This will...almost certainly...be my last NFL post of the season, for which several of my readers will no doubt breathe a sigh of relief. The reason being that, barring a near miracle, the Seahawks chances of catching the 49ers...or even a wild card berth...are near nil.
[I say "near" miracle as the 49ers have shown the ability to self-destruct in recent years; however, tough as their remaining schedule is, I'm pretty sure they can manage at least one win, which is all they need]
About seven weeks ago, Steve-O was telling me with great interest (on his part) that he'd read a rumor on line that the Seahawks might be working out a trade for Tim Tebow from the Broncos. This was, of course, back when Tebow was still riding the pine in Denver. At the time, I told Steve that, bad as the Seahawks quarterbacks were, just about the last thing we needed was a Tim Tebow being adding to our roster, and that I was pretty sure the Seahawk brain trust felt the same way. Also, I figured it didn't matter who was starting behind our O-line with the messy state of it. Finally, I also had some less-than-flattering words for what I though of Denver's chances should Tebow ever take over the QB job.
Welp, the Seahawks did NOT work some trade for Tebow, just as I told Steve. But that's about the only thing I got right. Tebow has continued to roll, "Tebowing" opponents and making believers out of his naysayers.
Meanwhile the 'Hawks have been "T-Jacked." That's when you get great protection from your offensive line, great running form your H-back, and pretty stout defense...and the QB play is so awful that you can't close the deal, even at home.
Oh, there are certainly plenty of problems with the team...T-Jack wasn't on special teams when the Seahawks squandered their momentum in San Francisco allowing to kick returns for TDs. T-Jack hasn't been the one jumping off-sides even in our home stadium, killing drives over-and-over again.
But there are quarterbacks that inspire and provide leadership, and there are those that don't. Pro-Bowl QBs like Tom Brady or, yes, Matthew Hasselbeck...or guys with some undefinable quality (and tenacious athleticism) like Tim Tebow. And having those guys leading your team can make up for a lot of other shortcomings.
All right, that's enough bitching. The family's still sick (the baby has had a cold the last couple days), so I haven't got much sleep (I was up six or so times last night), and am probably crankier about today's loss than I really should be. It is just a game, after all. I can still enjoy the rest of the season by picking other teams to follow/root for. Lord knows, I had enough practice doing that back in the 90s.
Okay, so, yeah...that's it for NFL posts (unless I'm congratulating the Super Bowl winner at the end o the year). The good news for blog readers is I'm starting to percolate a few ideas for a new, B/X series of posts. Just give me a little time to rest up.
I was at the Chargers game yesterday, and I can't believe just how poor a team we are right now. I also saw Tebow start off poorly, then get better as the game progressed.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think an average/good team could have beat the Broncos yesterday. That the Chargers are no longer even an average team speaks to the depth that the organization has fallen.
I think T-Jack has plenty of heart; he's playing through a very serious injury that would have sidelined lesser men. His ample athletic ability makes him highly mobile and allows him to launch long, pretty spirals.
ReplyDeleteBut his judgment is poor. He often ignores open receivers. He sometimes throws to covered receivers. Under pressure, he either throws the ball away prematurely when he could have made a play, or holds the ball too long and takes unnecessary sacks when he could have thrown it away or made a play.
Fraction Jackson lacks the touch and ball placement skills of Hasselbeck, who could always seemingly put the ball where Mike Williams could catch it and the DB couldn't.
I'm glad we didn't trade for Tebow. We already have a rookie running quarterback on the roster in Josh Portis. With his history of criminal activity and academic dishonesty, Portis is the anti-Tebow, a perfect exemplar of how much Carroll & Schneider care about the character of their players.