Based on the amount of media coverage of Tim Tebow that I’ve had to endure since he took the reins of the Denver Broncos’ offense, I think it is fair to say that Tebowmania has engulfed the NFL.
I’ve never been much of a Tebow fan myself. Not because I have anything against the guy personally, but because the media coverage he has received ever since he was a freshman at Florida has been gag-inducing. While he was a star for the Gators I lost count of the number of times I watched a Tebow feature on ESPN or read something about Tebow that painted him as some sort of Christ-like figure. Since he first appeared on the national football stage six years ago, the predominant attitude toward Tebow has been that he can do no wrong.
That attitude has followed Tebow to the NFL. I get that he’s a great guy and people really want him to succeed because he’s so popular, but let’s be real here for a second: An NFL quarterback with a 48.5 percent completion percentage should not be receiving the heaps of praise that are bestowed on Tebow week in and week out.
“But Ryan,” you will say. “All he does is win!” And I am going to respond by saying that Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl, are we gushing over him too?
I swear that people are blinded by Tebow’s charm and as a result they rationalize any way that they can to convince themselves that Tebow is a good NFL quarterback. They don’t want him to fail, so they choose to ignore the mountain of negatives while grasping at the straws that are the positives.
Congrats, Tim! You’ve elevated the Broncos to mediocrity! Why wait? Let’s just put him in Canton now.
Tebowmania has gotten a bit out of control. Sure, he’s engineered some nice comebacks (having to come back on the then 0-5 Miami Dolphins really left me in awe), but when I read things like what Greg Couch wrote for FoxSports.com on Dec. 6 I start to draw the line of ridiculousness.
“Tebow is the NFL’s Most Valuable Player,” Couch wrote. “[Tebow’s] more valuable to his team than any other player in the league. Aaron Rodgers is his closest competition.”
I’m sure Rodgers (you know, that guy boasting a completion percentage near 70 percent and 39 touchdown tosses and just generally putting together one of the best seasons from a quarterback in NFL history) is honored to be classified as the “closest competition” to the spectacularly mediocre Tebow.
But on the subject of Rodgers and the Packers, maybe they should be thankful that Tebowmania has overtaken the NFL this season.
I never thought it would have been possible for a 12-0 team to be under the radar, but the 2011 Green Bay Packers seem to be.
I remember when the Patriots were on their way to their 16-0 record in 2007, it was all that anybody could talk about. That team got dissected by the media each and every week, and I couldn’t turn on ESPN without being overwhelmed by the sheer number of times I had to endure Tom Brady’s face on the television screen.
I can’t imagine the type of pressure and scrutiny New England felt that year being put under the microscope by every football fan in the country. But, fortunately this year’s Packers haven’t dealt with that type of attention thanks to people like Tebow.
When I’ve turned on SportsCenter or perused news sites on Sundays this season after the Packers have disposed of yet another opponent I don’t see headlines like “Aaron Rodgers makes yet another team cry.” No, I get things like “Tebow does it again!” And that’s all anyone continues to talk about until the next Sunday. And so the cycle continues.
Tebow has successfully put a potential undefeated season on the back burners. And, considering his body of work, I’m chalking that up as his most impressive accomplishment this season.
The Packers haven’t had to deal with added media scrutiny, haven’t faced extra pressure this season thanks to the media’s man crush on Tebow. They have been able to simply to go about their business and continue to do what they do best, namely, rolling over the NFL.
Now, I’m sure if the Packers are looking like they will get to their New Year’s Day showdown with the Lions with an unblemished record the media scrutiny will increase, maybe Mercury Morris will even come out of the woodwork to stir something up, but then again, Tebow may be getting ready to lead a stunning six-point comeback over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Has Tim Tebow been an integral part in the Packers’ quest for perfection? You can e-mail Ryan at rmevans2@dailycardinal.com.
