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.

Tebow is thankful for Manning in Denver

As the Denver Broncos prepare to sign one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time, Peyton Manning, there is a lot of uncertainty remaining in the Mile High City.

What about Tim Tebow? How can you do such a thing to a player that led the team to the playoffs, and even past the Pittsburgh Steelers in one of the most dramatic wins in this cities history?

Those would be the fans yelling, screaming and posting billboards indirectly inquiring with Broncos executives about their decisions.

But, as surely as a man drops to his knee in praise of a higher being, and thus making others flock, follow, and imitate such a gesture, he is without a doubt the one most thankful for this pickup.

He’ll get more tips than a kind waiter with a camera phone.

Peyton Manning, by all reports, is great person, leader and teacher. His stadium and hospital in Indianapolis and the fans of the Colts that had to see him walk away are a testament. He’s a Southern boy, with a Midwestern attitude and a work ethic like nobody who’s ever played.

Tebow isn’t posting his house for sale, he’s adding an extra guest bedroom.

The Broncos current quarterback finds pleasure in getting better and winning. And who better to learn from. Taking a backseat; wouldn’t be. He’d be riding shotgun with Moonlight Graham on his way to a cornfield in Iowa.

Tebow is no Manning; and Manning is no Tebow.

The former Colts quarterback won’t start a worldwide statue phenomenon like his, now predecessor. But “Tebow-ing” does kind of like a victory formation kneel down; a prayer answered and a win for everyone involved.

March Madness; Pick crazy

You're probably more likely to get struck by lightning then being able to pick the entire opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The odds, which this time of year are shaky at best, are thunderously, and factually 587,000 to 1, not in your favor.

So when filling out your bracket you shouldn't think like a college basketball expert; especially one that rattles off stats and RPIs like it's their job. Get in a bracket challenge with your mom and you'll soon find out that it is nothing more than a crap shoot. 

Roll the dice because there is no way your going to make a ripple if you don't get a little crazy. It is called "March Madness" for a insanely good reason.

No pick is safe. Doubt the most obvious. Stare in the mirror, shave half your face and then reconsider that #5 versus #12 matchup again. 

Everyone thinks Kentucky or Syracuse is going to win it. They are number one seeds, they are supposed to win it and prove all the "experts" right. But that would just mean there are a million experts in this country. Don't go with the flow, because that flow is stale.

Turn off the television. Sit in the dark. Eat nothing but Cheetos for whole week. Then pick the tournament.

You'll either look like a genius or you'll be a thorn in your English teacher's side with the amount of "coulda", "woulda", "shoulda"s you say. Either way you'll have to sit in the corner of the classroom with the dunce cap on. You're singled out for being the person that made that pick, with no regrets, and either they hate you for being right or laugh at you for being wrong.

Race hamsters. Change your name. Draw on an Anthony Davis unibrow with a crayon. But remember there are 5,608,500 brackets on ESPN (2011 numbers) lightning should strike at least once, right?


(Ha! That was a trick... Doubt everything!)

Colorado glides past Oregon in tough game

There is a certain glimmer in a coach’s eye after his team overcomes adversity and plays like he has known they are capable of playing for such a long time, especially when the victory comes in March.
“That’s what basketball in March is all about,” said CU men’s basketball head coach Tad Boyle after the Buffs’ win over the University of Oregon on Thursday in Los Angeles.
Boyle was proud of his team’s 63-62 upset win over Oregon, which takes them into the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament.
Boyle said the Pac-12 Tournament is a chance at redemption, to once again prove people wrong.
“These guys are here on a mission,” Boyle said. “I like the focus of our team right now.”
Even with the Buffs being keyed in, the Oregon Ducks did not give this game up easily.
Colorado was leading the Ducks 58-50 in the final minutes of the game. CU had played well, forcing the tempo and style of game in their favor. Cruising turned into coasting, however, as Oregon went on a 10-0 run the joyride came to a sudden holt with the Ducks regaining the lead.
“We had a nice lead there going down the stretch, and they overtook it,” Boyle said. “Our guys kept our composure and made plays when we had to.”
Freshman guard Spencer Dinwiddie put the ball on the floor with 15 seconds to play. He went right, found a lane and drove to the hoop aggressively. Two post defenders flew at Dinwiddie, altering his shot as to not get blocked. The ball hit off the backboard, then the rim, and then floated in the waiting arms of sophomore forward Andre Roberson who laid the ball in the hoop.
“I just felt like when I saw Spencer go, I just crashed the board like I normally do,” Roberson said. “It fell into my hands and I got it up.”
Colorado’s dramatic win tested the Buffs. Throughout the season, coach Boyle has been preaching to his team to play their game and to finish. They satisfied his requests in the most crucial of times, keeping the team’s NCAA tournament hopes still alive.
“So we wanted to maintain our aggressiveness, and we lost that a little bit,” Boyle said. A slower tempo to run the clock put the Buffs out of rhythm late and forced them to make necessary plays to win. “There’s no question. Oregon got the momentum back and made some shots, but our guys bucked up when they had to.”
With the win, Colorado now is one game away from a spot in the inaugural Pac-12 Tournament Championship game. The Buffs will take on Cal on Friday at 9:30 MST. CU has split the season series so far with the Golden Bears.

Colorado upsets Cal; advances to Pac-12 Finals

Los Angeles: A windmill, woodwinds and a whirlwind win for the Buffs and Colorado fans.

Senior guard Carlon Brown’s windmill dunk with 58 seconds remaining in the game put a giant exclamation point on an upset victory over the No.2-seeded University of California. The Buffs band, C-Unit student section members and thousands that occupy BuffNation rose to their feet and chanted, “One more day!” as the buzzer sounded and the Buffs took home the historic 70-59 victory.

Colorado is headed to the Pac-12 Tournament Championship game against the University of Arizona today at 4 p.m. MST with an invigorated spirit.

“I told the team tonight I think we found our heart,” said CU head coach Tad Boyle. “I really do.”
Colorado looked tired even before the ball was tipped as this was their third game in three nights. But there was no way that they were going to let Cal breeze their way into Saturday’s championship game.

“Right now we have a team that’s really mentally tough, and guys are playing banged up and through fatigue,” said senior forward Austin Dufault, who scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half. “Tomorrow I think we’re going to be playing on a lot of adrenaline, and that’s really what’s going to have to fuel us.”

Boyle pointed to his seniors, and they stepped up throughout. Brown, who was stiff and had his knees swell up on him the night before, was a huge factor. He made several key plays both offensively and defensively late in the second half.

“Carlon’s playing with a sense of urgency right now that I love,” Boyle said. The University of Utah transfer has eased into his role as a leader and others are looking to him, now more than ever, to be the big guy in critical situations. “I think it’s really infected our team.”

CU will go to the conference title game for the first time since 1990. The Buffs have knocked off the University of Utah, the University of Oregon and now Cal; the latter two are both bubble teams.
But while, according to experts, Colorado may still be on the outside looking in at the NCAA Tournament, Boyle doesn’t want to overlook the matters at hand.

“I don’t want to talk about bubbles, I don’t want to talk about the NCAA Tournament,” Boyle said. “We want to just come here and get the job done.”

A task that, at this point, seems more probable than possible. Expect the Buffs to be ready to fight.
“We just want to come out and compete and lay it on the line and play Colorado basketball,” Boyle said. A win would leave no doubt, and assure Colorado of at spot on the dance floor. “If we can do that, we’ll live with the results.”

Dunk Contest
Carlon Brown and sophomore forward Andre Roberson took to the skies and used huge dunks to spark the Buffs. They aren’t the only ones who rattled the rim in the semifinals against Cal, though.
Asked who had the better dunk, Brown or Roberson…
Austin Dufault: “What about mine (laughing).”
Carlon Brown: “I don’t want to get into all of that. I’m going to let the Twitter Nation be the judge of that.”
These guys have really responded to challenges at halftime over the last couple of nights. They’ve been playing with unbelievable heart and desire.

What road woes?
Coming into the Pac-12 Tournament, Colorado had only five wins away from the Coors Events Center. A win against Saturday would mean the Buffs’ fourth of the tournament, nearly doubling their previous away-game total.
“I think we’re a good road team,” Boyle said. “I know our record doesn’t say we’re a great road team, but I think we’re a good road team, and we’re obviously getting better.”

Climb to the top
Preseason polls pitted the Buffs to finish 9th in the Pac-12 Conference. Even after beating that mark and finishing in 6th place in the Pac-12 regular season, Colorado didn’t seem to be satisfied.
“We’ve got a bunch of competitive guys, and they didn’t like where we were picked,” Boyle said. We don’t blame people for doing it, it was fuel and food for us to motivate ourselves.”

Colorado has a date with "destiny"

The beat goes on for the CU men’s basketball team, and it sounds awfully like a heartbeat.

“If you believe in destiny, you believe in the Colorado Buffaloes because it was meant to be,” head coach Tad Boyle said after the Buffaloes’ win.

CU came out of seemingly nowhere to win the Pac-12 Championship that automatically qualifies the Buffs for the NCAA Tournament with a 53-51 win over the University of Arizona Wildcats.

In the last four seasons, the Buffs basketball program has seen the lowest of lows and, now, the highest of highs. Almost a year ago, Colorado had nearly assured themselves a spot in the Big Dance despite not winning their conference tournament. Colorado was confident they were in, then the rug was pulled right from under their feet.

“We dedicated this game beforehand to Cory Higgins, Levi Knutson, Marcus Relphorde, Trent Beckley, Javon Coney and Alec Burks,” Boyle said about the day that was one of the most traumatic events in his coaching career. “These six sat in my home last year on Selection Sunday for their last opportunity to go to the NCAA Tournament, and they were snubbed. That inspired us.”

Whether it was inspiration, revenge or just plain unfinished business, the Buffs will be going to their first NCAA Tournament since the 2002-2003 season. But for the four seniors, Austin Dufault and Nate Tomlinson in particular, who played significant minutes as freshman on a nine win team, this win is beyond gratifying.

“It’s hard to explain in words what it means,” Dufault, the all-time leader in games played at Colorado, said. “There have been so many ups and downs for the last four years. But I’ve just treasured every moment at CU for the last four years. The tough ones have only made me a better person along with my teammates. We couldn’t have gotten to this point without going through ups and downs. We just came together today and played through the ups and downs again, and got it done.”

Colorado didn’t make it easy on themselves. The Buffs were forced to win four games in four nights. Each win wore on CU, but in the end, did not hinder their ability to make the plays when they needed to.
“Guys were making plays,” tournament MVP Carlon Brown said. “Guys were making the right reads whether it was passing, scoring and getting in the passing lane. Just a credit to all of my teammates. We just really wanted this and we weren’t going to be denied.”

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?