There's been several reports over the last few days that Brett Favre may return to the NFL for his 6th annual final season. And even though it may be rough for Packers fans to imagine their beloved concussion cowboy taking another season of brutal hits, the image of him beating them while playing quarterback for the rival Vikings is far worse. But joining the Vikings might be exactly what the balding bomber has in mind.
And even though this may be the first one of Favre's "final seasons" where the majority of the fans would rather see him stay at home and rearrange the hills of his Hattiesburg farm than play another year, I for one am in favor of his return. So he''ll turn 40 this season? And yeah in a few more years he'll be pulling those Wrangler's on over his Depends? And yeah, now that they've drafted Persey Harvin, Persey Harvin is the only Viking wideout who's name you know. But that doesnt change what the Vikings and Favre have to offer each other. A trip to the Super Bowl.
Here's how they do it. Sign Brett now and let him spend the summer learning the system and getting to know Brad Childress and the Vikings' offensive coordinators. There's no rush to get him on the field, the Viking's have two solid young signal callers in Tavaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels. They also have the "Sooner Seabiscuit" in Adrian Peterson, lining up at running back. Let's face it, with the Vikings defense playing decent, just decent, AP could carry them into the playoff's even if they had Wilfred Brimley at quarterback. And I don't care if he's 58, you give Brett Favre a season to rest his arm and hand him the keys to a team in the Playoffs, and there's a pretty good chance he's gonna get back to the Super Bowl.
Baker Martin
Know It All Sports
(Logon this Thursday, I'll tell you what jersey Micheal Vick will be wearing this season)
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Tim Tebow's Future in the NFL
Since he first stiff-armed his way onto the college football scene in 2006, Tim Tebow has been treated like college football’s version of Tyler Hansborough. Described by many as a college star that will never make it in the pros, Tebow’s been proving his critics wrong since his first snap at “The Swamp”. Anybody that still believes that this guy’s not going to be an NFL stud needs to pull their head outta their jock and take a look at what he’s done in his three years at Florida.
As a freshman in 2006, playing the role of a direct-snap bulldozer, Tebow often filled in for senior starter Chris Leak and helped the Gators win the National Championship in Urban Myer’s second year as coach. In 2007 he proved his critics wrong yet again by throwing for more than 30 touchdowns and running for another 20 on his way to becoming the first sophomore ever to win the Heisman Trophy. In 2008 after falling victim to a determined Houston Nutt and his much-improved Ole Miss squad, Tebow publicly vowed, while fighting off tears, to redeem himself and his team. He did just that, rehearsing his Superman impression while leading Florida to another National Championship. If not for a Big 12 bias among Heisman voters, the “Concrete Quarterback” would have added a second Heisman to his collection. To top it off he accomplished all of this while spending his summers circumcising impoverished children on mission trips to third world countries.
In exactly one year it will be Tebow’s turn to test the NFL waters as the league’s front offices decide where he’ll go in the draft, which in turn will determine the size of his first paycheck. There has to be more than a few GM’s that are enticed by the 3-in-1 package that Tebow brings to the table, assuming he can play an H-Back position, which has responsibilities similar to both a fullback and a tight end, while being worked in as a quarterback. The Wildcat formation that gained so much popularity over the 2008 NFL season could not have emerged at a better time for Tebow. With almost every team using a variation of the offense and the Miami Dolphins using it to win their division, it’s almost certain that whoever drafts Tebow will customize a Wildcat package around him. The 6 foot 3, 230 pound golden boy is the ideal quarterback for this system, which concentrates on moving the ball on the ground by snapping the ball directly to an able bodied-runner instead of one of the many stiff-legged “Ickabods” that we’ve all grown accustomed to watching play quarterback in the NFL.
Along with improving his pocket passing ability over the 2009 season, there will also be variables that Tebow can’t control that will help decide where he’s picked on the draft board next April. One being former West Virginia quarterback Pat White and the level of success he has on the field as an NFL rookie this fall. That will give teams an idea of what they can expect from Tebow in 2010. Although Tebow is more of a bruiser than White, who is the fastest quarterback in this year’s draft, their passing ability and their tendency to run the ball in situations where other quarterbacks would throw it away, have drawn them many comparisons. And if you’re one of the fans that are skeptical of Tim Tebow’s future as a pro because of stories of other running quarterbacks failing in the NFL, such as Nebraska’s Eric Crouch, you are wrong. Crouch was no Tebow, Tebow has a competitive streak a mile long and an uncanny ability to adjust his game to whatever situation he’s confronted with, the NFL will be no exception. And sure some of his off-field antics are cheesier than a Pizza Hut floor, but that’s no reason not to want him in your offense next year. Just imagine him breaking the huddle with Tom Brady or one of the Manning brothers and not know if they’ll throw him the ball, or line up at wide receiver and stay out of his way while he bulldozes the competition.
Baker Martin
Know-It-All Sports
As a freshman in 2006, playing the role of a direct-snap bulldozer, Tebow often filled in for senior starter Chris Leak and helped the Gators win the National Championship in Urban Myer’s second year as coach. In 2007 he proved his critics wrong yet again by throwing for more than 30 touchdowns and running for another 20 on his way to becoming the first sophomore ever to win the Heisman Trophy. In 2008 after falling victim to a determined Houston Nutt and his much-improved Ole Miss squad, Tebow publicly vowed, while fighting off tears, to redeem himself and his team. He did just that, rehearsing his Superman impression while leading Florida to another National Championship. If not for a Big 12 bias among Heisman voters, the “Concrete Quarterback” would have added a second Heisman to his collection. To top it off he accomplished all of this while spending his summers circumcising impoverished children on mission trips to third world countries.
In exactly one year it will be Tebow’s turn to test the NFL waters as the league’s front offices decide where he’ll go in the draft, which in turn will determine the size of his first paycheck. There has to be more than a few GM’s that are enticed by the 3-in-1 package that Tebow brings to the table, assuming he can play an H-Back position, which has responsibilities similar to both a fullback and a tight end, while being worked in as a quarterback. The Wildcat formation that gained so much popularity over the 2008 NFL season could not have emerged at a better time for Tebow. With almost every team using a variation of the offense and the Miami Dolphins using it to win their division, it’s almost certain that whoever drafts Tebow will customize a Wildcat package around him. The 6 foot 3, 230 pound golden boy is the ideal quarterback for this system, which concentrates on moving the ball on the ground by snapping the ball directly to an able bodied-runner instead of one of the many stiff-legged “Ickabods” that we’ve all grown accustomed to watching play quarterback in the NFL.
Along with improving his pocket passing ability over the 2009 season, there will also be variables that Tebow can’t control that will help decide where he’s picked on the draft board next April. One being former West Virginia quarterback Pat White and the level of success he has on the field as an NFL rookie this fall. That will give teams an idea of what they can expect from Tebow in 2010. Although Tebow is more of a bruiser than White, who is the fastest quarterback in this year’s draft, their passing ability and their tendency to run the ball in situations where other quarterbacks would throw it away, have drawn them many comparisons. And if you’re one of the fans that are skeptical of Tim Tebow’s future as a pro because of stories of other running quarterbacks failing in the NFL, such as Nebraska’s Eric Crouch, you are wrong. Crouch was no Tebow, Tebow has a competitive streak a mile long and an uncanny ability to adjust his game to whatever situation he’s confronted with, the NFL will be no exception. And sure some of his off-field antics are cheesier than a Pizza Hut floor, but that’s no reason not to want him in your offense next year. Just imagine him breaking the huddle with Tom Brady or one of the Manning brothers and not know if they’ll throw him the ball, or line up at wide receiver and stay out of his way while he bulldozes the competition.
Baker Martin
Know-It-All Sports
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