The maniacal reign of college football’s king is almost over, praise the lord.
Florida quarterback Tim Tebow has played his last game in the Swamp. I wonder if the stadium got its nickname due to the field’s condition after he, coach Urban Meyer and all 90,000 fans clad in that tacky orange and blue stopped bawling like children.
The supposed “best college football player of all time” is down to his final two games as a Gator, and I cannot wait to say goodbye.
Tebow started his miraculous football journey in 2006 when he valiantly led Florida to a national championship over Ohio State. That’s how the media plays it for the average football fan who might not remember Chris Leak. He was the real quarterback that season for Florida, who beat OSU 41-14 in the title game. His eight to 10 quarterback draws per game as a freshman, and that horrendous-looking jump pass for a touchdown were clearly the deciding plays that allowed Florida to win its first national title since 1996.
Its not that Tebow isn’t good; you’d be a complete fool to try and argue otherwise. He is phenomenal and it would be difficult to deny that. It is, however, his godlike status that rubs me the wrong way.
He does great things off the field — service and speeches, (although seeing the same video from the Philippines the last two years has gotten quite old) — and that’s admirable. In an era filled with steroids, dog fighting and most recently Tiger Woods’ so-called “transgressions,” sports could use a role model.
But having Tebow force-fed by ever major sports media outlet the last four seasons has began to wear thin.
Somewhere deep down, I know Tebow is a good person and I want to not loathe him, but seeing his holier-than-thou act for so long has made it impossible.
It isn’t his necessarily his fault, either. ESPN, whose channel and Web site I spend countless hours a day digesting, has turned him into a spectacle.
Remember when Tebow got a concussion? Remember how quick ESPN made it their front-page story? Remember endlessly hearing about it like his career could potentially be over? I do, and you would have thought he was fighting a career-ending disease.
Watching grown men, commentators and analysts fawn over him like school girls is creepy and disturbing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many awkward man crushes in my entire life.
It’s also the fact that praise for Tebow falls on him alone. Believe it or not he has faults and gets help from those around him.
Has anyone noticed he isn’t that great of a quarterback? Great player? Yes. Great Leader? Yes. But great QB? Not really.
His accuracy is subpar and his throwing motion and mechanics are decent at best. If my team needed a game-winning drive with a minute left in the game, there isn’t a chance I’d want Tebow as my quarterback over Colt McCoy or Sam Bradford.
Then there is his supporting cast. The Florida defense is loaded and returned everybody from last season. You would think, however, that Tebow played defense too with the way he “single-handedly” wins games.
Lastly there is Urban Meyer, one of the best coaches in all of college football. Looking at his track record, however, Meyer loves to produce system quarterbacks, such as Josh Harris at Bowling Green, and Alex Smith at Utah, whose big numbers got him invited to the Heisman ceremony and a first overall pick in the NFL draft.
Where are those guys now though? They’ve fallen back into obscurity without Meyer’s offense.
Not everything Tebow does is flawless. His stats have decreased since his Heisman trophy-winning sophomore season. In fact, his touchdowns, both rushing and throwing, have been almost cut in half this season compared to his sophomore year.
Finally, I don’t need Tebow preaching scripture to me with his eye black for four hours every Saturday. I went to Catholic school, I’m religious and I go to church, but I don’t need someone preaching religion in something as meaningless as football.
You see, Tebow must be too good to be true. If he isn’t, then excuse this rant, but I don’t think a college athlete could be so perfect.
The massive Tebow brainwashing conspiracy hit me the hardest recently. When discussing with my father who our beloved Brownies should take with their probable first overall selection in April’s NFL Draft, my father said he would love Tebow.
Tebow, dad? Really? Oh well, his sports knowledge isn’t as high as some, but I guess he can pick a winner when he sees one.
I, on the other hand, do not want Tim Tebow on the Browns, unless it’s on the second day of the draft. Why? Because this time next year Tebow, will either be struggling as a quarterback in the NFL or be a former quarterback playing fullback or tight end.
Call me a hater, but that will most likely bring a smile to my face.
