On this Sunday, the seventh day, the day of rest, Denver Broncos Quarterback Tim Tebow had yet another subpar day throwing the football. 10-21 for 129 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT. As usual, his yards per attempt and completion percentage were terrible, but he didn’t turn the ball over and his team won, beating the Oakland Raiders 38-24.
He also got it done on the ground, running 12 times for 117 yards, averaging just under a first down per carry.
The Detroit Lions, long considered the joke of the NFL, are enjoying their bye week at 6-2. The squad is coming off the thrashing of Tebow’s Denver Broncos last weekend, and the Chicago Bears loom ahead as the next opponent on the docket.
During their most recent contest against Denver, some Lions went over the line in their celebrations culminating successful plays. Tim Tebow went to a knee and prayed after a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins last month. Stephen Tulloch decided to make fun of Tebow after a sack against the Broncos by mimicking Tebow. Tight end Tony Scheffler also imitated the pose after a touchdown in the game.
Anyone who has taken lessons in etiquette knows that two things that are never brought up at a dinner party are politics and religion. No matter what is said on these two topics, a certain segment of the party goers will be offended. There are certain subjects that are taboo, and mocking someone’s religious gestures falls under this umbrella.
Tim Tebow’s motives for his public religious displays are obvious- inspiring people to follow him in his lifestyle choice. To my knowledge, he is the only active NFL player to appear on Hannity’s God-oriented talk show and he frequently makes postgame comments about his faith. His intentions are pure and he is being ridiculed for being a “choir boy” by some in the media for these pronouncements.
The Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals have led the NFL with the number of arrests that their players have experienced this millennium. Plaxico Burress, Michael Vick, and Donte Stallworth have all had very public scrapes with the authorities over the years. Some fans write them off after these incidents because they view their previous behavior as substandard.
I, conversely, will take the other side and say that they have paid the price for their indiscretions. There is no reason that these men in the prime of their lives should have to be blackballed for eternity when they are able to contribute to society now in a positive manner.
I don’t recall Tebow ever saying that he was perfect. He has yet to put down his teammates in the NFL, even when he was relegated to bench duty behind previous starter Kyle Orton. A segment of the population will always be filled with malcontents who want to tear down successful people from their proverbial pedestals.
I have no problem with criticism of Tim Tebow’s performance on the football field. He barely defeated a hapless Miami Dolphins team in the waning moments. He also didn’t put up a touchdown in that loss to the Detroit Lions. The Josh McDaniels plan was for him to be a franchise transforming player. He certainly hasn’t lived up to that hype thus far, but the verdict is still out on what will transpire in the future.