Archive for March, 2012
Tebowmania has officially left the Mile High City.
Today, the Denver Broncos traded quarterback Tim Tebow and a seventh round draft pick to the New York Jets in exchange for a fourth and a sixth round pick. He will join an already crowded quarterback group in New York that includes incumbent starter Mark Sanchez, newly acquired backup Drew Stanton and former Alabama standout Greg McElroy.
While I feel that not only should Denver have held on to Tebow, if they were disinclined to do so, they should have held out for more. It wasn’t always pretty, but Tebow was a proven winner in this league that could have been insurance in case Manning’s neck didn’t hold up. To another team, he represents one of the most marketable athletes in the NFL. Denver used a first round pick to get Tebow. They even traded a plethora of picks to get that selection. To trade it away at such a low value is asinine. I don’t think anyone was going to give them a first rounder, but enough teams were interested to incite a bidding war, and drive the price up considerably.
Today the state of Tennessee may have officially lost out on the Peyton Manning sweepstakes when he signed a contract with the Denver Broncos. Don’t fret, as another of the state’s franchises was successful in adding an elite talent.
For a little something to get excited about, one only needs to look to the Nashville Predators.
When all the dust had settled from the NHL trade deadline, Nashville emerged more improved than perhaps any other team in the league. They started the action by trading for hulking defenseman Hal Gill. The 6’7″ blue-liner and former Stanley Cup champion, adds a veteran presence to an already stellar defensive core. Gill provides the capability to shut down the opposition’s top players, which should free up all-stars Ryan Suter and Shea Weber to get more involved offensively. They also added center Paul Gaustad from the Buffalo Sabres. The 6’5″ forward not only brings size, but defensive responsibility and the ability to win big face-offs. Finally, they reunited Sergei Kostitsyn with his older brother, by acquiring Andrei Kostitsyn from Montreal adding scoring depth.
It took over a decade, but the Denver Broncos have finally found a successor worthy to follow Number 7.
Brister and Griese were busts. Plummer got us to an AFC Championship, only to throw that game away (with his left hand at times even). Cutler whined his way to the Windy City. Orton found out the hard way that you can only play it safe so often before you are called out. Then there was Tim Tebow. He won some games, he won some hearts, but he never won over the front office.
The next man up already has a Super Bowl ring to his name, and brings the highest quarterback rating of any passer since the start of the 2008 season. Manning is the only player to win four mvp’s. Today, Manning informed his agent to start negotiations with Denver and informed the 49ers and Titans that he would be taking his talents to the Centennial State.
This acquisition wasn’t cheap. Even though the contract is still being discussed, it is believed to be for around five years and $95 million. What will be interesting to see is how much is guaranteed to 35-year-old slinger, who is coming off a year in which he had four neck surgeries.