The Tim Tebow Show

by Brent Lee

 

The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner debuted with the New England Patriots last Friday night, which resulted in a familiar smelling stench: absolute stinkage. Belichick has been coy with the media regarding Tebow's playing time and also with the player himself. Tim ended the game with a dismal 4 of 12 for 55 yards, demonstrating throughout the game that his pocket passing is still in dire need of development. The reunion with former Broncos coach and current Patriots offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, and Tim Tebow has not been a happy one yet so far. 

Watching Patriots offense go from Brady to Mallett to Tebow was like the Majors to Double A to Junior High
— Ross Tucker (@RossTuckerNFL) August 10, 2013

Tebow's first pass of the game is thrown short to the wide open receiver.

The Patriots management started pushing Tebow gear early in the off-season, and it makes total sense. With the cult of followers Tebow has, I'd do the exact same thing. From his improbable playoff comeback as a Denver Bronco to his unwavering Christian faith, it is obvious why he has some of the most undying support from his cult of followers.

Belichick asked if he plans to keep Tebow on the 53 man roster. "That's not anything we're ready to talk about right now."
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) August 13, 2013

Bill Belichick may be a football mastermind, but has he finally met his greatest challenge? Tebow came cheap at the base salary of $630,000, but is he worth all the trouble? Sure, he'll increase revenue by boosting ticket and jersey sales from those crazed Gators fans, but at the end of the day, his presence on the field and in the locker room will serve as more of a distraction than a benefit to this Superbowl hopeful team.


Belichick does not need to prove to anyone that he can make Tim Tebow into a NFL quarterback or a NFL player for that matter. Tebow's contract is NOT guaranteed. If Tebow does not make the 53 man roster before regular season starts, he can kiss that base salary goodbye and any chances of becoming besties with Tom Brady will be forever squandered. But there may be more than to Tim Tebow that meets the eye.


With the Aaron Hernandez hoopla, the Pats are in dire need of a positive locker room presence. Tebow's former Gator teammate has been involved in a murder case and has brought a lot of negative media attention to New England. Though Tebow Mania commands the attention of a plethora of sports and news media, he in fact is a positive influence on a locker room. The New England Patriots' expectations of Tebow may more likely come behind the scenes than on the field. His work ethic and his game approach are two intangibles that cannot be coached. It is easy to overlook Tebow and his unorthodox throwing mechanics, but one thing is for sure, the man is determined and has great potential to grow. His ability to play the read-option offense can be an absolute nightmare for defenses (think RGIII, Russell Wilson, and Colin Kaepernick). He can be a valuable asset to McDaniel's offense. Don't be surprised to see Tebow lineup for special teams and possibly tight end.

Tebow seems to be more interested in talking to media than "playing football".

Maybe the most important thing to note is that second string quarterback, Ryan Mallett, will be a free agent in 2014. It is almost certain that Mallett will leave via free agency or will be traded mid-season. All eyes will be focused on Tebow this preseason. With the media scrutiny off the field and the coaches hawking his every move on the field, Tebow will have his hands full this upcoming season, wherever he dons a uniform. Chances are that Tebow will remain on the team for the duration of his two year contract. He is more marketable than the Geico gecko and the Aflac duck combined. Tebow could end up being one of the most profitable bench players in the history of the sport. Moving forward, it is hard to see that the Pats will release this precious cash-cow in Tim Tebow.


Tim Tebow is his own worst enemy. Tebow claims he just "wants to play football". He maintains that he wants to develop into a NFL quarter rather than switching to another position. Well this third-string "quarterback" better get used to riding the pine all season. This may be his last opportunity to prove that he can play; otherwise, his next stop will be Tebow-ing in church while preaching the Gospel. Instead of saying Tebow Time, people will be chanting "Tebow, TIME TO GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

The girl at chipotle ripped two straight tortillas while making my burrito. Time to bring in the backup. #tebowtime
— My name is Chris. (@cjwill21) August 10, 2013

Celebrate! Football Season is Back... kinda

By Brent Lee

Are you looking for a reason to cheer up during a lackluster summer of sports? With the NFL preseason kicking off this week, teams will be rolling out their potential opening day starters onto the field. One notable game of the preseason will occur in week 2 of the preseason with Alex Smith and his Kansas City Chiefs facing off against his former team, the 2014 Super Bowl favorites, San Francisco 49ers. Last night was a preview of a likely Superbowl 2014 showdown between the 49ers and the Denver Broncos. The reigning NFC Champions played mediocre at best. After a clock killing, ground-and-pound opening sequence by Colin Kaepernick and the Niner offense resulting in a Phil Dawson field goal, the Niners committed 4 turnovers. Thankfully, the Broncos were not able to capitalize on any of San Francisco's errors (2 interceptions and 2 fumbles). If this is any indication of the upcoming season, the Niner Faithful are in for a bumpy ride this season. Thank god this is preseason football!

Few positive things to take away from tonight's game: LaMichael James is a beast, Aldon Smith HULKED up, the Colin to Anquan connection is already developing, AND Vance McDonald and Eric Reid are transitioning nicely into the red and white. 

With that being said, let's look forward to the watching Alex Smith throw the ball out of bounds next week. Look for Alex Smith to be fired up for this pseudo-homecoming. Meanwhile, enjoy this compilation of sports celebrations. HAPPY FRIDAY!

Kent Bazemore doing his thang on the bench.Classic Baze.

Made it nasty.

Oh hello, TEMPER-PEDIC TEMPER-Cloud Collection, my name is DeShaun Jackson.

Insult to injury.

Real Madrid manager, Jose Mourinho, trying to relive his heydays.

Matt Cassel is playing Twister with his teammates. Right hand on red, right foot on green. Nastia Liukin approves.

There's just so many things wrong with this celebration. This must be why dinosaurs went extinct.

Oklahoma bench air guitar-ing its way to the lead against Texas.

Mama forgot to teach him that he's not supposed to celebrate with opposing team.

Chad Qualls is just too smooth.

Villanova's all star bench: Legolas, Christopher Columbus, and white MC Hammer

David Akers is just as surprised as we are that you are reading this blog.

 I mean come on, who isn't happy when a ice cream truck drops by.

Alright, you can get back to work now. Celebrate! It's Friday!

The Bayless Babbles is a sports blog is co-authored by UC Merced/ USC alumnus Justin Cheng and UC San Diego alumnus Brent Lee. 



Email: baylessbabbles@gmail.com

Follow The Bayless Babbles on Twitter (@BaylessBabbles)

LIKE & share the articles on Facebook!

Do one of these! Thanks!

NFL Preseason Top 5

Last year the Baltimore Ravens rode a 10-6 record, bolstered by Terrell Suggs' miracle Achilles tendon and Ray Lewis' deer antler sprayed triceps to beat the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII. With a new year and with heavyweights reloading on talent and teams making the moves to be considered Super Bowl favorites, there is promise for more compelling drama. 

5) New England Patriots 

Key Additions: Danny Amendola, Adrian Wilson, Tommy Kelly, LeGarrette Blount, Leon Washington

Despite All-Pro Rob Gronkowski's mounting injuries, the Patriots appear to be ready to make a final push in the Belichick-Brady era. In the five games that Gronk did not play last year, the ever-unpredictable Patriots averaged 34.2 points per game. How's that for a statistic? The loss of Welker certainly hurts, but Danny Amendola is a younger, if not better, version of him. The offensive line held steady last season allowing only 27 sacks, tied for fifth best.


The pressure lies solely on the secondary, who gave up 271.4 yards per game, ranked 29th best in the NFL. It is still unknown how effective replacing Patrick Chung with an aging Adrian Wilson will be. 2011 second-round pick, Ras-I Dowling, has been on the trainer's table the last two years with a torn hip tendon and torn quadriceps. That's two years, nine games and one pass defended. Production from this group certainly needs to step up especially with pass-heavy teams like Atlanta, Cincy, New Orleans, Carolina, Denver, Houston, and Miami on their schedule.

Prediction: 12-4 (New England's schedule plays to their favor, having the Jets and Buffalo in their division. The defensive line, anchored by Vince Wilfork, was seventh in yards allowed before the addition of Tommy Kelly)

Sorry, 12-4 because of a weak schedule only gets you #5.

4) Denver Broncos 

Key Additions: Wes Welker, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Shaun Phillips

What didn't the Broncos do right last year? The Broncos had one of the best seasons, outscoring opposing defenses by 192 points, which was second only to the New England Patriots. Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, and Wes Welker look to give opposing secondaries plenty of headaches with Peyton Manning at the helm. Acquiring Montee Ball via the draft and with incumbents McGahee and Moreno looking to return from injuries, the run game should keep defenses on their toes. 

So why aren't the Broncos rated higher? My main concern is how small Peyton Manning comes up in the most crucial of situations. Sure it wasn't his fault for blown coverage with 0:42 left in the Divisional Round, but he certainly put them in a position where the score was still in reach. Keep in mind that 14 of their points resulted from two Trindon Holliday specials. A fumble in the third quarter when up 7 and the interception thrown across his body in overtime ultimately cost them a potential Superbowl bid. For everything that Peyton Manning gives you, I certainly would not want the ball in his hands and this has been a trend since Indianapolis. 

Prediction: 11-5 (Manning will have a spectacular regular season but will ultimately lose in the AFC championship game to the Texans)

3) Atlanta Falcons

Key Additions: Steven Jackson, Osi Umenyiora, Desmond Trufant, Robert Alford

Think the Falcons wanted to improve their secondary? Well, the Atlanta Falcons selected two DBs with their first two picks in April's Draft. Washington's Desmond Trufant is one-third of the Trufant NFL bloodline, and Robert Alford (see below), product of FBS Southeastern Lousiana University, has a Youtube highlight reel that drops jaws.

Throughout the playoffs, Matty Ice, showed his ability to be considered an elite NFL quarterback, despite being completely shut down by the 49ers in the second half of the NFC Championship game. Receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White are the best WR tandem in the league, while Tony Gonzalez is still going strong going into his 17th year. 

However, the most concerning thing for this team is the ability to close out a game after blowing a 20 point lead to Seattle and 17 to the 49ers. If the Falcons are able to stay consistent throughout the entire game and in pressure-cooker situations, they can certainly make the leap that this #3 ranking places them. Also, playing in division that features the Panthers and a young Buccanneers team works to their advantage.

Prediction: 11-5 (Falcons will easily win the NFC South, but how will they play come playoff time?)