Tim Tebow Handles Criticism of Tim Tebow Better Than LeBron James Does

Say what you want about Tim Tebow. Marginal NFL-type skills? Maybe.

Inaccurate thrower? I can buy that.

Goofy throwing motion? Sure.

But he is a lot of things most of us can appreciate, if not admire. He is a full-bore competitor. His image is that of a fan-friendly, religious guy who just gets how to conduct himself the right way. Tim Tebow is difficult to hate because he just doesn't give anyone any reason to do so.

That doesn't mean he's immune from criticism. On ESPN Wednesday, former NFL running back and current analyst Merrill Hoge lit into Tebow's NFL skills.

"He is awful as far as accuracy goes and what's kind of even more disturbing, he's probably worse moving and running around with the football and throwing than he is from the pocket," Hoge said. "Can you get better there? A little bit. If everything is perfect, the pocket, your feet are good, all your fundamentals come into place, the coverage is what you want it, you can be successful. But that doesn't happen at the National Football League. Rarely does that happen."

This isn't a critique of Tebow as a football player. Hoge isn't saying he doesn't like Tebow the man. He's saying he doesn't like Tebow's football skills, and he doesn't think Tebow can be a successful NFL quarterback without making marked improvement in his skills.

Tebow took the high road, tweeting "Hey Merril...... 'ppreciate that" in response to the criticism.

NBA star LeBron James was apparently watching ESPN at the time. I guess he has nothing else to do with the NBA locked out until potentially the end of time.

James is clearly a fan of Tebow, and -- on Twitter -- he took the Hoge criticism of Tebow worse than Tebow did.

"Listened to Merril Hoge today on SC and he was just blasting Tebow. The man hasn't even play a full season and its only his 2nd year in," James wrote. "Guys get on that TV and act like they was all WORLD when they played. How bout encouraging him and wishing him the best instead of hating!!"

(I'll save the rant on how this is another example of the awesomeness of Twitter and how it's changed the sports world for the better. Needless to say, it's quite unlikely that we'd get such a strong -- and entertaining -- reaction from an NBA star regarding an ESPN commentator's criticism of an NFL quarterback were it not for Twitter.)

I understand James trying to defend someone he likes/respects/admires. To a certain extent, I also admire Tebow, and it's a reaction to look at Hoge's words and lash out.

But Hoge was simply doing his job.

If he sees the Denver Broncos employing a guy -- potentially -- as their starting quarterback who he doesn't believe has the skills to be a successful NFL starter, it's his job to lay that case out to his viewers. To not do that is a disservice to the viewers, and ESPN already does more than enough stuff that is a disservice to the viewers.

Debate the case Hoge made, but there's no debating his right or obligation to make that case, if that's how he really feels.

I know Kyle Orton was good last season, but the Broncos were 4-12. It's not like using Tebow as the starter will make them worse. That doesn't mean Tebow is the long-term solution, but given that teams aren't banging down the door trying to get Orton (Miami signed Matt Moore instead of making a trade), I don't think it's so easy as to just say Orton is the answer.

Isaac Odim to San Diego; Other Notes

Greetings ... wanted to throw up a quick blog with the news on Isaac Odim, a former All-American running back for the UMD Bulldogs.

Odim has agreed to a free-agent deal with the NFL's San Diego Chargers. After going undrafted in April, he -- along with a slew of other undrafted prospects who found NFL jobs today -- had to sweat out this seemingly never-ending lockout before signing their deals.

Going undrafted in any sport is hardly a disaster. In many cases, prospects like Odim are better off not being drafted late, because they can hand-pick the fit that is best for them, rather than being stuck on a roster or in a system that might not be a good fit for the talent or the personality.

In Odim's case, there might be an argument that he put himself in the best situation possible.

The Chargers were led in the ground game by Mike Tolbert, rookie Ryan Mathews, and diminutive veteran Darren Sproles last season. Tolbert and Sproles are free agents, and the Chargers drafted Connecticut star Jordan Todman this April.

There is competition for playing time, but Odim walks into a situation where he can open eyes and earn playing time if he has a good camp. For an undrafted player, that's usually the best you can hope for.

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Also on the undrafted free agent front, former Gophers quarterback Adam Weber signed with the Denver Broncos, and three former Wisconsin offensive stars found homes. Quarterback Scott Tolzien joins Odim in San Diego, running back John Clay is heading to Pittsburgh (where they like big, bruising backs), and wide receiver/kick returner David Gilreath latched on with the Colts.

Clay and Odim both did outstanding jobs finding places where their talents would be used properly, assuming they can make the cut.

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UMD's national championship celebration continues this weekend, as the team and alumni gather at Amsoil Arena Friday night. As part of Alumni Weekend, the players and staff will receive their national championship rings. Alumni are gathering for a dinner at the arena prior to the ring ceremony.

There is an annual alumni golf outing scheduled for Saturday, so we're all hoping for good weather.

One of the perks of my job is access to events like this, and I am immeasurably excited about the chance to hang out with the team and alumni Friday. For many of us, it could be the last chance for a while to get the gang together. Seniors Kyle Schmidt and Chad Huttel will soon be leaving for overseas professional hockey gigs, and others will be going their separate ways.

NFL Season Predictions

Most of these are available via FanHouse, but I thought I'd lay everything out there on the record, just so everyone is aware of where I stand before the Vikings game kicks off Thursday night.

Here we go.

AFC East
1. New England
2. N.Y. Jets
3. Miami
4. Buffalo

--> Jets are overrated. I really like the Patriots to have a big year. Buffalo could be the worst team in the league. No team is worse off at the quarterback position.

AFC North
1. Baltimore
2. Cincinnati (Wild Card)
3. Pittsburgh
4. Cleveland

--> The Steelers will get a sniff from some prognosticators to make the playoffs. It wouldn't surprise me, but I'll go with the teams that appear to have fewer holes, and no suspended starting quarterbacks.

AFC South
1. Indianapolis
2. Houston (Wild Card)
3. Tennessee
4. Jacksonville

--> I think this is the year Houston breaks through. They won't have quite enough to win this division, but they'll get in the playoffs for the first time.

AFC West
1. Oakland
2. San Diego
3. Kansas City
4. Denver

--> Upset city! The Raiders have a great defense ready to break through, and they'll take advantage of San Diego's personnel issues. Kansas City is getting closer.

NFC East
1. Philadelphia
2. Dallas (Wild Card)
3. Washington
4. N.Y. Giants

--> The Giants will be a good team, but not good enough. Washington is improved with Mike Shanahan, and while Dallas is severely overhyped, they're a playoff-caliber team. I love Philadelphia to prove a lot of people wrong with good play from both lines and the emergence of Kevin Kolb as the next star quarterback in the NFL.

NFC North
1. Minnesota
2. Green Bay
3. Chicago
4. Detroit

--> As already explained, I see the Vikings ahead of Green Bay at this point. Chicago is way behind unless Mike Martz and Jay Cutler have a magical season together. Look for progress -- but not a lot of wins -- out of Detroit.

NFC South
1. Atlanta
2. New Orleans
3. Carolina
4. Tampa Bay

--> This is the Falcons' year. They have a good, solid, balanced team with some great young players. New Orleans won't have much of a Super Bowl hangover, but it will be enough to cost them the division.

NFC West
1. San Francisco
2. Arizona
3. Seattle
4. St. Louis

--> The league's worst division stays that way. 49ers win by default, while Arizona barely holds off two bad teams for second place.

AFC Championship: Baltimore over New England
NFC Championship: Atlanta over San Francisco
Super Bowl: Baltimore over Atlanta

GLAD THE PACKERS TRADED JAVON?

Well, are you?

Let's face facts. The guy has gone off the deep end. In that sense, it's completely fitting that he's an Oakland Raider. The owner has lost it, and the star wide receiver is well on his way.

Walker's attributes his demise in Denver to the Broncos and the way they handled his knee injury. While in Dallas for some training camp work against the Cowboys last summer, Walker experienced swelling in his surgically repaired knee. He said he dealt with the issue and kept practicing daily.

In the first two games of the season, two Denver wins, Walker looked like the same player he was the season prior, grabbing 17 balls and being a key offensive component. However, in the third game, a home loss to Jacksonville, Walker had just two catches.

He said that was the beginning of the end of his time in Denver.

"I was open and they didn't get me the ball," Walker said. "Here I was busting my butt, draining my knee, to be able to go out and make plays and they didn't get me the ball. After that, I started to take care of my knee."

You read that right. Walker is mad because Denver didn't get him the ball enough. In Week Three.

Remember, Packer fans, we got a second-round pick for the guy. I'd say that's pretty solid, considering how good a job he's done keeping himself in shape.

With that in mind, Walker says he's ready to play Denver in the second game of that season-opening Monday Night Football doubleheader. That leads me to my favorite part of Williamson's piece.

"I was ready in those final games and they just didn't want me to be a part of the offense," Walker said. "It just didn't work for me there with that team. They wanted me to take a pay cut in the middle of the season. They just didn't care about me. I'm glad I'm out of there."

Privately, the Broncos are happy Walker is gone, too. Team insiders said Walker, who wore out his welcome in Green Bay as well as Denver, was selfish and was more interested in his personal numbers than the team's success.

Walker insists he is a team player and is looking forward to an Oakland renaissance, both personally and for the franchise.

"'This team gets me," Walker said. "They know what I can do for them. The coaches want me to get the ball here. I just can't wait to show what I can do in the first game against that team."

Seriously? You insist you're a team player, and then you launch into another monologue about getting the ball? That crap simply isn't going to fly on a team coached by Mike Shanahan. I'm no fan of his, but one thing I'll give Shanahan credit for is that he takes really good care of his offensive players. They're in a system that allows them the chance to do great things, so Walker's decision to blame the coaches for his lack of production rings hollow with me.

There's no question at this point that getting Walker the hell away from Brett Favre was the right move. Then again, the fact that Green Bay is 21-11 with a conference championship appearance since he left was probably plenty of evidence for you.

I wonder how that huge chip on his shoulder could be affecting his knee. Perhaps it's shifting the balance of the weight on his legs and causing a problem. Is there a doctor in the house?

(I doff the cap to FanHouse.)

NFL FOOTBALL '07: AFC WEST

(Before I begin, a few things to note. You'll read some information in these previews that was blatantly stolen from the Pro Football Prospectus book, an extremely enjoyable publication released by the brains behind Football Outsiders. I want to give my props to Aaron Schatz and all his experts for their hard work. While I don't yet comprehend everything in the book, there are some great points both about teams and individual players. It's all helped me increase my understanding of football, and the Prospectus will be an annual purchase for me as long as it's in publication.)

We now continue our series of NFL previews with a look at the AFC West. The 2006 season saw San Diego run away with the division, Oakland embarrass themselves, and the 2005 AFC runner-up flounder behind a struggling quarterback.

1. Denver Broncos
Last year: 9-7 (3-3 vs. AFC West)
Playoffs: None

That sure was a confusing 2006 for Denver. The defense came out flying. Granted, the games weren't all against the top offenses in the NFL, but the Broncos allowed 6, 7, 3, 3, and 7 points over five straight wins. After a promising 7-2 start, the Broncos lost two straight, which led to coach Mike Shanahan pulling the plug on Jake Plummer and inserting rookie Jay Cutler as the starting QB. Cutler struggled early on, but showed his great arm and an increased grasp of the offense as the season wore down. Unfortunately for Cutler, he couldn't lead the Broncos to a win in their season finale, and as a result, Denver missed the playoffs.

KEY QUESTIONS
1. Can Cutler lead the Broncos back to the playoffs? With or without Travis Henry on board, we know the running game will be good. Having Henry only increases Denver's chances of success, because he's already established himself as a top back. Denver is hoping for a big year from big-play WR Javon Walker, who started quick but finished slowly, failing to post a 100-yard game and scoring just twice in the last seven games (Denver was 2-5). The team signed former Colt Brandon Stokley, and they really like emerging youngster Brandon Marshall. The Broncos also picked up TE Daniel Graham in free agency, giving Cutler another proven target. The pieces are in place, and Cutler played well for the most part in his rookie audition. This offense should have a very good season.

2. Is the defense built to win? Getting DE Simeon Rice signed this week is huge for Denver. The Broncos have an impressive stable of pass rushers with Rice, Elvis Dumervil, and first-round pick Jarvis Moss all in the fold. John Engelberger also returns, and he brings some size to the DE rotation. DT Sam Adams will be the key cog in the middle of the line. With Dre Bly now starting opposite All-World CB Champ Bailey, the Broncos have one of the best cover tandems in the NFL, and with Adams in the middle of the line, it's going to be increasingly tough to block the Broncos' mobile linebackers.

3. Can Denver survive a tough schedule? Whoever makes the league slate didn't do Mike Shanahan any favors. Besides a division schedule that includes two games against both San Diego and Kansas City, the Broncos have road games against Indianapolis and Chicago, a late-season stretch of six road games in eight weeks, and home games against Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, and Tennessee. Of this group, you know the Chargers, Colts, and Bears will be good. The Jaguars, Steelers, and Packers all figure to be better than their 8-8 records from last year. Cutler won't have it easy in his first full season as a starter.

2. San Diego Chargers
Last year: 14-2 (5-1 vs. AFC West)
Playoffs: Lost to New England in AFC Divisional Playoff

Not many teams that win 14 games have to deal with a coaching change. Usually, when it does happen, the coach has left on his own, either to take some time away or just retire. In the Chargers' case, they fired a coach who had just won 14 games. Marty Schottenheimer was a rather controversial presence in San Diego. He caused much strife with the fans with some of his in-game decisions in that loss to the Patriots, but before that, he had clashed repeatedly with GM A.J. Smith, a problem that owner Dean Spanos cited in deciding to remove Schottenheimer after the season ended. His replacement? Well, Norv Turner's presence is also an issue. He may get along with Smith, but can he coach?

KEY QUESTIONS
1. So, can he coach? PFP says "No". Actually, it's pretty emphatic. PFP goes so far as to label Turner "the ninth-worst head coach of all time at holding fourth-quarter leads of any size". They cite the numbers, which show Turner's teams have been worse than average at holding leads of a single score late in games. This team should be easier for Turner to handle, being that they are coming off a 14-2 season and carry a ten-game regular-season winning streak into their opener on Sunday. Turner better win quickly with this group, as I'm guessing patience won't run too high in San Diego.

2. How well will Stephen Cooper and Matt Wilhelm hold down the MLB spots? The Chargers' 3-4 defense is very strong. The only potential weakness is over the middle, where veterans Randall Godfrey and Donnie Edwards are gone. Cooper and Wilhelm were part-time players last year, and neither were terribly impressive. They're undersized and quick, which might help, because the state of things on the Chargers' defensive front means they probably won't have to face too many offensive linemen running after them. With Ted Cottrell now coordinating the defense, don't expect to see much dropoff in their overall numbers.

3. Antonio Gates is really good, but who's going to step up at WR? Veteran Keenan McCardell was a flop, so he's gone. Starters Vincent Jackson and Malcolm Floyd combined for 42 catches and six scores last year. If Philip Rivers is to continue to improve, he is going to need people besides Gates and superstar RB LaDainian Tomlinson to throw to. Tomlinson's numbers are sure to drop a bit, even if it's not because of increased contributions from backup Michael Turner. It's just the law of averages, really. 31 touchdowns can be hard to top.

3. Kansas City Chiefs
Last year: 9-7 (4-2 vs. AFC West)
Playoffs: Lost to Indianapolis in AFC Wild Card

As much as I've quoted Pro Football Prospectus in these previews, nothing I saw surprised me more than the projections for the 2007 Chiefs. PFP has their mean projection at 5.2 wins, meaning the Chiefs will be closer to the top pick in the draft than they'll be to the playoffs. It's the lowest "mean projection" in the AFC West (Oakland is at 6.5!!). It's actually a reasonable argument, considering the poor play we saw from their defense for much of last year, along with the one-dimensional nature of the offense.

KEY QUESTIONS
1. Can Larry Johnson do it again? PFP and others say he can't. Johnson carried the rock 416 times last year. Much statistical research has shown either a decline or an injury follows a season like that. Herm Edwards would be smart to use Michael Bennett more, but Bennett doesn't fit the power-running style Edwards prefers. Bennett is a fast guy who could provide a nice change-of-pace for 7-12 carries a game, much more than the 2.25 he averaged last year. No matter how Edwards decides to use him, odds are that Johnson won't be as good, and as a result, the offense will falter.

2. Why not sign Byron Leftwich? Outside of pure stubbornness, the Chiefs really have no reason not to take a serious look at Leftwich. Edwards wants to believe in Brodie Croyle as the QB of the future, but he's shown nothing so far. Damon Huard is the starter for now, but he's been a career backup for a reason. With this stable of receivers, there might not be more than a couple active QBs who can make something of this passing game, but I really can't see the harm in giving Leftwich a shot.

3. Can the Chiefs cobble together a defense? The hope is that free-agent MLB Napoleon Harris can be as good here as he was in Minnesota. Unfortunately for Harris, he won't have Pat and Kevin Williams in front of him in Kansas City. Having Ron Edwards and Alfonso Boone at DT won't be the same. Donnie Edwards is back at OLB in place of the ineffective Kendrell Bell. The secondary is a mess. Ty Law and Patrick Surtain aren't getting any younger, Lenny Walls is gone, and there are questions at both safety spots. Unless Edwards can get the defense playing at a high level again, the Chiefs are going to have a huge struggle on their hands.

4. Oakland Raiders
Last year: 2-14 (0-6 vs. AFC West)
Playoffs: None

After a season void of anything positive, the Raiders are starting over. The new head coach is younger than the starting left defensive tackle. The new QB coach is younger than the presumptive starting QB (maybe not Week One, but eventually). The team ranked last in basically any offensive metric imaginable, put constant strain on a pretty good defense, and committed too many turnovers. Oh, and the offensive line allowed 72 sacks. Ouch. Prospects aren't all that great this season, as Oakland is unlikely to be a serious playoff contender, and will be fortunate to avoid last place in the division.

KEY QUESTIONS
1. When does Daunte Culpepper take over? Reports are that Culpepper will be named the Week One starter today, but nothing is official. Keep in mind that Culpepper was signed late in training camp and didn't a lot enough time with the offense. Oh, and that "knee injury leading to apparent lack of mobility" thing, too. Josh McCown had all the minicamp time and OTA time behind top draft pick JaMarcus Russell, who might want to consider that paltry $30 million-plus the Raiders are apparently offering. I have a feeling that Culpepper, whose behavior could be categorized as "strange" ever since that Love Boat thing in Minnesota, is going to make the Raiders forget that they drafted a QB first overall. Maybe I'm wrong, but I have a suspicion he'll play well, in the second year off his reconstructive knee surgery.

2. Whether it's McCown or Culpepper, will the line be better? It can't be worse. Even David Carr was laughing at the Raiders' QBs last year. The Raiders go to the zone-blocking scheme this year, which probably means their defensive players will have to stop whining about Denver's cut blocks. On the surface, they must be feeling better about things, because Oakland only drafted one lineman this spring. It probably means Robert Gallery and Barry Sims will start at tackle. Unless both are significantly improved, that's not good for whoever the QB is.

3. Will this defense hold up? They're not getting any younger on the line, where a slimmed-down Warren Sapp is the anchor. They figure to get their run-stopping prowess from their linebackers, as the line seems better-suited for going after QBs. The Raiders have drafted some nice LBs recently, including current starters Sam Williams, Kirk Morrison, and Thomas Howard. The well-traveled Robert Thomas provides depth on the outside. The secondary is solid and not a major concern, though some more big plays would be nice. If the offense can figure out a way to stay on the field more, the defense should be solid again (Oakland was 29th in the NFL last year in time of possession).