling: walking off the field after a three-and-out drive.

Tebow was awful in Sunday’s 7-3 loss to the Chiefs. He completed 6 of 22 passes for 60 yards and managed just 16 yards on six carries with a fumble. And when he took the ball with a minute left and a chance to win the game, he marched to midfield…and threw an interception.

It was the worst game of his NFL career, and probably the worst of his life. I’ve never seen him look so ineffective. He’d look more natural smoking crack with a prostitute than he looked on Sunday. He made John Brantley look tolerable. Ryan Leaf could have done better throwing with his off hand, blindfolded and sober (which is more of an impediment for him than being drunk).

I say all this as a Tebow fan, and I say it because I believe he’s capable of much, much better. Tebow has been such a polarizing figure in the NFL that it’s easy to forget you can criticize him while still supporting him. Read More →

Posted in: NFL, Tebow , Tagged: , ,

Defending Tebow is a slap in the face of the Tebow Movement

December 19, 2011 9:55 pm , Leave a Comment ,

Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos lost on Sunday.

Yea, but, it was against the Patriots, and they’re awesome! And the Broncos were up 16-7 and dominated the first quarter! And Tebow looked good throwing the ball and was the game’s leading rusher! It wasn’t Tebow’s fault!

Yea, but, making excuses for Tebow losing undermines the coolest part of the Tebow Phenomenon.

At every step along the way to his 7-2 record as a starter this year, Tebow has challenged conventional NFL wisdom. He has re-awakened us to the fact that even though we’ve hailed quarterbacks as demigods to whom we’d gladly hand over our girlfriends, they aren’t the end-all, be-all of football. This is a team game.

Moreover, Tebow has proven that the standards by which we measure quarterbacks — and entire teams — don’t even come close to telling the story. He’s shown that he can party like it’s 1905: throwing EIGHT passes and completing TWO and still winning a game that wasn’t played underwater or in a driving blizzard. If he wants, he can throw passes to cheerleaders for three quarters, with a windup to rival Hideo Nomo, and still win. Read More →

Posted in: NFL, Tebow , Tagged: , ,

Exclusive: John Elway’s emotional voicemails to Andrew Luck

December 14, 2011 5:18 am , 1 Comment ,

In the last week, Broncos executive vice president John Elway has come out in support of Tim Tebow, saying he felt Tebow is the franchise’s Quarterback of the Future and that he’s committed to seeing The Chosen One succeed.

You already knew that, because ESPN is thrusting Tebow news in your face more desperately than an overweight stripper trying to make rent.

But what you didn’t know was what led Elway to that point. It’s been a dark, emotional few months for the Denver exec — a fact that’s clearly demonstrated in the disturbing voicemails he’s been leaving for Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

Most sports blogs aren’t privileged to the recordings, but in a McCallin’ It Like I See It Exclusive, we’ve obtained a transcript. And by “we,” I mean “I.” And by “obtained a transcript,” I mean “drank four bottles of NyQuil and started typing.”

Below, you’ll find Elway’s messages for Luck, along with the dates and times they were recorded: Read More →

Posted in: NFL, Tebow

The Tebow Hype is overshadowing a better story

December 5, 2011 5:57 am , 3 Comments ,

Imagine telling Michael Bay to make a movie that starred actors and dialogue instead of special effects. Or forcing Jay-Z to drop a new album without rapping about money, women or how cool he is. They’d have brain aneurysms within 90 seconds.

That’s essentially what Tim Tebow is doing to sports media blowhards.

With each victory (he got his fifth straight on Sunday with the Broncos’ 35-32 win against the Vikings) and each solid performance (this week: a season-high 202 yards and two TDs on 10-of-15 passing), he deprives sports talking heads of their favorite subject.

The “Can Tebow succeed in the NFL?!” debate has clocked enough hours to solve the world’s economic issues, but it’s hard to argue when his team wins. So to keep the airwaves full of Tebow talk, the discussion is turning to the other end of the spectrum: “Tebow for MVP? Will he make the Hall of Fame? How many Super Bowls will he win?”

I’m happy to see Tebow get that kind of respect, but all this talk is missing the whole point.

The Denver Broncos have risen from the dead, and while it’s natural to give The Chosen One all the credit for the resurrection, Tebow is more of a Shane Falco character than Neo. Read More →

Posted in: NFL, Tebow , Tagged: , ,

Tim Tebow is turning the NFL on its head

November 18, 2011 6:11 am , 4 Comments ,

Minutes after he put the finishing touches on another thrilling comeback win, Tim Tebow sat on the NFL Network set with Rich Eisen, Steve Mariucci, Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk and Michael Irvin for what quickly became one of my favorite postgame interviews of all time.

It was like watching the cast of 60 Minutes interview a third-grader about the European debt crisis. Or, better yet, like watching the cast of 60 Minutes interview me about the European debt crisis.

This isn’t to say Tebow sounded like a third-grader, but his answers were so simple — almost too simple — to questions that sought some enlightening explanation for how he is slowly turning the NFL on its head.

Eisen & Co. were clearly befuddled, bewildered and bedazzled by the Broncos’ 17-13 win over the Jets, and even moreso by the fact that Tebow has gone 4-1 as a starter and pulled the once-hapless Broncos into the playoff picture. How has he managed such stunning results while being so unremarkable by the traditional standards for an NFL quarterback? His stats: 172 total yards, only 104 passing, and only nine completions out of 20 attempts.

How is this possible? The NFL Network crew was convinced there has to be a reason, but all they got from Tebow was the same few lines he’s been telling journalists since his high school days.”God is good. It’s a team game. We played hard and believed in each other. We’re just taking it one day at a time trying to get better.”

There’s nothing worse for a media member to hear. Refusing to answer questions would be more exciting.

But you know what? He’s right. Tebow is exposing a myth about the NFL, one week at a time: IT ISN’T THAT COMPLICATED.

The discussion around Tebow has always revolved around how he would fit into the pro quarterback mold. The answer now is obvious. He doesn’t fit at all, and he doesn’t have to.

He needs to run the option. He needs spread formations. He needs to be in the shotgun. He needs to have the ability to improvise. He needs his teammates to not play like their hands and feet are tied together. When he has those things, he can win, and that’s the only stat that matters.

His best moments are very early in games (when the Broncos are prone to running a spread attack that they immediately abandon) and very late in games (when they take the helter-skelter, figure-it-out approach). In between, when they run up the middle twice and throw on third down, Tebow is pedestrian. Let him do what he knows how to do, and he’ll be fine. He isn’t Peyton Manning, and anyone who tries to make him be Peyton Manning is a dumbass.

And guess what else? It isn’t all about the quarterback. Tebow isn’t a one-man wrecking crew. His defense held the Jets in check, made key stops and even scored a touchdown. Britton Colquitt punted his ass off (yea, I said it), and the line kept Tebow out of trouble.

Denver isn’t perfect, but it’s clear this is a different team from the one we saw earlier this season. They’re playing harder because they believe they can win. They believe they can win because their quarterback is exciting. He’s exciting because he’s unconventional. And the fact that he’s unconventional and successful is blowing the minds of people who think you either win the NFL’s way or you don’t win at all.

Every time he ends a touchdown or win by kneeling in prayer, Tebow might as well be raising a giant middle finger to “the NFL’s way” — respectfully, of course.

There’s more than one way to be a successful quarterback. Being Tebow is one of them.

Posted in: NFL, Tebow , Tagged:

Five Reasons Why Tebow Will Succeed In The NFL

October 21, 2011 7:53 pm , 2 Comments ,

If you know me at all, you know I take great pride in my bulging muscles and love nothing more than to strut around the gym, reflect on my god-like physique in the mirror and scream catchphrases between reps of insanely heavy amounts of weight:

“GRIND MODE!” “AIN’T NOTHIN BUT A PEANUT!” “EAT AT BOJANGLES!”

This week, that routine was disturbed. Every time I looked up at a television, I saw Tim Tebow.

Tebow’s image isn’t what pisses me off — that’s reserved for Riley Cooper and Trey Burton — it was the discussions that followed.

Will he be a successful NFL quarterback? Will he be a bust? Does he know how to throw a football? What if he forgets how to tie his cleats? Does his coach like him? What if God was one of us?

All the Tebow-NFL speculation has killed me from Day 1. It’s not that complicated.

Here are five reasons why he will succeed:

1. He’s good at football

For real y’all. He’s good at that sport. Like really good.

Remember two years ago when everyone was tripping over themselves to proclaim him the greatest college football player ever? Tebow dazzled at Florida, and it was extremely difficult to find fault with any aspect of his game. Suddenly, when it’s time to turn pro, he’s better off as a fullback?

Get out of here.

True, the NFL is a different game from college, and success doesn’t always translate to the pro level. Tebow’s throwing motion isn’t perfect, and his ability to read a defense is so-so at best. His haters will remind you of these things at every turn, and they are hell-bent on being proven right.

Here’s why: Tebow doesn’t fit into their mold, and they don’t know what to do with him.

More often than not, the kind of people who say “National Football League” every 30 seconds are the kind of people who criticize Tebow. They are pure-blooded worshippers of The League and Its mighty ways, and anyone who doesn’t fit the description of a traditional player in the National Football League doesn’t belong in the National Football League.

Tebow does not fit that bill. But in pointing out what he doesn’t have, these people often overlook or dismiss what he does have. Read More →

Posted in: College Football, NFL, Tebow , Tagged: ,