Posted on 03/20/2012 10:10:56 AM PDT by GSWarrior
At a Super Bowl dinner this year, I couldn't help but ask John Elway why he'd never done The Tebow, the one-knee mini-prayer popularized worldwide by his quarterback.
Elway is fairly religious, so he thought about it and then said, "How about this? I'll Tebow when he wins us a championship."
Add that to your list of Things You'll Never See. Right below "Lenny Dykstra, President of the United States."
Tebow is trade meat this morning after Elway used a combination of stones, guile, risk, friendship and legend to land the biggest free-agent whale in NFL history: Peyton Manning.
Manning, of course, has no business picking Denver. Cold-weather town? Green receivers? Thin backfield? Tennessee made much more sense (disregard all previous dispatches).
The reason Manning is about to become a Bronco has everything to do with one man, Elway
(Excerpt) Read more at espn.go.com ...
; )
Rick Reilly belongs in the Sportswriters Hall of Fame, IMO.
>> Tebow is trade meat this morning
...and I expect he’ll handle this with his usual Christian class and grace and come out ahead... however God defines that for him.
God bless Tim Tebow, and thanks for the post.
IMO, Manning is a big mistake on Elway’s part. Manning is 36, over the hill and injured. He was an excellent QB in his time, but that time is past.
I’m sick about this. I’ve always liked Peyton Manning, but I have no desire to see him replace Tim Tebow. Manning is around 36 years old and coming off a severe injury that caused him to miss all of last season. Tebow is 24, strong and healthy, and showing evidence of becoming a great quarterback within a few years.
I believe John Elway has made a serious error in judgment, and that he will rue the day he bulldozed Tim Tebow out of Denver. Whichever team gets Tim will be really lucky.
I predict Manning will end his career like Joe Namath did. The Bronco recievers will drop Mannings passes too.
Rick Reilly is a liberal douche bag.
Love watching Tebow and I admire what Manning has accomplished. That said I don’t think either of them are the longterm answer at the QB spot. I would love to see Tebow stay with Denver in another capacity, however.
Say what? What religion is John? To quote Mandy Patankin "I don't think that word means what you think it means."
; }
Manning also must have reason to believe that when he puts the ball in a receivers hands 20-30 yards downfield, the receiver will make the catch.
That's what history is best at: repeating itself.
I like Peyton Manning and he was undoubtedly a great player but I think the operative term is "was". No one knows if he'll ever truly come back from last year's injury and I'd be worried that he will re-injure himself on the first sack.
And didn't he have an older brother who had to stop playing football because of some kind of spinal chord problem? Looks like he would be a little concerned about permanently injuring himself.
Tebow, on the other hand, is just starting his career and has an insane amount of potential. Whichever team grabs him is the real winner, long term.
As long as he stays behind Ryan Clady and throws to Demaryius Thomas he will be a success....
But there are other ways to defeat an opponent, as Denver showed on several occasions last year when they actually installed an offense tailored to Tebow. They broke down defenses, which, in the NFL, are not geared to being pounded with the run and having to defend a ball carrier who might also throw. All they know about that is the occasional HB pass, thrown by someone who is not warm, who is not a QB, and who usually gives it away as soon as they get the toss.
I thought there were a lot of things Denver could do to make their offense with Tebow better. They were just getting started. But Elway had no interest whatsoever in going that way. He was going to spend the entire offseason supposedly teaching Tebow how to be Elway. Tebow isn't Elway. Elway had no mobility. He didn't run over linebackers. He didn't scramble for 15 seconds before finding someone downfield. He knew one thing. Sadly, he still only knows one thing. Football geniuses, like Bellichek and Harbaugh, care about one thing, too. That thing is winning. They find a way. Remember when Brady went out, and NE won about 12 games with Matt Cassell? How has he done in other cities? Harbaugh turned Alex Smith into a great QB. Is Smith any better than he was? No, Harbaugh created plays and situations that allowed Smith to be great. Elway could never do that. He'd have traded Smith, too, and undercut him to the press.
Sorry been a broncos fan since 75. I live in Colorado and worked with the video production and news community during the Elway years. I just know more about the Elways (John and Janet) than the PR spin. John was a great player on the field, but a self-absorbed-spoiled-drunken-womanizing narcissist off the field. He is no role model and if he is a christian (I'll leave that for God to decide) he certainly has not lived religiously.
Can Tebow improve his pocket passing and timing? How long do you wait?
Or do you tailor your offense to utilize his unique skills? If so, will you be able to attract top-flight receivers? What about a backup QB? Can you find one who is able to sustain that type of offense if Tebow goes down? Or can a team switch back to a traditional attack?
I would love to see Tebow stay in Denver. Maybe not as starting QB.
Elway has his share of character flaws, that is for certain.
It was actually the middle-deep passes that went through DT's hands that I was thinking of.
Not too hard to see Elway didn’t/doesn’t like Tim Tebow. The disdain was obvious.
Now there are going to be two big QB dogs in Denver: Elway and Manning.
Let’s see how that works out.
I can't speak to Elway's mental skills, but his scrambling ability is what set him apart from other QBs. He was ALWAYS a threat to run. No mobility? What league were you watching? Didn't run over linebackers? Did you miss the signature play from the 1998 Super Bowl? Didn't scramble for 15 seconds before finding someone downfield? That is just incorrect.
Personally I think Tebow has the potential to redefine the QB position and I would love to see it happen in Denver. Apparently Elway is not willing to take that on but I guarantee you that he wants to win a Super Bowl as team president.
Jim Harbaugh found a way to win with Alex Smith. He did not turn him into a great quarterback, yet.
Other than that, I agree with your post.
Elway was a solid scrambler in his time. He understands winning with non-classic drop back QBs. What he can’t figure out is how you win with a QB who misses open receivers enough to have a completion percentage of 47. When your QB can’t do timing patterns and can’t be counted on to put the ball on target the whole winning thing gets problematic.
And Harbaugh didn’t turn Smith into a great QB, he turned Smith into a no longer horrible QB. There’s a reason their FG unit set records last season, the Niners couldn’t finish drives.
Being from Indiana, and a manning fan, I just can’t see why he’s taking the risk of spending the rest of his life drinking his steaks through a straw.
That said, Elway must think Denver is within two years of a Super-Bowl.
The Tebow thing, like or not, has become a HUGE distraction for Denver, too. Don’t forget that the media HATES Christians, and thinks they are stupid and hateful. (It’s a gay thingy).
I hope the pundits are right in that Manning makes the Broncos instant contenders. I remain skeptical.
What Bronco receivers? They got rid of their best (Marshall) last year. There's no Clark or Wayne for Peyton here. And no O-line phalanx to protect his fragile neck. And he will play in thin air, at 36, in lots of cold, windy games, after playing 66% of his storied career tossing the pigskin indoors. This could be ugly to behold.
I meant Eric Decker.....is he still on IR?
This is so stupid, Manning will go down and out with one more good tackle with his neck getting in the way of the ground. I’ve been saying that if Manning had 400 touchdown passes instead of 399 he wouldn’t have come back. I don’t think he’s really looking long term. Tebow? God help him.
What is Denver thinking?...
Happy feet and a rubber arm?...
I think Peyton will be a hell of a coach, perhaps that is what Denver is thinking. What did Bill Walsh say...”Peyton interviewed me.”
For all of the back-and-forth on FR, Tebow is just a good, not a great, QB. What he does have, though, is that intangible confidence of knowing how to win. That's infectious and can make a good team great. I've read several interviews with the Broncos who said, approximately, that no matter what the score, they always thought they were in the game. He'll do the same thing whereever he winds up.
The big winner here, I think, is John Fox. He *loved* Jake Delhomme - a pocket passer like Manning - when they were in Carolina.
I'd not want to need to draw up a game plan for a QB like Tebow every week. The fact that the Broncos did, and were pretty successful, speaks as much to Fox's coaching as Tebow's playing.
They have already traded their backup QB Brady Quinn so if they trade Tebow they’ll have to get at least one other QB.
As I’ve posted on other threads, I think Manning and Tebow along w/ another running back would make an extremely potent formation. Two passing and two running potentials.
Tough to defend.
The ultimate ‘revenge’ would be for the team Tebow lands on to win the Super Bowl and beat Denver in the playoffs on the way.
Which is why New England is toying with the idea of acquiring him and converting him to a tight end/fullback/h-back/wildcat QB.
Apparently quite a few of you people didn't watch much of his Jekyll and Hyde performance as a QB in Denver last season.
Gonna love watching the rest of the AFC West tee off on Manning...
Fox was a great hire.
I think Manning and Tebow along w/ another running back in the same backfield would make an extremely potent formation
Elway & Manning.
The ‘bromance’ of the century?
I wrote yesterday on a different thread that it is Janet (John's ex) who might be doing the comparison. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Scorn can deeply effect a man who still longs for the respect of his wife (even an ex wife)and who knows he has deeply hurt her and his children, not to mention disappoint his mother.
When I first heard about the acquisition of Manning I hoped it was to help Tebow, but I suspected it was Elway's way of getting rid of a man who is his better where it hurts.
What the hell are some of you people smoking?
a rocket for an arm.
A 46.5% completion rate for the season, a 40.4% completion rate in the playoffs and a career QB rating of 75.1 is not indicative of a "rocket for an arm". Obviously you didn't spend too much time watching the Jekyll and Hyde performance in the 13 games Tebow started in 2011; how about that 2-8 performance against Kansas City in week 10 or his 6-22 performance against Kansas City in week 17?
Elway had no mobility.
Elway rushed for over 3400 yards in his career.
I guarantee you that if Tebow goes to SF, NE, Baltimore or any team with a coach who can think creatively, those franchises would succeed.
That's why everybody in the league is breaking down the Broncos door to get Tebow, right? By the way, why was Tebow being tutored by Noel Mazzone on his mechanics in February if he's such a great prospect? By this time in his football career he shouldn't have to be working on his throwing motion, hips or footwork.
He was puzzled by Tebow's stats. The kid didn't even complete 48 percent of his throws. Peyton Manning completes 65 percent of his.
Receivers are half of the equation on QB pass stats, and Elway's rookie time wasn't all that stellar.
IMO Elway had an issue with being out-loved by some newbie.
He was puzzled by Tebow's stats. The kid didn't even complete 48 percent of his throws. Peyton Manning completes 65 percent of his.
Receivers are half of the equation on QB pass stats, and Elway's rookie time wasn't all that stellar.
IMO Elway had an issue with being out-loved by some newbie.
I went back to youtube to check the 1998 play you referred to. Seriously? That's Elway running over a linebacker? Bo Jackson knew how to run over a linebacker. So does Tebow. Elway took a chance with his life there, and survived. Courage, yes. Fullback, no. Peyton Manning can do that play, too.
Harbaugh didn't make Smith great in the sense of the classic definition of a QB. But he had a great season, played great, and his team was millimeters from the Super Bowl. Harbaugh made him great in that sense, he did not improve his skills, but he found a way to use his skills so that they and the team flourished. I think we agree, but you misunderstood my use of the term "great" when describing Smith. He's not Tom Brady, and never will be. What makes some coaches great is designing around the players that you have. What demonstrates others to be mediocre is the inability to do that. They have to find a player that fits within a system that they can understand.
Brandon Marshall, who, after reading his lengthy rap sheet, one easily discerns that he is a head case and a morally bankrupt human being, was traded in April of 2010. Two seasons ago. Miami has now grown tired of his act and shipped him to Chicago. One could argue that Brandon Lloyd was their best receiver last year but he too knew that Tebow lacked the skill to be a good quarterback and asked to be traded. Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas are fine receivers and they've got some young kids with a lot of potential. You apparently forget what Manning was able to do with and for a group of previously unknown receivers in Indianapolis.
And no O-line phalanx to protect his fragile neck.
The current line is much better than the one Elway played behind for 13 of his 16 seasons. The orthopedic surgeon who operated on Manning has stated that his neck is now much stronger than the one he received from the manufacturer. The players who have worked out with him at Duke say he's the same old Manning.
And he will play in thin air, at 36, in lots of cold, windy games,
You obviously haven't spent much time in Denver during the winter or any other season for that matter.
This could be ugly to behold.
If it turns out to be beautiful will you be humble enough to come back and admit you were wrong?
Cooper Manning had a neck problem and had to quit football from what I recall reading.
Incorrect. Quinn was a free agent and left on his own. No loss as evidenced by his lackluster performance against Arizona last September.
so if they trade Tebow they’ll have to get at least one other QB.
You're forgetting about Adam Weber who remains but if they deal Tebow they'll definitiely get an experienced backup.
Elway and Shanahan, who was then a coach with the 49ers, convinced Bowlen to fire Reeves? If they had that much juice why weren't they then able to convince Bowlen to hire Shanahan instead of that disaster Wade Phillips?
Said the guy named "AA". Maybe you are drunk at the keyboard. You expose yourself as the same kind of backward looking type as Elway by making the same arguments that Elway and this libtard Rick guy do, instead of thinking about what Tebow could do, under a system set up for what he brings to the table.
Elway rushed for over 3400 yards in his career.
So, about 200 yards a season? 13 yards a game. That's not rushing, it's once or twice a game avoiding the sack and picking up a few yards. Are you kidding me? In Tebow, you combine a 1000 yard a season rusher, if he was an RB, with a guy who has a great arm and has shown he can put the ball where he wants to deep downfield--as Pittsburgh found out. Defenses aren't set up to stop the run in a no-back or one back offense. With Tebow, that becomes a 2 back offense that is also in a passing set. It changes the equations that defenses live and die by. The main drawback to it, though, is the risk of injury to your QB. If he is a key runner, and you lose him, you have issues. You now have to bring in a QB that is probably a standard QB, and the team has to run an entirely different playbook. That is a reason for concern, sure. But not Tebow's supposed inability to play QB. That opinion is more an indicator of an inflexible mindset.
That's why everybody in the league is breaking down the Broncos door to get Tebow, right?
The coaches I mentioned have already got QBs that they have made into winners, so don't need Tebow. Some team will pick him up and if he has a coach who is willing to put in a system that works with Tebow's skill set, then they will do well. Other coaches who adapted well to their QBs were Andy Reid with Michael Vick, and Rex Ryan with Sanchez. Sanchez, in particular, would have been as big a failure as Smith if he had not been allowed to grow with what he had. If Tebow gets someone that thinks that they have to completely change him into John Elway, then it probably won't work. He may get better on some mechanics, but he will probably never be a good QB if forced to play as a standard dropback QB. His success can come by his ability to unbalance the defense. Elway never wanted to figure out a way to make that work, because he can't see beyond his comfort zone. The nattering nabobs of the NFL don't like Tebow for the same reason that the elites hate Sarah Palin, he threatens them and their world view by the attraction that the public has for him. So they have to tear him down, where a Joe Flacco, with lesser skills and lesser potential is not. subjected to the constant ridicule. Sad to see so many on FR buy into that load of crap spewed by the far left sports media.
Fox has little if anything to do with the offense. The wizards responsible for changing to and implementing the spread were Mike McCoy, Adam Gase and Elway
Maybe someone will try it one of these days.
Wow you’re way off in crazy land. Flacco has a higher completion percentage, higher yards per pass, and fewer fumbles. And also Flacco takes tons of heat for uneven play. Tebow takes heat because his stats stink, period:
http://www.nfl.com/player/timtebow/497135/gamelogs
He doesn’t challenge anybody’s belief, he’s just not a good QB. Those are fact, not leftist media anything. Nice guy, bad QB, read the stats.
Manning is old slow and skinny, having him in as a decoy is just a waste of a player on the field. And with Tebow’s inaccuracy having them both on the field and letting Tebow throw his doomed ducks will drive Manning insane.
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