Personally, I really like Tim Tebow. He seems like one of the nicest, most genuine people in all of sports. I read about him doing lots of stuff most Christians won't do, such as visiting prisons. He is way more evangelical than I am, but he doesn't seem the least bit hypocritical, which is why I like him.
But I do have a question, is all the controversy really about his faith?
I have some issues with that. He's not the only very outspoken Christian I can remember in sports. Kurt Warner was very outspoken about his faith, and I don't remember anyone saying bad things about him. Reggie White also. Lance Bernmak is a very conservative Christian, who has done numerous interviews about his faith, an I never heard it mentioned during the World Series.
So, why is everyone so hard on Tebow? I would argue that people are critical of Tebow because he did not earn his starting position. If you look back at training camp, he was 3rd string. You could argue that he got his starting opportunity because his army of fans put up billboards demanding that he start, and that they threatened not to buy season tickets, not to come to games, etc.
I really think he gets a lot of criticism because he really didn't earn his position. Make no mistake, he has done this best with his opportunity. I just have a hard time with the belief that he is "controversial" because of his faith.
I don't think the issue is his faith. The issue is that he's a really bad quarterback. He has terrible accuracy, it takes him forever to get rid of the football, and he generally doesn't make good decisions on the field. The guy needs to spend more time working on his mechanics, his reads, and his knowledge of Denver's actual playbook (not the cobbled-together makeshift one they had to install in a hurry because Tebow wasn't capable of running their actual one). We all know what he believes. What he believes is also irrelevant to how good a quarterback he is.
ReplyDeleteFrom a personal standpoint, I think he's a good guy. I really do. He doesn't seem to be fake at all in what he believes or who he is. But a good person does not a professional quarterback make, and he seriously needs to improve his skill set if he wants to have any sort of extended career in the NFL. Much like Miami's little Wildcat experiment a few years ago, Denver's quasi-read option experiment will run into serious problems when teams have seen it a few times. The NFL (and this is something most southern college football fans seem to fail to realize) is a MUCH higher level of football quality than the college game, and the defenses there are smarter, faster, stronger, and better coached than anything you'll see in college. They will stop him, and then he's essentially screwed since he can't do anything else than what he's doing right now.
No one* dislikes Tebow because of his faith just like no one* disliked Vince Young because he was black. In fact, there's not really that many people that dislike Tebow or disliked (in 2006) Vince Young. They are just crappy, crappy quarterbacks who people call crappy, crappy quarterbacks. You know who is an even worse quarterback than either of those guys? You are. But I don't hate you, I just have no problem saying that you are a crappy quarterback.
ReplyDelete*Obviously "no one" is an exaggeration. There are people that hate Tim Tebow b/c of his faith, and there are people that hate VY b/c he's black. But they are the EXTREME minority.
Sorry, I wanted to throw this in there too:
ReplyDeletehttp://nation.foxnews.com/tim-tebow/2011/12/02/what-if-tim-tebow-were-muslim
I love how this column (from FOX NEWS!!!) acts like if Tim Tebow was Muslim everyone would absolutely love him and show him great respect. But instead, he is a Christian and everyone in America hates Christians.
OK, flame away.
Tebow is not the best quarterback in the league. However, his results are pretty good. The Vikings thought they could outscore him, but found out they couldn't. He is improving every week, so I don't think the final chapter has not been written.
ReplyDeleteTebow is playing the same reason that Brady Quinn got his shot in Cleveland. The teams drafted them high and spent a bunch of money on them so the fans want to see how good they are. The backup QB is always the most popular player on the team.
I think that one reason the fans like him is because he seems to care as much as they do. Phillip Rivers, considered a good QB, was criticized a few years ago when he was filmed laughing on the sideline when his team was losing badly. Tebow's faith is genuine and that is the something that make him approachable. He is the anti-Charles Barkley. He is a role model. His time will be up as soon as the Broncos get held out of the playoffs. Oh that's right, they below .500 before and since then they are 6-1. Results matter.
First, Trey, you have no idea as to my skills at the NFL quarterback position. It is quite possible that Tom Brady is seeking to emulate me on the field each week. Or that Peyton Manning and I had conversations on game day as to how he should handle the game. So I am offended and demand that you take that comment back. Anyway, I do think that Tebow's faith has SOMETHING to do with some of the comments he's getting. No one went on radio saying Kurt Warner needed to stop talking about his faith so much. Keep in mind that Reggie White, Kurt Warner and these guys (at least for the NFL) played in a different era. The NFL has changed in the past 5 years. While it was always a tough gig from a PR standpoint, the past 5 years has seen an increase in visibility that has never been. This is most likely due to the rise of social media. Reactions may have been similar to Kurt Warner being outspoken about his faith. Tim also mentions his faith more than Kurt did, at least it seems that way, and his faith was well known before he ever came to the NFL. Now, the critics do have some legitimate gripes. There is the over publicized "elongated throwing motion" which presents protection issues; his down-field awareness isn't good, but he is making big strides each week (he actually looked respectable against the Vikes); and he isn't as accurate as Aaron Rodgers, but who is (that guy makes Tom Brady look like a rookie)? The important part is that his teammates would most likely follow him into Hell, and that is the ONLY aspect of playing quarterback that you can't learn or practice. So, legitimate gripes aside, I have noticed that with the increase in attention to Tim's faith has come an increased fervor of his detractors. This is an expected reaction. True Christians who practice their faith without apology are offensive to a lost, dying world. We are told to live as Christ; he got a very similar reaction in his time (in no way am I saying Tim is Christ, but we should be compared to him, and to be is a high honor for a miserable sinner). He is also a sinner who will at some point do something that the media will latch on to and hang him for (could be as simple as a speeding ticket). So with all that said, make no mistake, his faith absolutely has something to do with some of the negativity.
ReplyDeleteI also meant to add that it is unfair to say that he didn't "earn" his spot. Let's not forget that he was a decent college ball player, which doesn't always translate to the NFL, but it did earn him a first round draft pick. According to his teammates he is the hardest working person on the team. He also put himself in the position to be selected as the starter. Brady Quinn has a track record of being unreliable, and Kyle Orton isn't even with the organization anymore. So if this was an attempt to placate fans, which teams just don't do, Orton would still be waiting in the wings for Tim to lose.
ReplyDeleteKeith, whe you say that "true Christians who practice their faith without apology are offensive to a lost, dying world," how do you define "practice." what specifically is so offensive?
ReplyDeleteAlso, fun fact: the teams that Denver has beaten in this little run were a combined 19-30 when they played the Broncos, and three of them were using backup quarterbacks. Sure, he's getting results, but it's much more logical to conclude that the vastly improved Denver defense, the reborn Willis McGahee, and the putridity of their schedule are all more indicative of what the Broncos are accomplishing than a quarterback that has issues hitting a receiver more than 15 yards downfield.
ReplyDeleteTebow is just another victim of the war on Christmas and Fox is the only network with the guts to report it!
ReplyDelete