stevenlebron

Showing 9 posts tagged stevenlebron

3 In The Key: Durant and Westbrook, Steve Nash, Kyle Lowry



1. The Durant-Westbrook dynamic

It seems that we’re headed towards an entire season of whether Durant and Westbrook can co-exist. Last week’s overblown stories about their argument on the bench will not be the last we hear about a fractured relationship, which may be real, may be manufactured, or may eventually be manufactured into something real. But why is there any predisposed expectation that two superstars have to like each other?

Egos are a natural part of being the best, or perceiving yourself as the best. It didn’t matter how much or little Shaq and Kobe got along as long as they were in sync on the basketball court en route to three straight championships. Remember, when the Lakers finally decided to trade Shaq to the Heat, it wasn’t because of their fractured relationship, but because they decided he wasn’t worth the money he wanted in exchange for his declining basketball skills.

And that should be the same for Westbrook and Durant. If they eventually split, it will be because the Thunder come to the conclusion that there isn’t a fit on the court. In the same breath, if the two stars aren’t on speaking terms by the end of the year, I’m sure no one in Oklahoma City will care if they’re lifting the championship trophy.

So let’s keep the focus about how they co-exist on the basketball court, because anything besides that is meaningless.

2. The need for Steve Nash to contend

I’m not sure how many more years Steve Nash will compete at an elite level. Maybe one. Maybe two. Judging by his early numbers this season, maybe none. And that’s why as a basketball fan, I have an urgency to see him on a contender before it’s too late. While he has no plans to demand a trade, from time to time I like to picture Nash on Portland, or New York, and it frustrates me. I don’t want to see him going for a championship in a few years as a passenger, but as a main contributor, as the point guard with the keys to the team.

I’ve always liked the storyline of a veteran player going for his first championship to complete their resume. Look around the league, the main contenders are either teams that have a young core and many years to build towards (Miami, Oklahoma City, Chicago, New York, Memphis, Los Angeles Clippers) or veteran teams who have won titles (Los Angeles Lakers, Boston, San Antonio, Dallas).

And beyond all the reasons why we choose to hate Miami, that’s why it was so fascinating to see the Mavericks win the title last year. There was an urgency to Dirk Nowitzki’s championship run. It was entirely possible that it was Dirk’s last chance at a title. Seeing him make the most of it before the window closed made it that much more thrilling.

Like Dirk last year, or Karl Malone and Gary Payton in Los Angeles, or David Robinson’s first title with San Antonio; whether they succeed or fail, the urgency of the championship chase makes the story that much more fascinating.

I’d like to see Steve Nash star in that storyline before it’s too late.

3. Another elite point guard

Take a look at this game log for a particular point guard from last March and April.  Who would you guess after scanning the numbers?

The answer is Kyle Lowry, who I think is the most under-rated player in the league. The diminutive point guard has continued his stellar player into this season and will be in the running for the Most Improved Player award.

The NBA is point guard porn right now, and conversations of elite point guards will have to include Lowry if this keeps up.

Le Dunk De La Mort You all remember this transcendent sports moment from the 2000 Olympics right? When Vince Carter - literally, figuratively, anything else - was at the height of his rise, threw down a dunk over Frederic Weis that was so memorable, it was called “La Dunk De La Mort” by the French media. Translated to English, it means the dunk of death. While we’re all familiar with what happened to Carter after, he of the underachieving career and a tumultuous end in Toronto, whatever happened to the man on the other side of this poster? Weis was drafted 15th overall by the New York Knicks in 1999, but suffered a serious back injury that prevented him from signing with the team. When he recovered, interest in the NBA were lukewarm. Weis would spend the next decade playing professionally in Spain. Earlier this year, Weis announced his retirement from basketball after recurring knee problems. In his words: “We tried a number of different treatments and I’ve actually already gone over the quota of treatments by a mile so it’s enough.” His pro basketball career ends without ever playing a game in the NBA. But he will forever be remembered for that one moment. And in case you’re wondering what he thinks about the dunk and if it bothers him: “Why? I didn’t do anything. It was just him doing something incredible. I can only imagine. If he jumped over me, he can jump over anybody! If people laugh, I laugh too. At least I can I say I once played against him.”Follow @steven_lebron on twitter. High-res

Le Dunk De La Mort

You all remember this transcendent sports moment from the 2000 Olympics right? When Vince Carter - literally, figuratively, anything else - was at the height of his rise, threw down a dunk over Frederic Weis that was so memorable, it was called “La Dunk De La Mort” by the French media. Translated to English, it means the dunk of death.

While we’re all familiar with what happened to Carter after, he of the underachieving career and a tumultuous end in Toronto, whatever happened to the man on the other side of this poster?

Weis was drafted 15th overall by the New York Knicks in 1999, but suffered a serious back injury that prevented him from signing with the team. When he recovered, interest in the NBA were lukewarm. Weis would spend the next decade playing professionally in Spain.

Earlier this year, Weis announced his retirement from basketball after recurring knee problems. In his words: “We tried a number of different treatments and I’ve actually already gone over the quota of treatments by a mile so it’s enough.”

His pro basketball career ends without ever playing a game in the NBA. But he will forever be remembered for that one moment. And in case you’re wondering what he thinks about the dunk and if it bothers him: “Why? I didn’t do anything. It was just him doing something incredible. I can only imagine. If he jumped over me, he can jump over anybody! If people laugh, I laugh too. At least I can I say I once played against him.”

Follow @steven_lebron on twitter.

The Failed Athlete Always Returns As the year winds down to a close, I’ve found myself sorting through my favorite sports writing of the year. The one profile that’s struck me the most is that of former number one pick and Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell from Sports Illustrated. Russell has been out of football for several years, and in the piece, he speaks his mind from his hometown of Mobile, Alabama, where he’s retreated to be surrounded by his family and friends, miles away from the criticism and mockery that’s followed him since his fall out of football. In the story, Russell addresses reports that he has a drug problem, that he’s in serious financial trouble and that his own life coach John Lucas fired him. Tracing the steps from his entry into the NFL to the eventual fall out, you can’t help but wonder how all the variables came together to put Russell, a 24 year old football player with no significant physical injuries, is anywhere except for making a comeback on the field. But in some serene way, it seems as though Russell is at ease with all that’s gone on: “Right now I’m enjoying being me. I’m in a good place. Sometimes being a professional athlete, you feel like you can’t live. You’re under a microscope. Anything you do is on Twitter, Facebook—I’m a human being first. So now, I’m at peace.” But as we all know, troubled athletes are not often denied second chances. The troubles are mostly their own doing, but you rarely find teams that aren’t desperate for talent to take a chance. There’s always something tantalizing about what could’ve been, and that translates into what could be, and that means Russell will find his way back into football one way or another. The only variable that can take that away is his own desire for the game. But to hear Russell tell it, it seems that football is still in his plans: “There’s a part of me that wants to play football till I can’t walk. I miss it, yeah.” This profile of Russell does not redeem all his own faults and wrongdoings, but it at least opens the door for a potential return. That door is always welcomed provided he wants to step through. - steven lebronFollow @steven_lebron on twitter. High-res

The Failed Athlete Always Returns

As the year winds down to a close, I’ve found myself sorting through my favorite sports writing of the year. The one profile that’s struck me the most is that of former number one pick and Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell from Sports Illustrated.

Russell has been out of football for several years, and in the piece, he speaks his mind from his hometown of Mobile, Alabama, where he’s retreated to be surrounded by his family and friends, miles away from the criticism and mockery that’s followed him since his fall out of football.

In the story, Russell addresses reports that he has a drug problem, that he’s in serious financial trouble and that his own life coach John Lucas fired him.

Tracing the steps from his entry into the NFL to the eventual fall out, you can’t help but wonder how all the variables came together to put Russell, a 24 year old football player with no significant physical injuries, is anywhere except for making a comeback on the field.

But in some serene way, it seems as though Russell is at ease with all that’s gone on: “Right now I’m enjoying being me. I’m in a good place. Sometimes being a professional athlete, you feel like you can’t live. You’re under a microscope. Anything you do is on Twitter, Facebook—I’m a human being first. So now, I’m at peace.”

But as we all know, troubled athletes are not often denied second chances. The troubles are mostly their own doing, but you rarely find teams that aren’t desperate for talent to take a chance. There’s always something tantalizing about what could’ve been, and that translates into what could be, and that means Russell will find his way back into football one way or another.

The only variable that can take that away is his own desire for the game. But to hear Russell tell it, it seems that football is still in his plans: “There’s a part of me that wants to play football till I can’t walk. I miss it, yeah.”

This profile of Russell does not redeem all his own faults and wrongdoings, but it at least opens the door for a potential return. That door is always welcomed provided he wants to step through.

- steven lebron

Follow @steven_lebron on twitter.

The NBA: Where Amazing Maybe Never Happened I first heard about the first iteration of the Chris Paul trade involving Houston, Los Angeles and New Orleans last Thursday. I was excited for all parties involved. Houston had been accumulating assets for years to make a move like this. Los Angeles was halfway to executing their plan on getting both Paul and Dwight Howard. As for New Orleans, they would’ve fielded a starting line-up of Emeka Okafor, Lamar Odom, Luis Scola, Kevin Martin and Goran Dragic. Call me crazy but that’s a playoff team. The trade made sense to everyone except the league. By stepping in, what the NBA lost was the trust of their fans. The residual bitterness from the collective bargaining agreement was clear: we might’ve not gotten all that we wanted from the labour dispute, but we’re going to go ahead and take control of it by any means necessary. It was arrogant, condescending, and an abuse of power. Fans follow sports because they believe that anything is possible. Sports makes sense of the unexplainable, the element of unpredictability, no matter how infrequent, is what draws us back over time. There’s a reason why we watch sporting events live. Once you know the results, it’s hard to go back, watch the game and appreciate the process. The feeling that every single element of the game is a variable that can contribute to a different ending than we expected is one of the biggest thrills. By intercepting this trade, and further rejecting a second proposed three-way trade, then collapsing a deal with the Clippers, the league interfered with our feelings. No matter what happens to Chris Paul, and to the teams involved, we now must accept that the league will have played a hand in whatever the outcome may be. And that’s not what sports is about. It’s not about control, or an overseeing entity that dictates the outcome to the best of their ability. Teams should make trades as they see fit, whether they’re smart or not. And players can be as selfish as they want when it comes to free agency, as they can be equally loyal. By running interference on all of this, we’re watching a game that has less of the appeal, and more by the tragic realization that what we root for and believe in matters much less than we previously thought. That is what makes this whole fiasco so depressing. The long term impact of it begins now, and will remain long after Chris Paul has found his destination. - steven lebron Follow @steven_lebron on twitter. High-res

The NBA: Where Amazing Maybe Never Happened

I first heard about the first iteration of the Chris Paul trade involving Houston, Los Angeles and New Orleans last Thursday. I was excited for all parties involved. Houston had been accumulating assets for years to make a move like this. Los Angeles was halfway to executing their plan on getting both Paul and Dwight Howard. As for New Orleans, they would’ve fielded a starting line-up of Emeka Okafor, Lamar Odom, Luis Scola, Kevin Martin and Goran Dragic. Call me crazy but that’s a playoff team.

The trade made sense to everyone except the league.

By stepping in, what the NBA lost was the trust of their fans. The residual bitterness from the collective bargaining agreement was clear: we might’ve not gotten all that we wanted from the labour dispute, but we’re going to go ahead and take control of it by any means necessary. It was arrogant, condescending, and an abuse of power.

Fans follow sports because they believe that anything is possible. Sports makes sense of the unexplainable, the element of unpredictability, no matter how infrequent, is what draws us back over time. There’s a reason why we watch sporting events live. Once you know the results, it’s hard to go back, watch the game and appreciate the process. The feeling that every single element of the game is a variable that can contribute to a different ending than we expected is one of the biggest thrills.

By intercepting this trade, and further rejecting a second proposed three-way trade, then collapsing a deal with the Clippers, the league interfered with our feelings. No matter what happens to Chris Paul, and to the teams involved, we now must accept that the league will have played a hand in whatever the outcome may be.

And that’s not what sports is about. It’s not about control, or an overseeing entity that dictates the outcome to the best of their ability. Teams should make trades as they see fit, whether they’re smart or not. And players can be as selfish as they want when it comes to free agency, as they can be equally loyal. By running interference on all of this, we’re watching a game that has less of the appeal, and more by the tragic realization that what we root for and believe in matters much less than we previously thought.

That is what makes this whole fiasco so depressing. The long term impact of it begins now, and will remain long after Chris Paul has found his destination.

- steven lebron

Follow @steven_lebron on twitter.

Forever Young Imagine my shock when I researched Anna Kournikova this week and found out that she just turned 30. In many ways, that kind of sums her up. None of the numbers associated with her matter much, long as she’s looking the way she is in the picture above. The former tennis pro last played in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tour in 2003, and is probably most famous for having never won a singles tournament her entire career. This stat baffles me. It did before, it does now. For a professional tennis player of her skills to never win one tournament, just any tournament, says a lot about what she wasn’t as an athlete. But then again, Kournikova’s whole narrative has always been more aesthetic than athletic. She brought many new fans to the sport. To follow her tennis career was just an excuse to watch a beautiful girl swing a racket. You just felt less guilty and sexist. Kournikova was a sensation, despite the lack of a winning record, she made millions of endorsements usually reserved for you know, successful athletes. No matter though, her ascension via physical appearance is rivaled by few, if any. One time, a towel boy at the Australian Open was offered $63 for a sweat-soaked Kournikova towel. The most ridiculous part of the story is that the towel boy said no. But it wouldn’t be fair to say that Kournikova was just another athlete. She was one of a kind in many ways. No other female athlete took their popularity and made a career on the sheer power of attraction. Kournikova changed the dynamic of what it meant to be a successful athlete. You didn’t need to be good at your sport, you just needed to brand yourself appropriately. Asked about her shortcomings as a tennis player, Kournikova expressed no regrets: “In a perfect world, would I have won a tournament? Yes. But I wasn’t able to string those matches together. Sometimes I got unlucky, and sometimes I just lost. Regrets? Not a thing. Except to be a little stronger physically. Come on, regrets? I grew up a little girl in the Soviet Union playing at a small sports club. Tennis gave me my life.” Kournikova is very aware of who she is and who she isn’t. Does she deserve such popularity and wealth? I’m not sure why being a lesser player would make you less deserving of either. Is it unfair? I don’t feel like it’s entirely unfair. These are questions that I’m sure everyone has their own answers to. Anna Kournikova may have never won a tournament as a tennis player, just don’t say she’s never accomplished anything. - steven lebron Follow @steven_lebron on twitter. High-res

Forever Young

Imagine my shock when I researched Anna Kournikova this week and found out that she just turned 30. In many ways, that kind of sums her up. None of the numbers associated with her matter much, long as she’s looking the way she is in the picture above.

The former tennis pro last played in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tour in 2003, and is probably most famous for having never won a singles tournament her entire career.

This stat baffles me. It did before, it does now. For a professional tennis player of her skills to never win one tournament, just any tournament, says a lot about what she wasn’t as an athlete.

But then again, Kournikova’s whole narrative has always been more aesthetic than athletic. She brought many new fans to the sport. To follow her tennis career was just an excuse to watch a beautiful girl swing a racket. You just felt less guilty and sexist.

Kournikova was a sensation, despite the lack of a winning record, she made millions of endorsements usually reserved for you know, successful athletes. No matter though, her ascension via physical appearance is rivaled by few, if any. One time, a towel boy at the Australian Open was offered $63 for a sweat-soaked Kournikova towel. The most ridiculous part of the story is that the towel boy said no.

But it wouldn’t be fair to say that Kournikova was just another athlete. She was one of a kind in many ways. No other female athlete took their popularity and made a career on the sheer power of attraction. Kournikova changed the dynamic of what it meant to be a successful athlete. You didn’t need to be good at your sport, you just needed to brand yourself appropriately.

Asked about her shortcomings as a tennis player, Kournikova expressed no regrets: “In a perfect world, would I have won a tournament? Yes. But I wasn’t able to string those matches together. Sometimes I got unlucky, and sometimes I just lost. Regrets? Not a thing. Except to be a little stronger physically. Come on, regrets? I grew up a little girl in the Soviet Union playing at a small sports club. Tennis gave me my life.”

Kournikova is very aware of who she is and who she isn’t. Does she deserve such popularity and wealth? I’m not sure why being a lesser player would make you less deserving of either. Is it unfair? I don’t feel like it’s entirely unfair. These are questions that I’m sure everyone has their own answers to.

Anna Kournikova may have never won a tournament as a tennis player, just don’t say she’s never accomplished anything.

- steven lebron

Follow @steven_lebron on twitter.

Learning To Accept Lebron Technically, there’s still a sequence of events that need to happen before the lockout is officially over, but don’t let that stop you from immersing yourself in the latest Chris Paul or Dwight Howard rumor, it’s been too long since we talked actual hoops. Practice facilities will open later this week, free agency expected to start on December 9th and the season will open on Christmas; which means I have little less than a month to gather my thoughts on the Miami Heat and decide whether I want them to succeed this year. The first season of Lebron and Wade – I have too much respect for the knowledge of people reading this to include Bosh with these two – exceeded all expectations. We’ve all long forgotten about their slow start to the regular season,  how they came together in the playoffs against Boston and Chicago and all the game to game drama in between that. In fact, after reading and watching so much of this team of villains last season, there is only one takeaway: they collapsed in the Finals. I took satisfaction in seeing Miami fall apart and come up short, as I’m sure many did. I don’t think there’s a sense of personal hatred when it comes to Bron, Wade and Bosh. It just wouldn’t have felt right for their season to be so preordained. To have a victory parade before and after the season seemed a bit too much. It would have validated everything that they did. Given this thought process, you couldn’t have scripted a better ending for the Heat. But is there any value to root against them over and over again, season after season, in the hopes that it never works out for them? It inevitably becomes a question about how you feel about Lebron James. It seems difficult to pinpoint what exactly we want from him, or why exactly we want to see his demise. He will be the defining player of this generation, like Kobe before him, Jordan before that. On the court, he is as unselfish a superstar we’ve seen – almost to a fault, especially since he’s had consecutive years of coming up short in the biggest moments. Off the court, he is the exact opposite. He is only about himself and is either unaware of this perception or aware but unable to do anything about his because he’s spent his whole life being told he’s the greatest. This is how I see Lebron, but even with all that, I can’t think of a reason why I wouldn’t want to see him win a championship. If a lesson needed to be learned, if egos needed to be humbled, than their loss to the Mavericks in the Finals served those purposes. But why would I want to see him fail anymore? Like it or not, we are basketball fans in the Lebron James era. With all great players, there comes a point when no matter how much you despise them for your own reasons, you can’t help but respect what they’re doing on the court, even appreciate and root for them after a period of time. That time will come for Lebron James. It always does. I just have to figure out whether I want to see him fail just a little bit longer. - steven lebron Follow @steven_lebron on twitter. High-res

Learning To Accept Lebron

Technically, there’s still a sequence of events that need to happen before the lockout is officially over, but don’t let that stop you from immersing yourself in the latest Chris Paul or Dwight Howard rumor, it’s been too long since we talked actual hoops.

Practice facilities will open later this week, free agency expected to start on December 9th and the season will open on Christmas; which means I have little less than a month to gather my thoughts on the Miami Heat and decide whether I want them to succeed this year.

The first season of Lebron and Wade – I have too much respect for the knowledge of people reading this to include Bosh with these two – exceeded all expectations. We’ve all long forgotten about their slow start to the regular season,  how they came together in the playoffs against Boston and Chicago and all the game to game drama in between that.

In fact, after reading and watching so much of this team of villains last season, there is only one takeaway: they collapsed in the Finals.

I took satisfaction in seeing Miami fall apart and come up short, as I’m sure many did. I don’t think there’s a sense of personal hatred when it comes to Bron, Wade and Bosh. It just wouldn’t have felt right for their season to be so preordained. To have a victory parade before and after the season seemed a bit too much. It would have validated everything that they did.

Given this thought process, you couldn’t have scripted a better ending for the Heat.

But is there any value to root against them over and over again, season after season, in the hopes that it never works out for them? It inevitably becomes a question about how you feel about Lebron James.

It seems difficult to pinpoint what exactly we want from him, or why exactly we want to see his demise. He will be the defining player of this generation, like Kobe before him, Jordan before that.

On the court, he is as unselfish a superstar we’ve seen – almost to a fault, especially since he’s had consecutive years of coming up short in the biggest moments. Off the court, he is the exact opposite. He is only about himself and is either unaware of this perception or aware but unable to do anything about his because he’s spent his whole life being told he’s the greatest.

This is how I see Lebron, but even with all that, I can’t think of a reason why I wouldn’t want to see him win a championship. If a lesson needed to be learned, if egos needed to be humbled, than their loss to the Mavericks in the Finals served those purposes. But why would I want to see him fail anymore?

Like it or not, we are basketball fans in the Lebron James era. With all great players, there comes a point when no matter how much you despise them for your own reasons, you can’t help but respect what they’re doing on the court, even appreciate and root for them after a period of time.

That time will come for Lebron James. It always does. I just have to figure out whether I want to see him fail just a little bit longer.

- steven lebron

Follow @steven_lebron on twitter.

Appreciating Cutler When news came out this week that the Bears quarterback would be out for possibly the rest of the season with a broken thumb, I felt so disappointed. It was such a let down, given how well the he was playing. As a long time critic of his play, I was getting some satisfaction in being proven wrong. After all, you root against players until they elevate their play to a level that you can appreciate. It’s ok to be wrong. Of course, most of this ties back to last January, when he came under fair for not playing through injury in the NFC Championship game. In this day in age of immediate reaction, I was quick to rush to judgment. Before the game was even over and the severity of his injury was revealed, the court of public opinion has delivered its verdict, Jay Cutler lacked the leadership skills and a desire to ever amount to anything in this league. But we weren’t suppose to feel guilty. The Bears afterall, had overachieved and many expected them to regress this season. When the Packers picked up where they left off, and the Lions became the surprise story of the season, the Bears were stuck at 2-3, third place in the division and mired in mediocrity. The same frustrating issues with their offensive line, the same polarizing quarterback behind center. But things took a turn this past month. The Bears went on a run, culminating in a fourth quarter comeback at Philadelphia that made me think for the first time: are we watching Cutler transform into the top tier quarterback that we all expected? But things started to change. Two weeks ago, when Cutler led the Bears to a come from behind win against the Eagles. The thought crossed my mind: are we actually watching a quarterback take the leap into the next tier? Now, these discussions on Cutler’s abilities are temporarily put on hold. Let’s call it even now. For all the time we spent burying him last year, we should spend the same appreciating what he’s done so far this season. And really, a bigger deal should be made of this injury. Take any other elite quarterback out from a team in playoff contention, and it would be a bigger story, a greater concern. In a cruel twist of fate, perhaps we will only start to embrace Cutler when we realize in the coming weeks just how important he was to the Bears’ revival. - steven lebronFollow @steven_lebron on twitter. High-res

Appreciating Cutler

When news came out this week that the Bears quarterback would be out for possibly the rest of the season with a broken thumb, I felt so disappointed. It was such a let down, given how well the he was playing. As a long time critic of his play, I was getting some satisfaction in being proven wrong. After all, you root against players until they elevate their play to a level that you can appreciate. It’s ok to be wrong.

Of course, most of this ties back to last January, when he came under fair for not playing through injury in the NFC Championship game. In this day in age of immediate reaction, I was quick to rush to judgment. Before the game was even over and the severity of his injury was revealed, the court of public opinion has delivered its verdict, Jay Cutler lacked the leadership skills and a desire to ever amount to anything in this league.

But we weren’t suppose to feel guilty. The Bears afterall, had overachieved and many expected them to regress this season. When the Packers picked up where they left off, and the Lions became the surprise story of the season, the Bears were stuck at 2-3, third place in the division and mired in mediocrity. The same frustrating issues with their offensive line, the same polarizing quarterback behind center.

But things took a turn this past month. The Bears went on a run, culminating in a fourth quarter comeback at Philadelphia that made me think for the first time: are we watching Cutler transform into the top tier quarterback that we all expected?

But things started to change. Two weeks ago, when Cutler led the Bears to a come from behind win against the Eagles. The thought crossed my mind: are we actually watching a quarterback take the leap into the next tier?

Now, these discussions on Cutler’s abilities are temporarily put on hold. Let’s call it even now. For all the time we spent burying him last year, we should spend the same appreciating what he’s done so far this season.

And really, a bigger deal should be made of this injury. Take any other elite quarterback out from a team in playoff contention, and it would be a bigger story, a greater concern. In a cruel twist of fate, perhaps we will only start to embrace Cutler when we realize in the coming weeks just how important he was to the Bears’ revival.

- steven lebron

Follow @steven_lebron on twitter.

The Arranged Marriage You’ve read it all in the past few weeks. Since Tim Tebow became the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos, he has become the preferred topic of discussion. He’s made us rethink our views on faith, religion and the quarterback position — not necessarily in that order. But forgotten amidst all of this is that John Fox, the Broncos head coach, has done a magnificent job under the circumstances. This week in an interview with Jeff Darlington, the Broncos coach proclaimed: “If we were trying to run a regular offense, he’d be screwed.” It’s not a slight against Tebow, but spoken like a coach who is willing to accept his quarterback’s shortcomings and embrace the challenge of winning with him. Fox could have easily run out the same game plan before Tebow was promoted, set him up to fail and get back to running the team with the quarterback he wanted. Instead he’s hell-bent on finding any way possible to make Tebow succeed. Football is a game of survival, especially for coaches. For Fox, Tebow is a means to his own goals. And so the option offense has returned, and the Broncos somehow won a road game last week with their quarterback completing just two passes. Ask anyone about Tebow, and most will tell you that this story will likely have a very short shelf life. But you have to appreciate how hard John Fox is working to extend it just a bit longer. He might not like it. But in this arranged marriage, he’s a willing partner and that’s something to be respected.by: steven lebron Follow @steven_lebron on twitter. High-res

The Arranged Marriage

You’ve read it all in the past few weeks. Since Tim Tebow became the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos, he has become the preferred topic of discussion.

He’s made us rethink our views on faith, religion and the quarterback position — not necessarily in that order. But forgotten amidst all of this is that John Fox, the Broncos head coach, has done a magnificent job under the circumstances.

This week in an interview with Jeff Darlington, the Broncos coach proclaimed: “If we were trying to run a regular offense, he’d be screwed.”

It’s not a slight against Tebow, but spoken like a coach who is willing to accept his quarterback’s shortcomings and embrace the challenge of winning with him.

Fox could have easily run out the same game plan before Tebow was promoted, set him up to fail and get back to running the team with the quarterback he wanted.

Instead he’s hell-bent on finding any way possible to make Tebow succeed. Football is a game of survival, especially for coaches. For Fox, Tebow is a means to his own goals.

And so the option offense has returned, and the Broncos somehow won a road game last week with their quarterback completing just two passes.

Ask anyone about Tebow, and most will tell you that this story will likely have a very short shelf life. But you have to appreciate how hard John Fox is working to extend it just a bit longer.

He might not like it. But in this arranged marriage, he’s a willing partner and that’s something to be respected.

by: steven lebron
Follow @steven_lebron on twitter.