Boys of fall falling; Scandals

If 2011 was the year of the quarterback, then this year is no doubt the year of the coach, and their unceremonious removals and departures.

Joe Paterno and Sean Payton headline the coaches that have been brought before public scrutiny for their participation, or lack thereof, as a head coach. They have been the head to the proverbial snake, and by all accounts, the ones who shall be blamed.

Paterno’s case is appalling. Grotesque. Unimaginable.

Payton’s situation is tasteless. Turbid.

In no way are they related. They are separate instances where a lack of judgment cannot be overlooked.

A head coach, in essence, is the omni-present force of any team. They have control over who will play, who won’t, what type of offense or defense a team will run; they pick and choose those that reside around them; they are the face of the organization and the one, the seemingly sole party that is most “responsible” for the outcome, either good or bad.

But how, in this day in age, can a coach be truly aware and in control of all that is happening around him, and all the circumstances of those around him be explained?

Did Paterno and Payton know about what was happening? Probably, yes. Should they have done more to halt and ever let such a situation arise again? Yes, most definitely. Can you ever come to believe that what happened, the incidents and then the following breakdown, could be with-held from a coach, or slighted so much that the ramifications weren’t worth the crime?

A majority, probably not.

The traumatic events occurred on their watch, under their leadership. They were in the loop, or at least made aware of the situation and it was not handled to the moral and ethical code that we all believe that we live by. A head coach is liable for their assets.

But it’s hard to believe that the debacle lies firmly on one man’s shoulders. There are others.

That’s the real story. Maybe it was their fault, just not in the way everyone is thinking about it. They must take the fall because they hired, not the people that committed the injustices, but the people that would not take actions themselves. The people are hidden by the lack of onus they take, and letting another man own the consequences.

Sean Payton suspended; Saints stand

Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints head coach, was suspended for a year after reports of a “bounty” system was being used by his team.

An NFL scandal of these proportions has never been seen before. They were reprimanded to the nth degree, and Roger Goodell took it upon himself to make a statement, one with no grey area about the issue. He called it “particularly unusual and egregious" and "totally unacceptable."
A shame. A travesty. And a focal point for the Saints.

New Orleans is a town where beads are a common currency. Cajun isn’t a style of cooking, it’s a way of life. And these lives, the ones who once wore brown paper sacks over their heads to football games, were turned upside down by Hurricane Katrina and the flooding the ensued.

They have the Saints, and boy, do the Saints have New Orleans.

“We are humbled by the support our organization has received from our fans today in the wake of this announcement, and we ask them to continue to stand with us, as they have done in the past, when both our team and our city have overcome greater adversities,” the New Orleans Saints said in a response to the NFL rulings.

New Orleans knows what it feels like to decimated. The Saints know what it feels like to be the loner on the playground. This is nothing.

Peyton's day

Peyton Manning is a Bronco. This day is his.

One of the greatest quarterbacks of all time will now strap it up in the Mile High City after a year that has been nothing but trouble. He was forced to sit on the sidelines and watch his team; his city fall to indelible lows.  He withered, with his mind as sharp as ever, getting replaced by someone who had yet to take a snap in a professional game.

Manning deserves this day all to himself. It’s a pen and paper, and a chance finally to play football.

The ex-Colt said everything everyone wanted to hear in the press conference. The feed streamed live across the Internet and the Twitter-verse chimed his quotes in unison.

He chose Denver the way he studies defenses, with pinpoint accuracy. He weighed his options and found a home. He made his decision, on his own, from the comfort of his own impeccable mind, and not a minute to late.

Manning apologized for taking so long, he hates being in the spotlight. But he should soak it all in. All of it, including the 300-plus days of sunshine that are coming his way.

It’s not Tuesday, it’s his first true Sunday as number-18 for the Denver Broncos. 

Tebow or Manning; there can only be one?

In a perfect world Tim Tebow and Peyton Manning would share bunk beds in John Elway’s basement and then draw up plays over a bowl of Wheaties in the morning.

Despite the probable likelihood of that happening, we are faced with reality.

People, most importantly the Broncos front office which includes John Elway, John Fox and Brian Xanders, must choose: Tebow? Or Manning? Or can the Mile High City succinctly survive with both?

Manning is arguably the best quarterback ever to go under center. He has Super Bowl wins, NFL Most Valuable Player Awards, and a knowledge of the game that surpasses even some of the coaches that surround him. He left Indianapolis in better condition than when he arrived; he torched defenses and they even renamed a hospital in his honor.

But Manning is damaged goods. He was forced to sit out the entire year in 2011 with a back injury, and there is no assurance that he’s back to the old “Peyton”.

Tebow is the “Never say die” kid. He inspires others with his impeccable but sometimes improbably will to win. He makes mistakes, he gets better and in a matter of a couple weeks he makes a city believe. He’s controversial, in a good way, and he drives debate like nobody else in the sports world.

But Tebow isn’t prototypical. His throwing motion has been dissected more frugally than a frog in a middle school science class. He has the intangibles, but his ability to take that next step as a quarterback is still an unknown

Can they survive together? Yes, if anything is true about whom they are as people and what they strive to be as football players, then that is the only answer.

But will they get the chance, and will their fans allow it?

Tebow would cherish the opportunity, and would gladly take a backseat to Peyton to take in the veterans ways. He’ll get more tips than a kind waiter with a camera phone. Manning could fall into good graces with the Broncos faithful by winning game and taking the young quarterback under his wing.

Yet, no matter how they function there will always be a divide. The media will pit “Good versus Good”, a game that nobody can win. The fans have already chosen sides, and there is no going back on it now.

Manning or Tebow? Tebow or Manning? There can only be one.

Manning or Tebow; Work Hard or Smart?

It’s like one of the Seven Wonders of the World coming to you.

Former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning visited Denver last week seemingly scouting the prospect of new home in the Mile High City. He spent upwards of nine hours at the Denver Broncos training facility in Dove Valley with Vice President of Football Operations John Elway.

If Manning walked through your open door would you know what to do?

They’d possibly get him a nice plush blue-sheep clad pillow to sit on for his aching back. Elway would have to order him up a Denver omelet, and then wear out a laser pointer or two talking the language only elite quarterbacks know how to speak. And finally, Denver would not mention word about Tim Tebow.

Sure, Tebow will most likely slide over for a future Hall of Famer if he happens to come to Denver. Heck, Manning may even say “God Bless” after every press conference. And they would be quite the pair in a charity scramble event on the golf course.

But compatibility-wise, it’d be like mixing up two 1,000 piece puzzles together

Manning is a studier, a nerd, a gym rat. If he played basketball he’d draw up in-bound plays and perfect his free throw shot. His screens would be in the proper positions and his pivot foot would never leave the ground.

Tebow is a constructer, a specimen, a workaholic. He’d be in the gym just as much as Manning but instead he’d be dribbling two or three balls at the same time trying to get better. He would be running sprints to be more prepared than the other.

Either way the Broncos go, if they are lucky enough to snag a quarterback like Manning, it would be a risk.

Do they play hard (Tebow)? Or smart (Manning)? Or both?

A Super Bowl touchdown is just that

When Ahmad Bradshaw tumbled backwards, like a third grader at field day, into the end-zone for the game winning touchdown everyone cheered. New York Giants fans and New England Patriots fans alike, although drastically different but solely differentiated in thick accent, not fandom or obnoxiousness, were ecstatic.

But analysts and Bradshaw’s own quarterback, Eli Manning who was screaming “Don’t go in the end zone”, saw the scenario differently. They were concerned about giving the ball back to Tom Brady and the Patriots offense. But why? Bradshaw’s finest moment wasn’t filled with joy, elation and seeing dreams that he had as a young kid on the playground in Bluefield, Virginia, instead it was filled with doubt.

Bradshaw is a hero; one that, in the final moments, slayed the dragon even with an uncertain survival and victory.

If the touchdown had some earlier in the game, or for a matter of fact, if one, lone Patriots player had decided to attempt to tackle Bradshaw on his six yard trot up the middle he may have been the MVP of the Super Bowl. Of his 72 yards on the day, 50 of them came on scoring drives for the Giants. He accounted for numerous first downs and set the tone for the game in the second quarter.

In Super Bowl XX, Walter Payton, “Sweetness”, widely considered the best running back to ever play the game never got to smell the sweet air of the end-zone. Looking back, most Chicago Bears fans and general football fans find this to be a travesty. A Super Bowl touchdown is something special; a game-winning one is something no one should be able to forget. (Note: He did not score in Super Bowl XLII four years ago.)

It would have been a lack luster end to an NFL season that was almost for not. Let Lawrence Tynes kick a field goal and inevitably have his exuberant holder shout profanities after the kick sailed through. So don’t be mad at Bradshaw.

Is the Super Bowl overhyped?

Is the Super Bowl overhyped? The answer, to me at least, is plain and simple, no.

This is true for many reasons, but it’s most obviously seen the next year. They continue, they being the NFL, the networks that host it, the city that it is located in, the media, and the fans that continually go to these events, to make the event bigger and bigger. These faculties want to outdo each other on a year to year basis; so to say that this Super Bowl is more overhyped, especially compared to the one a year in the future doesn’t make sense.

But there are other reasons that are in play that affect the atmosphere and the playing of this singular game.

Super Bowl Sunday is a National Holiday the same way Halloween or St. Patrick’s Day is. There is no denying the fact that people, who have no interest or bearing on the game located thousands of miles from them pay attention or are at least aware of the spectacle of it. I saw the fact that some seven million people will call in sick to work the Monday following the Super Bowl. It impacts football fans, some beyond what should reasonably affect a grown man, and non-football fans alike. It creates a reason to gather, a reason to celebrate and Super Bowl Sunday is a holiday that should be, and rightly so, recognized.

And that brings me to my last point. The game of football has progressed so much in the last 20 years, that it has, to many sports fans, easily taken over as the most popular sport in America. The NFL is the American culture and the fans that follow are as faithful as any in all of sports. So pitting the two best teams in the most popular sports is going to be overblown, that’s just the way it’s supposed to be.

The Super Bowl is unlike any other sporting event. It is its own entity and holiday.  So to say it is over-hyped doesn’t sound like the truth; it’s big, it’s boisterous, it’s the Super Bowl.

A Brady guarantee

When Tom Brady beat the Broncos, 41-23, in Week 15 of the NFL season he did so with ruthless conviction. He didn't hush the critics that were righteously jumping aboard the Tim Tebow bandwagon. He blatantly turned them against himself, he made them into socks puppets that harassed himself as motivation.

So it's no surprise that he told Tebow after the game, "I hope to see you again (in the playoffs)." He wanted Tebow again, he wanted or envied the opportunity. And he got it; again he turned outsiders against him and he went out and made a mockery of the Broncos defense.

Now as the Patriots head to their fourth Super Bowl in the last 11 years their quarterback should practically Joe Namath-guaranteeing a win.

The Patriots and Giants will play the game, but one side will have all the advantages. New York has little to no chance of doing the unthinkable twice against the most accomplished head coach-quarterback combination that ever was apart of football. And it's not due to their lack of, well, anything. They may be the most qualified team in the playoffs to take on the Patriots. They have everything they need, a stout defensive line to put pressure on Brady, a decent secondary, an Eli quarterback and a coach that has experience and knows what it takes.

But they have no chance.

You do not ruin Brady's perfect season, his name forever, furthermore etched in the history of football, in the most dramatic way possible and get away with it. You just don't.

Brady and Belichick will make your wait, answer 'no comment' on what it would mean to win this game seeing as the Giants were the team to take away their last ring, and then come out on February 5th with no remorse. The Patriots won't be ashamed when they waltz to the victory, because in their minds it's the natural order of things.

Strong Brees

Drew Brees doesn't get cold feet. He doesn't get happy feet. But he has thrown for 16,428 feet this year (5476 yards), claiming the NFL record for yards through the air from a fish, Dan Marino.

The Purdue alumni has overcome long odds. In his case though, his odds have been often shorter than most. His 6 foot-even stature scared away numerous bidders, and a horrific shoulder injury could have shorten (pun inevitably intended, I apologize) his now illustrious NFL career.

So why, after silencing his critics, appeasing the people at Disney World, and muffing the deafening noise for his son after the biggest day in New Orleans history since the French sold off the territory in 1803, is Brees apparently afraid of the outdoors?

A balmy 24-degree day in Green Bay, Wisconsin isn't presumably the best football weather, but apparently the soft air in Lucus Oil Stadium, home of the dicrepid Indianapolis Colts, isn't either. Playing outside, for a bunch of grown men who earn their living that way week in and week out, especially for a team as good as the Saints, won't be the issue.

They may even hope to get the chance to go to the Frozen Tundra, the sweaters their grandmas knitted for them for Christmas are getting dusty.

The only team in the NFL that has done a good job of cooping up Brees is New Orleans themselves. Their stout offensive line has only given up 24 total sacks this season. They have surrounded #9, keeping him in the pocket safe and secure like a boys favorite toy.

What should scare the Saints is the vaunted Giants pass rush, not what kind of goose feathers their down coats will be filled with if they end up going to the Green Bay. A strong Brees is good in a wind tunnel, but won't be stopped if you let it out on the open plains of northern Wisconsin either.

Broncos Pro Bowlers 2012

I've been critical over the years of All-Star events. They have strived for meaning and relevance in the sports world, some which has come due to the overindulgences of some commissioners. They are entertainment, much the same way a reality show is presented as real.

Elvis Dumervil, Champ Bailey and Von Miller were selected to the 2012 Pro Bowl as the sole Broncos nominees. But other than that there is little to talk about. These players do represent the long tenured pro, the resurgence of an old face and the newest thing in a commonly over-proclaimed 'Orange Crush' defense.

Yet, if we continue to dive into these selections we see a disturbing trend. People outside of Denver, no matter how much they can't help but talk about it on ESPN, still don't have faith in Tim Tebow and the Broncos.

Tebow will get to Honolulu, but only because he will fill in as an alternate. So outside of the Mile High City, people believe that the defense is responsible for the resurgence of the Broncos. And while this is partly true, the defense is only one of several key components to their success. But, as much as the people who sit watching the Broncos think it to be true, there is some discrepancy about who is causing the up coming team that might represent the AFC West.

Like 'Aloha' these choices, votes by fans have multiple meanings that could show people's true feelings about the Broncos.

Tebow tops the Billboard Charts

A bye week isn’t the worst thing that can happen to Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos.

He’s a rockstar. He’s an instant classic.

The Broncos need help in a plethora of positions. They couldn’t stop a sludge mud-slide. The offense is as crisp as a waterlogged graham cracker. But the orange smush fans are continually convinced that Tebow will solve all the debacles.  

And what’s worse is that Broncos fans think they actually initiated it.

A billboard, the constant ‘We want Tebow’ chants and an overabundance of #15 jerseys scattered across the Denver-metro area on any given Sunday had no influence on John Fox’s decision to change quarterback. They were as empty as a single caloried boba.

Tebow jumped up in the depth charts. His groupees follow him religiously, but hey, so is he. We all sing his praises.

Tebow is #1 on the billboards, the popularity charts and the depth chart; but that billed-board had nothing to do with it.

Backup QBs; 2nd to no one

Backup quarterbacks are a hot commodity. They’re the Italian mixed meatloaf at the linoleum coliseum that is the middle school cafeteria.

Matt Cassell was compensated $62.7 million for his superior clipboard holding skills. Kevin Kolb is getting $63 million, $30 million in guaranteed money. He’s worth more than the Liberty bell, which coincidently has been struck more times than Kolb himself in the vicious game of football.

When a backup falls asleep in a meeting the quarterback coach gentle covers them with a blanket as if not to wake them. Veterans don’t haze backups; they would feel bad for taping these little guys to the goalposts.

So what is the allure of the decoy-play caller? The clipboard concierge? The human-softballing juggs machine? The bench barista? The headset hunk? The stout scout?

They are in constant queue, but are never tall enough to ride the roller coaster.

Everyone loves them. If the team is winning they might as well apply to become the centerpiece in the lost art of male-cheerleading, but if the team is losing then they are Joe Namath with more charisma, a more studious Peyton Manning, throwing a better ball than Tom Brady and like Jay Cutler, only with better hair.

They aren’t the fish you caught; they are the fish you tell your friends you caught.

Second string quarterbacks are necessary, and they are vital to a team’s success. But lets not let them steal the big piece of cake at the metaphorical birthday party; they should be able to blow out the candles first.

To Love Michael Vick or not?

Michael Vick is everyone’s 3^rd grade crush. And this is a lily that continues to grow pedals; I love him, I love him not, I love him, I love him, I love him not.

At Virginia Tech people couldn’t wrap their mind around a dual-threat quarterback. He was criticized and critiqued and then he won. Vick went on to play just 2 years with the Hokies and he is now considered one of the most dynamic players to play college football.

I love you not, I love you.

The San Diego traded away the #1 overall pick to the Falcons, who took Vick. (Fun fact; Vick was also drafted by the Colorado Rockies.) He then blossomed in Atlanta, and led his team deep into the playoffs in his second year in the league. And then the craziest and most demoralizing of stories are the ones involving Vick and dog fighting. 

I love you not, I love you, I love you not.

Vick returned, against all odds and versus everyone, including the 11 men on the other side of the ball and played well. He changed people’s minds, by inflicting change within himself.  

And now his star is shining brighter than ever, in a city that doesn’t settle. Will Vick be successful?

I love you, I love you not?

Second String is Best For Tim Tebow

To some, the orange jersey Tim Tebow dons is awfully reminiscent of a jailbird. He’s stuck behind steel bars and a sole bearded man. His fans, ‘The Tebots’, thinks the starter in front of him is the 8th Deadly Sin; he’s undeniably and infinitively in the way of one man’s destiny.

 
But this could be the best thing that happened to Tebow, and his chorus of followers.

In two weeks of camp he looks shaky, at best, in throwing drills. He appears wary in 7-on-7. And in simulated game situations he’s Mr. Magoo.

Tebow lives for games. When the lights turn on, in the heat of the moment, he turns into a different person. A man willing his team in every aspect he can control

John Fox told the media earlier this week that the starters will play the first 12-15 snaps against the Cowboy. They’ll put on their NFL stipulated hats quicker than a bald man at the beach. Tebow won’t have time to finish his clipboard word search (“Ugh, I can’t find Tarkenton”), and he’ll be in the game before the end of the opening quarter.

An NFL game averages 130 snaps for both teams; that means 60-70 plays apiece. So the starter, Kyle Orton, is only going to play the first few and John Fox has probably seen enough of inept quarterbacks all of last year in Carolina so Brady Quinn won’t get many throws.

So it’s Tim Tebow’s time to shine. He’s going to play the majority of the game, and the more he’s on the field the better he is going to get.

It may not be the door he was originally hoping for in 2011, but it IS a door and it’s definitely AJAR.

Is it Tebow Time yet?

This is Tim Tebow's team, but is it Tim Tebow's time?

There was only one bright orange jersey at the center of the team huddle at the first day of Broncos training camp. Denver's #15 accepts this role, not as a sign of professional football egotism or everyday quarterback burden, but as the innate self-characteristic of his being on a team.


But the Broncos apparent starting quarterback, the one that is taking the first-team snaps, and is also rumor to be on his way out, is Kyle Orton. 

Tim Tebow is a veteran of the league. He's been apart of the Broncos for 462 whole days and this is undoubtedly his team. And he's now the Napoleon Bonaparte of Broncos Country. 


Tim heard cheers when he connected with Eric Decker on a 5 yard slant pattern. People clapped when he tossed the ball to Lance Ball on a checked down. Broncos fans even were smiling when Tebow spelled his name correctly in the autograph session after camp. 


Kyle Orton, on the other hand, can't buy a vowel other than 'O'. People were unhappy with him over anything he did. Perfect spiral, "B**!" Precise and fundamental 7-step drop, "B**!"

In his first year as head coach John Fox he may have to make the toughest decision of his, what hopes to be, long tenure here in Denver. Kyle Orton is far and away the better choice (this fact is not debatable, no matter how hard you want to fight it) to start for the Broncos and give them a legitimate chance to win. Tim Tebow is far and away the fan favorite, and the Broncos quarterback for many years to come. 


As Napoleon once spoke, "Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide." 
If you're Coach Fox who do you choose. Tim Tebow or Kyle Orton?