Storyline: No matter how much Tim Tebow does right, commentators say he doesn’t. NFL Network has taken it upon themselves to ridicule Tebow more than necessary. Written by Richard Caldwell, Houston, Texas.
I witnessed something last night that troubled me. I watched a young man play a good football game and then receive coverage and analysis of that performance that defied honesty.
The dishonest analysts were multiple. It would be wrong to single out just one. Their messages, though consisting of different words, displayed the same spirit.
“We had our minds made up before the game was played.”
“We will keep repeating the same views of Tim Tebow regardless of how he actually performs.”
The performance I am referring to was his play in the Eagles final preseason game of the 2015 season. Tebow shared time, versus the Jets, with Matt Barkley. When the night was finished Tebow had completed 11 of 17 passes, for 189 yards and 2 TD’s. He rushed for 32 yards on 4 carries.
The only blemish on his night was hardly a blemish. Chip Kelly decided to keep the offense on the field for a 4th and 15 chance. As Tebow explained afterward, that situation by its very definition requires the quarterback to force the ball into coverage if nothing is there. You make the throw. If it succeeds, fine. If not, nothing lost. The result was an interception, but inside the Jets 10 yard line.
The analysis afterward, particularly on NFL network, would have left someone believing that Tebow played poorly. Brian Billick’s analysis was especially troubling. At one point he attempted to poor mouth Tebow’s back shoulder completion for a TD. It was a well-delivered ball, right where it needed to be, resulting in a score. Billick attempted to argue that the ball was delivered late, and that it was (I’m paraphrasing) a good throw for a pass delivered late. I have watched that replay again and again and Tebow’s pass was delivered when and where it needed to be. The replay shows the wide receiver raise his hand at the precise moment that Tebow released it.
Courtesy: beforeitnews.com
Billick went on to ask how many opportunities Tebow would be given before someone told him, “I’m sorry son, you just can’t play in the NFL.” Is there any honest minded person that could draw such a conclusion from that performance? It smacked of an analysis that would not be confused by the actual performance.
Billick was not alone, however. The three man team on the set (in what felt like a feeding frenzy) agreed with and encouraged one another in the critical assessment. I am not exaggerating when I say that immediately after the game, when the camera turned to the three, it looked as if they were disappointed. It was as if Tebow’s performance now made what they expected to say, and wanted to say, seem silly. And if that is how they felt, they were right. Their commentary was not only silly, it defied logic, given the way Tebow had just played.
That kind of coverage was not limited to the NFL Network group selected to cover the game at halftime and postgame. Mike Mayock was asked, on another NFL Network program, whether he thought Tebow would make the Eagles 53 man roster. He answered affirmatively, but talked Tebow down from beginning to end.
What was noteworthy to me is that, while Mayock was being interviewed, the network replayed Tebow’s interception throw four times. They replayed his incompletions. They replayed him being sacked. They replayed an awkward looking 2 yard run. This was a game in which he completed 11-17, for 189 and 2 TD’s, and ran for 32 yards, and the selections for replay, during the Mayock interview, were negative plays. Why?
I am 52 years old. I have watched the NFL for as long as I can remember. I have watched as countless players have been covered and analyzed. I can say, with all objectivity, that I have never seen a player covered the way that Tim Tebow has been treated. The only way I know how to describe it is to say that it is subjective, unfair, and at times, flat out dishonest.
At the end of the day I have zero vested interest in the NFL career of Tim Tebow. In fact, while I admire the young man very much, I am not convinced that playing NFL football is the best use of his life, given his desire for ministry. What does interest me, however, is what seems to be an obsession with a particular narrative regarding his play. It is a narrative that is constantly repeated regardless of how he actually performs.
I know it is a troublesome reality for those who want to trash his abilities, but the only time Tim Tebow has had an extended opportunity to start in the NFL the results were actually pretty good.
Courtesy: cbssports.com
He led a Broncos team to the playoffs when no one expected it. He led a Broncos victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in a first round playoff game, a victory that saw Tebow throw for over 300 yards. Despite this, Mike Mayock and others continue to repeat the mantra, “Tebow cannot start for an extended period of time.” Wow, I actually thought he did once, and led his team to the playoffs. Maybe I dreamed that?
What drives the negative bent to the Tebow coverage? I think it is a combination of pride and prejudice. Pride that has already gone public with the dismissal of his abilities, and does not want to walk back those assessments. Pride would be the explanation for those who are not bothered by Tebow on a personal level, but have already been very public with their dismissal of him as an NFL quarterback.
Prejudice, on the other hand, is more deviant. Prejudice would be the explanation for someone who finds Tebow’s personal life, and personal convictions, to be a rebuke to the current culture and their own way of seeing the world. Tebow agitates them and they would rather he not be successful and therefore in the public eye.
I do believe that there are people who criticize Tebow who don’t fit either of those descriptions. They say what they do not because of pride, and not because of prejudice. They have an honest opinion that he just isn’t good enough. But those people would not look at 11-17, 189 yards, 2 TD’s, a meaningless interception dictated by a 4th and 15, and 32 yards rushing, and see something to be criticized. The honest people will give Tebow credit where credit is due.
Thank you for this honest and very astute assessment of the loads of unfair coverage of “All Things Tim Tebow”. It is astounding to watch it. It is as if they all do a collective cringe every time Tim competes a pass or rushes for a 1st down or, God forbid, he chooses not to pass to an open receiver in the end zone and runs it in himself for the TD. I chalk it up to sheer good old fashion JEALOUSY. These commentators, many of whom are former players, never received the accolades in college that Tebow did, nor did they receive anywhere near the coverage in the media while in the NFL. Tim Tebow, and the fans and media who can’t get enough of him, is truly a phenomenon in the sports world the likes of which, due to social media, that we’ve never really seen before. Tim Tebow is a force of nature…he will not be told NO. His perseverance is an inspiration to millions. Tim has a dream, and no one is going to tell him he needs to give up on that dream, nor should he.
In fairness to the NFL Network, a lot of the coverage of Tebow on that network depends on who is anchoring and or commentating on the show, because I have also seen a lot of positive coverage as well. For instance, just yesterday, on a day when the big stories were really Tom Brady and Deflategate and the rumored possible release of RG3 from the Redskins, the lead in story was Tebow’s performance the night before and the trade of Matt Barkley to the Cardinals. In fact, they spent the first 2 segments on Tebow. I also remember a few months ago when NFL Network devoted an entire day of programming on “All Things Tim Tebow”, replaying 2 National Championship games, several Bronco games, and a special edition of “A Football Life: Tim Tebow”. What the media does is both use Tim Tebow’s name for ratings, while at the same time stopping way short of giving Tim Tebow anywhere near the credit he deserves. The will stick to the “He’s not an NFL Quarterback” mantra as if their very lives depended on it. Regardless, Tim hold his head high threw it all, staying above the fray, and just keeps focused on reaching for his dream. Anyone who underestimates Tim Tebow does so at their own peril.