Brutally Honest

If only Tebow were gay

Maybe then he'd play again in the NFL... or at least get some favorable press.

Right?

What is becoming clearer is that the man is being blackballed.

So sez Michael Silver, Yahoo Expert (whatever that is):

As a journalist who has consistently experienced the wrath of Tebow Nation — mostly for passing along the slings and arrows voiced by various NFL players, coaches and talent-evaluators — I'm well aware that many devotees of the world's most celebrated unemployed quarterback carry a heavy persecution complex.

Yet as Tim Tebow's career wheezes to an underwhelming halt, with less apparent interest in his services than Massachusetts funeral parlors have in Tamerlan Tsarnaev's remains, something strange is happening. Against all odds, I'm starting to wonder whether the man who helped the Denver Broncos become one of the league's most stunning success stories in 2011 is getting unjustly blackballed.

Nine days after Tebow was released by the New York Jets, it has become increasingly clear that the ultra-popular quarterback who has hijacked many a news cycle has no viable landing spot. No NFL team seems to want him — as a starter, backup, converted H-back or fake-punt decoy — and it's not like he's fending off big-money offers from Canada, either.

...

Tebow, by all accounts, is a hard worker who radiates a relentlessly positive attitude. He has obvious leadership qualities and, as Broncos fans, 2011 opponents and "Saturday Night Live" aficionadosalike can attest, an uncanny knack for getting the stars to align in his favor. (Or, perhaps, his deep Christian faith really does translate into things like Marion Barber inexplicably running out of boundsin high altitude. After the weirdness I witnessed that season, I'm not ruling anything out.)

Clearly, even after shredding what was then the NFL's top-ranked defense for 316 passing yards in that Jan. 2012 playoff triumph, Tebow still has some serious refinement to do in order to bring his game to NFL-starter standards. That was evident in his final game with the Broncos, a lopsided playoff defeat to the New England Patriots.

What I can't understand is why no NFL team has enough faith in Tebow's upside to see if he's capable of pulling it off.

...

Since that defeat to the Patriots, the guy has been treated as dismissively as Kent Dorfman in the opening scene of "Animal House".

Which is why I believe Tebow ought to consider becoming a homosexual.

Or perhaps converting to Islam.

But not both.

That could be problematic.

“You won’t see the same Robert Griffin. You’ll see a better Robert Griffin.”

Those words straight from the mouth of RGIII himself on the occasion of winning the coveted AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award:

Speaking for the first time since undergoing extensive knee surgery nearly four weeks ago,Griffin said his rehabilitation is already ahead of schedule and he has “no doubt” he’ll be ready to play next season.

“My goal is Week 1,” he said. “That’s all I’m really worried about.”

Griffin, who underwent surgery on his right knee on Jan. 9, said he’s been off crutches for nearly two weeks and was walking Saturday with only the slightest hint of a limp. Sporting a striped burgundy and gold neck tie, Griffin had no problem taking the stage at Mahalia Jackson Theater and accepting his award from New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees.

“It’s a truly a blessing to be up here and be able to stand, first and foremost,” Griffin told the star-studded crowd. “I had a tough injury there at the end of the season.”

The quarterback had made no public appearances since injuring his knee in the Redskins’ Jan. 6 playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks and likened Saturday night to a “coming-out party,” as he offered updates on his progress and his offseason hopes. Griffin said when Washington fans see him take the field next, they’ll notice changes.

“You will see a different version of me,” he said. “I vowed to my teammates and to myself after my first knee injury that I’ll come back a better player and that’s what I plan to do after this one as well. You won’t see the same Robert Griffin. You’ll see a better Robert Griffin.”

That would be one helluva Robert Griffin.

I hope he's right but as an avid Skins fan, I'd be most happy with the same Robert Griffin coming back to the line-up.

Something you probably didn't know about 49er QB Colin Kaepernick

Coming our way via Jack Cashill over at American Thinker:

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick should not be playing in the National Football Conference title game on Sunday.  In fact, if anyone were taking book on these sorts of things back in 1987, they would have bet that a "Colin Kaepernick" would never have existed at all.

In the early part of that year, Kaepernick's birth mother made a culture-defying decision.  She chose not to have an abortion.  Instead, she hung in there through the pregnancy and birth and gave up her baby for adoption.  This could not have been easy for a single mother of a bi-racial child, but she endured.

There were not many women who made the choice this woman did in 1987.  Although the statistics are imperfect, an estimated 72,000 women that year gave up a child for adoption to someone other than a relative. Having watched two newborn sons die of heart defects, Teresa and Rick Kaepernick, then of Wisconsin, decided to adopt, and Colin was the baby who came their way. 

Not many babies were as fortunate as Colin in 1987.  That year 1,353,671 American women chose to abort their child.  In other words, given the circumstances of his conception, there was only 1 chance in 19 that Kaepernick would make it out of the womb alive.  Whatever the odds are of winning the Super Bowl, they have got to be a whole lot better than that.

I don't have a dog in this Super Bowl hunt but I'll likely lean toward rooting for the NFC Divisional Champs and Mr. Kaepernick in particular.

“This is the best throwing athlete I’ve seen come out in a while”

That from Brian Billick on RGIII, who after yesterday's blockbuster deal, is expected to be drafted by my Washington Redskins: 

The Washington Redskins have pulled off a trade for the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft, sending three first-round picks and a second-round selection to the St. Louis Rams in a bid to draft Heisman trophy- winning quarterback Robert Griffin III, two people with knowledge of the situation said late Friday.

Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, known for big splashes during his tenure, authorized the blockbuster move even as the team’s hopes of signing free agent superstar Peyton Manning were fading Friday. The Redskins will send their first-round (sixth overall) and second-round picks in this year’s draft, plus first-round picks in 2013 and 2014, for what is expected to be the selection of Baylor’s Griffin.

...

Griffin, however, may need time to adjust to the NFL game. He ran a college-style spread offense at Baylor, winning the Heisman Trophy — the top award in college football — after passing for 4,293 yards, 37 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He also ran the 40 yard dash in 4.41 seconds at last month’s NFL Scouting Combine, speed that would make many wide receivers envious.

“This is the best throwing athlete I’ve seen come out in a while,” said former Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick, who now works for the NFL Network. “Far better than [Philadelphia Eagles quarterback] Michael Vick, in my opinion. Far better than [Carolina Panthers quarterback] Cam Newton.”

The Redskins had been in discussions with the Rams to acquire the No. 2 pick since the combine. The Rams, who already have third-year pro Sam Bradford at quarterback, sought to swap the pick for draft choices that would expedite their rebuilding process.

It was believed that the Rams would command a price similar to the one exacted by the San Diego Chargers in 2004, when they received two first-round picks, a third-round selection and a fifth-rounder from the New York Giants for Eli Manning, Peyton Manning’s younger brother.

But Washington gave up much more — an indication of team officials’ high opinion of Griffin, and of the pressure to turn the Redskins into winners. If Griffin is as good as advertised, he will ignite a struggling franchise and buy Shanahan more time.

“You’re not giving [those picks] away. You’re getting a quarterback who has star power,” ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper said Thursday when asked about the price of moving up to acquire the Rams’ pick and the chance to draft Griffin. “I don’t care about the spots you move up. It’s a quarterback-driven league. Griffin is red-hot right now. . . . Dan Snyder knows what [the Redskins] need, and they’ve got to get a quarterback. They beat the Giants twice, and they beat Green Bay a year ago. He knows the missing link in Washington is quarterback.”

Good or bad move?  Leave it in the comments.

"The magic is back" (UPDATED)

From the AP:

One of the most storied NFL playoff teams ran into a rejuvenated Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos.

Sorry, Pittsburgh Steelers.

The magic is back.

Tebow connected with Demaryius Thomas on an electrifying 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime and the Broncos defeated the stunned Steelers 29-23 in the AFC wild-card game on Sunday. Wild doesn't begin to describe it. The play took 11 seconds and was the quickest ending to an overtime in NFL history.

Thomas hauled in a high play-action pass at the Denver 38, stiff-armed Ike Taylor and then outraced Ryan Mundy to the end zone. Tebow, who looked as startled as everyone else, headed for his own end zone and knelt on one knee — a gesture known far and wide these days as Tebowing. Then he pounded a fist in triumph and took a victory lap.

Behind Tebow's 316 yards passing, the Broncos (9-8) are heading to New England for a second-round game against the top-seeded Patriots on Saturday night.

Tebow's total passing yards inspired my brother John to post on his Facebook page:

Tebow threw for 3:16 yards..... I believe in him!!

Classic!

Crossposted at Wizbang.

UPDATE: Heard on the radio moments ago so it must be true:

Pittsburgh is protesting their loss last night against Denver... it seems that with God at Tebow's side, Denver played with one too many players on the field throughout the game... you heard it here first...

Drew Brees gets Marino's record

Couldn't happen to a classier act:

Quite a night for Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints - a record and a rout.

Brees set the NFL mark for yards passing in a season, breaking a record that Dan Marino had held for nearly three decades, and New Orleans clinched the NFC South title with a 45-16 victory over the Falcons on Monday night.

Brees threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns, the last a 9-yard strike to Darren Sproles that set the record with 2:51 to go.

"Honestly, I was really trying not to think about the record or anything," Brees said. "I knew we were close. A couple guys mentioned stuff to me on the sideline. I didn't want to hear it. It's like a pitcher with a no-hitter, I guess."

It was Brees' final pass of the game and it gave him 5,087 yards passing - with one game still to play. Marino finished with 5,084 yards for the Miami Dolphins in 1984.

...

As Sproles spiked the ball, Brees thrust his fist triumphantly in the air and started walking toward midfield while the Superdome crowd went wild and his teammates chased him down. Offensive guard Carl Nicks was the first one to get there and tried to lift Brees onto his shoulder, but couldn't do it as teammates swarmed around.

 

"If I could have put him on my shoulders and paraded him around the whole stadium I would have done that. He deserves it," Nicks said. "It's like a movie, man. Just a movie ending. It's beautiful. ... You could tell by everyone's reaction after he did it how much people care about that guy. We all love him."

Brees' four touchdown passes gave him 276 for his career, moving him ahead of Joe Montana (273) and Vinny Testaverde (275) for ninth all-time. He is the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for more than 5,000 yards twice - he had 5,069 in 2008.

Dan Marino sent the following on Twitter within minutes of his record being broken:

Here's but one example of the kind of guy Drew Brees is:

The Brees Dream Foundation was founded in 2003 with a mission to advance research in the fight against Cancer and provide care, education and opportunities for children in need.

Since its inception, the Brees Dream Foundation has committed and/or contributed more than $7,000,000 to charitable causes and academic institutions in the New Orleans, San Diego and West Lafayette/Purdue communities. The Brees Dream Foundation has had a successful 2010 so far. Some of our highlights include:

• We have almost completed $1,000,000 in funding for our renovation project at the American Cancer Society Patrick F. Taylor Hope Lodge in New Orleans, LA.
• The Celebrity Championship in San Diego, California was a big success raising significant funds for Rady Children’s Hospital, the Friends of Scott Foundation, the San Diego MS Society and the San Diego Armed Services YMCA (all located in the greater San Diego area).
• With the help of our friends at Purdue Federal Credit Union, we continued our funding and support for the Purdue Athletes Life Success (PALS) Camp in West Lafayette, IN.
• We once again hosted over 100 college student for a week in New Orleans, Louisiana, joining forces with Habitat for Humanity as part of our annual Rebuilding Through Brotherhood.

Please see the Programs section to learn more about the Brees Dream Foundation.

More here.  

Class act indeed.

Crossposted at Wizbang.

Tebow time runs out

Tom Brady and the Pats get the best of Tebow and his Broncos:

Not this time, Tim Tebow.

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots shut down Tebow's late-game heroics and clinched a playoff berth with a 41-23 victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

The Patriots (11-3) won their sixth straight game and another AFC East title by bouncing back from an early 17-6 deficit and an awful first quarter in which they were outgained on the ground 167 yards to 4.

This time, there was no last-minute magic from Tebow, who had guided the Broncos (8-6) to four straight fourth-quarter comebacks and six straight wins.

Instead of another slow start followed by a fantastic finish, the Broncos started out fast and then fizzled. They scored on their first three possessions and then were done in by a trio of second-quarter turnovers.Champ Bailey had said the Broncos needed a big game against a big QB to prove to themselves and others that they were not just a curiosity but a contender.

They didn't get it on this day.

Their playoff hopes are still alive so with my Skins well out of the running (weeks ago), I'm rootin' for the Broncos.

Pick it back up next week Tim!

Can you say Tebow... again?

This time Mr. Tebow did it through the passing game, throwing for over 200 yards, with 2 TDs and 0 INTs.  He and his Broncos beat Minnesota for their 5th win in a row.

Denver is now tied for first place in the AFC West with the Raiders and if you listen carefully, you can here the haters teeth a'gnashin'...

Aw... what a bummer.

Go Tebow go, you're making this Redskins fan look forward to finishing out the season.

Dennis Miller - Astute political observer...

... and one funny, funny dude... his ripping of Obama Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton here is pretty priceless... but someone will have to point us in the direction of the missing segment for context because I'm not able to find it, nevertheless, if you want to laugh, sit back and enjoy but please, put your coffee or other beverage down or you will certainly be spewing all over your computer.

H/T to VerumSerum.

Crossposted at Wizbang.

Derek Jeter! Derek Jeter!...

By tim, The Godless Heathen

Haven’t seen this anywhere, I came up with this Saturday night sitting around the fire at the lake sipping beers.

Congratulation to Derek Jeter on 3,000 hits. A class act, and a pleasure to watch all these years.

1 Home run

for

3 Thousand Hits

on a

5 for Five (Hits/At bats) game

on the

7th Month

of the

9th Day

of the

11th Year

Preety cool, no?