Move over Brett Favre; Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow (pictured above) are set to become the biggest quarterbacks in the NFL.
By Sean Nolan
The annual Brett Favre retirement is now no more than a sign that the season is approaching. Like pre-season games and the ‘Hall of Fame’ weekend, it’s like hearing the cuckoo; it means that another NFL season is about to kick off.
Favre will play. He even has a good chance to win another Superbowl with the Minnesota Vikings. But this is the season when two new quarterbacks should emerge and perhaps help push Favre into retirement once and for all.
Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow are so American you would scoff at them if they appeared in a TV drama. In Sarah Palin’s America, they are poster boys. Clean cut, Christian and brilliant QBs, they are the future of America’s game.
Bradford was a sensational quarterback in college. He drove the University of Oklahoma to the 2008 BCS Championship game, a game they would lose. Bradford, however, won the Heisman trophy, the prestigious award for the best college player and a star was born.
Bradford could have gone to the NFL that summer but he decided to stay another year and try and win the title for the Sooners. That chance would be ripped away from him as two shoulder injuries ended his season.
Despite the worries over his reconstructed shoulder, Bradford was taken as first pick in this year’s draft by the St Louis Rams. His contract, a six-year, $78 million deal, which has $50 million of guarantees, makes him one of the wealthiest ever rookies in the league, but if his shoulder is right, he will be worth every dime.
Sam Bradford
Blessed with astonishing accuracy and composure under pressure, Bradford looks like he could claim the starting slot for the Rams following a good showing in training camp. The Rams have won just six games in the last three years, only one of which was last year, so the only way is up and if Bradford can stay healthy, and inspire them to a few wins, he will be deemed a success.
Tebow is another Heisman winner, claiming his trophy in 2007, and it was his University of Florida team that beat Bradford’s Oklahoma in the 2008 BCS game. In Tebow’s four years at Florida he became a national star. Florida played an exciting brand of football, with Tebow running almost as often as he passed, scoring touchdowns for fun.
Tebow has been a slightly controversial figure in America. In college he played with biblical verses written in his eye black, something that has since been banned by college authorities. He also appeared in a 30 second pro-life commercial during this year’s Superbowl, further cementing his image as a player with deep faith.
Due to his perceived slightly slower release and concerns about whether he would ever be an NFL-standard QB, Tebow was taken as 25th pick by the Denver Broncos in the draft. Initially it seems Tebow will be used as a running back or receiver, but he is a deeply determined and focussed young man, so don’t be surprised if he takes some snaps before the end of the year.
Tebow’s No 15 shirt is the best selling jersey in the NFL, incredible for someone who is essentially a fourth-string QB. Bradford has boosted ticket sales for the Rams and even training camp has been packed with fans eager to see their new QB.
The popularity of these two players is partly to do with their college exploits but more likely it’s to do with their image. Before either one has thrown a pass in professional football they are household names, even in homes that have no interest in sports.
The NFL could do with some players who will bring some positive press. Favre may not have any criminal convictions but his yearly indecision makes the league look bad as everyone waits for one man to make up his mind.
Great as he was, or is, Favre’s time is almost over. Time to hand over the torch to Bradford and Tebow.
Â
