Tebowmania storms Manhattan

Today the New York Jets will announce their new backup quarterback.  Yes, a NFL team is hosting a press conference to show the No 2 guy behind the center hold up his new Jets jersey.  A big show for a quarterback who is supposedly going to take about 20 snaps per game seems a bit much.   It is.  However, the quarterback is Tim Tebow, so it is necessary.

Tebow is not your average QB and he certainly will not be treated like a backup.  This is not because of his arrogance or his skill.  It is because of his fans.  Tebow has a strong following.  To say that they are zealous is an understatement.  Fans in Denver forced the club to make him the starting QB.  It is not uncommon for fans to express their desire for change, but Tebow’s fans purchased advertising to make their point.

 “Tebowing,” the act of getting on one knee and bowing your head, has spread around the nation.  Rex Ryan, the Jets head coach, has already experienced fans coming up to him and “tebowing” and Tebow has not been announced as a Jet yet.  A person with this type of appeal coming to the largest media market had to have a press conference.

The Jets will get some great publicity and jersey sales will increase, but I think that this was a horrible move for the Jets’ locker room.  For the past two years, I picked the Jets to go to the Super Bowl.  They came close in 2011, losing in the AFC championship game to the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Last year they did not make the playoffs.  The problem was not talent.  The team lacked direction and trust in leadership.  Some publicly criticized their quarterback, Mark Sanchez, albeit anonymously, it shows the chaos in the locker room.

Tebow’s presence is going to make this worse.  Who is the real leader of the team?  When teammates and fans are bashing Sanchez what will happen?  Do player’s believe that Tebow was really brought to New York to be the backup?  Does Sanchez?

The Jets have said that they plan to use Tebow in their wildcat offense.  He can run and would be a threat to defenses in that type of offense.  I just don’t see two quarterbacks being co-starters working well for the Jets.  Especially, after the season they just had.  Tebow worked some miracles with the Broncos, so maybe he will do so with the Jets.  I like Tebow, but I am not a buying the Jets having a young, developing quarterback backup another young, developing quarterback.

Watch the press conference live online at noon ET on nfl.com

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®

A football week to love

I am asking for forgiveness now.  I am all over the place this week.  Between my beloved Wolverines winning their first bowl game since 2008, a crazy weekend of NFL playoff games and the Allstate BCS NationalChampionship game happening tonight, there is a lot to talk about in football.  Forgive me.

AMAIZEING all right

Last week Michigan Football got a boost with a victory over Virginia Tech in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.  While the football world declared that a win showed that Michigan was back; Head Coach Brady Hoke, said that, “Michigan never left.”  Gosh it is so nice to have a Michigan Man back at the helm of this program.  I know, this seems a little arrogant, but there is a difference.  It is not about growing up in the state.  It is not about being an alum of the university.  Coach BoSchembechler who started the designation was not either.  It is about understanding and respecting a great tradition with a very proud history.  It is about loving Michigan football.  I hate to seem corny as if I don’t have a life outside of Michigan football (I do, really); but it is the truth.  When you have that knowledge and passion, you lead with enthusiasm and make everyone buy into your system.  This is what Coach Brady Hoke did.  Yes, he had experience coaching at Michigan, so he had the trust of the university’s community.  However, he did not come in and make a mockery of the most winningest college football program by saying things like running out of the tunnel into the largest football stadium in the world would mean nothing to him.  Who would jump up to support someone like that?  Not me.  It is ungrateful.  Hoke also understood what was important to his audience.  Win a Big Ten Championship.  He reiterated this several times to the media throughout the season, so you know that he believed this to his core and would work hard to make it happen.  This is a leader that you get behind.  If I feel like this as an alum over 600 miles away from Schembechler Hall, imagine what it did for the guys inside in the locker room.  This is why I agree with Coach Hoke, Michigan never left.  We are the same program, with great talent and a desire for excellence.  We now just have a coach who understands this.

O…M… Tebow

Wild is really not descriptive enough for the way the first weekend of the NFL playoffs ended in Denver.  Tim Tebow, who many criticize for not having an arm to be a NFL quarterback, completely dismantled the Steelers defense, with his passing game.  He threw 316 yards and had two touchdowns to take out the tough Steelers.  The passes were not short either.  One of touchdowns was an 80-yard pass in overtime that finished the game on the first play 11 seconds into overtime.  It was historical because the NFL used to play sudden death in overtime, so the first team to score won the game.  Now in playoff games, if you don’t score a touchdown, the other team has an opportunity to get the ball.  Tebow eliminated that option by going all out on the opening play of overtime.  I am still in awe.  Now Tebow will have to travel to New England and work his magic against Tom Brady’s Patriots.  I can’t wait.

Allstate BCS National Championship

Tonight’s BCS title game will feature two schools from the same conference for the first time.  LSU (#1) and Alabama (#2) are rivals in the Southeastern Conference.  They are playing for the second time this season.  Neither team scored a touchdown at their meeting during the regular season.  The game should be good because of the defenses.   I am going to give the edge to LSU because they have home-field advantage and cornerback Tyrann Mathieu.  He is the only corner to since Charles Woodson to get national attention at that position and be nominated for the Heisman Trophy.  Catch the game on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®

The Tebow difference

Eight weeks ago the Denver Broncos looked lifeless.  They had only won one game and sat last in their division, the AFC West.  After their bye week (Week 6), they returned with a new starting quarterback and transformed into a new team.  The new leader on the Broncos’ offense is Tim Tebow.

I was asked if the difference in Denver’s performance was because Tebow’s style was similar to the wildcat.  While many people refer to wildcat as an offense, it is not actually an offense system.  It is a formation used in an offense system.  In this formation, the ball is snapped directly to the running back.  Tebow can play in a wildcat formation because he is athletic and runs well.  He can throw defenses off by taking the snap and running or lining up as a receiver. 

Denver uses an option offense.  Tebow is a dual threat to defenses because he can pass or rush.  As a result, Denver has an "option" to allow Tebow to rush like a running back.

Tebow is good, but there are a lot of good QBs in the NFL.  Not many of them have completely turned their teams around as a new starter in the middle of the season.  The difference is that he believes that he can win.  It is clear that his belief is contagious in the Broncos locker room.  Since he took over Denver has only lost one game and are now in first in their division. 

All of the wins were not pretty.  Five of them came when the game was tied or the Broncos were down entering the fourth quarter.  Tebow fights until the end and keeps his teammates fired up to get the win.  That is the difference he brought to Denver.

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®

Time to give Tebow some credit

Tim Tebow is the current starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos.  He is a polarizing player who many fans love and just as many love to hate.  The way he plays the game and his unabashed expression of his religious beliefs causes great debate among fans.  Some believe that he is not and will not be a “NFL” quarterback because of his inferior passing skills and reliance to run.  Others think he is entertaining and will grow into a great quarterback.  Many people admire Tebow for being confident enough to speak about Christianity, but some think that he is over the top with his relig

Tebow took over the starting QB job last month.  At the time, the Broncos had only won one game.  Since then, Denver has won five out of six games and are on the cusp of reaching the playoffs.  Even with a 5 – 1 record as a starter, there is still a lot of debate about Tebow’s ability.  The critics say that the credit for Denver’s surge should be given to the defense.

Denver’s defense has done a great job and yes, defense wins championships.  However, the quarterback is a key position.  Not just for conducting the offensive game plan but for the leadership.  Just ask Indianapolis Colts fans how important a QB is.  They know that there season would be completely different if Peyton was playing.

Tebow does have some growing to do, but this does not mean that he is not the reason that the team turned things around.   His passing has been average, but he has found a way for the Broncos to win and he has motivated his teammates to desire to win.  He is not Tom Brady, but give the guy some credit for getting Denver above a .500 record.

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets

Only in the NFL

The unexpected happens in the NFL, especially in December.  Teams headed to the playoffs lose to horrible teams.  Rookies step up.  Good teams look vulnerable.  It all makes the end of the season very interesting.   Yesterday was filled with some great matchups!  

Favorites from NFL Week 15

Detroit Lions got their fourth win of this season and their first win on the road since 2007.  With a record of 3 – 10, the Lions went down to Florida and beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a playoff contender, 23 – 20 in overtime.  They did this with their third string quarterback, Drew Stanton.  Lions fan should be excited about where they will be next year with a healthy Matthew Stafford.

New York Jets bounced back after losing two games in a row and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 22 -17.  Pittsburgh attempted a come back, but it was unsuccessful.  After being humiliated by the New England Patriots and Miami Heat, the Jets got their first win in December and held on to the Wild-Card playoff spot.

Baltimore Ravens beat the New Orleans Saints, 30 -24 at home.  The defending Super Bowl champs had not lost a game since October.   Baltimore’s offense and defense was on point.  Ray Rice led the offense with 153 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while the defense limited the Saints to just 27 rushing yards.  Both teams are fighting to keep a Wild-Card playoff spot.

Redskins fans had been boasting a better record and a victory over their division rival, Dallas Cowboys.  All of that is over now.  While the Redskins experimented with benching quarterback, Donovan McNabb for Rex Grossman, the Cowboys are ending strong.  Dallas led the entire game.  Washington fought back but missed a field goal to tie the game.  Dallas won, 33 – 30.  The Cowboys and Redskins are tied for third place in the NFC East at 5-9.

While Pittsburgh, New Orleans and Washington failed at coming back, but quarterback Michael Vick and the Eagles got it done.  Philadelphia was trailing the New York Giants by 14 points at the beginning of the fourth quarter.  Vick passed, ran and scored a touchdown to get the Eagles 28 points in the final quarter of the game!  This is why he is leading Pro Bowl voting.  Philadelphia won, 38 – 31.

Rookie Debut

Quarterback Tim Tebow made his first start in the NFL.  He had 138 passing yards, 78 rushing yards and a touchdown.  It was a good start to his NFL career, but not enough for the Denver Broncos to beat the Oakland Raiders.  The Raiders won, 39 -23.

Are you ready for some football?

Tonight MNF is going to cold Minnesota, but not to the Metrodome.  The Chicago Bears will play the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium, home of the University of Minnesota football team.  This is the result of Metrodome collapsing last Sunday.  Officials ruled that it could not be repaired in time, the Bears petitioned the NFL to disallow the game at TCF Bank, but the show is going on.  Outside of the Brett Favre drama, this game is centered on Chicago keeping its playoffs hopes alive.  Right now Chicago is leading the NFC North, 9-4; but the Green Bay Packers are right behind them.  They meet for the final game of the season.  I think that Chicago will keep it together, while the Vikings still figure out who they are after a crazy season.  MNF kicks off at 8:30 pm on ESPN.

Ciao! 

Heels & Helmets®

College football is here!

It’s August and college football is here!  Over the weekend, college football programs opened camped and the USA TODAY Coaches’ Poll released its 2010 Preseason Top 25.  Here are the teams that the 59 head coaches on the USA TODAY Board of Coaches voted to be on the 2010 preseason poll. 

Aug. 6 2010 preseason poll
Rank	Team (first-place votes)	2009 record	Points	Final 2009 rank
1.	Alabama (55)	14-0	1,469	1
2.	Ohio State (4)	11-2	1,392	5
3.	Florida	13-1	1,245	3
4.	Texas	13-1	1,240	2
5.	Boise State	14-0	1,215	4
6.	Virginia Tech	10-3	1,052	10
7.	TCU	12-1	1,051	6
8.	Oklahoma	8-5	1,035	NR
9.	Nebraska	10-4	1,001	14
10.	Iowa	11-2	952	7
11.	Oregon	10-3	940	11
12.	Wisconsin	10-3	778	16
13.	Miami (Fla.)	9-4	728	19
14.	Penn State	11-2	508	8
15.	Pittsburgh	10-3	492	15
16.	LSU	9-4	476	17
17.	Georgia Tech	11-3	455	13
18.	North Carolina	8-5	445	NR
19.	Arkansas	8-5	438	NR
20.	Florida State	7-6	374	NR
21.	Georgia	8-5	312	NR
22.	Oregon State	8-5	263	NR
23.	Auburn	8-5	260	NR
24t.	Utah	10-3	169	18
24t.	West Virginia	9-4	169	22

With the preseason poll out, I want to give some thoughts on the top three teams and their quest to play in the BCS title game on January 10, 2011.

1. Rollin’ with the Tide – The University of Alabama Crimson Tide (#1), 2009 National Football Champions, have one goal: University of Phoenix Stadium to defend their title.  From the preseason poll, it looks like the majority of the coaches think that they have the talent to accomplish this goal.  They have a solid foundation on offense.  Starting quarterback, Greg McElroy is 14-0 as a starter at Alabama.  Plus, they return a powerful and fast running back duo in Mark Ingram (2009 Heisman winner) and Trent Richardson.  However, as Head Coach Nick Saban admits the preseason poll is all about what a team did last year.  This year is a new year.  Saban’s challenge getting Alabama back to the BCS title game is an inexperienced defense.  The Crimson Tide lost 14 defensive players to the 2010 NFL Draft.  The defense was key to keeping Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators to just 13 points in the 2009 SEC Championship Game.  This offense will put up some points, but remember defense wins championships.  

2. No Consistency in Columbus – The Ohio State University Buckeyes (#2) is the highest ranked school representing the Big 10 in the poll.  Quarterback, Terrelle Pryor has a decent arm and leads the team in rushing, but he has not shown any consistency to demonstrate that he will do anything great.  The Buckeyes passing game was ranked 103rd last year.  That is not the performance of a Heisman quarterback and national championship offense.  As a result, Iowa (#10), Wisconsin (#12) and Penn State (#14) could easily challenge Ohio State for the Big Ten Conference Championship and a spot in the BCS title game.  Iowa will play all three schools.  While Wisconsin and Penn State will both play Ohio State, they will not play each other.  This could make things tricky if they have similar records with victories over Ohio State.  (A Big 10 Conference Championship game can’t start fast enough.)  On the other hand, if Pryor avoids 9 interceptions in 13 games and is the guy that we saw against Oregon in the 2010 Rose Bowl all season, this will not be a conversation.  The scary part for Buckeye fans is that they could see the guy who was a disaster when Purdue upset them last year.

3. Life After Tebow – The University of Florida (#3) feel that the 2009 season was a disappointment.  The Florida Gators started the season as the defending National Champions ranked #1.   They held on to this spot until they suffered their first and only loss of the season to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.   This cost them the opportunity to play for a back-to-back championship.  The Gators want to avenge last season, but it is going to be difficult.  They are starting over after the “Tim Tebow Years” and beginning a season without any returning All-American players since 2007.  The young man who is now leading the Gators at the quarterback position, John Brantley, has never started a game; but he did spend three years behind one the best quarterbacks to play at Florida.  Now we’ll see if Brantley learned enough job-shadowing Tebow to get the Gators back to a BCS title game.

Looking at the top three teams, I think that Nick Saban will get his defense together during camp and play in the BCS title game for the second consecutive year.  Let's see how they handle their SEC match-up against Florida on October 2.  You also have to be leery of Boise State (#5) because they always have some tricks up their sleeves.

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets