DeWalt
Banned
Love the Champ Bailey quote at the end of the article.
Looks like someone who actually played for and attended UGA has a more mature attitude than some of the "fans" on this site.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/os-tebow-mania-20100820,0,4305636.story
DENVER — The now infamous haircut Tim Tebow sported in training camp as a welcome-to-the- NFL hazing moment may have temporarily turned him into Friar Tuck -- or Friar Tuck-And-Run, given the subject matter.
But that wild buzz is nothing compared to the one the former Heisman Trophy winner has created since joining the Denver Broncos.
Tebow might as well be a monk, too, given the almost religious fervor from fans that's accompanied the quarterback trading University Florida orange-and-blue for a similar color scheme as a pro.
This past Tuesday, during a Broncos afternoon practice, a lone fan stood on the hill overlooking the field with a white placard held high overhead.
The sign's message in bold magic marker quoted … wait for it, Timothy 1:7 of the New Testament:
For God did not give us the spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
His teammates, who have witnessed scenes of infatuation like this ever since Tebow joined the Broncos, can only shake their heads and say, 'Holy Mackarel …'
"It's definitely something I've never seen before," Denver right tackle Ryan Harris said with a chuckle. "There's something about him."
So much so that when the CBS affiliate in Denver cut away from the PGA Championship last weekend to televise the Broncos' preseason opener, the rating nearly doubled to a 16.2. That possibly can be explained by an insatiable appetite for the NFL or even the passion of Denver fans, except when the following is considered.
In Week 1 of summer games that don't count, the audience usually shrinks after the starters get their obligatory one or two series. Two hours and 15 minutes into the game, the ratings spiked to a 22.7, not far below that of a regular-season Broncos game, and 41 percent of the city's households with TVs on were watching.
It wasn't to see whether Orlando native Jammie Kirlew would win a backup spot at outside linebacker.
There were even people in the stands in Cincinnati for that game clad in Tebow gear who took it upon themselves to duplicate the unattractive bald spot inflicted upon Tebow by Denver's veteran players as a tribute. The QB's since shaved his head to an even stubble.
"It's crazy. But it's always been that way since I first met him," said Jarvis Moss, Denver's 2007 first-round pick out of UF. "I wouldn't say it's a Florida thing, because there are a lot of great Gators and we don't get nearly that kind of attention. He's just a mad celebrity. The good thing is he knows how to handle it. He doesn't let it get to his head – and he works."
A few decades back, there were stories in Denver about whether John Elway was eating peas or carrots in training camp. Amid a similar maelstrom, Tebow has tried to mind his p's and q's while fitting in with new teammates who don't have 15-20 of their No. 1 selling jerseys in the league fly off the shelves daily at a makeshift Broncos auxiliary team store near the camp parking lot.
"There are pros and cons, just like everything," Tebow said recently when asked whether he'd rather just go unnoticed like many other first-year players, rather than hearing chants of his name – while stretching. "You'll definitely get joked on more because of it, but you also have that opportunity because people know who you are and have that popularity to go into a hospital and make a kid smile or sign an autograph. So that's also a big plus with it, too."
Some Broncos veterans wanted to dislike the quarterback upon his arrival but found it impossible to do so when Tebow routinely completed post-practice wind sprints in front of everyone else and was diligent in his playbook and film study.
Then, in that preseason game against the Bengals, Tebow not only got up after a wicked blindside hit but ended that same drive by plowing through two defenders on the final play for a touchdown. Tebow hurt his ribs in the process, which will likely keep him out of his home preseason debut Saturday against Detroit.
"I've said this before about Tim. I think the attention, the accolades, that he receives are for what he did," Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said. "I think the things going forward that he does to help our football team will really determine how people feel about him, how we feel about him, how his teammates feel about him and how the league views him. That's what's important.
"He's always going to be Heisman Trophy winner and a national champion. You can't change that," McDaniels added. "But I think he's moved past that because he's trying to become a good NFL quarterback."
Tebow wasn't even Denver's top draft pick. Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas of Georgia Tech was taken three spots before him last April, though you'd never know it now as Tebowmania rages.
The widespread questions still linger about Tebow's mechanics while throwing. Some critics point to his bowling-pin running style in college and doubt it can translate against stronger, faster NFL athletes.
Still, it would be a pedestrian, even boring camp, had the Broncos gone with conventional thinking and taken someone like ex-Gators center Maurkice Pouncey instead of Tebow in Round 1.
A franchise that finished last season 2-8 to miss the playoffs needs someone with the kind of cache who makes news by admitting to listening to Frank Sinatra, soft country or Chris Tomlin before games to calm himself down, as Tebow did.
Just imagine the interest level if Tebow actually plays with regularity.
He currently has only a chance of playing in special packages behind starter Kyle Orton and may only be the emergency quarterback behind Orton and Brady Quinn when Denver opens the regular near Tebow's old stomping grounds, Jacksonville, on Sept. 13.
"He's probably the most marketable guy in the league right now, so he's definitely going to get that attention," Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said at the start of camp, after a line of fans formed before the sun rose to get a glimpse of Tebow's first official practice.
"The only knock on him is that he went to Florida," the ex-Georgia star added with a laugh. "Can't hate him for that."
Looks like someone who actually played for and attended UGA has a more mature attitude than some of the "fans" on this site.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/os-tebow-mania-20100820,0,4305636.story
DENVER — The now infamous haircut Tim Tebow sported in training camp as a welcome-to-the- NFL hazing moment may have temporarily turned him into Friar Tuck -- or Friar Tuck-And-Run, given the subject matter.
But that wild buzz is nothing compared to the one the former Heisman Trophy winner has created since joining the Denver Broncos.
Tebow might as well be a monk, too, given the almost religious fervor from fans that's accompanied the quarterback trading University Florida orange-and-blue for a similar color scheme as a pro.
This past Tuesday, during a Broncos afternoon practice, a lone fan stood on the hill overlooking the field with a white placard held high overhead.
The sign's message in bold magic marker quoted … wait for it, Timothy 1:7 of the New Testament:
For God did not give us the spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
His teammates, who have witnessed scenes of infatuation like this ever since Tebow joined the Broncos, can only shake their heads and say, 'Holy Mackarel …'
"It's definitely something I've never seen before," Denver right tackle Ryan Harris said with a chuckle. "There's something about him."
So much so that when the CBS affiliate in Denver cut away from the PGA Championship last weekend to televise the Broncos' preseason opener, the rating nearly doubled to a 16.2. That possibly can be explained by an insatiable appetite for the NFL or even the passion of Denver fans, except when the following is considered.
In Week 1 of summer games that don't count, the audience usually shrinks after the starters get their obligatory one or two series. Two hours and 15 minutes into the game, the ratings spiked to a 22.7, not far below that of a regular-season Broncos game, and 41 percent of the city's households with TVs on were watching.
It wasn't to see whether Orlando native Jammie Kirlew would win a backup spot at outside linebacker.
There were even people in the stands in Cincinnati for that game clad in Tebow gear who took it upon themselves to duplicate the unattractive bald spot inflicted upon Tebow by Denver's veteran players as a tribute. The QB's since shaved his head to an even stubble.
"It's crazy. But it's always been that way since I first met him," said Jarvis Moss, Denver's 2007 first-round pick out of UF. "I wouldn't say it's a Florida thing, because there are a lot of great Gators and we don't get nearly that kind of attention. He's just a mad celebrity. The good thing is he knows how to handle it. He doesn't let it get to his head – and he works."
A few decades back, there were stories in Denver about whether John Elway was eating peas or carrots in training camp. Amid a similar maelstrom, Tebow has tried to mind his p's and q's while fitting in with new teammates who don't have 15-20 of their No. 1 selling jerseys in the league fly off the shelves daily at a makeshift Broncos auxiliary team store near the camp parking lot.
"There are pros and cons, just like everything," Tebow said recently when asked whether he'd rather just go unnoticed like many other first-year players, rather than hearing chants of his name – while stretching. "You'll definitely get joked on more because of it, but you also have that opportunity because people know who you are and have that popularity to go into a hospital and make a kid smile or sign an autograph. So that's also a big plus with it, too."
Some Broncos veterans wanted to dislike the quarterback upon his arrival but found it impossible to do so when Tebow routinely completed post-practice wind sprints in front of everyone else and was diligent in his playbook and film study.
Then, in that preseason game against the Bengals, Tebow not only got up after a wicked blindside hit but ended that same drive by plowing through two defenders on the final play for a touchdown. Tebow hurt his ribs in the process, which will likely keep him out of his home preseason debut Saturday against Detroit.
"I've said this before about Tim. I think the attention, the accolades, that he receives are for what he did," Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said. "I think the things going forward that he does to help our football team will really determine how people feel about him, how we feel about him, how his teammates feel about him and how the league views him. That's what's important.
"He's always going to be Heisman Trophy winner and a national champion. You can't change that," McDaniels added. "But I think he's moved past that because he's trying to become a good NFL quarterback."
Tebow wasn't even Denver's top draft pick. Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas of Georgia Tech was taken three spots before him last April, though you'd never know it now as Tebowmania rages.
The widespread questions still linger about Tebow's mechanics while throwing. Some critics point to his bowling-pin running style in college and doubt it can translate against stronger, faster NFL athletes.
Still, it would be a pedestrian, even boring camp, had the Broncos gone with conventional thinking and taken someone like ex-Gators center Maurkice Pouncey instead of Tebow in Round 1.
A franchise that finished last season 2-8 to miss the playoffs needs someone with the kind of cache who makes news by admitting to listening to Frank Sinatra, soft country or Chris Tomlin before games to calm himself down, as Tebow did.
Just imagine the interest level if Tebow actually plays with regularity.
He currently has only a chance of playing in special packages behind starter Kyle Orton and may only be the emergency quarterback behind Orton and Brady Quinn when Denver opens the regular near Tebow's old stomping grounds, Jacksonville, on Sept. 13.
"He's probably the most marketable guy in the league right now, so he's definitely going to get that attention," Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said at the start of camp, after a line of fans formed before the sun rose to get a glimpse of Tebow's first official practice.
"The only knock on him is that he went to Florida," the ex-Georgia star added with a laugh. "Can't hate him for that."
