Set your watch to Tebow Time
Paige: Set your watch to Tebow Time
By Woody Paige
The Denver Post
POSTED: 05/17/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT
T-Bo. Timmy Today. Tim Tremendous. Bronco Tebow. Ion Man. Tim The Enchanter. Tebow & Arrow. TB-1-Kenobi.
Rambow makes his debut, alongside the other rookies, with the Broncos' veterans at the team's (in)voluntary minicamp today through Wednesday. He's back — to stay in Denver most of the spring, summer, fall and winter and probably here to stay all of his career.
Get used to it.
To those in Colorado, throughout the country and around the World Wide Web who have claimed recently they won't read another word about Tim Tebow, but are proving daily they will hang on every word about MystiQB:
Deal with it.
Get out the microscopes today.
"I think I've been under a microscope ever since I went to (the University of) Florida," Tebow says.
He has turned down several multimillion-dollar endorsement deals; his jersey is No. 1 in NFL sales; an independent survey has found him to be the most marketable American athlete in team sports. The Google references are incalculable.
National websites are holding "Tebow nickname" contests. Mile High Messiah, The Big Tebowski and Tebowlicious are among the lame- name entries. Tebow prefers "Tim."
Has there ever been anything like this Tebow spectacle in Denver before, people ask me.
On Sunday afternoon I looked at the microfilm edition of The Denver Post from May 3, 1983. There were 13 stories and two sports columns about John Elway in that one newspaper, which doesn't even count the Rocky Mountain News. (In 2008 the eventual U.S. president received the Democratic nomination in Denver, which caused a spectacle, of sorts.)
"Boy Next Door Makes Denver Brighter" a headline declared. "There is a misconception about this strapping young lad, this handsome, intelligent, polite, strong, well- bred and educated . . . athlete. Folks expect him to be perfect. I saw a small pimple on the left side of his chin. Otherwise, though, he was perfect," wrote Buddy Martin, former sports editor and columnist for The Post, who covered another young quarterback in Florida the past four years and is writing a book about Tebow. He said Sunday: "This is John Elway all over again — except the Internet is here."
Another columnist, somebody named Paige, suggested on that May day that the trade for Elway "was the biggest steal since The Great Train Robbery. . . . The Broncos, beset with troubles on and off the field, have emerged from the slimy depths."
Hmm. Sounds familiar.
"Elway could be Joe Namath with good knees, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. He won't be reserved a spot in the Hall of Fame just yet, but just wait."
Critics charged then that Elway would not become a great pro quarterback, was a loser and an inaccurate thrower in college and wasn't worth the money ($5 million over five years) or the waste of draft picks. His controversial stand, his hairstyle and even his teeth were disparaged, and it was said he couldn't, wouldn't, shouldn't start in the league for several years.
Duh.
The spectacle lasted for 16 seasons.
When Elway reported for rookie camp in July, his every movement — well, almost every movement — was chronicled. "Media Stalk Each Of Elway's Steps." More press than players attended workouts in Greeley. Dan Reeves bubbled about Elway, calling him the best young quarterback he had ever seen. Elway, Reeves said, had the star-quality personality — an, if you will, "it" factor. One day at a country club "Ben Hogan walked in. Nobody had to tell us he was Hogan. Elway has the same thing, that charisma. I felt it the first time I ever saw him."
Reeves said Elway could play right away (although the Broncos had a veteran incumbent). Elway started the opening game.
"Boy Scout Will Lead," a headline declared.
Hmm. Any of that sound familiar?
Obviously, too many of today's detractors are too forgetful or too young or too dense or too daft now, as they were then.
"Elway Signing Irks Al Davis," "Elway Even Makes Camp Smell Better," "Elway's Versatility To Fit," headlines blared.
Also, we learned that Elway's girlfriend, Janet, was a world-class swimmer; he liked video games and steak; and he didn't like Chinese food and love-story movies.
The famous "Elway Watch" microscope the QB was under at camp appeared in every newspaper.
"If it worked there, it ought to work here: One of Elway's uncanny instincts is his ability to elude a pass rush. Tuesday morning he showed it, spinning to his left twice to break free for a completion."All in a day's work: This is becoming commonplace, but Elway gave the enormous crowd who line the practice fields another thrill. This time it came on a picture-perfect bomb to Steve Watson."For all of you who've been counting: He still hasn't thrown an interception through two weeks of camp."
The sword has been passed from The Duke of Denver to the Baron of the Broncos.
"Elway Watch" in 1983, "Tebow Time" in 2010.
Go for it.
Woody Paige: 303-954-1095 or wpaige@denverpost.com
http://www.denverpost.com/premium/broncos/ci_15100084
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