I Think He Earned More Than $250,000

Well at least I didn't break my New Year's Resolution yet...I managed to get out this week's column in nearly record breaking fashion.

Of course everyone wants to know, what the hell does my title mean? Well, apparently Tim Tebow has an escalator clause in his contract that gives him an extra $250,000 bonus if he won a playoff game while playing in at least 70% of the snaps this regular season for the Broncos. He played in 73% and thus won himself a cool quarter of a million when he zipped that slant pass into Demaryius Thomas for the game winning touchdown on Sunday.

But what Tebow really earned was what he needed all along. He earned the confidence and respect of his coaching staff and front office and earned the right to be the unquestioned starter entering the 2012 NFL season. Tim has never had an offseason where he was the unquestioned starter at QB and he can only improve with a full offseason of starter reps in OTAs and training camp.

The talking heads in the sports community need to get it through their thick heads that Tebow will be a QB in the NFL and odds are he will be a QB for a long time in the NFL. Playing QB is not about arm strength or mechanics or size (even though Tim has two of those things), its purely about intelligence, repetitions with your own players, repetitions in seeing opposing defenses, hard work, and handling the pressure of being the face of your franchise.

Drew Brees was a 2nd round pick because he was small, even though anyone who followed college football knew Drew Brees had the makeup of being an NFL starter. Philip Rivers, predicted by many to be an MVP candidate this year and who has had several successful seasons as an NFL player has some of the worst mechanics you'll ever see. Ditto to Vince Young, but what did Vince get from the media? The dude just knows how to win.

Tebow knows how to win in this league. Trust your strength in your defense, take care of the ball, and make the plays in the clutch. Eli Manning is not a good quarterback, (see 25 interceptions last year and numerous huge plays this year and previous years where his talented receivers bailed him out time and again) but he is a media darling for his ability to run the 4th quarter.

Meanwhile Tebow is routinely criticized in the media for his unorthodox mechanics and generally excuses are made as to why he wins. Oh their schedule was easy, oh the defense is the only reason they win, oh the Steelers were hurt. The Steelers won 12 games for crying out loud. Trust me they didnt win them because they had Mendenhall, or because Pouncey was their center, they won because the Steelers, like the Broncos know how to win games as a team. Yet almost no credit is given to Tebow and the Broncos for winning this one. All credit is do to the injury bug for allowing the Broncos the good fortune of playing the hurt Steelers.

Besides being football's version of Mariano Rivera or Dirk Nowitzki as their sports' premier closers, Tebow knows how not to lose the game in the first 3 quarters. Besides the Bills and Chiefs games at the end of the season Tebow is very careful with the ball. Perhaps too careful to the point it looks like he throws the ball in the dirt or 12 feet over a receiver's head when really he is just protecting the ball. I can name 10 teams in the NFL right now that would kill for a quarterback that knew what it meant to take care of the ball and i can name 32 NFL head coaches that will tell you the most important thing in the NFL is to not give easy scoring chances through the turnover.

Tebow's career is in its infancy, he has only started 15 games including Sunday's postseason game. He has done it in the crucible of the most intense media scrutiny and he has done it with class. There is nothing to hate about Tebow the person, and if you hate Tebow the person because he wears his spirtuality on his sleeve and seems too good to be true, then take a look in the mirror. Sports are rife with players that provide poor examples of how to lead a decent life, but good examples are few and far between. Tebow takes the criticisms even from his own team and uses them to be a better player and person. Theres not a lot to hate about Tebow the player either, if you hate Tebow the player take a look at your team and see if it could use a player like him. Because I'm sure it does. But continue hating him, he's going to be around a good long time to torture teams and its fans.

Of course, there was more action than the Tebow bowl this past weekend. The Saints are running a souped up version of the 1999 St. Louis Rams offense that just proved too much for a very game Detroit Lions team. Keep your head up Detroit, as long as Stafford stays healthy I think you guys have a brighter future than my beloved Cowboys do. But man, how about that Saints offense. I think Sean Payton could take any 1 QB, 4 receivers, 1 scatback, and 1 tight end and turn them into pro bowl players. He is unstoppable....unless you get on grass. 2 of the 3 Saints losses were on grass, and their two lowest point totals in wins (22 - Tenn, 23 - Jacksonville) were on the road in grass.

So heads up you punkass 49er fans, by getting homefield for this game, you gave yourself the only chance of beating the Saints...by playing on grass. Of course the 49ers may struggle even to get to that 22, 23 point mark. They have had a wonderful season by all accounts, and again kudos to Harbaugh, but he, like Tebow, needs a full season of OTAs and training camps to really get this offense going. Prediction: New Orleans 27 San Francisco 17.

In the other NFC game, bitchface Eli won again. Im so sick of the Giants. I'm so sick of any team with the nickname Giants. New York Giants, San Francisco Giants, god I hate them all. Congratulations for beating a mediocre Falcons team that never really seemed like a contender all year. Dallas could've done that. Now New York gets to take their two trick pony (Eli chucks it up, gets saved by Victor Cruz on offense; rush 4 super fast D-linemen at the QB on defense) to Green Bay and face a team that has looked like a contender all year. The game in week 13 between these two was unreasonable close, and likely a product of Green Bay sagging a little as the weight of a perfect season grew bigger. New York has no chance despite what all those east coast media tards think. Prediction: Green Bay 38 New York 24.

There were two AFC playoff games? I only thought Tebow mattered. Oh...right, Houston and Cincinnati. Not much to say about that one other than TJ Yates had nearly the same completion line (11/20), has Andre Johnson, and no one is talking shit about him not having a chance in the NFL. For the record, I think TJ has a bright future in Houston, he is another QB that had some good college success but played on a garbage team and got absolutely no recognition. Cincinnati overachieved this year, but they have a bright future too, provided they can get all the druggies off their team. Houston has no chance on the road in Baltimore. That team has never experienced what they are about to run into in Baltimore. Experience and talent wins out. Prediction: Baltimore 23 Houston 7.

Lastly, the Tebow bowl, part 2. The Broncos played well in the first matchup this season, albeit it was in Denver. No moment is too big for the "no one believed in us" Broncos, but again they run into too much offensive talent in new England. If they gave up 23 to Pittsburgh, they are definitely giving up 30+ to New England. Tebow can't overcome that and when he tries, he will be blasted again. So sad. Prediction: New England 34, Denver 20.

Oh yeah, we have a national championship game tonight in the college ranks. These may be the two best teams, but its just not an exciting matchup. The first game was fun with some highlight plays, but the game is just a grind. Like watching the San Francisco Baltimore game this year. Someone is getting in the end zone this time, maybe even twice! I'm going to go with the team that has had the tougher schedule and has shown the most talent this year, and also has the most talented player. That means Geaux Tigers!

They are a game against Oklahoma State short of beating the best that college football has to offer this year. Let's run this down: they beat Oregon without their best QB on a neutral field. Oregon only won the Pac-12 and beat a Wisconsin team that is likely one of the 5 or 6 best teams this year. Oh yeah Oregon took care of Stanford in convincing fashion too. The score of the LSU Oregon game? 40-27. The took down West Virginia in West Virginia 47-21. Yeah the same West Virginia that just hung 70 in the Orange Bowl and beat the best the ACC has to offer. LSU took down Alabama once this year IN Alabama. I count three games not at home against 10 team opponents. Add in a spanking at home given to Arkansas 41-17, which was only the 7th team in the nation and got jobbed out of a BCS bowl (Va Tech, Michigan, really?) and a spanking given to the Georgia Bulldogs 42-10 who were 14th at the time in the SEC Championship game that was played in, you guessed it, Georgia. Alabama can't possibly present any challenge that LSU hasn't already seen and overcome. Bama had nice wins, but nothing like what LSU did this year. I go with Tyrann Mathieu aka The Honey Badger (who should've won the Heisman if that award actually went to the best player in football) and the LSU Tigers. Prediction: LSU 16 Alabama 10.

Enjoy the end of the college football season and good luck to those fans whose teams are still in the hunt for the Lombardi!

P.S. I wrote this blog piece the day of the BCS title game. Clearly I overestimated Jordan Jefferson's ability to run an offense. Still I pin this one on the coaching staff. I counted a half dozen option plays that were all run with similar ineptitude. When the first couple don't work, running the option another 3 or 4 times is not smart. They took what amounted to about 2 shots down field. One was almost caught, the next one was. The game plan was too conservative and that really put too much pressure on the LSU defense. I expect LSU to be back next year, they have so much young talent, and an actual QB starting for them next year in Zach Mettenberger.