There are two key qualities of a great player.
One is the player's athletic ability and how efficiently he plays his position on the field.
The other is the ability to leave everything on the playing field, or to disprove one's critics with your performance on the field instead of using words.
While Dominique Franks has picked up on the first quality, he still has much to learn about the second.
When responding to questions about how the Sooner defense would stop Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, Franks decided to speak up, instead of saving his retaliation for the matchup with the Gators Jan. 8.
"If you look at the three best quarterbacks in the country, they came from the Big 12," said Franks, referring to Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, Texas Tech's Graham Harrell, and Texas' Colt McCoy.
Franks, however, was not finished after that statement.
"With us being in Florida and playing against Florida, everybody's going to think Tebow should have won the Heisman," Franks said, "but the right person won the Heisman, and we're going to go out there and show everybody the reason why he won it."
Granted, Franks' comments are logical and many agree with his assessment, but it was not his place to say them, especially during the week of the BCS title game.
Up until this point, Oklahoma was winning the mental battle against Florida.
Faced with questions about whether they deserve to be in the BCS Championship Game instead of Texas, the Sooners had plenty of bulletin board material.
However, the comments Franks made about Tebow are a significant game-changer.
Just in case Oklahoma's sophomore cornerback hasn't heard, Tebow thrives on criticism.
Just ask former Florida State linebacker Geno Hayes what happened when he decided to trash talk Tebow.
The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner accounted for five touchdowns and amassed 353 yards of total offense in a 45-12 Gator victory over the Seminoles.
If that wasn't enough, LSU defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois had the nerve to go after Tebow as well, saying that the Tiger defense would knock him out of the game.
Tebow then proceeded to shred the LSU defense for three touchdowns and 232 yards of total offense in a 51-21 rout of the defending BCS National Champions.
Calling out your opponent is one thing, but calling out Tim Tebow and the Gators takes it to another level.
In addition to providing extra motivation for Tebow, Franks' comments put an even bigger target on the back of Sooners signal-caller Sam Bradford.
Heisman Trophy winners have a record of 1-5 in BCS Championship Games and the fact that Bradford's victory prevented Tebow from winning his second straight Heisman Trophy makes him even more susceptible to the wrath of the Florida defense.
Eventually, Tebow will hear about what Franks had to say about him, but he won't go to the media to respond.
Instead, he will take the field with a vengeance, running over every Oklahoma defender who gets in the way of Florida's second national title in three seasons.
The Sooner defense will need to back up Franks' remarks if they plan on taking the crystal football back to Norman.
Tebow will be leaving everything on the field like the great player that he is.
21 comments Last one added 6 months ago — Leave a Comment
Lucas Jackson Casablancas 6 months ago
This guy blew it bigtime.. if there is one way to make Tebow beat himself it is maybe to have him take pity on his opponent. I can see this just bringing the absolute best out of Tebow.. as if he needed anymore motivation, whch he doesn't.. but this will just make him completely ruthless. I expect a savage beating.
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Ronnie Rinckner 6 months ago
Good article! We'll just have to see how Tebow responds. I expect a close victory for OU, but Tebow won't go down without a fight, that's for sure!
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J. Robert Byrom 6 months ago
Yeah, I am an OU fan and was very happy there was no response to Tebows comment that he would love to get to play Big 12 defenses every week, the fact that the team was saying nothing was making me think that this OU team was going to be all business. But now, Franks has given a person who drives himself harder than anyone areason to drive even harder. It is one thing to think this way, I hope both teams think they are going to destroy the other, but it another to actually say it.
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Lisa Horne 6 months ago
I am on the fence with this. Technically, his opinion goes in line with a lot of the awards' finalists final 3- Bradford, McCoy and Harrell. (Davey O' Brien award)
He wasn't calling Tebow out...he was stating his opinion on who he thought were the best quarterbacks.
I don't think he was disrespecting Tebow at all, and let's face it, Tebow slipped up himself when he whined a little about the Heisman votes this year.
Nevertheless....saying it on record may do more harm than good. Those who flap their gums usually get a big ol plate of crow afterward.
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Lucas Jackson Casablancas 6 months ago
Lisa.. do you really belivve this guy thinks Tebow isn't as good or better than the Big12 QBs? I hope Big12 fans and players aren't this delusional. You would think the Big12 won the national championship the past couple seasons..
Tebow was being honest about being slighted by being left off so many ballots intentionally by delusional Big12 fans.. now they are continuing with the delusion even more.
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Michael Oleszek 6 months ago
He's entitled to an opinion just like I am:
If you look at the three best teams in the country, They don't include Oklahoma. Florida, USC, and Texas would be it. OU would probably be about 4th.
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Ric A 6 months ago
To call any QB 'a running QB' is insulting but I think it was all designed. Here OU is calling out an overly emotional Tebow to prove them he is a pocket passer which he is not.
Does Tebow go out and play the way he always does or does he try to prove the naysayers wrong by trying out some pretty passes? The second scenario will play right into the hands of OU.
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Lucas Jackson Casablancas 6 months ago
Tebow is a pocket passer. That's where the Big12 fans and players are really delusional. I think Tebow could put up numbers just as impressive as Bradford has in the Big12, if not more so. Look at the numbers Tebow put up passing the ball last season WITHOUT runners and facing far tougher defenses.
But the key is that in order to put up those huge passing numbers like they do in the Big12 you need for your own team to not play defense and you need for your opponent to not play defense.
This is really what allows the huge numbers in that conference. I see no reason Tebow couldn't do that just as well if not better. The Gators have relied more on the run this season than the pass as well because it is beneficial in winning a championship in the SEC conference..
Also, look at the passing numbers Jevan Snead put up on Texas Tech. Imagine if Ole Miss played in the Big12? Imagine if Florida did?
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Nick The Only 6 months ago
Tebow has the second highest career passer rating among active passers. I think OU fans may be a bit surprised by the fact that Tebow is a just as good of passer as anyone they've faced.
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Sam 6 months ago
Tebow will not try to be a pocket passer. His style of offense calls for the opposite. Just because Tebow is not a "pocket" passer doesn't mean that he is a great passer. His numbers speak for themselves. When passing is necessary, he's more than capable of pulling it off. This year, the run game at Florida has been much stronger which has allowed the team to rely more on the running game than Tebow's passing ability.
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Ric A 6 months ago
Tebow is the best all around talent, no question. But a pocket passer Tebow is not. He actually tried to be one at the start of this season but it did not pan out well.
I am not the one being delusional here. If Tebow is as good of passer as Bradford or Stafford then why his NFL stocks are much lower? Do you think all the NFL scouts are “misunderestimating” Tebow’s passing abilities?
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Nick The Only 6 months ago
How do you explain his passing numbers if he is not a great passer?
As a starter Tebow has 60 passing TDs to 8 interceptions and has completed 66% of his passes. What other proof do you need?
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Nick The Only 6 months ago
How do you explain his passing numbers if he is not a great passer?
As a starter Tebow has 60 passing TDs to 8 interceptions and has completed 66% of his passes. What other proof do you need?
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Jeff Prutsman 6 months ago
Tebow's stock is lower because NFL scouts don't get paid to take chances. Bradford and Matthew Stafford have more pure throwing motions and quicker releases, and the draft is all about conventional wisdom. No scout ever got fired for not recommending a player.
But while his release is a half-second slower and not nearly as pretty as Stafford's, he (Tebow) is extremely accurate; running Florida's spread has sharpened his D-reading ability; and he would be the most durable NFL QB since Brett Favre. Some NFL team will get lucky with him.
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Sam 6 months ago
First of all, all of the NFL scouts are not knocking Tebow's passing ability. The reviews are mixed. Some expect him to perform well and some expect him to perform poorly, however, no one (other than Mel Kiper who has no scouting qualifications) thinks he will be horrible in the NFL.
The only real knock on Tebow is that his release was too slow. While that is important in the NFL, it's not to say that you can't succeed still. Look at Peyton Manning, he had a slow release and still has a hell of a wind up.
Alex Smith isn't helping Tebow's case either. When scouts see QBs in the NFL who ran the same style of offense as Tebow in college fail, they're first thoughts are that those QBs will not succeed.
Bradford and Stafford both have quick releases but aren't nearly as accurate or intelligent as Tebow.
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Roberto Arevalo 6 months ago
statistically some of this statement does hold some truth. however as for the Heisman, Bradford winning was a joke. I think it shoula been McCoy, Tebow, Bradford. this guy is an idiot for saying this and the evidence will be in the manhandling of an overrated ou team thurs.
Tebow will play like a beast and I think you should have put the bloody pic of him to show just how hard he plays besides all the emotion. nice read man.
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Matt Burris 6 months ago
That's not blood in that pic, but paint from the Florida State end zone (it was raining hard that day), which looks like blood. Still, he did put on a monster performance in that game, and passed with amazing accuracy considering the weather.
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Roberto Arevalo 6 months ago
didn't he have a bloody nose/mouth?? anyways, you're probably right but the effect would have been the same.
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Matt Burris 6 months ago
I cannot express just how happy I was to see this. Four times before when someone disses Tebow, Tebow goes in and let his actions speak for themselves and they were all wins. Therefore, I can expect an even more exciting game this Thursday than originally anticipated.
Thank you, Mr. Franks!
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Jeff Prutsman 6 months ago
If past history is any indication, Tebow will seek out and (literally) run over this guy at least once. It's happened every time someone has mouthed off, except the LSU game because Ricky Jean-Francois didn't make the trip to Gainesville.
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Charles Asbury 6 months ago
Once again, another great article. Well done. Your Fan, Chuck
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