QB or not QB: With Peyton’s pick, Tebow should start packing
"Glad to meet you, Tim. Would you mind if I came out here and took your job?" (AP photo)
OK, we knew this Peyton Manning thing would be a huge deal: One of the greatest quarterbacks ever hits the open market and auditions new employers. (Usually it’s the prospective employee who’s subject to the audition, but when you’re as illustrious as Peyton you call your own tune.) That was big enough. Somehow it got bigger. Somehow it also affects Tim Tebow, who became to the NFL last fall what Jeremy Lin briefly was to the NBA — either the greatest story in memory or the biggest slice of hype since ESPN invented Brett Favre.
Peyton picked Denver, which surely means the Broncos, who were never quite sure what to make of Tebow anyway, will seek to trade the guy who just took them to Round 2 of the playoffs. Which means Timmy T. is now on the market, which means …
The NFL has officially become the real March Madness.
It was a given that Manning wasn’t going to land anywhere that didn’t give him a chance to win big now. (Then again, he’s so good he could make just about any team win big. Check the Colts’ record with and without him.) But Denver fit his needs better than, say, the Titans. Having spent a bit of time in the Volunteer State, he had to know that Tennessee’s NFL franchise will always be viewed as the after-dinner-mint to the Saturday doings in Knoxville.
And San Francisco? Good team, good coach, good defense. And it’s not as if the 49ers have never won anything. (Five Super Bowls at last count.) But Denver offered the prospect of playing for an NFL team that is always the talk of its town and for an organization overseen by John Elway. If you’re the NFL, you couldn’t be happier about Peyton’s second marriage: A glamour quarterback for a glamour team. Except …
What was Tebow if not that?
So now football-watchers get to do it all again. We get to watch as Tebow goes shopping. We get to re-warm the discussions we’ve been having the past five months: Is he really an NFL quarterback and, if not, why was he winning games at a rate most NFL quarterbacks would love to claim? Is there a team out there that fits the Tebow skill-set? If not, is there an NFL team willing to hire Urban Meyer away from Ohio State before he coaches a Buckeye game?
It used to be that baseball was the sport, with its Hot Stove League, that never shut down. But here it is March and Opening Day is around the corner and the Sweet 16 is upon us and the NBA just sailed past its trade deadline, and what are we discussing? The NFL, which won’t stage another game that matters until September.
For the NFL, this comes at a providential moment. Two weeks ago we were all in a tizzy about the Saints and their bounties — and no, we haven’t heard the end of that sordid story — but now we’re back to teams paying for quarterbacks, as opposed to one team paying for the maiming of quarterbacks. (Speaking of quarterbacks: Seattle’s signing of the famous understudy Matt Flynn would have been the story of any other offseason. Just not this one.)
Peyton Manning choosing to stay in the AFC lends balance to a conference in danger of being marginalized. NFC teams have won the past three Super Bowls, and adding P. Manning to a roster of NFC quarterbacks that already includes Rodgers, Brees and E. Manning would have been a bit unfair. (Local angle: Peyton in San Fran wouldn’t have helped the Falcons’ chances, either.)
Peyton in Denver mightn’t make the Broncos the clear AFC frontrunner — New England, Pittsburgh and Baltimore are pretty good — but let’s face it: Denver just won its division with a quarterback who completed 46.5 percent of his passes. The guess is that the new man will do a bit better.
And it’s anybody’s guess where the incumbent Denver quarterback will land. Just when you thought there was nothing more to say about Tim Tebow, we’ve been handed a new Talking Point. NFL football — it’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Oh, and one thing more. Peyton Manning’s new team? It’s scheduled to play in the Georgia Dome next season.
By Mark Bradley
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161 comments Add your comment
bro
March 19th, 2012
5:36 pm
Tebow would make a great tight-end and be a good replacement for Gonzo in Atlanta.
extremus
March 19th, 2012
5:37 pm
I’ll be honest here; I think Tebow might make an excellent fit for the Falcons as a backup for Matt Ryan. His skill set would give opposing teams an entirely different attack to have to adapt to, particularly his running ability, which in many ways gives him Michael Vick-like explosiveness. Heck, having both Ryan and Tebow lining up simultaneously could give opposing teams nightmares; they’d have to constantly guess which QB was going to take/run with/throw the ball.
Aside from this, Tebow by all accounts seems to be a clean-cut, affable young man who won’t be likely to be a disrupting factor in the clubhouse. If Dimitroff really wants to prove he’s improving the Falcons (aside from re-signing the same guys who got their butts handed to them 2 straight years or letting others walk), Tim Tebow could make for a steal if the asking price is decent.
extremus
March 19th, 2012
5:38 pm
I think your filter thingy got me again, Mr. Bradley. Could you check for my last post?
LawDawg
March 19th, 2012
5:38 pm
BREAKING NEWS: Falcons are not going to trade picks and cap space for a backup QB who has to have an entirely different playbook drawn up for him. Story at 11.
We also have an update on our ongoing storyline since the advent of the Internet: 85% of people who comment on sports blogs have the common sense of a squirrel.
smokey
March 19th, 2012
5:40 pm
Anybody got tickets for that Broncos game?
Im so there for my bro ……. Peyton.
George Stein
March 19th, 2012
5:46 pm
The box is that you have to play with a standard drop-back style quarterback, LawDawg, and any deviation from that general idea is not to be tolerated. There are hundreds of ways to move a football down a field, and three, five, and seven step drops are but one (or, I suppose, three) of them.
The fact is Elway’s mind is too simple and uncreative for Tim Tebow to be successful. He needs an owner and a coach that aren’t confined to conventional football for him to flourish. It’s to Tebow’s credit that he was even moderately successful in such an unwelcoming environment.
TampaGator
March 19th, 2012
5:52 pm
Tebow will be traded because of salary….not talent. You Tebow bashers are something else. Any team would be in the position to trade their previous starting QB if Manning has signed with them…..the starters would be departing at Pheonix, Miami, SF….anywhere Manning had selected….same with Tebow. Tebow is still no less a winner…..he won more games in the playoffs last than Atlanta’s great QB……that is all I know…..with less of a team to do it with (and his team beat the Steelers and then lost to one of the Super Bowl teams…the Pats). Denver just wants to win now….and they probably will with one of the best NFL QBs ever. No brainer for Denver. No brainer than Tebow is a goner.
Logic 05
March 19th, 2012
5:55 pm
Why not Philly? They need a QB that take a hit and keep playing.
LawDawg
March 19th, 2012
5:56 pm
Stein: And Denver’s offense was terrible, so maybe there is a reason that conventional wisdom is conventional?
LawDawg
March 19th, 2012
5:59 pm
I mean, putting a guy with no arms and one eye who runs a 5.2 40 time would definitely qualify as outside the box, but I doubt it would be very successful. Granted Tebow runs a bit faster, but the way he throws a football, he may as well have no arms and one eye.
LawDawg
March 19th, 2012
6:01 pm
The best thing for Tebow is going to be if he is shipped to JAX. Their profit motive aligns with sticking it out with Tebow and going all-in on an unconventional offense (under the direction of Mularkey…oof).
That is not true anywhere else, and it will give us a chance to see (once and for all) whether or not you can run a QB-less offense in the NFL.
LawDawg
March 19th, 2012
6:01 pm
* successfully in the NFL, it should say.
George Stein
March 19th, 2012
6:04 pm
You missed the point, LawDawg. They wanted him to do things conventionally and, although they incorporated some of the things he’s more comfortable doing, he was generally not as successful as he might otherwise have been if he was in an offense that better utilized his unique skills. And for all the talk about how poor Denver’s offense was, it was better than the Jets and the Rams, who both used high first round picks to acquire their fit-the-mold quarterbacks.
I guess I’ll never understand people who think that a team must do things a specific way. In the NFL, with every team running essentially the same offense, why not do something different? It would make your team more difficult to prepare for and also give you an edge in acquiring talent, as it might be less valued in the market (which is of even more importance in a league with a salary cap).
"Chef" Tim Dix
March 19th, 2012
6:09 pm
As a Falcons fan, he could play for me. Not at QB (but some plays there), maybe FB, TE, LB?
You cannot ever have too many winners on your club and that is what he most certainly is.
Tebow Will Make It
March 19th, 2012
6:11 pm
We all watched Denver going down for another WORST season them Tebow came on the scene and gave the rest of the team inspiration to bring out the best in them they had, offense and defense and you can’t buy that no where. Tebow will make it in the NFL because he has no quit in him like the rest of you that criticize him just like the far from good reporter Bradley.
Bob
March 19th, 2012
6:12 pm
Speaking of packing…how ’bout Mark Richt (win 9 or 10 games against patsies and loose to a bowl team you should beat) and Andy Landers (stealing money for 33 years…finish third in the SEC and one and done in the NCAA). McGarity, have you seen enough? Don’t get me started about Perno.
Tom G (Independent - Viet Vet)
March 19th, 2012
6:13 pm
Tim, please not Jax, you would get killed there. They have a terrible team, think Bama could play with them! Stay in Denver, if possible and learn from Peyton. Peyton probably has 3-4 good years left and you are still pretty young to be next in line. Just my own thoughts.
Joe Tess Fish House
March 19th, 2012
6:26 pm
If the Flacons do not trade 4 Teabow they are nutz and I will NEVER suport them ever again. They have a chance 2 get a grate player and a grate christan man 2 change this city.
Mr Blanks pleeeeez trade 4 Teabow. Dont let Tommy Dummytroff make anoter misteak!
Joe Tess Fish House
March 19th, 2012
6:28 pm
Enter your comments here
Joe Tess Fish House
March 19th, 2012
6:29 pm
Flacons need 2 trade 4 Teabow.
Nuff said
j
March 19th, 2012
6:31 pm
Having spent a bit of time in the Volunteer State,/Peach State he had to know that Tennessee’s/Atlanta’s NFL franchise will always be viewed as the after-dinner-mint to the Saturday doings in Knoxville/Athens.
Joe Tess Fish House
March 19th, 2012
6:32 pm
If the Flacons dont trade 4 Teabow I will never ever suport them again N E more.
Do U here taht Mr Dummytroff?
This is your chnce to add a grate palyer and grate christan 2 the team and city.
I bet we could tarde Roddy strait up for Teabow.
jerry
March 19th, 2012
6:34 pm
@Bob………don’t get me started about those clowns in charge of athletics at UGA.
Easy
March 19th, 2012
6:39 pm
Tebow to Jacksonville to continue the madness and a successful career. Peyton unfortunately won’t be able to take the punishment his new offensive line allows and good ole King Elway will continue his endless search for the man in the mirror!
Najeh Davenpoop
March 19th, 2012
6:40 pm
“going all-in on an unconventional offense (under the direction of Mularkey…oof).”
Mularkey as offensive coordinator led the Kordell Stewart-quarterbacked Steelers to the AFC Championship Game.
At some point people will start to realize that the players, not the coaches, are the main problem on this team.
bulldogbubba
March 19th, 2012
6:46 pm
THIS just IN- Sonny Clusters seen near third base Tebowing on the field.Details as they become available!!!!GO BRAVES
All I'm Saying Is....
March 19th, 2012
6:46 pm
“We get to watch as Tebow goes shopping.” — Are you kidding? I have way better things to do than concern myself with where that QINO (quarterback in name only) ends up.
LET’S GO FALCONS!
bulldogbubba
March 19th, 2012
6:47 pm
Watch it Sonny – Stinger2 is headed your way , get your glove down.
JB
March 19th, 2012
6:48 pm
Karma…..better watch our for this…….Peyton out mid season with a broken leg…and Tebow leading a upstart team into the playoffs……Not wishing it….but Tebow NEVER seems to amaze me…..
Easy
March 19th, 2012
6:51 pm
Better things to do? Like follow the falcons? Man, you are one patient dude! Tried it for 18 years, never seems to get any better.
BG
March 19th, 2012
6:53 pm
Tebow is the most overrated QB to play in the NFL.
POOPDAWG
March 19th, 2012
7:03 pm
Time will tell BG. There is a lot of luck that determines ones success in the NFL. Hopefully Tebow is placed in a good situation.
Joe Tess Fish House
March 19th, 2012
7:05 pm
No way is Teabow over ratted. The Flacons wood do good 2 have him here. U just no Tom Dummytroff will blow this and we will be stuck with fist round drufat bust matt Ryan.
Nativebird
March 19th, 2012
7:06 pm
Jacksonville, a perfect fit. The guy they dafted last year Gabbert, looked like a deer in the headlights. Tebow Has the wheels to avoid that rush and turn it into 20 -30 yard gains.
Joe Tess Fish House
March 19th, 2012
7:15 pm
Atlanta is the pefect fit 4 Teabow
LakeDawg
March 19th, 2012
7:21 pm
I said last season that Tebow would be out of the NFL in two years. It might be sooner than that. Denver felt trapped by Tebow. They knew he wasn’t THE guy, but couldn’t get rid of him, because of the political pressure. The only way to get rid of him was to bring in a HOF QB, which Manning is. They would’ve paid Manning anything. No matter Manning’s health, Denver has rid themselves of an albatross.
I will add that the over-HYPING of Tebow has done him a disservice. He’s actually a very good athlete with a warrior’s heart. However, that gets overlooked when he’s hyped as a top ten all-time college player (please) and a miracle worker at QB.
Joe Tess Fish House
March 19th, 2012
7:24 pm
Atlanta is a pefect fit 4 Teabow. U no Dummytroff will blow this.
Trade 4 Tim Teabow
March 19th, 2012
7:26 pm
My name sez it all
Trade 4 Tim Teabow
March 19th, 2012
7:27 pm
Just do it
it is what it is
March 19th, 2012
7:29 pm
LOOKS LIKE PEYTON WILL THROW TO BAY BAY THOMAS FOR THE WINNING SUPER BOWL TOUCHDOWN…YOU CANNOT MAKE THIS UP
Trade 4 Tim Teabow
March 19th, 2012
7:35 pm
Lake dog U need 2 go a way if U thing Teabow is no good. U will see U R wrong I bet he gos to ahh o fame 1 day
Sid
March 19th, 2012
7:35 pm
Matt “CHOKE” Ryan
March 19th, 2012
4:43 pm
At lease Denver recognizes their starting qb was a BUST………….
Falcants not so much………..
*******************************************************
………..but he won a playoff game, thought that was a big deal to you but apparently not.
Sid
March 19th, 2012
7:37 pm
Joe Tess Fish House
March 19th, 2012
6:29 pm
Flacons need 2 trade 4 Teabow.
*********************************************
WHY?
Sid
March 19th, 2012
7:39 pm
Tebow will land on his feet……..er uh knee…….!!
Trade 4 Tim Teabow
March 19th, 2012
7:42 pm
I tell U why the Flacons need 2 trade 4 Teabow so they can win a gain. It wood do them good 2 have a good christan on the team. Plus he is a far beter QB then matt Rayn,.
old gold
March 19th, 2012
8:03 pm
Manning is a has been!
Chilidawg
March 19th, 2012
8:05 pm
Tim Tebow is not like every other rookie QB. He was great at Florida because of the system,but he does not have the skills to be a star in the NFL.
William Smith
March 19th, 2012
8:16 pm
I lived in Denver and went to Bronco games. Those fans are crazy for a winner. Manning will do the same thing to Denver that he did for the Colts. If healthy he will win games the Broncos have no business winning and push draft choices to the bottom of the chart. When he does retire they will have no quarterback with any skills and have to go thru terrible records to get one or remain a middle of the road team for years. The Colts made room for Luck, and can surround him with great talent until all the pieces are together. As for Tebow I think they will release him with no cost to the team signing him. I wonder with his limited passing ability and great ability to run. How would he work with Cam Newton in Carolina. Now that is irony!
Beast from the East
March 19th, 2012
8:22 pm
The only reason Peyton chose Denver is because that was his last shot to beat a Gator! He never could do it while at UT…LOL!
Delbert D.
March 19th, 2012
8:29 pm
Here in the South, pro football is an afterthought (Altoids) to college football (cake and ice cream).