OT Will There be Tebow Magic in Foxboro Today?

[EricLA]

Tebow looked horrible, but it wasn't completely his fault. way over hyped and too much expected of him.

 

[ed4ourgirls]

Pats made a dozen or so tackles for loss. I'm not sure you can
put that on Tebow. Denver's O-line wasn't getting it done today.

 

[Icebear]

I think the Broncos ended up with 14 tackles for a loss maybe even 15 or more, it was hard to keep track in those swarms at the end. The most weakest part of Tebow's game is his inaccuracy passing the ball. He misses players not by inches but two to three yards and in no particular pattern. It is horrible. "Tebow has now lost three of his last four starts, and in this game, he finished with 136 yards on 9-for-26 passing and only 13 yards rushing." Sporting News


The most offensive part of the Tebow phenomenon for many Christians I know is the marketing of his faith, something with which he is complicit. He is far from the only Christian in the NFL. I bet about 75% or more identify themselves as Christians. He is not the first NFL player to pause quietly and kneel in the end zone. Yet all of this is somehow considered unique with Tebow. I don't get it.

Bleacher Report has identified the following as notable as notable NFL Christians:

Players:
Jason Avant, David Akers, Josh Bidwell, Sam Bradford, Jacques Cesaire, Ryan Clark, Glen Coffee, Chase Coffman, Heath Evans, Larry Fitzgerald, David Garrard, Anthony Hargrove, Matt Hasselbeck, Tim Hightower, Peyton Hillis, Greg Jennings, Brett Kern, Jon Kitna, James Laurinaitis, Colt McCoy, Donovan McNabb, Mushin Muhammad, Antwaan Randel-El, Aaron Rogers, Daniel Sepulveda, Ryan Succop, Shaun Suisham, Morgan Trent, David Thomas, David Tyree, Ben Utecht, Alterraun Verner, Michael Vick, Ben Watson, Andre Whitworth, Vince Young

Christian Coaches:
Jim Caldwell, Cam Cameron, Leslie Frazier, Marvin Lewis, Andy Reid, Mike Singletary, Lovie Smith, Mike Tomlin, Tony Dungy

That doesn't even include Drew Brees, Troy Polamalu, Reggie Bush, Peyton Manning, Tony Romo, Brett Favre, Roger Staubach or Tom Landry or literally thousands more over the decades. So Tebow isn't even near the best Christian quarterback in the NFL let alone the unique Christian.

 

[RoyDodger]

Thoughts on Tim Tebow: I've said this before and I'll say it again. Athletes should keep their religion to themselves when wearing their uniform. We watch sports for fun and entertainment, and not to be proselytized by sanctimonious types who think their beliefs and views are so important that they have to display it everywhere while performing before the public. I personally can ignore some displays, such as baseball players pointing to the sky after a homerun. It's silly but momentary. But the more permanent and potent displays can become offensive. One example was the earring worn by Barry Bonds.

It's not a question of legality or rights. People like Bonds and Tebow have the right to display their religion to the world as long as their leagues allow it (as I recall the NFL stopped Tebow from wearing references to the Bible on his eye black patches as he did in college), and take the criticism that often comes with it. No, the issue is taste and judgment. These athletes must know that a certain part of the fan base may be offended.

 

[meyers7]

None the less

All the more. And I think we learned "The Truth" last night.

 

[meyers7]

These athletes must know that a certain part of the fan base may be offended.

If that offends people, they need to be offended.

 

[meyers7]

Yes the pats are doing fine its a damn shame isn't it.

It's justice.

 

[alexrgct]

Awesome. Now Tebow has more time to go to the philippines and try to convert a country that's 95% catholic to christianity.

What a pompous, self-important ostentatious goober. God doesn't care about your football career. If anything, he clearly favors Tom Brady. Who's led a more charmed existence than that guy? Hell, God wanted the Steelers to lose to Denver so that the Pats would have an easier opponent.

 

[RoyDodger]

If that offends people, they need to be offended.

There is a reason why religion was specially dealt with in the first amendment of our Constitution by our founding fathers. That's because religion has always been a very special and sensitive subject that has brought a great deal of strife and grief throughout human history. Need I mention the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the Holocaust? Need I mention the desire of so many of the people who originally came to this part of the world in order to seek religious freedom or at least freedom to worship as they chose? Need I mention the internecine strife that has gone on in our lifetimes in places like Ireland and the Middle East?

I'm not trying to make more of this than is necessary, but I want to point out the reasons why many are offended by overt specific religious behavior in inappropriate (public) situations. Religion belongs in appropriate places: one's place of worship, in one's home, and in one's heart. It doesn't belong in places of entertainment such as on the football field or baseball diamond.

 

[meyers7]

Religion belongs in appropriate places: one's place of worship, in one's home, and in one's heart. It doesn't belong in places of entertainment such as on the football field or baseball diamond.

Well I am certainly happy you didn't have any input in writing the Constitution. It is really "open-minded" of you to allow people to have their compartmentalized religion. Sure wouldn't want them to carry that "religion/faith" over into their everyday lives.

Geez, some people.

 

[HuskyNan]

Awesome. Now Tebow has more time to go to the philippines and try to convert a country that's 95% catholic to christianity.

What a pompous, self-important ostentatious goober. God doesn't care about your football career. If anything, he clearly favors Tom Brady. Who's led a more charmed existence than that guy? Hell, God wanted the Steelers to lose to Denver so that the Pats would have an easier opponent.

Is he pompous? My impression is that he's actually rather self-effacing but for some reason the press that covered him in college and now in the pros want to gush over him.

 

[meyers7]

What a pompous, self-important ostentatious goober. .

You really don't know much about him. He's probably done more good for people than you will ever do.

 

[meyers7]

Is he pompous? My impression is that he's actually rather self-effacing but for some reason the press that covered him in college and now in the pros want to gush over him.

Exactly!

 

[HuskyNan]

Can we please not do the "religion in sports" thing in this thread? Besides, wasn't this topic beaten to death in the previous pledge of allegiance threads?

 

[RoyDodger]

Meyers, it is ironic that you have a quote from Lily Tomlin in your signature line. Here are a few Lily Tomlin quotes from an interview she gave in 2005. These quotes seem somehow appropriate to someone who thinks that people deserve to be offended by someone else's overt religious activities in a public place.

• The larger picture is really to swing people's awareness of what really is moral. ... There are great clergy-people who absolutely do not agree with this. It's not whether God is on our side or whether we're doing God's will, it's being so narcissistic as to think that God is telling you what to do.

• The point I want to make is, the idea that people will say — out of the 170,000 people or however many were killed in the tsunami — they'll say, "God saved me." As if God particularly saved this person. There's a tremendous amount of narcissism in that belief, that God is speaking directly to you. I mean, it's unbelievable. ... All these disparate opinions and points of view that people say they're getting as direct divine guidance — I've been concerned for decades about presidents who claim to be born again. And knowing that everyone I knew in the fundamentalist church or in the evangelical Christian church — they wanted the rapture to come. ... We don't have to save the environment, because we're not going to be around.

And attributed to Lily Tomlin:

"When we talk to god, it's prayer. When god talks to us, it's schizophrenia.
-Lily Tomlin, American actress"

 

[RoyDodger]

Can we please not do the "religion in sports" thing in this thread? Besides, wasn't this topic beaten to death in the previous pledge of allegiance threads?

Nan: I didn't see your message before I posted, but I felt that a discussion of Tim Tebow's religious activity in an OT thread was particularly relevant. I will post no more on the subject.

 

[Cafe Poliziano]

Can we please not do the "religion in sports" thing in this thread? Besides, wasn't this topic beaten to death in the previous pledge of allegiance threads?

Makes me think of the Princes Bride, "there is a difference between all the way dead and mostly dead....... our friend here is only mostly dead

 

[Kibitzer]

I have my views ("Let God watch the game without being interrupted by customer service calls.") that I posted in that Pledge of Allegiance thread.

Let me add some expert testimony from The Gospel of Matthew 6:5-8.

"When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen."

 

[HuskyNan]

Nan: I didn't see your message before I posted, but I felt that a discussion of Tim Tebow's religious activity in an OT thread was particularly relevant. I will post no more on the subject.

The thread is about football.

 

[alexrgct]

You really don't know much about him. He's probably done more good for people than you will ever do.

Actually I do. He supports a backwards, reactionary regressive interpretation of Christianity, one that is dangerous, horrifying, and repressive. This isnt a out "religion and sports"; this is about a guy and his family using sports to push the agenda of the evangelical right, and I am not ok with it. He has done no good for anyone. Missions? Please- it's a phony excuse to push his antiquated view of the world on people who are already Christian and desperately modernity, not his wretched, antiquated view of the world. He is dangerous, pompous, and on top of that, a crappy quarterback. Watching him get his ass kicked yesterday was a joy.

 

[RoyDodger]

The thread is about football.

Nan, as you can see, I'm not the only one who thinks that a discussion of Tim Tebow goes beyond simply a discussion of football.

 

[ctfjr]

Actually I do. He supports a backwards, reactionary regressive interpretation of Christianity, one that is dangerous, horrifying, and repressive. This isnt a out "religion and sports"; this is about a guy and his family using sports to push the agenda of the evangelical right, and I am not ok with it. He has done no good for anyone. Missions? Please- it's a phony excuse to push his antiquated view of the world on people who are already Christian and desperately modernity, not his wretched, antiquated view of the world. He is dangerous, pompous, and on top of that, a crappy quarterback. Watching him get his ass kicked yesterday was a joy.

lol - don't hold back, how do you really feel?

As a long long time Pats fan, I felt mildly miffed all week whenever I read a sports section. They seemed awfully filled with Tebow trivia & little about the Pats or their superstar qb.

 

[Adios]

Magic is forbidden in Christianity. lol

 

[EricLA]

i totally agree with Alex and Roy but getting back to the skill of Tebow - i don't think he's that talented. but he DID rev up a fan base in Denver into a frenzy. and the team did make it to the playoffs winning a game in the process. good for them, i guess. but i watched a couple of analysts after the game, who are much more intelligent than I when it comes to discussing football and they made a lot of sense...

they both agreed Tebow was an average talent (when it comes to NFL Q-backs). he's strong and mobile and a good scrambler/runner (not as good as Vick of course), but he's an awful passer and can't pass on the run. therefore, if Denver wants to keep him, they need to run offense that accentuates his strengths and mask his glaring weaknesses. the problem is (according to them) that the offense they needed to run is a "fad" offense, like the wildcat, and others. teams early in the season did not figure out how to play against it...

New England, however, had the defense down perfectly, and all a team has to do is watch NE's defense to know exactly how to stop Denver. it remains to be seen if Denver's fad offense can be sustained for any length of time.

i thought that analysis was really interesting and while i was thrilled to see Tebow get his ass handed to him, it's possible that Denver can potentially have some success with him at the helm. it's a great "story" as the media was all over it, and it's great for the fans, but ultimately, according to them, it won't be great for winning.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Watching him get his ass kicked yesterday was a joy.

I agree... Tom Brady, Gronkowski & Hernandez, all performed well yesterday!