Tebow Time Runs Out? Peyton Manning to Broncos!

[Paulie Mississippi]

According to ESPN and Yahoo, Peyton Manning has agreed to a 5 year, 95 million dollar deal with the Denver Broncos... signalling an end to Tim Tebow's short tenure as their official starting quarterback...

As a Tebow fan, fellow UF student and all... I have mixed feelings about this. I think Tebow deserved better; much is made of the importance of quarterbacks in the NFL and yet so much disrespect is being shown to some who led their teams to the playoffs just last year. John Elway in particular never showed anything but disdain for the kid who was both a fan favorite and a great field general, the guy who could rally his troops above and beyond themselves...

There is not doubt that Peyton Manning is one of the greatest quarterbacks of our generation, if not all time. However his best years are likely behind him. And there is little doubt that he has been assured that Tim Tebow will not be kneeling behind him; that there will be no Tebow on the roster for the fans to clamor for...

Another casualty of the Manning free agent period could be the San Francisco 49er's who dabbled in the negotiations long enough for Alex Smith to get disgusted and begin speaking with the Dolphins. Smith, like Tebow, led his team to the playoffs and instead of being rewarded, his team tried to reject him. Will the SF crowd come crawling back to Smith now, or will he sign in "south beach?" Best guess is that Smith re-ups, for a lot more than he might have gotten if Peyton had not played the 49er's, and then Tebow gets traded to the Dolphins... If Smith goes to the 'fins, then expect Tebow to land in either Jacksonville or in Tampa Bay.

Jacksonville fans were furious a couple of years back when their team failed to trade up to land Tebow and now he could be had for very little I suspect as the Bronco's will be desperate to unload him fast, if for no other reason than to placate Peyton and to quell their fans reaction... Once he is gone, the team can say to them... "Oh well, we don't have him, so we're gonna have to support Peyton..."

Tampa Bay is not out of the question either as Josh Freeman seriously regressed last year, likely costing their coach his job. Freeman for Tebow could be a straight up deal with Freeman then backing up Manning and learning from him...

But to me the biggest question is this; will the Bronco's now be a "cursed" franchise?

Is that a far-fetched question? IF you believe that Tebow has "God on his side" and he has been treated unjustly, you have to also believe that the Bronco's have now fallen out of favor with the Almighty. It could well be that despite any management or any players they might acquire, they will find ways to lose, becoming football's version of the Chicago Cubs... It will be ironic if this is true, as Manning was supposedly looking for the team he has the best chance of winning another Super Bowl with... They might not be "cursed", but I got a hunch he never gets another ring... and now I'm afraid I have to lump him in with his brother as the two players I despise most in the NFL...

Meanwhile, I'll be anxious to see where Tebow kneels in '12/'13 and what miracles he brings with him...

[blackhawkpat]

I didn't see this happening at all. I knew he visited Denver, but I thought that was part of Peyton's Dog and Pony show and I really thought he would end up in Tennessee, especially when their 93 year old owner said "I want him now, so GET him" to the GM. (Wonder where he'll be working soon?)

I think Tebow deserved much better, but hopefully, for him, he will find his way to Jacksonville or Miami and start.

You are correct, Paulie, in that I never heard John Elway say a nice word about him, but then again, we in Chicago can thank Denver for sending us Jay Cutler (I suppose you can insert your own joke there, but I like the guy) . Looks like Elway swapped Cutler for Kyle Orton, then got Brady Quinn to compete with Orton, then never gave Quinn a chance (he signed with KC today), then sent Orton packing for Tebow, and now, inks Manning. Maybe, just maybe, the HOF QB just doesn't want to give a young guy the reigns for the next ten years because some of HIS records might get broken? Hmmmmm....I guess he can deal with Peyton winning for 3-4 years, but all his records will be safe. Just sayin'

Don't know if Indy is on the schedule in 2012, but think that will be a tough ticket when Manning visits Indy one day?

[blackhawkpat]

One more thing, I don't see how the 49ers repair what they have done to Alex Smith, who after years of disappointment, almost led them to the Super Bowl this year.

Sports guys are saying Smith should deal with it and think, "yeah, but it's Peyton Manning, get over it.", and go back to work like nothing happened.

A buddy of mine joked, "I'm gonna tell my wife, "yeah, but it's Angelina Jolie, get over it....how hard do you think she will hit me with the frying pan?" LOL

[RaspBen]

I think that's some dirty dealing the Broncos are doing. I liked Tebow prayers and all, and as a nurse I think Payton Manning is crazy to continue to play football post neck injury. He gets hit just the right way and he won't ever play again because he will be paralyzed. It's not worth becoming permanently disabled just to play ball.

Monica

[Paulie Mississippi]

I was out and about this evening and by chance, after 6 pm or so I can pick up the San Francisco ESPN affiliate on the radio... Eric Byrnes, the former major league outfielder was filling in for the guy who does the "drive time" sport show leading up to the Golden State Warrior's game... had open phones, and; if you can believe this, callers were saing that "the team doesn't need Smith"... that they "don't need to overpay him"... what have you. It's a horrible example of a team that offended a key component of their offense but now want him to do the crawling... I hope beyond hope he signs elsewhere, just to make sure that the team pays for their infidelity... If you're not gonna try to atone for your indiscretions, you need to pay dearly for them...

For Byrnes' part, he tried to downplay the "romancing" of Manning... part of me agrees that you have to look at such a guy. If healthy, he could be an upgrade, though it woudl require a reworking of the teams offense.

I'm not saying that the team was wrong, but... if your wife/girfriend catches you looking at another girl, even "Angelina Jolie"... well, it's time for you to pony up the flowers and candy and kiss her feet... whatever... not say, "Well... I don't really need you anyway..."

IMHO

[JohnO]

A comment or two about Alex Smith. After being taken with the very first pick in 2005, here's what he did his first 6 seasons in SF:

Played in 54 games, missed 42 (injuries, including shoulder problems and a couple of concussions. He missed the entire 2008 season after shoulder surgery);

His team had a 37-59 record over those 6 seasons - no playoff appearances, no winning years (and in the 54 games in which he played, the team's W/L % was about the same as the team's);

Smith threw for 51 TDs, 53 interceptions, and a passing rating of about 72.

Local media compared him to Ryan Leaf, as far as the worst early draft picks ever to be huge busts in the NFL at QB.

First year under new coach Jim Harbaugh, who visited Smith before the season and talked him out of leaving SF and giving him (Harbaugh) a shot for one season -

Played all 16 games, # of sacks way down; threw for 17 TDs and 5 interceptions, a 90.7 passing rating. The team went 13-3 and made it to the NFC title game in the playoffs.

Now.....all things considered, does Alex REALLY want to leave Harbaugh? If so, good luck!

P.S. And don't get me wrong, I'd probably be pissed too if my team went all out after a QB who's just had multiple neck surgeries, and is no guarantee to be anywhere close to 100% in the future....But the fact is, Peyton turned them down. If I were Alex, I'd really, really be tempted to give Harbaugh another chance.

[JohnO]

Now...regarding Tebow....I don't personally give a damn if he's a Muslim who takes out a prayer rug and bows to Mecca after throwing TD passes! I just don't care about any athlete's religion or faith....none of my business.

While fans get all excited about last second come-from-behind finishes....sorry, but any coach, GM or owner worth his salt would prefer to see his team win convincingly....which the Broncos certainly didn't do in most of their wins last year.....and none of the 7 wins in regular season games where TT played were against winning teams.

Also, Tebow's fans conveniently forget that, in the wake of his team's 6 game winning streak, the Broncos had, I believe, a 2 game lead in their Division, with an 8-5 record. All they had to do was win 1 of their last 3 games, 2 of which were against teams with losing records, to sew up the Division title. They proceeded to lose to New England 41-23 (expected), to Buffalo (40-14 - NOT expected), and Kansas City (7-3....ditto). All that saved them was the fact they were in a crappy Division, with three teams tied at 8-8, and they had the tiebreaker.

I suspect Elway and Fox wanted to dump him at that point. What saved him undoubtedly was the playoff win against Pittsburgh....and the fact that he finally looked like he could develop into a "normal" drop-back passing QB. But then, once again, he ran out of "miracles" against New England.

Why go after Manning, in lieu of simply handing the job to Tebow? One simple reason....while the kid's loaded with leadership skills and charisma, he operates best as a wild card/loose cannon at QB, seemingly improvising as he goes along. And while it works to his advantage as far as confounding defenses, who don't know how to play him, it's also confusing as Hell to his own Offensive Coordinator and, I'm guessing, his receivers as well. No coach wants to to have to develop two entirely different offensive schemes - one for Tebow, one for their other QBs if Tebow gets hurt - and aside from Brett Favre, a very rare exception, that WILL and does happen at some point to all QBs. The fact that Elway himself was one of the all-time greatest drop-back QBs certainly didn't help Tebow.

A question that needs to be asked - Why exactly do they have to trade Tim T. now? A 1-2 year stint playing as Manning's backup would be a priceless education for ANY young QB (and sitting behind Brett F. for several years certainly didn't hurt Aaron Rodgers.....) It seems to me that the team's probably doing it to ensure that the fans don't start screaming for him every time Manning throws a pick or doesn't convert a 3rd down play.

And as far as "miracles" and God being on Tebow's side......if that's the case, who exactly is on Eli Manning's side?????? I'm pretty sure he led the Giants to more comeback wins than Tebow, and two of his were in the NFC title game and Super Bowl.....and he led a 9-7 team, worst record in history for a Super Bowl champion.

(Frankly, I think God has a lot more important business on his/her plate than the outcome of NFL games.....)

[Paulie Mississippi]

John, I loved and agree with your responses to a certain level.

Regarding Alex Smith... it's kinda like dating a chubby chick and then cheating on her when she loses weight... Granted, Alex might not have had successes in those early years, but... how many different coaches did he have to work with and how many times did he have to try to learn new systems. Harbaugh sort of embraced Smith and worked with him; and really, the team damn near made the Super Bowl with him at the helm. In some ways, Peyton is as big an asshole as his brother; looking not to really help a team but to oust a quarterback who's team is on the cusp of a playoff run, so he can greedily pad his hall of fame resume with another ring or two...

Regarding Tim Tebow, the difference between Eli and Tim in the arena of religion is obvious; Tim is much more demonstrative in his. Don't call it religion if you like, call it karma... the Bronco's might have just stepped on karma's toes with this deal; wait to find the dirty laundry in Peyton's closet... the skeletons he has locked away, much as happened with Favre in NY. (Not to say Tebow is as squeaky clean as he seems... LOL)

Interestingly, as I sit here watching Dan Patrick; he's listing potential suitors for Tebow... and tops on his list after Jacksonville is New England... according to reports, the reason Denver took him when they did was that they had word that Bill Belecheck wanted to draft Tebow himself and now that he will likely leave, the Patriots could well be interested.

So... if Belecheck is interested, is he going to mind having a backup quarterback who has to run a different system? I'd have to think not...

And you're right, Tebow could stay there and learn, but I think the fans have so much love for Tim that Peyton would always be looking over his shoulder and the fans having split allegiances. As Patrick is saying, Peyton wants to be loved and wants to have a steady routine... with Tebow there, he's not gonna be loved... not as much as he will be with Tebow gone. (Granted, he will be hated by some for a while when Tebow is ejected from the team...)

One final thought from Dan Patrick; he states that his "best fit" for Tebow would be Philadelphia... Didn't quite get why he felt that, but it's an interesting thought; especially given the injury prone Michael Vick... one things certain, it'd be an interesting addition to the Eagles...

My money is still on the Jaquars... and imagine, if he goes to Jacksonville and a year or two later, they get transferred to Los Angeles... LOL What a spotlight for Tim and his play as well as his faith...

[JohnO]

Frankly, whoever winds up with Tebow (New England, Jacksonville, Philly) is likely to try to continue to convert him to being a "normal" NFL drop-back QB, with the possible exception of Philly. Belichick, I'm guessing, wants him as insurance against Brady becoming more injury prone as he gets older.....but I doubt that Bill B. will devise 2 offensive sets. Belichick is also pretty eccentric, though, and could just turn TT loose to do what he does if Brady gets hurt.

I agree with Patrick that Philly may be TT's best fit, because Michael Vick probably plays closer to Tebow's style than any other current starting QB, and his learning Philly's system wouldn't be a real stretch.....although Vick is allowed to air it out frequently, and TT would have to improve the accuracy of his mid- to long-range passing. Also, Vick's QB draws depend on his sheer quickness and speed, and TT is more of a power runner. Not sure about how Tebow would fare against arguably the world's worst fans, though.

Peyton an asshole? I don't care one way or the other for the Mannings, but I can't blame Peyton for doing what he's doing. Every QB in the NFL has an ego the size of the state of Montana, no exceptions; if they didn't, they wouldn't be playing the position. If Manning's anywhere close to 100% healed, he'll be a bargain for Denver. His career winning percentage is .678, which puts him in the all-time top 5 or 6 QBs.....and he's essentially a coach on the field as well.

As far as karma and religion/faith?.....The kind of thing happening this very minute to Tim Tebow happens every damn year in the NFL! Nobody's job is guaranteed, due to the nature of the game, the prevalence of serious injuries that regularly occur, and foolishness with the salary cap. (NOTE: One of the problems I have with a salary cap in sports is precisely this....there are a lot of still very good players who get cut from teams or traded solely because their salaries are too high and their teams, in lieu of negotiating with them to take a possible cut, just dump them.)

Is Denver tempting the fates by getting rid of Tebow? Why??? What exactly makes him so damn special? Is he bigger than the game? To hear people talk about him, you'd think he's overcome so much to get where he is......Hell - he was allowed to play high school football for a school he never attended (home-schooled), which isn't even legal in most states, was the youngest player ever to win the Heisman Trophy, and for a college which won 2 National titles while he was there (as well as 35-36 of their players being arrested during Meyer's last 5 years there), and was a multi-millionaire before ever lacing up his shoes to play a single NFL game (endorsements). Does the kid have talent? Certainly! He's an amazing athlete....and probably would have made a great pro QB 50 years ago, when 15-20 passes were attempted per team per game, and the QB's completed less than 50% of them......

[Paulie Mississippi]

Funny you brought up Meyer... because his two first round quarterbacks, Smith from Utah and Tebow from Florida are both deeply religious... and the two QB's who have "suffered" most over the Manning saga... That is not to say that Matt Moore in Miami or Kevin Kolb in Arizona didn't sweat a little too, but... Moore was not really considered the answer yet in Miami and Kolb was not on the hot seat long as his team picked up his bonus/option in the midst of the Manning mess... Somehow it is and was Meyer's prizes that have borne the brunt of this... and I suspect both will come out the better for it... Smith will get more money/guaranteed money from the 49'ers to retain his services and Tebow will end up with an organization that really gives him a chance to succeed rather than hope for and then privately celebrate his failure...

Yep... there are always guys who deserve to play who are cut early or dumped/traded... and I disagree with the concept of non-guaranteed contracts... basically the player is tied to a team but the team is not tied to the player... given a sport that produces so many injuries, it seems wrong to me that teams can bail on a player who has years left on a contract if he is hurt on the field of play...

Of course that's steering off topic... I've heard that Alex Smith has been offered 3 years and 24 million from the 49ers to resign with them... Manning is due to hold a press conference within the hour... unveiling his 5 year 96 million dollar deal... and I'd guess within the next week or two we'll know where Tebow will play... or sit... next year; definitely before the draft...

[marlene]

As a lifelong Denver fan and season ticket holder, I'm just not sure HOW I feel about Manning becoming a Bronco, and it really has nothing to do with his health issues. I'm sure he's playing with the full backing of his medical team.

I just loved watching Tim Tebow, probably as much as I enjoyed watching John Elway back in the day...and for those of you that don't "get" that... all I can say is that I guess it's because you were never in the Denver stands when he did play. and you didn't feel excitement he generated.. <sigh> I'll still be at the games when I can be...but I'll definitely be a little envious of whoever gets Tim !!

[LC]

Mar, you can do like I did when Brett Favre went to the Jets and then Vikings -- follow Tebow wherever he goes. Now you'll have two teams to root for. Of course, I came back around to Packer fandom; when you bleed green and gold, you can't help it.

Meanwhile, Peyton is something special, and you can bet he'll light up the scoreboard. He'll win some last-minute games, too, though with his arm instead of his legs. It'll be good. That said, I know how you feel; Tebow had a whole career ahead of him, whereas Peyton is in the final stretch. It just means the Broncs wanna win right now. They're in a fairly easy divison (sorry, Tony C); I bet they win 12 next season. (Last year, Denver, SD, and Oakland were all 8-8, and KC was 7-9, so there were no teams above .500 in the division.) Heck, 10 wins should get 'em into postseason play next season — and who wants to face Manning in the playoffs?

[Paulie Mississippi]

Interestingly, John Elway has tried to "make lemonade" out of the deal, saying that Tim handled the news graciously and professionally; stating that he understood... this is Peyton Manning...

Meanwhile, ESPN tonight is reporting that the top two suiters at the moment for Tebow are indeed Jacksonville... and the New York Jets!!! On a side note, they mention that there is also interest from New England and Green Bay...

The Jets, who just inked Mark Sanchez to a 20 million dollar guaranteed deal that some thought foolish, given his less than stellar season, are said to be interested in what they believe could be a good influence in the locker room as well after the turmoil their clubhouse was in by the end of this past season... Though already some of the NY pundits are blasting the team for even considering Tebow, stating the obvious; that should Sanchez stumble or have a bad game, they; like the Denver fans this year, will start the Tebow chants!

Peyton has also ruffled some feathers by "agreeing" to allow the Bronco's to un-retire #18 or him... Manning stated that he spoke to the Bronco's first ever QB; who's name eludes me at the moment; and was more or less given his blessing to continue to wear the number he had worn for his career in Indy... The future hall of famer made some quotes about wanting to honor the history of the game and the team, but... well, in the end many think it is just "cover talk" and that it is more about him than the good of the game. One analyst, out of ESPN's SLC station, commented that more people would be enraged had the number in question been worn more recently... as it's been retired for about 50 years... wondering how fans would react if he had gone to Miami and demanded (or was convinced) to wear Dan Marino's number?

I suspect now, especially since it looks like Alex Smith is going back to San Fran, we will be hearing more and more Tebow reporting and Peyton will quietly settle in to Tebow's position with the Bronco's...

Mar, I'm glad you spoke up about your split loyalties, I think it is the players who make the game what it is, and while we have regional loyalties; a favorite team or two, it's way more fun and fulfilling to follow the career of our favorite players than it is just to cheer for whoever happens to be wearing the right "colors"...

[JohnO]

Frank Tripucka's the original QB on the Broncos when the AFL was formed. He's the Broncos' original # 18....and I doubt that many remember him, even in Denver. He had a very strange career....played at Notre Dame in college, was drafted by the Detroit Lions in '49. Played 3-4 years in the NFL, mostly as a backup, and retired early. THEN - came out of retirement 8 years later, in 1960, at age 33, to become the Broncos' starting QB their first year in the AFL. Was their starter for 3 seasons, backup for 1, then retired again for good at age 36.

I made the comment yesterday about how Tebow could have been a great QB 50 years ago....This is what I'm talking about....Tripucka in 1952, as a starting QB, threw 186 passes in 12 games, completed 91 (about 48% completed), for 809 yards, 3 TDs and 17 interceptions. His # of attempts and completions ranked 8th in the league at that time!

BTW, his initial year in Denver, 1960, he passed for an AFL-leading 3,038 yards, 24 TDs and 34 interceptions.

[JohnO]

BTW, Tripucka wasn't the only aging ex-QB to come out of retirement when the AFL started up. Tobin Rote, who was QB at Green Bay from '50 - '56 (remember him, Larry?), then Detroit from '57 - '59 (including leading the Lions to their last NFL title, in '57, pre-Super Bowl, of course), retired after '59, only to come back and play for the San Diego Chargers in the new league from '63 to '65, then Denver for 1 more year as a backup. He was 36 when he un-retired.....and the Chargers won the AFL title his first year back!

George Blanda also pulled the unretirement stunt, but he was only out of football for a year ('59), playing 10 years in the NFL, retiring for 1 year, and then coming back and playing 16 additional years in the AFL/AFC...(retired at age 48.)

[JohnO]

One more issue regarding Tebow's future, that a friend of mine just reminded me about.....While I agree with Mar's post about the level of excitement that Tim T. generated for Broncos' fans last season, I suspect he generated an equal but opposite reaction among his coaches, GM and owner, relative to his long-term survival odds.

While Peyton M. has health issues regarding how his surgically repaired body will react to getting hit frequently once the regular season starts in Denver, he has a very quick release when passing, and as a general rule, gets hit or sacked less than the average QB. Tebow, on the other hand, by frequently taking off and running, and passing out of the pocket while on the run, invites serious injuries.....as occurred in that last playoff game with New England, when he suffered a torn cartilage between a rib and his sternum, a badly bruised lung, and accumulated fluid in the associated pleural cavity. Odds are, had they won, he might not have been able to play the next week. He is as strong as an ox, and may have played anyway....but between his playing style and the fact that he's going to have a bull's eye target on him the rest of his career, due to last season's publicity, he needs to tone down his game a bit for the sake of his career, I think.

I suspect whoever winds up with Tim T. is going to try to convert him to a traditional pocket passer, as opposed to having to write a separate offensive playbook for the team when he plays. He proved he could play in the traditional QB manner against Pittsburgh the week before the Patriots game. While this may inevitably cut down on the excitement factor, as far as the fans, it should lengthen his career.

[Paulie Mississippi]

John, the story about Trupika was an interesting one indeed; the report I heard last night gave him credit for throwing the first TD in not only Bronco, but AFL history! Also he actually came to the team as a coach, tagging along with his coach from the CFL but when the team had "QB troubles" in camp, he was brought out of retirement.

I have to wonder though... with so much seeming resentment of Tebow for his playing style; if Peyton, Elway, Marino, Brady... the type of QB that we say is the standard for the NFL... had come along back in the fifties, would they have been as crucified for their style of play as Tebow is today?

"He throws the ball too much," fans might say, "he doesn't play like a man; he plays hot potato with the ball... a true champion wants to hold the ball and run with it..."

[JohnO]

Paulie - Yes, if I recall, Namath, the first QB to pass for over 4,000 yards in a season, was criticized, as was Weeb Ewbank, his coach, for throwing the ball so damn much. (And Namath's big mouth, coupled with the fact that he was really the first big name college QB to sign with the AFL over the NFL, didn't help much.) How they silenced everybody was by kicking the sh*t out of the Colts in Super Bowl 3, running the ball down their throats and playing a very physical game.

The rise of the passing game seemed to coincide with a lot of non-mobile QBs like Sonny Jurgensen (pretty fat for a QB), Namath (bad knees), and Blanda (getting up in years), and the new league (AFL) is where the passing game got more pronounced first. Lionel Taylor of the Broncos was the first player to catch 100 passes in a season.

What caused the NFL to start passing more was, IMO, their two consecutive Super Bowl losses. After the Jets won convincingly in Super Bowl 3, the Chiefs beat the Hell out of the Vikings in Super Bowl 4, although the NFL teams were heavy favorites each year. After those two games, the leagues merged into the NFL with two conferences in 1970.

I don't think there's as much resentment toward Tebow's playing style, as there is skepticism among football experts, who, frankly, have seen this kind of thing before..., and it usually doesn't last past a season or so.

The 49ers were the first team using a shotgun formation in 1960, and they terrorized the league for about half a season, beating everybody, before Buddy Ryan, then the Bears' defensive coordinator, devised a defense against it that worked. Still, the shotgun didn't die - it was modified and used on just passing downs...the Jets started using it on 3rd & longs, to allow Namath more time to set up pass plays with his bad knees. It's still used to this day.

Other examples - the 2 minute drill exercise with no huddle, the prevent defense (which doesn't seem to work that well, IMO), and the Cowboys'and Tom Landry's insane offense where they alternated QBs every play, with the incoming QB bringing in the play to the huddle. Landry did it first in the early 60s with Don Meredith & Eddie LeBaron, then brought it back in the 70s with Staubach and Craig Morton. Usually, they'd win 3-4 games and run up huge point totals, but then would burn out, and Landry would pick just one QB at that point.

[blackhawkpat]

Booyah is Tebowing as we speak!!!!!!!Tebow was just traded to the Jets for a fourth round pick. (Heat is on Sanchez to produce this year big time!)

In other NFL news, Saints coach Sean Payton suspended for one year! OUCH!

[blackhawkpat]

Hey John, is that Tripuka from Notre dame any relation to former ND basketball star Kelly Tripuka?

Nothing I hate more that teams "retiring" someone's number, then "un-retiring" it. Have some respect for the oldtimers, Peyton and take a different number! Wasn't he #16 in college anyways?

[JohnO]

Paulie - Also, please keep in mind that the examples I gave above were pro-active steps initiated by long-time football coaches and minds.....not reactive, dumbing-down measures, which, frankly, is the way the Broncos coaching staff and media portrayed their attempts to tailor their playbook and plays specifically for Tim T.

This was a huge mistake by whoever started this nonsense, feeding the media this info. From what I've read, the kid's got a football mind like a sponge, absorbing anything and everything he hears and reads. Certainly, the staff wasn't going to let him run pass plays that require pin-point accuracy on slant routes run by receivers - his release isn't that quick at this point. However, this got portrayed in the media as - the Broncos coaches had to significantly modify and dumb-down their playbook to suit Tebow's playing style.

Quite honestly....I'm sure the Eagles had to do the same when Vick got hurt; the Bears certainly did when Cutler went down; and the Colts, for sure, didn't allow their backups to run plays designed specifically for Peyton Manning last year. The difference - these cases weren't bandied about in the media, with their backup QBs treated like idiots or worse.

[JohnO]

Pat - Kelly Tripucka is Frank's son. Forgot to mention that.

[JohnO]

So Tebow went to the Jets? Well, no guarantee he'll start there, but he certainly will be a positive influence in their locker room (and hopefully on their a-hole of a coach!)

Interesting, how a 1st round pick from 2 years ago, who was pretty damn successful his second year in the league, and who will generate ticket and merchandise sales, is now only worth a 4th round pick, no? I've heard car dealers/salesmen say that the minute you drive a car off the lot after buying it, it's depreciated about 40-50% immediately. Sounds about the same for NFLers......

CORRECTION/EDIT - Tebow and a 7th round pick were traded for a 4th and a 6th.

[blackhawkpat]

Well, this crazy NFL day gets crazier! Stop the presses on this deal per the NFL Network. Apparently, the Broncos are trying to hold up the Jets for five million dollars that had been paid to Tebow. The Jets say this was never discussed, so the league is investigating the deal, as it is now NOT official!

[Tony Cartmill]

How do Jets fans feel about this trade? Running 2 QBs in and out depending on the play call? Are we in college here? Will this work in the NFL?