21
Mar
2012
Tim Tebow to NY is finally done … after Jets nearly drop the ball
UPDATE: OK, it’s done. Tim Tebow is officially a Jet, for the same terms as discussed earlier. Even the Broncos announced it on their Twitter. So … way to not blow it, guys!!!
In the words of Bart Scott , I genuinely CAN’T WAIT to hear Rex Ryan explain their thinking on this one. Let the Big Apple circus commence!!!
______________________
Before all you Jets fans out there go and purchase your new Tim Tebow jerseys, you might want to wait for the deal for the Broncos QB to actually be finalized.
(Photo: terezowens.com)
It seems that the trade between the Jets and Broncos that would send Tebow (and a 7th round pick) to New York in exchange for a 4th and 6th round pick has hit a snag.
And despite the fact that the Jets announced the deal on their Twitter page (which is still up at the time of this posting), they apparently didn’t really read Tebow’s contract before agreeing to the terms. And now they’re contesting a clause that would require NY to pay back $5 million in advance salaries from his rookie contract in Denver.
If this deal doesn’t end up going through, the Jets are going to end up looking really, really stupid.
20
Mar
2012
Colorado Dreamin’: A Broncos fan’s take on the Manning/Elway/Tebow Triangle
John Elway dangled a tasty carrot and the former Colt bit.
Peyton Manning, arguably the greatest free agent of all time, has chosen the Denver Broncos as team he will ride into the Hall of Fame. The Broncos will now be the hottest team in the league this offseason, and billions of eyeballs will be glued to Mile High Manning this autumn. Elway lured Manning by promising to build players around him, and by letting him run his own offense in Denver, which should easily make the Broncos the team to beat in the AFC West. And with a 5-year, $96 million dollar contract, it seems clear that the Broncos and their team of doctors believe Manning is healthy, ready to play, and capable of making a run at the Super Bowl for the next half-decade.
(Photo: DenverPost.com)
As a lifelong Broncos fan, I can’t help but be excited about adding an all-world player to the squad. Especially a cerebral quarterback like Manning who is one of smartest to ever play the position. But immediately after the shock of the ‘Manning to Denver’ news set in, many of us in Bronco Country asked the obvious question … what about Tim Tebow? What about last season? Timmy’s magical run, winning 7 of 8 games and leading the Broncos to a thrilling OT playoff win at home against the Steelers. Tebow’s 80 yard “Tebomb” to Demaryius Thomas was by far the most exciting play by any Bronco since Elway’s “helicopter” in Super Bowl XXXII. Every single Broncos fan enjoyed that season, whether they approved of Tebow or not, and Denver seemed to be headed towards next season with notable momentum. It was truly spectacular, and many fans thought we had something special.
But now – almost unthinkably after you grasp what he did last season – the Broncos will show Tebow the door and welcome 36-year-old Manning to the team. Some Broncos fans and all of Tebow’s faithful feel betrayed, but the fact of the matter is simple: John Elway was never sold on Tim Tebow. He didn’t draft him, didn’t want him as the future of the team, and frankly, he didn’t believe in him. The ironic part for Elway was that Tebow went out last season and made A LOT of other people a believer. Not just Broncos fans, but sports fans all over the planet (as we witnessed with Tebow-mania) were hailing Tebow as the savior of the franchise. But Elway still wouldn’t publically give him the loving security fans thought he had earned. Now it makes since why Elway never backed him, because deep down he knew that Tim wasn’t his guy. He didn’t want to commit. Yet Tebow’s surprising success meant Elway was stuck with him, at least for this upcoming season, if not more if Tim kept winning. There was nothing Elway could do but wait it out and see if Tebow succeeded or failed.
Lucky for Elway, the QB Gods work in strange ways, and they sent Manning into free agency this off season… and it didn’t take long for the Broncos VP to connect the dots. Manning is only QB on the market that Elway can immediately swap for Tebow without disgruntling the Denver fanbase. This is the only logical way Elway can divorce the Broncos from Tebow in a way that looks like he’s making the right move, the smart move. He is choosing proven over potential, and you can’t really argue with that. Tebow did wonderful things for the Broncos last year, but Elway saw a way to get rid of him without being the villain and jumped at the opportunity.
19
Mar
2012
All Colts grow up to be Broncos … Peyton picks Denver (PIC)
And there you have it. After several weeks of furious speculation, Peyton Manning has chosen the Denver Broncos as his next team, and is finalizing his contract - reported to be worth $95 million over 5 years – with the team as we speak.
(Photo: Panini America via NFL.com)
This of course means that Peyton-mania will quickly replace Tebow-mania in the Rocky Mountain state, and that John Elway has pulled off the coup of the century by figuring out the only way he could shed Tebow from his roster without sending Broncos fans everywhere into revolt. Word on the street is that Denver will shop Tebow around for trade offers, and hope to get something fair in return from someone like Jacksonville or Miami. And while the jury is still out on the status of Manning’s neck injury, the Broncos medical staff apparently saw enough progress to make it worth the risk.
The addition of Manning immediately makes Denver Super Bowl contenders, improves their already-stellar defense, and makes the Broncos more attractive to potential free agents. And in just a year and a half as VP of football operations, Elway has managed to reverse the mess left behind by Josh McDaniels and right the ship for the Broncos franchise. It’s quite impressive, really.
And yeah, we’re guessing Demaryius Thomas is probably a pretty happy camper right now.
24
Feb
2012
ReadAndReact at the 2012 NFL Combine (PHOTOS)
TheDarkHorse is back in Indy this week for the 2012 NFL Combine – the league’s annual meat market/job interview session with this year’s crop of top prospects looking to make the jump to the next level.
Football’s top brass have all re-convened at Lucas Oil Stadium for the proceedings to assess more than 300 young men’s physical and mental preparedness for the rigors of the pro game. Each prospect will endure a battery of tests with everyone’s thoughts toward April’s draft, and each team’s front office looking to outsmart the other 31 franchises and improve their fortunes for the future. The Combine itself is a bit of a snoozer for the casual fan, but it’s become more and more of a spectacle, with fans attending the event for the first time ever this year, and reports that Roger Goodell is considering adding “Superstars”-style competitions at the event in the future to increase spectator interest (ie., revenue).
You can follow all the riveting action on NFL Network or NFL.com’s blog, and fortunately for us, TDH is on the front lines and has been able to snap a few pictures with his Blackberry along the way. We’ll continue to update this post with more images throughout the weekend as his schedule allows, when he’s not too busy hanging out with Bernie Kosar or preparing to smoke Rich Eisen in the 40 yard dash.
This year's "can't miss" prospect, Stanford's Andrew Luck (Photo: TheDarkHorse)
2011 Heisman Trophy Winner, Baylor's Robert Griffin III (Photo: TheDarkHorse)
Jets head coach Rex Ryan looking svelte and somehow more modest (Photo: TheDarkHorse)
Broncos VP of Football Operations John Elway patiently answers questions about Tim Tebow (Photo: TheDarkHorse)
13
Jan
2012
ReadAndReact’s 2012 NFL Divisional Playoff Picks
John Elway riding a Tebow Centaur ... what? (Image via kissingsuzykolber.com)
While the entire world seems to be gripped by Tebowmania (as evidenced by ESPN’s Tebow Hour and the latest, now-ubiquitous “Tebowie” skit by Jimmy Fallon), there are a few other quarterbacks with super bowl rings who will also be competing in the NFL’s divisional playoffs. Brady, Brees, Rodgers and Manning - you may have heard of them – will each take the field this weekend to try and lead their teams to the conference championships, despite being overshadowed in the media by their Jesus-loving Denver counterpart. And all of them are much better QBs than Tebow, by the way.
After jumping out to an early 3-1 lead with his Wild Card picks, The DarkHorse will try to keep it going for the Divisional round. Here are this weekend’s picks from R&R HQ (CLICK TO EMBIGGEN):
So, it seems our “experts” are split down the middle on the 49ers-Saints and Packers-Giants, while Artie is the only brave soul to ride the Tebow Centaurs to the promised land over New England, and steverodgers is the only one who likes the Texans over Baltimore.
Surprisingly, all of our super bowl picks are still alive, but that’s going to change on Sunday, when either the Packers or Giants will be sent packing. As always, these picks are purely for entertainment purposes … we are mediocre at this on our good days, so feel free to share your picks and mock us in the comments.
10
Jan
2012
Your Obligatory Tim Tebow GIF post
On the heels of Sunday’s “Mile High Miracle”, the Tim Tebow photos, highlights, and most importantly, GIFs are everywhere this week as everyone’s favorite Jesus freak continues to make believers out of us all and dominate the national conversation.
So, without further adieu, here are the best Tebow GIFs from the Broncos playoff victory over the Steelers … enjoy!
- Timmy is FIRED UP!
(Image via mocksession.com)
- TIMMY SMASH!
(Image via SBNation.com)
- John Elway has seen the light!
(Image via mocksession.com)
MORE GIFs AFTER THE JUMP
12
Dec
2011
All Tebow Does Is Win (GIF & VIDEO)
(Image via mocksession.com)
Yep, it happened again. After 3-3/4 quarter of some of the worst football you’ll ever see, Tim Tebow and his Broncos somehow pulled out another improbable victory with their 13-10 OT win over the Bears.
And now, after leading the Denver Broncos to their their sixth straight victory (seventh in eight starts), Tebow has officially made believers out of me, his teammates, the city of Denver, John Fox, John Elway, Marion Barber and Bears fans everywhere. While some credit certainly needs to be given to the Broncos defense and Matt Prater for the win, all anyone can talk about today is Tebow.
The naysayers will continue to claim that Tebow didn’t do anything particularly special himself yesterday (despite throwing for 236 yards and a TD), and Brian Urlacher went so far as to call Tebow “a good running back”. But there is just something remarkable about the attitude that he brings to the field, where his teammates all fight until the final whistle, and never stop believing. And after witnessing it in person, I can tell you that it’s a feeling that permeates throughout the entire stadium, with fans understanding that with Tebow on their side, they’re never completely out of any game until it’s truly over.
Plus, the very idea that Marion Barber would inexplicably run out of bounds to stop the clock in the 4th quarter, and then fumble the ball in OT – allowing the Broncos a chance at the win – smacks of divine intervention. Believers will tell you that Jesus himself pushed Barber out of bounds on that play. But regardless of whether you believe God actually has a hand in wins and losses on a football field (we don’t), it’s becoming obvious that someone upstairs has Timmy’s back right now. And the faith he’s instilled in this Broncos team since taking over is nothing short of amazing to watch.
There will undoubtedly be tons of over-analysis this week as to the religious implications of Tebow’s success, and what it means for the NFL in general, but the bottom line for us is that all the guy does is win … as the following clip succinctly demonstrates:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
29
Nov
2011
Fake Kyle Orton Says Goodbye to Denver (VIDEO)
After being released by the Broncos and picked up by the Kansas City Chiefs last week, Kyle Orton likely has some mixed feelings about his tenure in Denver. After all, Orton has been on a bit of a roller-coaster ride since joining the team, with Josh McDaniels, John Elway and (most of all) Tim Tebow making his football life anything but simple. So he’s probably looking forward to starting over in KC, and putting this chapter of his career behind him.
Fortunately for us, the guys over at comedy troupe Landlocked Pioneers put together this spoof video of Orton bidding a fond farewell to Denver, with a dead ringer playing the role of a surly, beer-swilling Kyle … who is also clearly hurting inside:
“My rockin Neckbeard!!!
And living in Colorado, I can tell you that they nailed the local references to IKEA and the DIA “demon horse”. Awesome.
18
Nov
2011
Tim Tebow Tebows after Tebowing the Tebows to Tebowry (VIDEO)
(Image via instntrply.com)
Oh boy … get ready, folks. If you thought Tim Tebow-mania had already reached its pinnacle in this country, you ain’t seen nothing’ yet.
Last night, after turning in his usual sub-par performance for 3-1/2 quarters, Tebow once again stepped up as the hero, leading the Broncos on game-winning 95-yard drive to defeat the Jets 17-13. Tebow capped the impressive drive himself with a 20-yard touchdown run (video below), and now, after leading his team to a 4-1 record as starter, even his biggest doubters are genuinely starting to believe that there’s something special about this kid.
Critics will continue to argue that Tebow doesn’t have an NFL caliber arm, and going 9-for-20 for 104 yards passing won’t exactly change anyone’s mind about that, but the bottom line in this game is winning, and you just can’t argue with his results. Tebow rushed for 58 yards on the final drive alone, but his greatest skill might be his ability to avoid the big mistake … something Mark Sanchez knows all about after throwing a crucial pick-six that may have cost the Jets the game. By not making costly turnovers, Tebow has been able to keep the Broncos in every game he’s played until the end, and that’s all you can really ask for from a quarterback in this league.
And as he proved once again against a talented Jets defense, Tebow’s ability to make the big play when its most needed is simply uncanny.
“I like winning,” Tebow said after his third comeback in a month, “but I wish it wasn’t this stressful.”
Well, if he keeps winning games like this – and evoking the comeback prowess of one John Elway for Denver fans – I think everyone will learn how to manage the stress level just fine.
PS – Lost in all this Tebow talk, it’s really the Broncos defense that won this game for Denver. Oh, and Von Miller is quietly running away with the defensive ROY award. Just sayin’ …
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
16
Sep
2011
Broncos Fans Planning Pro-Tebow Billboards = Foolishness
Yeah, this is really going to work (ESPN rendering via Patheos.com)
This story has been making the rounds for a couple of days now, and we’ve mainly ignored it because we don’t want to encourage these clowns. But it’s become painfully clear that the whole pro-Tebow quarterback controversy in Denver isn’t going away any time soon, so we might as well adress it now.
As you may have heard, a group of Broncos fans are planning to buy two billboards in downtown Denver, calling for the team to bench QB Kyle Orton and start Tim Tebow instead. The campaign is being spearheaded by Jesse Oaks, a Broncos fan from Independence, Kentucky of all places, who says that he and his friends devised the plan after watching Denver lose their season opener 23-20 to the Oakland Raiders on Monday night. During the 4th quarter of the loss, it became clear that at least some of the Broncos faithful had seen enough of Orton, and even as the QB was trying to rally his team to victory in a winnable game, a handful of liquored up fans started the chants for Tebow, which seemed to gain momentum as the game wound down.
Oaks and his friends had been saving up for a trip to Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, but after watching Orton go a middling 24-of-46 for 305 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 fumble and 5 sacks, determined that their money would be better spent on a message to the Broncos and Head Coach John Fox:
“We believe in Coach Fox. We’re just tired of Kyle Orton,” Oaks said. “We were sitting around after Fox said he didn’t hear the chants for (Tim) Tebow and we figured if he’s deaf, we hope he’s not blind.”
“It just feels like we’re a team that’s settling for mediocrity,” Oaks said. “We’re not blind. We know when we see good football … We see other teams making good plays and we don’t see that from our team. We can sink or swim with Tim Tebow. Why wait a few more years?”
