When I was in junior high school 30 years ago, I went up to a girl who was a noted Dallas Cowboys fan and said, “Danny White is a so-and-so.” I don’t recall the exact put down I used, but it was the best my teenage brain could come up with. She replied, “So are you,” and that ended that. I’ve been arguing about the merits of NFL quarterbacks ever since.
For the past month, I’ve been engaged in multiple lively Tim Tebow discussions on Facebook with friends and friends of friends across the country. On one side are the Tebow “believers,” who, in my opinion, have exaggerated his rare flashes of brilliant quarterback play while downplaying his more common inept play.
It started when a Dallas Cowboys fan posted on his wall that he wished Jerry Jones would trade Tony Romo for Tebow. He was serious. As was a San Diego Chargers fan who implied that he’d rather have Tebow behind center than Philip Rivers. And both opinions were voiced BEFORE Tebow’s shining moment, leading the Broncos over the Steelers in the first round of the playoffs.
As the discussions continued, I soon realized three things. One, I was in the minority. Two, Tebow believers love citing intangibles like “inspiring” and “leader” and “winner.” (Whenever I hear those words associated with a quarterback prospect, it reminds me of the notorious blind date recommendation “she has a great personality.”) Three, saying anything negative about Tebow — even if limited to his ability, skills or performance — gets you labeled a “doubter” or a “hater.” Many Tebow supporters seem to have an issue distinguishing criticism of him as a person vs. criticism of him as a quarterback, which is after all what he’s paid to be.
I don’t hate Tebow; in fact, I deeply admire him as a person. He is an incredible role model and he has a huge heart. I’d rather see him Tebowing in the end zone after a touchdown than countless other players dancing or showboating or taunting after routine catches or tackles any day. Tebow’s effort, faith, humility and sincerity seem beyond reproach. But regarding his future as a successful NFL quarterback, I’ll admit I am a “doubter.”
All season long I’ve said the same thing. A quarterback in the NFL has the most demanding, highest pressure job in American team sports. Look no further than the Cowboys and Chargers fans ready to discard Pro Bowlers Romo and Rivers. But the harsh reality is that Tebow is consistently struggling to complete 45% of his passes in a league where the WORST quarterbacks complete close to 55%, and the best complete over 65%. Even against the Steelers Tebow managed to complete only 10 of 21 throws. Tebow can run for a first down or even a touchdown here and there, but it won’t matter. Unless his passing improves by leaps and bounds, Tebow’s failure in the NFL is a matter of when, not if.
And yet, Tebow supporters seem to ignore this obvious reality, citing his late season six game winning streak (over mediocre teams when the Broncos defense played its best) or obsessing about his dramatic playoff win (at home against a wounded Steelers team led by a gimpy Ben Roethlisberger, missing 3 defensive starters, and helped by winning the overtime coin toss). Based on the skewed metrics Tebow supporters use to hype him, Mark Sanchez is a superstar and Joe Flacco is already a lock for the Hall of Fame.
It’s no fault of Tebow’s, but the adulation he’s received has outpaced his actual NFL accomplishments by the length of several football fields. It doesn’t help that many people of faith have decided that God is using “divine intervention” to help Tebow win. Even if that’s true, it can’t be proven, thus fueling cynicism while making Tebow supporters even less credible.
Considering how Tebow believers have prematurely projected “NFL superstar” on him, while demonstrating how thin skinned they are when his on-field performance is criticized, I wonder how negatively they’ll react if any other issue arises. Imagine if Tebow has a conflict with a coach, or some unnamed Broncos front office person questions his priorities, or if he gets benched and the cameras catch him pouting. Unless Tebow actually walks on water, these and worse scenarios are not out of the question, and the result could be a nasty fall from the lofty pedestal upon which he’s been placed.
Tebow is not the first high profile athlete to be very public about his faith. David Robinson and Kurt Warner are two fairly recent examples. They didn’t attract much controversy because their fans didn’t prematurely elevate them to “can do no wrong” stature as they have with Tebow. Robinson and Warner won professional championships, which in turn drew added attention to their faith. Tebow was one of the greatest college quarterbacks in recent history, but in the NFL he’s won ONE playoff game (Sanchez has won four).
I think it’s great that so many people root for Tebow. He’s clearly a positive force in the NFL. But I think his fans shouldn’t be offended when he’s judged by the same standards as the other 31 starting QBs, and not build expectations for him so massive that he’s almost certain to fall short. Otherwise they may be inadvertently setting up an ugly backlash to Tebowmania.