By Adam Ovenell-Carter and Clinton Hallahan
Tim Tebow is incredible. But is it for his story, or for his play? Those of us who know better would say the former, but some, as you’ll see, are sold on Tebow’s game.
Clinton Hallahan:
It’s odd that detractors will give breathless adulations to rare ‘clutch’ plays but ignore the clutch life of story-of-the-year, Tim Tebow. I get that most of his wins are the sporting equivalent of Indiana Jones snatching his hat from under the closing door, but style points are the mother’s milk of professional athletics, and to argue against it is to take a romantic view of what’s first and foremost an entertainment medium.
Too cynical? Look at the win column. The Broncos are an also-ran quickly going Cinderella on the bewildered behinds of the AFC West. With his win in the wildcard round, Tebow has arrived. By the time you read this he will either have slain the Patriots giant or lost to one of the best teams in the NFL for the past decade. So why is he not the football Crosby? Why the haterade?
The answer is paranoia of religion coalescing into a weird voyeurism. An outspoken evangelical Christian, Tebow exhibits an unabashed devotion to his faith on the field, making him an anomaly not in faith, but in his willingness to display it during game time. There is a bit of mockery revolving around Tebow that stems from this constant displays of religion, and his miraculous wins only feed that novelty.
Both the positive and negative cults of Tebow feed off his uncanny characteristics, a muffled laughter I can’t imagine dissipating until he has a Super Bowl ring on his finger. What should be important is that milestone isn’t far off: He’s the real deal.
Adam Ovenell-Carter
If Tim Tebow quarterbacks the Broncos — or any NFL team, for that matter — to Super Bowl, I will be utterly amazed. I will also, very willingly, eat each and every word of mine.
There’s probably no nicer guy in professional sports; whatever your religious beliefs are, it’s hard not to root for the guy. He’s humble, he’s polite, he thanks God for everything he’s been given and most of all, he’s goddamn charming. Why? Likely because like almost everyone else, he’s surprised he is where he is right now.
Let’s be honest here. Tebow was arguably the greatest player in college football history, but these are the bigs we’re talking about now. In college, a terrible throwing motion and poor vision are excusable, especially when you know how to make the most out of what you have, which Tebow does. But those qualities do not equate to an NFL quarterback.
Tebow has a hard time reading defences and misses more throws than he makes. You can talk about his late game heroics, but you can also talk about his late game meltdowns (see weeks 15 through 17). He also has an outstanding defense to back up his errors, led by defensive rookie of the year candidate Von Miller and world-class cornerback Champ Bailey.
Tebow is one of the greatest stories of the last decade, but he’s been given a lot of credit where he perhaps doesn’t deserve it. But if he proves me wrong, by God I’ll be more than thrilled.
