Tim Tebow

[Pego]

Well, we'll see next weekend if Timmy's really got anything on "Ruthlessburger" or not.

Timmy may, but the Broncos aren't the Steelers.

What a kidder, that Marlow.

[Marlow]

Well, we'll see next weekend if Timmy's really got anything on "Ruthlessburger" or not.

Timmy may, but the Broncos aren't the Steelers.

What a kidder, that Marlow.

Oh, the Broncos ARE the Steelers. Good to know!

[Pego]

Well, we'll see next weekend if Timmy's really got anything on "Ruthlessburger" or not.

Timmy may, but the Broncos aren't the Steelers.

What a kidder, that Marlow.

Oh, the Broncos ARE the Steelers. Good to know!

Comparing Timmy to Big Ben?

[jhc68]

Tebow has a simple formula: He is absolutely awful about 7/8ths of the times he touches the ball. When his good 1/8th of the plays all fall in the last minutes of the fourth quarter of a close game he is nails. When those few plays get spread across the entire game, then the results are disastrous.

[Avante]

The league has already figured it out (not that it was hard to do) go man coverage on the wide outs then play the run. Tebow isn't the passer to make you pay. He can't zip it in there.

It was cute/fun while it lasted. Something a little different but it's over now. You cannot win in the NFL with a .."college"...QB.

[Conor Dary]

Tebow has a simple formula: He is absolutely awful about 7/8ths of the times he touches the ball. When his good 1/8th of the plays all fall in the last minutes of the fourth quarter of a close game he is nails. When those few plays get spread across the entire game, then the results are disastrous.

Even those days are probably over, which is probably a relief to Elway.

[tafnut]

Tebow has a simple formula: He is absolutely awful about 7/8ths of the times he touches the ball. When his good 1/8th of the plays all fall in the last minutes of the fourth quarter of a close game he is nails. When those few plays get spread across the entire game, then the results are disastrous.

Even those days are probably over, which is probably a relief to Elway.

Tebow's NFL prospects are still moot, but there's no denying he is a 'leader' and galvanizes teams around him. He made the Gators winners and he still had some of the magic this year, even with the dreadful numbers he put up.

[Master Po]

Following up a bit on BruceFlorman's post, re: comparing Tebow and Orton.

But first, a disclaimer, in the "with malice toward none and charity for all" vein: I would like to see Tebow do well in the NFL, and I would also like to see Orton do well. I'm neither on nor off the TT bandwagon -- it's an interesting story (to me, at least).

In TT's 11 starts, Denver is 7-4, so that's good. However, 3-2 in five games against teams that finished the season w losing records (KCx2, Miami, MN, Buffalo); 0-2 against playoff teams (Detroit, NE); 4-0 against teams that finished 8-8. And then there's the 0-3 to end the regular season. TT finished the season #28 in QB ratings (72.9).

Orton finished the season ranked slightly higher: #24 @ 77.8. In his 8 starts, he was only 3-5. However, Orton's record includes zero starts against teams that finished the season with losing records. Moreover, in Orton's starts, his teams were 3-0 against playoff teams (Cincinnati, GB, Denver).

Given the way Orton was bounced around this year, and given the schedule he started against, and the teams he was playing for, he actually did reasonably well. I would like to see him get another real chance to succeed.

[odelltrclan]

Following up a bit on BruceFlorman's post, re: comparing Tebow and Orton.

But first, a disclaimer, in the "with malice toward none and charity for all" vein: I would like to see Tebow do well in the NFL, and I would also like to see Orton do well. I'm neither on nor off the TT bandwagon -- it's an interesting story (to me, at least).

In TT's 11 starts, Denver is 7-4, so that's good. However, 3-2 in five games against teams that finished the season w losing records (KCx2, Miami, MN, Buffalo); 0-2 against playoff teams (Detroit, NE); 4-0 against teams that finished 8-8. And then there's the 0-3 to end the regular season. TT finished the season #28 in QB ratings (72.9).

Orton finished the season ranked slightly higher: #24 @ 77.8. In his 8 starts, he was only 3-5. However, Orton's record includes zero starts against teams that finished the season with losing records. Moreover, in Orton's starts, his teams were 3-0 against playoff teams (Cincinnati, GB, Denver).

Given the way Orton was bounced around this year, and given the schedule he started against, and the teams he was playing for, he actually did reasonably well. I would like to see him get another real chance to succeed.

I think Orton is a MUCH better quarterback than Tebow. I think he got a raw deal in Denver, though there may be more behind the scenes than the public knows (players don't like him?). When the season started, the Denver defense was atrocious. After Tebow became the started, the defense started playing much better, perhaps in part because they knew they stood absolutely NO chance of winning unless they all played their very best. They became a pretty good defensive team over much of the rest of the year. Had they played like that when Orton was playing for them, Tebow likely never plays.

I wish Tebow the best and hope he does well, and the same for Orton, I just don't see it Tebow ever being an adequate NFL quarterback because he simply is not a good enough passer.

[Marlow]

Comparing Timmy to Big Ben?

Don't look now, but Lil Timmy has outplayed Big Ben for three quarters so far. Obviously the Steelers can still win, but I think Tim has done just fine.

[Pego]

Yes, he has.

[guru]

Comparing Timmy to Big Ben?

Don't look now, but Lil Timmy has outplayed Big Ben for three quarters so far.

No, he outplayed him for one. We shall see if that was enough...

[guru]

Well, make that two quarters lol

[Marlow]

The ineptitude of TT has been grossly exaggerated. His last play is testament to that. He'll never make All-Pro, but he has proved his worth.

[Avante]

Keeping it real....if the Steelers had been healthy........

However...

Tebow looked great. A middle of the pack talent as a passer. His running abilty does do things to a defense. He's good enought to make it work.

Now...

Don't put too much into...on the road vs a rested Pats team/Tom Brady. Hell no they can't win that game...who can?

[guru]

Keeping it real....if the Steelers had been healthy........

However...

Tebow looked great.

Ike Taylor just killed the Steelers all night. Should have been on the sideline after halftime.

[Friar]

Nice forecast for Sat. evening. Overcast and about 32 falling to 21. No precip.
He's talked about constantly on Boston radio. He made a lot of people's day (in NE).

[Giant Panda]

Highest Average Gain, Game (20 attempts)
15.05 Tim Tebow, AFC-FR: Denver vs. Pittsburgh, 2011 (21-316)
14.71 Terry Bradshaw, SB: Pittsburgh vs. Los Angeles, 1979 (21-309)
14.50 Peyton Manning, AFC-FR: Indianapolis vs. Denver, 2003 (26-377)
13.88 Peyton Manning, AFC-FR: Indianapolis vs. Denver, 2004 (33-458)

[guru]

Then, Roethlisberger made it worse in the post-game presser

Much worse...

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/sports/file ... at_540.jpg

[Marlow]

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/sports/files/2012/01/roethlisberger_hat_540.jpg

Is he going out with Damon Runyon later?

[Brian]

Tebow has a simple formula: He is absolutely awful about 7/8ths of the times he touches the ball. When his good 1/8th of the plays all fall in the last minutes of the fourth quarter of a close game he is nails. When those few plays get spread across the entire game, then the results are disastrous.

Even those days are probably over, which is probably a relief to Elway.

Tebow's NFL prospects are still moot, but there's no denying he is a 'leader' and galvanizes teams around him. He made the Gators winners and he still had some of the magic this year, even with the dreadful numbers he put up.

Leadership is one of the two most important qualities for a pro quarterback. [Reading defenses is the other.]

Screw Elway, he lost four Superbowls before a good running back got him his first win in the big game. He doesn't know it all.

Tebow has the guys on his team believing in themselves and in their chances to win any game they play. You can't measure the value of that on any scale. Those of us old enough need think no further than Namath BKI (before knee injury).

That said, i am really getting sick of "Tebowmania", although I do understand how exciting it must be for fans in that area to have an unexpected winner and I don't begrudge them. I just wish the announcers would grow up a little bit.


Also, QB's need to have a good arm, of course. But an accurate one rather than simply strong. Arm strength is overrated; in today's NFL--and always, really--it is much more important to be able to throw accurately for 10-20 yards than lob a bomb downfield, no matter how neato-keen the fans think it looks. Think of Joe Montana hitting Jerry Rice across the middle and dissecting the defense like a surgeon's scalpel.

And hey, show me a quarterback who makes it to the NFL who doesn't have a good arm--they all do...at least, good enough. No, it is the intangibles that are of paramount importance for this position...!

This is coming, BTW, from a life-long Vikings fan who has watched them piss away decades with the short-term strategy of grabbing up Jeff George, Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham, and any other "strong-armed" quarterback they could find to thrill the fans with long passes and put big bucks-paying asses in the Metrodome seats.
.

[Brian]

This is coming, BTW, from a life-long Vikings fan who has watched them piss away decades with the short-term strategy of grabbing up Jeff George, Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham, and any other "strong-armed" quarterback they could find to thrill the fans with long passes and put big bucks-paying asses in the Metrodome seats.
.

Speaking of being pissed off at your team (subtle segue, eh? Four AM will do that to you.):

My late and beloved father, when disgusted by the play of the Twins or Vikings, used to mumble under his breath (so Mom wouldn't hear), "Goddamn [fill in name of temporarily-hated sports team], they play like a sausage."

This has always confused me. How exactly does one "play like a sausage"--?? When young, I didn't dare ask him and promptly forgot once I got older and discovered the attraction high school girls have to any automobile capable of movement.

And now he's gone. Not that he may have known himself where he got it; Dad was always great at remembering how to get somewhere or how to do something, but couldn't for the life of him remember where or when he actually learned those things. The whys and wherefores just weren't as important to his generation as the whats, whos, and hows, maybe.

The best I could come up with is that playing like a sausage means one is not being a thing of quality but rather, a thing of inferior by-products, perhaps even pretending to be USDA choice.

Or maybe something cruder. :]

So I'll throw it out here: Has anyone ever heard this phrase used as a colloquialism, or was Dad, may he rest in peace, truly a quirky original with his usage?

If anyone knows, it would save a lot in future therapy bills. Thank you.
.

[jhc68]

OK. I'm a believer... the weather in New England won't matter, TT will lead the Broncos to a Super Bowl championship during this last year of the Mayan Calendar.

[Vince]

Well that ol' Tebow magic was on display again yesterday -- i.e. being disproportionately rewarded for a less than half-assed job -- as Denver received a home playoff date at the end of a 3-game skid, based on the third tie-breaker in the division -- record against common opponents.

Denver's record against playoff-bound competition this year: 1-3. The lone win coming at home against Cincinnati in week two. When, strangely enough, Tebow didn't start. Interestingly, on the team's website, where they list the game results (http://www.denverbroncos.com/schedule-a ... edule.html) they've for some reason removed Orton's name from the "Team Leaders" statistics associated with the first five games. What class.

Well, we'll see next weekend if Timmy's really got anything on "Ruthlessburger" or not.

I guess ol' Tebow's magic was on rightly on display against Pittsburgh, but it certainly wasn't a "half-assed" job.

[gh]

humorist Andy Borowitz

<<Elsewhere, in the NFL on Sunday, God defeated Satan in overtime.>>

[Pego]

I guess, Polamalu crossing himself after every play is a satanic ritual .

[lonewolf]

I have never heard the expression "playing like a sausage" but there are numerous other cliche terms, many of which I unconsciously use, whose origin/meaning is lost/vague.
One that comes to mind is," he runs like a stripey assed ape". On reflection, I don't know if that means he runs fast, awkwardly or in fear.

[cullman]

And hey, show me a quarterback who makes it to the NFL who doesn't have a good arm--they all do...at least, good enough. No, it is the intangibles that are of paramount importance for this position...!

This is coming, BTW, from a life-long Vikings fan who has watched them piss away decades with the short-term strategy of grabbing up Jeff George, Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham, and any other "strong-armed" quarterback they could find to thrill the fans with long passes and put big bucks-paying asses in the Metrodome seats.
.

Could be worse...you could be a Cleveland Browns fan! (Hey, let's move to Baltimore and win a Super Bowl there!)

The Vikings made it to their first Super Bowl with Joe Kapp...a quarterback with plenty of intangibles and an uncanny inability to throw a spiral. By the way, Kapp is tied with Sid Luckman and couple of other guys with a record 7 TD passes in one game.

Tebow may or may not last long in the league but he's getting it done for the time being...and is better at present than backup QB and former Cleveland first round pick, Brady Quinn. (Other classically trained sausages who were top prospects but couldn't get the gist of playing QB in the NFL: Tim Couch, Dan McGwuire, Mike Phipps, Ryan Leaf, Todd Blackledge, Rick Mirer, David Klingler, Heath Schuler)

cman

[Avante]

I told my wife (who is very religious)...

There's this football player named Tim Tebow who......yak yak yak....you'll be hearing about him from non football/sports outlets.

10 minutes ago on this talk show...The View....yep...Tim Tebow talk.

I looked over at Judy...."now watch"...yep the famous kneel.

[26mi235]

By the way, Kapp is tied with Sid Luckman and couple of other guys with a record 7 TD passes in one game.

Well the Packer's backup (Flynn) just went for 6 TDs -- how many think he is better than the player he backs up? I will help him get a pretty good contract, however.

[Brian]

I have never heard the expression "playing like a sausage" but there are numerous other cliche terms, many of which I unconsciously use, whose origin/meaning is lost/vague.
One that comes to mind is," he runs like a stripey assed ape". On reflection, I don't know if that means he runs fast, awkwardly or in fear.

LOL!

I may be borrowing this one come Spring.
.

[Brian]

And hey, show me a quarterback who makes it to the NFL who doesn't have a good arm--they all do...at least, good enough. No, it is the intangibles that are of paramount importance for this position...!

This is coming, BTW, from a life-long Vikings fan who has watched them piss away decades with the short-term strategy of grabbing up Jeff George, Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham, and any other "strong-armed" quarterback they could find to thrill the fans with long passes and put big bucks-paying asses in the Metrodome seats.
.

Could be worse...you could be a Cleveland Browns fan! (Hey, let's move to Baltimore and win a Super Bowl there!)

The Vikings made it to their first Super Bowl with Joe Kapp...a quarterback with plenty of intangibles and an uncanny inability to throw a spiral. By the way, Kapp is tied with Sid Luckman and couple of other guys with a record 7 TD passes in one game.

Tebow may or may not last long in the league but he's getting it done for the time being...and is better at present than backup QB and former Cleveland first round pick, Brady Quinn. (Other classically trained sausages who were top prospects but couldn't get the gist of playing QB in the NFL: Tim Couch, Dan McGwuire, Mike Phipps, Ryan Leaf, Todd Blackledge, Rick Mirer, David Klingler, Heath Schuler)

cman

Kapp was--IS!--one tough sonuvagun. I was pretty young then but I remember many, many fans not happy the Vikings got rid of him (to the Boston Patriots, who were not a winning team back then) just because he wanted a raise after the team made the Superbowl. "40 for 60"--a lot of hardy Minnesotans could relate to that concept of working hard together.

Pro football back then meant more often than not having to shove the defensive lineman away from you in order to throw the ball, if you were the quarterback. [Those old Steve Sobol NFL films archival footage is mind-blowing.]

Kapp later played a guard in the real "The Longest Yard" movie (the 1974 original with Burt Reynolds). Also Ray Nitschke, Sonny Sixkiller (former Pats QB) and Richard Kiel (famous line: "I think I broke his f*cking neck!"and later to be Jaws in "Moonraker"), among others. There were some tough guys in that film.


"--classically trained sausages---"

I love it!
Dad would be so proud.

:]
.

[BruceFlorman]

I guess ol' Tebow's magic was on rightly on display against Pittsburgh, but it certainly wasn't a "half-assed" job.

Credit where credit is due, he did play well on Sunday, and he did finally beat a team with a winning record. That said, I don't think he's proven himself to be Roethlisberger's equal with this performance any more than Matt Hasselbeck proved himself to be Brees' equal with Seattle's upset of the Saints under similar circumstances last year. The hype-to-substance ratio is still awfully high for this guy.

[tafnut]

The hype-to-substance ratio is still awfully high for this guy.

This is starting to sound a whole lot like all the Mad Hatter BS. Why is it so hard just to appreciate a winner?

Tebow won in college, and now he's done it at the next level. Denver's OFFENSE is not that good, yet Tebow found a way to get them to the playoffs and beat a good team. I'm starting to think that some people actually ARE holding his religiosity against him (which, when I originally heard that idea, thought was a silly notion).

[BruceFlorman]

I'm starting to think that some people actually ARE holding his religiosity against him (which, when I originally heard that idea, thought was a silly notion).

Speaking only for myself...

Just as you live in Jacksonville and have followed Tebow since he was a Gator (although you're a Stanford alum), I live in Lafayette Indiana and have followed Orton since he was a Boilermaker (although I'm a Virginia alum).

It's been obvious since his days at Purdue that Orton is never really going to grow up to be Drew Brees, but nevertheless, it does cause me to grind my teeth a bit to see him first benched, then fired, to make way for the guy he beat out in the preseason, but who had loads of public support based on... hype. And while I believe that Tebow really is a sincere and upstanding young man, a lot of the hype surrounding him, at least in the beginning, was due to his in-your-face religiosity. But I guess that I'll keep my teeth grinding to myself, rather than risk being labeled anti-religious.

Now... on a completely different topic... what's with the resurrection of the "tafnut" moniker? Was that addressed on another thread, and I missed it?