COLUMN: I hate Tim Tebow
I am a Broncos fan. I was born and raised in Colorado. I spent my formative years cheering for John Elway. Let me tell you, watching a quarterback of that caliber will instill a love for a team in you.
Then he retired and there was Brian Griese and a long chain of mediocrity under center followed. I sat through game after game of Broncos losses. It was painful.
Then everything changed on April 22, 2010. Head coach Josh McDaniels made one of the most controversial decisions in franchise history. He drafted a young, up-and-coming quarterback out of the University of Florida. Maybe you’ve heard of him, his name is Tim Tebow.
Fast forward two years and the Denver Broncos — note that I said Broncos, as in the entire team — have made it through the first round of playoffs and Tebowmania has made it around the nation.
Love him or hate him, people are talking. But does he really deserve it?
No. Tebow averaged 144 passing yards per game in the regular season, which is hardly legendary. He effectively doubled that in the postseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but there is still the question of his throwing motion.
It’s flat-out ugly — the extra-long wind up that starts at his hip and moves side arm through the throw. If you have to watch the ball in slow motion it gets even worse. It wobbles through the air on an off-kilter path in the general direction of a receiver.
Any pressure, and Tebow backs up. One play later, and the Broncos are facing second and 30, a hole you’re not going to overcome with a quarterback who runs the ball a vast majority of the time. There’s no room in the NFL for an option quarterback who is unable to read defenses.
So where does all this hype come from? It’s obvious it is not from his playing ability.
Purely as a player alone, he doesn’t deserve the praise, but my problems with Tebow extend far beyond that. Whether he has meant to or not, he’s created an explosion of fandom far beyond that of any other athlete.
It’s gone too far. There’s something almost sacrilegious about Tebow-ing, the viral term that refers to dropping down on one knee in a prayerful pose. I have no doubt Tebow does it for all the right reasons and while it rubs me the wrong way, I am not going to say anything bad about his religion. In reality, I applaud him for sticking to his morals.
It’s gotten out of hand. Tebow drops to one knee to give his respect to God. Everyone else does it to show their respect for Tebow, but that is not what it is about.
The truth is, whether you like him or not, he’s still winning games. He may be the luckiest man in the world or more likely have a very good supporting cast, but the Broncos are still picking up W’s. The important thing to remember is the Broncos are in the playoffs — not just Tim Tebow.
He is nothing without the rest of the team.
– Meredith Kinney is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism and an avid hockey fan. She hopes one day to be a big-shot sideline reporter working for ESPN. You can also contact her at meredith.kinney@aggiemail.usu.edu.