I have decided to spare everyone from having to read Jay Mariotti's latest raged-filled column against Tiger Woods, which is really just a desperate attempt at getting pageviews for himself by putting "Tiger Woods" in the title of an article. It wasn't even a month ago that Jay Mariotti wrote a column entitled, "Time to Ignore Tiger, Focus on Real Golfer." It ended with the sentence that said,
We can tell. Especially when he is juxtaposed against the man who used to win the majors, Eldrick Woods, who is miserable and about to fade from the radar screen. Do yourself a favor, as I am, and devote your attention span to Louis Oosthuizen.
Whoever he is.
That lasted until the next day when Jay filled his article about Oosthuizen winning the US Open with mentions of Tiger Woods. Now as part of his "ignoring Tiger" mantra, Jay Mariotti has written an entire article about him. I have been trying to think of ways on how a person could be a worse writer than Jay Mariotti and I am coming up empty. I think if I tried to be a terrible writer, I still couldn't reach the depths of terribleness that Mariotti reaches on a daily basis. It's amazing really.
On to Woody Paige, and you aren't going to believe this, but he wrote a column about Tim Tebow and specifically he wrote an article about Tim Tebow starting for the Broncos this year. This is just getting ridiculous. When you look at the columns Woody Paige has written about the Broncos, it is quite embarrassing for Woody. He has written a lot about Tebow. The equivalent to how he writes about Tebow all the time is if a musical artist writes an entire album about an ex-girl/boyfriend...unfortunately Woody is not a musical artist but a star-struck middle-aged man. This is the 19th in a long line of columns about Tim Tebow starting written by his very public admirer, Woody Paige.
Coach McDaniels confronts a dilemma with which Prince Hamlet would empathize — whether 'tis nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of controversy in high risk, high reward or failure, or take a conservative arm against a sea of troubles.
Woody Paige is basically admitting that going with Tim Tebow as the starting quarterback is a high risk for the Broncos, while Kyle Orton is the more "conservative" sure-thing. My question, as it has been all along, is why would a head coach start a high-risk quarterback over a quarterback who is a better shot to win games? What is the downside to keeping Tebow on the bench until he is ready to play? Outside of Woody Paige not being able to see Tebow's rippling biceps while he is throwing the ball of course.
I don't know why Woody Paige writes like this. It's pretty juvenile and difficult to read and take seriously. In his article before this, he ended it with this useless drivel,
It has been a good year for Little, Rice, Smith and the rest, who were hugging fans, kissing babies and enjoying every second of their Saturday as Hall of Fame inductees. They were welcomed as iconic figures of today and Aesop's Tiger and The King characters of yesterday.
"This is a thrill like no other," Rice said.
And the high school bands played on in Canton while, in the parallel universe, the music was dying in Akron.
I'm not even sure that is supposed to make sense. Anyway, back to the article.To start or not start Tim Tebow? That is the question for Josh.
If he is the best quarterback on the roster, then start him. It's actually a very simple decision only made tough by the fact the media and Woody Paige loves Tim Tebow and seem to have a vested personal interest in his success.
The Panthers aren't starting Jimmy Clausen because Matt Moore is currently the best quarterback on the roster. The Browns aren't starting Colt McCoy because Jake Delhomme is the best quarterback on the roster. The Rams are starting Sam Bradford because he is the best quarterback on the roster. The Giants didn't start Eli Manning over Kurt Warner until Manning was better than Warner. It's a simple decision. Is Tebow better than Orton? If not, start Orton, if so, start Tebow.
Why the Broncos will not start Tebow:
McDaniels feels more comfortable with Kyle Orton now.
Look, believe it or not I have nothing against Tim Tebow, but if the coaching staff is more comfortable with a certain quarterback, that person should be the quarterback until the coaching staff no longer feels this trust.After Orton's mediocre season in 2009, the Broncos brought in Brady Quinn for the specific purpose of challenging Orton for the starting job in Orton's final season in Denver.
Orton responded initially by not working out with his receivers, absorbing the playbook and showing lackluster interest early in the offseason training activities.
Correct me if I am wrong here, but this would be March and early April when Orton was not working out with his receivers and showing lackluster interest in training activities. There is only one set of offseason workouts that can begin in March every year and I am pretty sure they are optional. So Woody is criticizing Kyle Orton for not working hard during offseason workouts that were voluntary and I don't know how strenuous those early March OTA's are anyway.
Brady Quinn got traded to the Broncos on March 15 and that was the exact day offseason workouts could begin, so perhaps Orton wasn't working out with his receivers because there weren't any receivers to work out with, he already knew the playbook so he didn't need to study judiciously, and he had little interest in the offseason training activities because it was optional and he had no competition. I am not saying it is right, but Orton had no competition at this point and it was still VERY early in the offseason. For information on how voluntary these OTA's are read here. The OTA's in March are helpful and I do have to question whether Orton was as lazy as Woody says he was.
When the Broncos became enthralled with, and then drafted, Tebow, Orton became more motivated to win back his job and earn a long-term contract from some franchise.
The Broncos drafted Tebow in April and after this is when many of the offseason training activities begin. So basically Woody Paige is criticizing Kyle Orton for not participating "hard enough" in offseason activities that took place nowhere near training camp or any mandatory camp activities. Essentially, Orton had no reason to work out hard because it was still early in the offseason and training camp was nowhere near beginning.
So yes, Orton did become more interested when the offseason ended, the time near to training camp began and he had to get ready for the upcoming season again.
Orton knows the system and executes the designed plays better than Tebow and Quinn;
Yet for some reason, Woody Paige criticizes Orton for not studying the playbook enough.
he has produced a respectable training camp, and he is asserting more leadership on offense.
He sounds like the kind of guy you would definitely want to bench. I am not a Kyle Orton fan by any stretch of the imagination, but he is the best quarterback on the Broncos roster right now it seems.
Quinn has not challenged Orton and really is No. 3.
Again, somehow Woody finds it relevant to criticize Orton for not trying harder in March to make sure Quinn didn't pass him on the depth chart. It sounds like Orton did work hard enough to me. I don't get how Orton can be criticized for not working hard enough to hold off Brady Quinn when it seems he easily held off Quinn for the starting quarterback job.
Tebow looks rough and lost occasionally, but he has impressed the coaches.
We all know you want to start a quarterback in the NFL who looks lost and rough in practice. He should be perfectly fine in the games then, right?
They've decided he isn't ready to start because his NFL awareness and acumen haven't caught up to his physical talents.
So there is the fucking decision made, straight from the brain of Woody Paige to the Internet to our eyes. Tebow isn't ready to start, so why is this article even being written? Where is the real question about whether Tebow should start or not? Doesn't this answer this question?
Tebow will not start because McDaniels and the Broncos feel that, despite dire predictions and serious injuries, Orton will be the conservative quarterback to minimize mistakes, flourish in the red zone and maximize the team's chances at the playoffs.
Tim Tebow is young, it is not like this is a Joe Montana v. Steve Young situation. Tebow is the future and Kyle Orton isn't. The Broncos want to win, so Orton should be the guy.
McDaniels had the guts to pick Tebow, but not the nerve to start him immediately.
I don't know how in the hell you can compliment McDaniels for having the guts to pick Tebow, which means he clearly believes in him, but criticize him for not starting him immediately. There are some leaps in logic that Woody can't seem to fix in these justifying how picking Tim Tebow in the NFL Draft means Tebow should also immediately start.
Why the Broncos should start Tebow:
Tebow is a winner.
You will notice that none of the reasons to start Tebow have anything to do with his performance on the field for the Broncos so far or how he will potentially perform if he is the starter. It is all based on sentences like, "Tebow is a winner."Do you know who else is a "winner"? Eric Crouch, Gino Torretta, Ken Dorsey, Jason White, Tommie Frazier, Graham Harrell, Colt Brennan, and many other quarterbacks who had a good record in college and never made the pros. Being a "winner" is a completely irrelevant point when it comes to a player's readiness in terms of skill level in the NFL.
He won 85 percent of the games he started at Florida,
I am sure this has nothing to do with the enormous amount of NFL talent around him on the field at Florida either. It's not like Tebow was leading a group of scrubs out there every week. He had a NFL prospect in the backfield, offensive line, at tight end, receiver, and at every position on defense helping him win 85% of his games at Florida.
82 percent of the games he started at quarterback in high school and college and 84 percent of the games he participated in from his freshman year in high school (as a tight end) to his senior year in college.
I am sure this had nothing to do with the fact Tebow was huge in high school and could run over whoever he wanted. He now plays in the NFL where he isn't bigger than everyone else and every team has the same talent Tebow's team has.
He played three quarters of a game on a broken leg.
Byron Leftwich played a game in college with a severe ankle injury. This is another irrelevant point as to whether Tebow should be the starting quarterback from Game 1 of the season or not.
He has lost only once to a team from outside the SEC (Michigan, in a bowl).
You can't completely give an individual credit for a team achievement like this and expect it to completely change my mind.
Tebow is a charismatic leader, a tireless worker and a determined young man, as a majority of the Broncos players and anybody else around would attest. His background, almost as a bubble boy, shielded him from negatives, and he has a refuse-to-lose, won't-be-denied, positive attitude.
He's undoubtedly a great guy, BUT THIS DOESN'T MEAN HE SHOULD START HIS ROOKIE YEAR IN THE NFL!
I told you all of the "pros" for Tebow starting have nothing to do with his performance on the field. At some point, Woody's editor should point this out.
Start with the opening game at Jacksonville, Tebow's hometown. He won his last two games there against Georgia by a total of 90-27 (to avenge the Bulldogs' infamous 42-30 victory in 2007). It would be a home game.
Really? Woody Paige is suggesting Tebow start in Jacksonville because the crowd would cheer loudly for him? What does this have to do with his performance on the field? Isn't every game in Jacksonville a neutral site game at this point?
With the uncertainty of the offensive line, Orton can't scramble out of trouble. Tebow has his entire career.
This is absolutely untrue. Tebow always had a great offensive line at Florida and was rarely in trouble from the pass rush. I can't recall more than a few times when Tebow had to actually scramble in order to avoid trouble from a pass rush. He always a great offensive line with Florida and always seemed to have pretty good protection in general.
Not to mention when Tebow had to scramble, he never had to scramble away from an entire team of NFL athletes, but was scrambling from college athletes.
Tebow can throw the short routes as well as Orton, and certainly can throw more accurately on the run.
But is he currently the best quarterback?
The Broncos aren't reaching the postseason with Orton and another .500, or even 9-7, record, based on the difficult road schedule and the lack of a home-field advantage (17-15 the past four seasons).
Here comes the old, "We aren't going anywhere anyway, so we may as well throw players out on the field and see what they can do" line. Under this theory the Pittsburgh Pirates should trade their entire team away and call up all their prospects from AA and AAA because they aren't winning anyway, may as well see what those guys can do.
McDaniels has shown his self-confident willingness to gamble on quarterbacks (trading Cutler, acquiring Orton, signing — and cutting — Chris Simms, drafting — and releasing — Tom Brandstater, trading for Quinn and drafting Tebow), so he should be willing to stake his reputation on Tebow.
He IS staking his reputation on Tebow. He just isn't staking his entire 2010 season on Tebow being ready to start from Game 1. McDaniels is staking his reputation that he can develop Tebow into a great NFL starter and that may take more than a few months to do. For now, he will keep Orton in there until Tebow is ready.
I can't believe how Woody Paige and some other Tebow supporters actually seem to take offense to the idea Tebow isn't ready to start in the NFL right now. It really becomes like a personal issue with him.
As the starter, Tebow would give the franchise hope, national relevance and excitement unlike anything witnessed in Broncos Country since briefly in 2005 and consistently from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
Hope and excitement don't equal wins.
Tebow would give them and himself another winning season.
So Woody Paige is saying that Tim Tebow, if he started the entire season, would lead the Broncos to a winning record this year? Even though the coaching staff, and even Woody himself, admits that Tebow is not ready to start and has looked lost in practice? Woody has already said that starting Tebow is a high-risk proposition, yet he believes Tebow will lead the Broncos to a winning record while this is something Kyle Orton will not be able to do?
Basically, Woody is saying that despite all evidence to the contrary Tim Tebow is a better quarterback than Kyle Orton right now...because Tim Tebow is a great leader and won a lot of games at Florida. It's fine if Tebow starts several weeks into the season, but it doesn't seem he is ready right now.
Perhaps Woody should spend less time worrying about Tebow starting for the Broncos in Week 1 and more time figuring out how to write a column that isn't about Tim Tebow and that focuses a little bit on the Broncos defense, which will be the actual key to the Broncos having a winning season.
6 comments:
I'd join the FF league, but I tend to stop paying attention after two weeks.
Broncos brought in Brady Quinn for the specific purpose of challenging Orton for the starting job in Orton's final season in Denver.
Brady Quinn sucks. If he couldn't take control of the starting job after Derek Anderson's awfulness, then there's no chance he does anything after Orton's "mediocre" (it was actually a pretty good season, especially since he was hurt).
quarterback to minimize mistakes, flourish in the red zone and maximize the team's chances at the playoffs.
Considering I can name you at least two SB champions from the last decade who won this way (Baltimore, NY), I really don't see a problem with it.
Tebow is a winner.
Orton is 29-19 as a starter in the NFL and set the Bears up for a run to the Super Bowl before being told Sexy Rexy was the guy.
He played three quarters of a game on a broken leg.
Orton played half a season with an injured ankle.
he has a refuse-to-lose, won't-be-denied, positive attitude.
And this attitude works great when you're playing with talent that's superior to almost every opponent you play. He won't have that luxury in the NFL.
Start with the opening game at Jacksonville, Tebow's hometown. He won his last two games there against Georgia by a total of 90-27
Unless Jacksonville drafted the entire Georgia team from those years I fail to see how this has any bearing in the matter. ::Looks at Jacksonville's first round pick this year:: ::laughs::
national relevance
Does anyone give a shit if Tebow starts?
Country since briefly in 2005 and consistently from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
Fuck you John Elway, Terrell Davis, Sterling Sharpe and your back to back Superbowls!
Rich, its fine if you don't join. I copy and paste that stuff everyday because it takes two seconds.
I am not still not off the Brady Quinn wagon but I do agree he sucks right now. I think he got a tough deal in Cleveland was not given a great chance to show what or if he could do anything positive. I don't like Orton, but I think him starting is the best thing for the Broncos right now. I don't see how Woody doesn't agree.
I think minimizing mistakes, doing well in the red zone and maximizing chances in the playoffs is how you win Super Bowls. That's why I said the Broncos key is really defense. How the defense performs will determine how far the team goes, no matter who the QB is.
I'm fine with Tebow starting, though like you said I don't really care I just want Woody to quit writing articles about it, but if Orton is the best guy right now, he should start. It's that simple. The only reasons given to have Tebow start is how he played in college, which doesn't guarantee success in the pros.
At this point with Brady Quinn, we have to follow his career and see how long he stays in the NFL. If he's still around in 5 years, we can safely assume that the Browns ran him into the ground and cost him his prime. If he washes out next year, we just overvalued him coming out of Notre Dame.
The best example of this is Patrick Ramsey. I really liked him out of Tulane, but he ended up in the mindfuck that Spurrier was with the Redskins, rotating in and out of games with Wuerffel and Shane Matthews, until he had basically spent his two key years of development being sacked. [Fuck you and your lack of protection schemes, Spurrier.] And yet, here's Ramsey, still in the league as a highly sought-after veteran backup. This tells me that he was talented coming out and was just poorly handled in his early years.
I'll be interested to see how long Quinn stays. I remember at the beginning of the summer there was talk he was impressing the Broncos staff, but now it seems like he doesn't have much momentum and will be the 3rd QB. I don't want to think about ND QB's being overrated...at least not until I know if Matt Moore is any good or not.
I forgot Spurrier had two U of F quarterbacks on that Washington team. He was not a good professional coach at all. I think he even tried to have U of F receivers as well. I think Ramsey was poorly handled too and I do agree that the fact he is a good backup shows he was a decent QB who was poorly handled.
HH,
The problem is that there are a lot of QBs who just come into the league and suck, yet somehow find a way to get jobs.
I have no doubt that Quinn's time in Cleveland hurt him as a QB, but I also think that saying that if he's in the league in 5 years proves anything since their are three possible conclusions:
1. He could have been really good, but Cleveland messed him up.
2. NFL teams keep taking him on because of his "potential."
3. He's a backup level talent at the NFL level.
It's a complex thing and I don't want to go all Bill Simmons and say I know the answer to the unanswerable, but you can't really point to longevity and say "well he was in the league a long time as a backup, so clearly team X didn't develop him right."
Ryan Leaf played for four NFL teams; Joey Harrington played for four; JP Losman is on his third; Rex Grossman is on his third; David Carr is on his fourth; etc.
Looking a little more closely at Ramsey (also a first round pick), he was released by the Jets, Denver and Tennessee. Detroit decided not to resign him and now has a job in NO (whose backup otherwise would have been Chase Daniel).
Tennessee released Ramsey in April of 2009; Detroit didn't sign him until December. That's not exactly the resume of a highly sought after guy. It seems like he's been signed more out of desperation than for his talent.
My ultimate point then is that NFL teams are kind of slow and blidned when it comes to QBs. It takes them a really long time to realize that a guy either sucks or is washed up (explain how Leftwich is not only in the NFL, but might be a starter). Quinn, Ramsey and all these other QBs have talent or else they wouldn't be in the NFL, but it really takes an epic level of suckitude to not be given multiple chances to succeed. As such, I can't really subscribe to the longevity = team screwed up theory. If they have that much talent, they wouldn't be jettisoned so easily by previous teams and/or would be contending for starting rolls each year, not struggling to not get cut.
Even if the player is impacted by playing for a bad team, if a player is on his 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th team and still can't put it together, I think it reflects more on the player than on the teams they played for. Peyton Manning started on a terrible Colts team, Troy Aikman started on a terrible Cowboys team. Drew Brees was drafted by a team that was also pretty bad, played well and then excelled on his second team.
Basically IMO: Quinn either is a backup level quality player or he's just a complete mental case who can't get over the bad parts of his career.
In the case of Patrick Ramsey, I don't think he is a great quarterback or anything, but I do believe he did get messed up earlier in his career by the Redskins.
I don't know if I subscribe to the theory we will know if he is good enough if he stays in the league five more years, but at that point he will have been a 9 year NFL player and I think that if he was that terrible he wouldn't be given more shots to play the quarterback position, no matter how bad he is. I could be wrong, but if Quinn is around in 5 years I think we can say he was just good enough to stick around.
You do bring up some good points and it is true 1st round quarterbacks get multiple opportunities.
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