If God Exists, He’s Watching
Tebow did it again. I couldn’t believe it - but, I could. When you watch these games, you just get this sense that something bigger is going on when it gets down to the wire.
I read an article on Pro Football Talk last week about a player on the Dolphins who swears that he is witnessing God’s work through Tebow’s play. I’m not a fan of religion of any kind, but what we’re witnessing with Tebow makes me understand why humans created religion in the first place.
Sounds kind of lofty I know, but hear me out. It’s not just Tebow’s play that has affected the outcome of Denver’s last 8 games; it’s also the defence, special teams, and, shockingly at times, Denver’s opponents. NFL Network’s Rich Eisen wrote on Twitter today that Tebow’s presence turns them all into the Washington Generals. It’s true.
The things Chicago did today to put Denver in a position to win boggle my mind. First, in the last two minutes, Denver was out of timeouts, all the Bears had to do was stay in bounds and run the clock out. Instead, Marion Barber decides to get pushed out of bounds. A whole minute is saved, allowing Tebow to take Denver down the field for a game-tying field goal.
But, Chicago wins the toss in overtime and due to the NFL’s warped overtime rules, they receive the opportunity to go score and win the game without Denver ever touching the ball. THEN, Barber takes the hand-off through a gaping hole with no one in front of him. I was convinced at that moment that the game was over: it was going to be a touchdown for sure. But one Broncos defender gets a hand on the ball at the last possible second and knocks it out - FUMBLE. I couldn’t believe it. There was no reason for it. It was the last thing anyone was thinking would happen.
The rest was as you would expect: game-winning field goal and Tebow does it again. We’ve seen it before this season. The onside kick at Miami. The game-winning TD run against the Jets.
I’ve said for many weeks that I think it’s unfair to not give Tebow a whole season to improve and show progress. Yet, still, most analysts won’t give him that chance whereas other rookie starting QBs like Blaine Gabbert, Christian Ponder, etc get to struggle week-in-week-out with no repercussions.
At this point, Tebow is 7-1, which has earned him the right - no matter what happens from here on out - to start next season. From there though - yes - he is like any player who needs to produce on the field. If he can’t in the long run, then you find someone else who can.
For now, all I can say is this is fun. I almost forget what it’s like to see my childhood favourite team inspiring people. Pretty special.
