The Duality of Tebow 1/15/12
by Brandon Halsey
brandonhalsey@gettinAfterIt.com
Tim Tebow is at worst, a prime example of duality. Black or white – good or bad – reality or perception? Most of the time your perception is not reality, and you can’t stand it. You can’t stand to be wrong and you hate that for the first time that big circle somehow fits into the small square. When the reality is, you hate the person you see in the mirror. I am the least religious person I know. At most times, I don’t like myself. Most times I just assume stay hammered in a bar and see what happens. There is no structure with my life, and chances are, there’s probably not much more with yours. But that’s what I like about Tim Tebow, that he’s not Tom Brady, he’s not Aaron Rodgers and he never will be. Tim Tebow is the most structured athlete under the age of 30 in the NFL, maybe in all of professional sports. Everything he says and does off the field is damn near perfect, but on the field he’s a mess.
There’s a sharp duality with Tebow. It’s that line drawn in the sand and that beautiful girl is on the other side, but your wife and two kids are asking for a towel to dry off. Yet, you’ve also been told that “winning” is all that matters, and his career record as a starting quarterback is in the winning column. He’s not what you’ve been forced to believe a winning quarterback is supposed to do. But he’s changed that. At least for one year, for the 2011/12 regular season and one playoff game, Tebow proved you wrong and you hate that. You hate that you have been ingrained to believe a quarterback is always supposed to throw 350 yards for a few touchdowns and make it look pretty. Tim Tebow doesn’t care about that. The world doesn’t care that you care because throughout this entire Tebow ride, there’s been something bigger than you and your perception. Tim Tebow lives without justification to we, who are his biggest critics. A guy comes along that’s competing on the professional level of sports for all the right reasons and all you want to do is knock him down. Shame on you. Go take another look in the mirror and then tell me if you held the world in the palm of your hands for almost four months. Remind me of your supreme importance. Because what I saw was captivating, refreshing and unifying. What you saw was something you don’t like about yourself. What you saw was a set of circumstances you couldn’t bring yourself to believing or become comfortable with. And now you want to say, “He sucks,” “I told you so,” and “Where’s all the Tebow fans at now,” because it makes you feel accomplished that after four months you are finally right.
Have you ever watched a movie? What did you take away from the best movie you’ve ever seen? I imagine that movie had a plot? Protagonist vs. antagonist, story and character structure with an appropriate setting and finally a resolution? And maybe, hopefully, you were entertained. I’m not an expert of anything and I never will claim to be. I am a fan of sports and competition. As a fan, and as someone who is simply trying to share the world of sports that I see, to you, I hope that you can be entertained. That’s why you go to the movies right?
One late-night I was alone in a bar with an older gentleman named Frank. Frank and I talked for hours, until the bell for last call rang. The conversation we had over cold beers and shots of whiskey shifted from women to war to cars and other bars but Frank said something that will forever stick with me. His father went blind just days after his 35th birthday, which was just days after Frank’s wife delivered his father’s first and only grandson. Frank’s father would never see his grandson and he died without seeing another sunrise four years later. Frank told me, “Appreciate every second you have with those two eyes, because when your light is gone, it’s gone.”
Hue Jackson Out in Oakland 1/11/12
by Brandon Halsey
brandonhalsey@gettinAfterIt.com
Some people just talk to much. Rex Ryan does and somehow gets away with it. Hue Jackson blurts out a total of six sentences and he’s canned in half a second.
“There ain’t no way that I’m going to feel like I feel today a year from now, I promise you that. There’s no question. Defensively, offensively and special teams. I ain’t feeling like this no more. This is a joke. . . . Yeah, I’m going to take a hand in everything that goes on here.”
This wasn’t bad. This shows ownership and a strong initiative moving forward to 2012. However, this wasn’t enough for Hue and other people had other plans.
“I would hope that as the head coach of this football team I would hope that the organization understands that I have a pretty good idea of where we need to go,” like he’s vying for a promotion to general manager? “Because if not, then I shouldn’t be where I’m sitting.”
There words really didn’t help Jackson’s cause to remain as head coach.
The fallout; Jackson was dismissed Tuesday. But can you blame incumbent GM Reggie McKenzie who made it publicly known. “This decision centered around my wanting to bring my own guy in,” McKenzie said.
I get that McKenzie wants to do his own thing. But the Raiders were 8-8 under Jackson. Let it be for one more year. Jackson might’ve did more with less talent than any other coach in the league. I know the AFC West isn’t the powerhouse of the NFL, but 8-8 is 8-8 and they were in the playoff hunt until the bitter end. Let’s hope, just like Jackson is secretly hoping, that McKenzie brings in someone who fails miserably. Because Hue Jackson got something he didn’t deserve.
Tebow vs. Suggs and “Pull the Trigger” Johnny 1/5/12
by Brandon Halsey
brandonhalsey@gettinAfterIt.com
I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t talk about Tim Tebow. It’s time for the weekly, daily, hourly, momentarily Tebow update. And right now there’s really not anything new to say about Tebow except he’s in the playoffs. And that his last 3 games have been just dreadful. And that John Elway wants Tim Tebow to “pull the trigger.” And that Ravens LB Terrell Suggs is not a big fan of Tim Tebow.
Let’s start with Terrell Suggs who is a complete douchebag. Tuesday on ESPN’s First Take, Suggs said, “With all due respect we don’t need God on our sidelines.” And I ask, ‘with all due respect to whom?’ Obviously Suggs knew that would rub people the wrong way so he tried to rectify it by saying ‘with all due repsect.’ Then Suggs went on to say, “I don’t feel comfortable I gotta pray every fourth quarter, like oh my God please come save me again.” Now he’s just mocking Tebow.
Hey Suggs, Tebow might not be the best quarterback in the NFL, but your quarterback isn’t exactly Joe Montana. The only thing Flacco and Montana have in common is they share first names, which probably sickens Montana.
In order to see a Baltimore-Denver playoff matchup, obviously Denver would have to beat Pittsburgh who is favored by 9 in Denver and the Texans would need to lose Saturday to Cincinnati.
And as far as Elway saying he wants Tebow to “pull the trigger,” be careful what you wish for John. Tebow has a 46.5 completion percentage; Brady, Rodgers, Brees and Romo all have better than 65% just so you can understand where a good quarterback should be. In fact, Tebow has the worst completion percentage in the NFL, yet his record as a starter is 7-4.
The problem with Tebow “pulling the trigger,” is I just don’t know that he can. He can in situations, but not for and throughout the entire game. You can’t center an offensive gameplan around Tim Tebow in which must predominately throw the football. Back in week 8 Denver lost to Detroit 45-10. Tebow threw the ball 39 times that game. He also threw 40 times in an overtime win over Chicago in week 14 but that was an anomaly because he passed for 237 yards, which is his most this season. However you want to shake it out, Tebow isn’t a true passer. Numbers never lie, it’s been proven. But what Tebow is, is a winner. And John Elway knows that. Elway knows that giving John Fox the greenlight for Tebow to air it out will spark even more confidence in Tebow. It’s an act of desperation, and it’s also reverse psychology because go back and check out the look on Elways face after that 45-10 loss to Detroit. No way that Elway was alright with throwing the ball 39 times that game.
Quick Thoughts – State of the AFC West 10/24/11
All San Diego has to do is maintain a solid 2nd half of football and beat the Jets and all would’ve been right in the world. But Phillip Rivers and Co. weren’t having any of that. Neither were the officials. It was the worst officiated game I’ve seen all season. Quentin Jammer was dead on the money for criticizing the refs, it was obnoxious. Jammer could not lay a finger on New York receivers without a flag. San Diego blows an 11 point halftime lead and now they’re 4-2.
Oakland gets zeroed by Kansas City at home 28-0. All of the sudden Kansas City is 3-3 after starting the season 0-3 and looking like the worst team in football. If the Chiefs can manage a home win this Sunday vs. San Diego, they’re tied.
And let’s not even begin to forget about the Broncos. Fans in Denver are ready to build statues in honor of Tim Tebow. Denver is down to the winless Dolphins 15-0, any coincidence that Miami’s score was 15? Why I think not!
What if Tebow doesn’t come back in Miami? How crucial would that have been for Tebow, to lose to the horrible Dolphins? Tebow knew better! Tebow wasn’t having any of that! After 3 quarters of garbage football, Tebow and his Broncos mounted the greatest 15 point comeback in the history of football. And how stupid was Miami? The score is 15-13, after Tebow just pwnd the entire city of Miami and is about to end their pathetic misery, Denver is going for the 2 point conversion. Everyone, even Ray Charles, knows what was about to happen as the Broncos line up for the conversion, except for the Miami Dolphins. Tim Tebow had no intentions of passing the ball to one of his receivers in the spread formation. Of course Tebow was going to run directly up the gut and convert the 2 points. And the rest is history. History that will forever be linked to all that is football awesomeness until the end of time. Tim Tebow is indeed, the greatest thing since sliced bread.
San Diego Chargers will win the 2011 AFC West. That magical Oakland shutout of the division was just a dream, although improvements have been made, it’s still Jason Campbell with a bunch of really fast guys. And does TerrDelle Pryor get a starting nod this year?
Kansas City won the division last year but got stomped at a home playoff game by the Ravens. The Chiefs have all the makings to stay a solid contender but as far as total championship team, that’s a big mystery. However, Jamal Charles will run for more than 1,500 yards and Cassel will continue to put up great numbers to the tune of 30/7 like he did a year ago.
Denver has been engulfed in the off-season Orton vs. Tebow “controversy” that’s simply no controversy at all. Orton is the starter because gives Denver the better chance to win week in and week out. Tebow is cool, but he’s not NFL material, sorry Gator fans who desperately want to like the NFL. Denver might surprise some people but they’re not playoff material.
San Diego Chargers are the proverbial front-runners who never seem to measure up to their expectations. The mantra is San Diego has been start slow and see what happens and if that continues to happen, Norv Turner will happen to be fired at season’s end. Phillip Rivers is “elite” and the Chargers have all the pieces to go deep in the postseason.
