Big news has broken in the world of sports today. In the NFL, Tim Tebow has been traded from the Denver Broncos to the New York Jets for a fourth-round pick. Also, several members of the New Orleans Saints staff, including head coach Sean Payton, have been punished for the bounty scandal. In particular, Payton has been suspended for a year without pay, and former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams (now working for the Rams) has been suspended indefinitely. Let's dive in.
1)
Tebow to Jets: As a friend put it when we found out the news together, Tebow just can't catch a break. This could be a very poor scenario for Tim Tebow, as he goes to one of the most scrutinized franchises in the NFL today, the New York Jets. First of all, given the franchise's commitment to Mark Sanchez as their quarterback, the Jets will likely attempt to utilize Tebow in a different position. Whether they train him to be a running back, tight end, or slot receiver, Tebow's development as a quarterback will be slowed down in New York. The quarterback situation in New York has instantly become more combustible. Mark Sanchez has always been on the hot seat in New York and unless he puts forth a productive year this year, he will lose his job. Now that Tebow is on the roster, fans will clamor for him to take over for Sanchez as soon as Mark fails to deliver. If Tebow is given the job and stumbles, he may never get a chance at a starting quarterback job again. However, we must always remember to consider the Tebow Rule: never doubt. Skills aside, Tebow is still one of the hardest working men in the NFL and we can hope that in some fashion, he will carve out his niche as a player soon.
2)
Sean Payton suspended: The bounty program in New Orleans has come back to bite, as their head coach is taken away for a year, as well as a couple second-round draft picks. Completing the punishments, Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is suspended indefinitely, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis is suspended for half the season, assistant coach Joe Vitt is suspended for six games, and the team was fined $500,000. Seems pretty steep, doesn't it? I'm actually OK with this move. This is the first time in the Roger Goodell "No Fun League" regime that we've encountered a case like this. The punishment for the initial action is what sets the precedent for further punishment. Goodell has sent a message to every team in the league, essentially scaring them out of generating anything resembling a bounty program. It is unfortunate for the Saints to be the first to be caught (because let's be real, other teams have bounty programs), but they will have to accept being the goat for the league in this situation. An unfortunate victim in this are the St. Louis Rams, who had a promising future ahead with the Robert Griffin trade and Williams signed on to mastermind the defense. Certainly, things still look up for the Rams, but losing a coach like Williams is not the easiest thing to overcome.
Big day!
1) Tebow to Jets: As a friend put it when we found out the news together, Tebow just can't catch a break. This could be a very poor scenario for Tim Tebow, as he goes to one of the most scrutinized franchises in the NFL today, the New York Jets. First of all, given the franchise's commitment to Mark Sanchez as their quarterback, the Jets will likely attempt to utilize Tebow in a different position. Whether they train him to be a running back, tight end, or slot receiver, Tebow's development as a quarterback will be slowed down in New York. The quarterback situation in New York has instantly become more combustible. Mark Sanchez has always been on the hot seat in New York and unless he puts forth a productive year this year, he will lose his job. Now that Tebow is on the roster, fans will clamor for him to take over for Sanchez as soon as Mark fails to deliver. If Tebow is given the job and stumbles, he may never get a chance at a starting quarterback job again. However, we must always remember to consider the Tebow Rule: never doubt. Skills aside, Tebow is still one of the hardest working men in the NFL and we can hope that in some fashion, he will carve out his niche as a player soon.
don't even get me started on how the Jets might just be the worst place in the NFL for Tebow...
ReplyDeleteas far as the saints punishment, i understand your reasoning but i think it was way too severe. i'm all for protecting players and the stance goodell has taken, but i think spygate was far worse than what was going on here. from all the players that i have heard speak on the subject, there's no way to even know if this made any impact on the game, or that anyone was in anymore danger on the opposing side. just as a risk v reward scenario, any player fined for an illegal hit would lose much more than whatever they would have gotten from their teammates/coaches. on the other hand, a coach and staff intentionally made the choice to tape another team illegally.
in general though between the two breaking stories i'm not very happy with the NFL today as a whole. i'll probably forgive them tomorrow, but for today i feel yucky
So, according to some guy on Sportscenter (I don't know their names), Tebow probably chose the Jets over Jacksonville. Apparently the jags offered better trade positions and more cash, but their coaching staff wasn't as willing to work with him, so Tebow chose NY...
ReplyDeleteCould be malarkey though, Tebow has denied that he had any say in it.