That's Tim Tebow, or the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner.
He plays for the Florida Gators, or the best team in college football.
Now before everyone pulls out their Jump to Conclusions Mat, let me say this. I hate Florida. I hate seeing them succeed.
I loved watching them lose to Ole Miss, watching Tebow struggle and subsequently fail to pick up the first down in the waning seconds of that game.
See, I remember hearing Gary Danielson of CBS near the end of Florida's thumping of Tennessee, which doesn't look so bad next to the Gators' blowouts of Georgia and LSU, all but offer to give Tebow a postgame rubdown.
It was at that point that I began hoping to see the ESPN Bottom line read something like, "Florida QB Tim Tebow arrested following discovery of illegal narcotics and several prostitutes at his Gainesville apartment."
I was growing tired of seeing all the puff pieces on College Gameday and elsewhere, labelling Tebow as this squeaky clean, choir-boy/missionary who happens to be a really good quarterback, when he's not standing in on third-world surgical procedures or preaching to inmates.
Tebow was just too good to be true. There had to be a skeleton in his closet.
If Florida could lose to Ole Miss, who else might they lose to?
Of course, no one knew how good Ole Miss was at that point.
But then, Tebow made his tearful proclamation to the media. He would not let his team lose.
In a time when players guarantee victories, only to lose by three touchdowns, Tebow's words were to be taken with a grain of salt.
Only Tebow meant those words. He hated losing. He hated that his team might be out of the National Championship mix. But he could do something about it.
And he did.
Since the loss to Ole Miss, Tebow has thrown 19 touchdown passes against just two interceptions. During that same time, he has rushed for almost 400 yards and another 10 touchdowns.
Now while those aren't exactly Heisman numbers, his leadership of the Gator offense is. Since the loss to Ole Miss, Florida has scored 414 points, including 56 against South Carolina, then ranked third nationally in total defense.
Also consider that Tebow has to date thrown 104 fewer passes and 73 fewer rushing attempts than he did in 2007.
Statistically speaking, Archie Griffin's 1975 season was less impressive than his 1974 season when he won his second Heisman Trophy.
The Big three out of the Big 12 seem to be the collective favorites. Graham Harrell, Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford all have better numbers, but they've been playing against Mickey Mouse defenses all year.
Meanwhile, Tebow has shredded some of the best defenses in the country, and on Saturday, he'll continue his march to the National Title against Alabama.
And Florida will beat Alabama. The Crimson Tide have narrowly escaped against LSU and Ole Miss, neither of which is as strong offensively as the Gators.
Florida's loss to Ole Miss was a fluke at the time, but has since revealed that the Rebels are a legitimate threat to Alabama's SEC West title next season.
Tebow should be the favorite to win the Heisman, just like Florida is the favorite to win the National Title. The Big 12's best don't stand a chance against the Gators, who are the most complete team in the nation.
As much as I hate to say it.
32 comments Last one added 7 months ago — Leave a Comment
Trey Murphy 7 months ago
great article. well written. I'm looking forward to watching that SEC Championship game tomorrow.
Edit Comment Cancel
Jeffrey McDaniel 7 months ago
Thanks Trey. It's gonna be quite a game.
Edit Comment Cancel
Laura Johnson 7 months ago
Just out of curiosity which best defenses did he shred? Georgia has been beyond pathetic on defense this year? LSU, Kentucky? Maybe Georgia and LSU were supposed to have good defenses. Hell UGA was the preseason #1 but their defense has weak. I'm not saying that Tebow isn't a good quarterback, even a great one maybe (we'll see how he fares in the NFL). But how can anyone rate him over McCoy or Bradford right now?
Edit Comment Cancel
Zeptogator 7 months ago
Eight of the SEC defenses give up less than 22 points per game. Florida has crushed 4 of those teams (Tennessee, Vandy, USC, UK) and scored 30 on Ole Miss. Florida did not play Auburn or itself (that would be a great game!), and has Alabama left.
In comparison, only one Big 12 team gives up less than 22 points/game and that is Texas, who interestingly stole their defensive coordinator from the SEC (I'm not worried, he will return to the promised land).
Also, Florida crushed FSU (20.8/game) and Miami (24.2/game). Florida has embarrassed 6 excellent defenses this year, and lost to the 7th by a point.
The Heisman is not about who will be the best NFL QB or even about who is the best QB. It's about who is the best player in college football. It's easy to rate him over the others by level of competition, championship rings (Tebow has a couple), TD/INT ratio, leadership, toughness, running-over people ability, and many other intangibles. Unless Florida loses the SEC championship game, Tebow is the best player in college football again this year.
Besides, my money is on that OU chokes again tomorrow. They always seem to find a way to do that.
Edit Comment Cancel
Carson Howell 7 months ago
Laura-
You fail to avoid the cliche that girls know little about football....
Tebow is ...."even a great one, maybe"????
Remember that little bronze trophy he won last year? Thats call a Heisman trophy...there is only 1 given out a year and its awarded to the best player in the country....he won it as a sophomore, and was the first to win it (in the history of the NCAA)as a sophomore....along with about 8 other awards...majority of those are rarely given to underclassmen...
he put up freakish numbers last year and has followed it with GREAT numbers during this season...but the difference is he has about 9 other playmakers on offense which score aswell and would obviously take away from his own statistics, which he is ok with...
Edit Comment Cancel
Jeffrey McDaniel 7 months ago
What Zeptogator and Carson said.
The thing about the Big 12 is that those QB's are putting up great numbers against terrible defenses. As I said in the article, South Carolina was number 3 in total defense when they played. Not just in the SEC, but in the nation. I realize that Florida scored a couple of TDs on defense and special teams, but still, the offense moved the ball at will.
Laura, Florida is the best team in the country right now because of Tim Tebow. The Gators have so many playmakers that put up HUGE numbers because of Tim Tebow. He is a serious threat every time he touches the ball. I don't see Bradford or McCoy putting up those kinds of numbers playing against the quality defenses in the SEC.
Say what you want about the SEC being weak. That's a joke. The SEC is down after the Top 2, but still it is one of the toughest conferences in the nation. I don't count the Big 12 because of the poor defenses. They might as well not even wear pads, because the Big 12 is likened to touch football in the back yard.
Thanks for the comments!!
Edit Comment Cancel
Lucas Jackson Casablancas 7 months ago
Great article!
Laura.. I don't think the Big12 QBs are on Tebow's level because Tebow makes the players around him better than any other player in the country. No other player can do what Tebow does. Not just this season.. but maybe in college football history. Tebow's versatility is why teams focus on him more than any other player in football. And this in turn makes all Tebow's teammates so explosive. The combination of Tebow's passing ability and his ability to run with power or speed and finesse is like having another 1 or 2 players on Florida's team. You think it's just a coincidence that Tebow accounted for 70% of the Gators offense last season and now his numbers are down but the Gators are the best team in the country maybe the best offensive team ever?
Oh yeah.. and Tebow is the only Heisman candidate who has been a real part of a championship team.. and coincidentally he is probably going to win another one this season and if he had a defense would have probably won one last season too.
Edit Comment Cancel
Jeffrey McDaniel 7 months ago
Thanks Lucas!
It kills me that there are so many haters out there. The SEC is still tough. Florida's one-point loss was early in the season and has helped them regain their focus. Since that loss, they have EXPOSED every team they play, including LSU and Georgia. Bama's next!
Edit Comment Cancel
GeorgiaDawg 7 months ago
Nice job Jeffrey. I agree with you here..... Florida will win it all, and Tebow is the best at what he does right now... so why not another Heisman as well....
Edit Comment Cancel
Jeffrey McDaniel 7 months ago
Thanks Georgia Dawg!!
It makes me wonder what Tebow is going to do next season.
The only way that Alabama can beat Florida is if Tebow gets hurt, because I couldn't name their backup at gunpoint.
Edit Comment Cancel
Matt 7 months ago
"No other player can do what Tebow does. Not just this season.. but maybe in college football history." HAHAHAHAHA
You have got to be joking right? Give me a break. Tebow is a slightly above average football player surrounded by great athletes in a WEAK conference.
Edit Comment Cancel
Carson Howell 7 months ago
Your either ignorant or you don't watch college football....or maybe your both?
Name a sophomore QB in the history of the NCAA who put up the same stats he did(or better), or has won equivalent awards(or better, if there is any?)
Basically muster up a cerebral response, if possible, suggesting players who have done what Tebow did last season...in the best conference in the country, last year.....if you don't think the SEC was the top conference then come up with facts why it wasn't......
p.s. the SEC was 6 for 8 in bowl games last year....the best bowl winning % for the past 5 years ..p.s. the SEC sent more teams to bowl games in the past decade than any other.....p.s. the SEC has more championships in the past decade, than any other conference.....
hmmmm...good luck
Don't say "ooohhh yea the BIG-12 better than the SEC" BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW UNTIL THE BOWLS, LITTLE MATT.
Its very elementary...when 1 bunch of teams just play each other, and another bunch of teams just play each other....how can you possible judge one from the other until they go heads up? you can't.
Edit Comment Cancel
Lucas Jackson Casablancas 7 months ago
Matt, Tebow filled the the two toughest positions on an offense last season by himself. Against the toughest schedule maybe ever. No player has accounted for 70% of their teams offense the way Tebow did last season at that level. Tebow filled the role of primary running back and the QB to perfection. No player has ever had the ability to run as well and pass as well as Tebow in the same package. And on top of that he has every intangibles you could ever want.
If the Gators are so talented then why did they offensive dominance only start when Tebow showed up? If they are so talented then why did Tebow have to account for 70% of his teams offense last season? Why would Meyer risk having Tebow get injured if the Gators were so talented and he didn't have to rely on him?
Edit Comment Cancel
Nick The Only 7 months ago
If you're picking teams for a game, you wouldn't pick Tebow?
Tim Tebow's stats (2 years starter, one year utility back):
Some notes about Tebow:
He is 7th of all current players in rushing TDs. 7th!!! He is a junior and he is a QB and he is 7th of every current player in FBS in rushing TDs!
He is 2nd in passing efficiency of all current players. (Bradford is first, but Tebow brings the 43 rushing TDs)
Tebow is 14th in passing TDs. How many players have ever been so good on the ground and through the air?
In 2 years (minus two games this year) and a his utility role in 2006, Tebow has 105 touchdowns. 105 touchdowns in 25 games as a starter and 13 game as a utility back. He has 3.5 TDs per game as a starter and 1 TD per game as a reserve. Has any player had more impact?
GO HERE AND NOTICE HOW FEW PLAYS PER GAME TEBOW (#5 currently in scoring) HAS COMPARED TO OTHER LEADERS (these are career stats):
http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/2008/Internet/career/careerOffB12.html
Has there every been a bigger threat to score than Tim Tebow?
Other Links:
http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/2008/Internet/career/careerRushB9.html
http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/2008/Internet/career/careerPassB15.html
http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/2008/Internet/career/careerPassB11.html
Edit Comment Cancel
Matt 7 months ago
Sophmore QB with just as good stats.....Sam Bradford from OU. If I were looking for a similar QB to Timmy Tebow I would take Vince Young from Texas all day every day. Remeber when everyone was on USC's bandwagon and were saying they were the greatest team in college football history. Then Vince Young showed up. Tebow is a good QB but he is not the greatest or even the best this season. I would take Bradford, Mcoy, Harrel over him this year.
Edit Comment Cancel
Matt 7 months ago
Florida lost to Ole Miss. Season Stats-- Tebow passing 2299 yards 25 TD and 2 int. 65.0% completion sacked 14 times passer rating 175.46. Rushing 12 TD with 507 yards.
Texas lost to tech. Season Stats-- McCoy passing 3445 yards 32 TD and 7 int. 77.6% completion sacked 20 times passer rating 179.20. Rushing 10 TD with 576 yards.
Oklahoma lost to Texas. Season Stats-- Bradford passing 4080 yards 46 TD 6 int. 68.2% completion sacked 9 times passer rating 190.97. Rushing 5 TD with 58 yards.
Florida obviously has the worse loss. Tebow's stats aren't the best of the three. Tim Tebow should not win the heisman this year. Sure they have a chance to win the NC but they have still played in the weaker conference and had the worse loss.
Tim Tebow is good/great QB. I know I said average earlier but it was just to get people fired up. Saying he is the best this season or the best of all time is flat out stupid.
Edit Comment Cancel
Jeffrey McDaniel 7 months ago
Matt,
The Heisman Trophy is awarded to the best football player in the country. I agree with you that Tebow isn't the QB of the three (McCoy and Bradford), but he is the best football player. Bradford sits back in the pocket, throwing the ball all over the field. When he is pressured (Texas) he gets antsy. McCoy is a better candidate than Bradford because in Texas' one loss, he actually brought his team back from a big deficit in the second half.
Suggesting that the SEC is down doesn't automatically mean that the Big 12 is tougher. College football is down this season. Sure, there have been a lot of great games and moments, but the quality of play is down compared to past years.
I appreciate your comments though, Matt!
Edit Comment Cancel
Brad James 7 months ago
Jeffrey,
I think you can't go wrong with any of these candidates. Tim Tebow has Florida in an excellent position to get back into the "national championship" game. (Sorry, I can't call it the national championship game without a playoff, it just rubs me the wrong way). I look at the world of college football with burnt orange-colored glases so I say give it to Colt. Of course, Bradford's well-deserving as is Tebow and Nate Davis of Ball State. Nice article. We'll see how it goes!
Edit Comment Cancel
Jeffrey McDaniel 7 months ago
Brad,
I see that your comment was posted before last night's game. Davis was a solid QB, but Buffalo ran him around all night. I thought there was a clear moment when he could have taken over. But, he fumbled at the goalline, and it was returned 90-something yards. Then after another fumble near the red zone that was returned for six, he started screaming at his offensive line.
Thanks for the input!
Edit Comment Cancel
Scott Pusich 7 months ago
Tebow's got a shot, but it's going to come down to the Big XII and SEC championship games tomorrow. It's not a done deal for either Bradford or Tebow at this point.
And while I understand the newsworthiness of the Heisman trophy, I've always felt it can be more of a distraction (especially when teams are in the middle of a national title drive) than a useful measure of who the best player is.
Perhaps instead of having only past Heisman winners vote, the vote should be restricted to *active* college football players? They would seem to have a more valid say, being a better "jury of peers" (fellow active athletes, as opposed to past trophy winners).
Thought-provoking article, good read. Just a day or so too early!
Edit Comment Cancel
Jeffrey McDaniel 7 months ago
Thanks Scott!
I agree that it will come down to today. If Tebow has a monster game, I think that'll be enough. My thing is, Bradford is putting up huge numbers because he throws the ball 40 times or more a game, even in the fourth quarter with big leads.
Interesting idea about the voting.
Edit Comment Cancel
Michael Inglis 7 months ago
This one is tough for me. The winner should be Tebow (only if he wins the SEC Champoinship) or Colt McCoy. I think McCoy had the biggest impact on his team with the least amount of help. He broke the NCAA passing record, and lead his team in rushing yards. Also he put his team in a position to win every game. The only game he lost was to Texas Tech and he lead his team down the field and scored a TD with a little over a minute to go. Bradford one loss came by 10 points and Harrell lost by 44 and Tebow had a chance to beat Ole Miss but got stuffed on 4th and 1.
It has to be McCoy or Tebow.
Edit Comment Cancel
Jeffrey McDaniel 7 months ago
I think Tebow has had more talent around him, diminishing his numbers. McCoy is my pick after Tebow. Bradford is solid for Oklahoma, McCoy has been the guy at Texas, but I like Tebow.
Thanks for the comments!
Edit Comment Cancel
Michael Inglis 7 months ago
i mean NCAA completion %
Edit Comment Cancel
Nick The Only 7 months ago
Jeff - you sir, are an excellent writer. keep it up. I agree with everything except that Ole Miss will be great next year. They are damn good this year, but next? They may lose 3 top 20 draft pick linemen (DE Hardy, OT Oher, and DT Jerry). Snead is a good QB, but those are some serious personnel hits.
Edit Comment Cancel
Jeffrey McDaniel 7 months ago
Thanks Nick! I appreciate that.
I think Ole Miss will still be pretty good. But I said that Tom Brady was a fluke.
Edit Comment Cancel
Tim Pollock 7 months ago
Well written.
Sam Bradford is looking pretty ridiculous these days. Another impressive performance against Missouri (even though it is a bad defense) seals the deal for me on Bradford.
It's so hard to judge the B12 qbs, but Bradford's numbers are insane.
Edit Comment Cancel
Jeffrey McDaniel 7 months ago
Thanks Tim!
Like I keep saying, Bradford is putting up those numbers against weak defenses. The one thing I knew about Oklahoma before the season started was that they were loaded on offense. I think that if Oklahoma meets Florida for the National title, Bradford will be exposed kind of like Colt Brennan last year against Georgia. Bradford will put up some solid numbers, but he won't have four TDs or 300 yards passing, which is probably close to his average against Big 12 defenses.
Edit Comment Cancel
Gray Ghost 7 months ago
Jeff, excellent article. There are so many good QB's this year. Don't know that the voters will give it to Tebow, even though he is deserving. I personally like McCoy over Bradford, but who am I? POTD
Edit Comment Cancel
Jeffrey McDaniel 7 months ago
First of all, you're Gray Ghost!
I agree that the voters might not give Tebow the award. It seems like Oklahoma has been the Saturday night Prime-time game every week all year. (Didn't they play Chattanooga in Prime-time on ABC?) That kind of exposure will certainly help Bradford. That is ultimately what helped put Oklahoma ahead of Texas. Primacy versus recency. Oklahoma has been really impressive the last month!
Thanks for the input and the pick!
Edit Comment Cancel
Reggie Garcia 7 months ago
Very well written. Tebow is the best quarterback in college football. Bradford a close 2nd. Im watching the Buffalo Vs Ball State game....and I am trying to focus on the article....ok, commercial
POTD haha
Edit Comment Cancel
Jeffrey McDaniel 7 months ago
Thanks Reggie!
Tebow should win the Heisman, and if the award were given after the postseason, he might be a lock. As for the Ball State-Buffalo game. What a game! I was watching at a bar it seemed like every time I looked up, Buffalo was running back a fumble. It was great.
Thanks for the pick!
Edit Comment Cancel
Leave a Comment
You must register to post a comment.