There is power in a name. Think about it. All of us have a handful of names that illicit a physical response when the sound waves hit our ear drums. The very mention of the name transcends our current thought taking us to a place, a time or an event buried deep in our sub consciousness. Let me throw out a few to test the theory: Osama Bin Laden……O.J. Simpson……Bill Bellichick……Richard Nixon…….Charles Woodson……..Larry Munson……Steve Spurrier……Bobby Knight……Ric Flair……Jenna Jameson…..you get the point. Now we can add one more person to that list.
On Saturday night, Tim Tebow was awarded the Heisman trophy. Though we on the Volnation continue to argue the relevance of the award, amazingly they keep handing it out anyway. One could just as easily argue that the fact it takes up so much space on the collective psyche of Vol fans that it is completely relevant. If a UT player had earned the award, there is little doubt in my mind that we would be singing the praises of the first Volunteer to ever do so. While I have my doubts as to whether the award was actually earned by Tebow, he holds the honor nonetheless.
In my humble opinion, Darren McFadden was the best football player in the land, but alas I do not have a Heisman vote. Don’t get me wrong; what Tebow accomplished this year (and last year for that matter) is quite remarkable. In the past it seems that quarterbacks eligible for the Heisman have been much more accountable for the win loss records of their team. I am a little confused that he was given a pass on the three losses suffered by Florida at the hands of conference foes. Given the fact that the offense lived and died with Tebow’s performance, and that three times he was unable to lead the team to victory, I have some hesitation about naming him the best player in college football. In many ways that simply adds to the legend that is Tebow.
So as you hear the name incessantly, what images are coming to your mind? Is it fourth and three? Are you in the Wooly Swamp at night surrounded by mason jars and alligators? For me the image that I cannot escape is simple, profound and very painful. It appears on a puke orange scoreboard in the mist, and it reads 59-20. It represents images of special teams nightmares, defensive lapses, getting some sugar on the sidelines and a quarterback pumping his fists in victory. It is just as real to me today as it was back in September.
Such images often remind me that they are many things in life that we cannot control. In relationship to sports, there are times that teams are simply more talented than the team that we root for. To some extent that has to be acceptable to any reasonable fan. You cannot always have the best team on the field. Yet, at other times it simply seems like the opposing team has a deeper desire to win a football game. That is much less acceptable. When the scoreboard reads 59-20, it usually indicates that both factors are at play. Do you think that a Tim Tebow led team would ever fall by such a margin?
Say what you will about three losses, Tim Tebow, and this Florida football team. There is one thing I know for sure. The road that begins his bid for his second Heisman trophy leads directly up I-75 and goes right through Knoxville, Tennessee. I say that the Volunteers should take careful note of that fact. Would Colonel Sanders let Popeye make fried chicken in Whitley Co, Kentucky? Would Elvis let the Beatles take Memphis in their British invasion? Would Smokey let UGA take his bone? Would Al Gore let George Bush win Tennessee?
Oops, I got a little carried away, but you get my point. Auburn, LSU and Georgia all proved that Tebow is stoppable. Instead of wishing ill on the man, I just hope that by the time September rolls around next year that our Vols have eleven men on defense that want to win the game as badly as he does. If they have the talent to do it, it will just sweeten the deal. There is little doubt in my mind that Spurrier’s Gators destroyed the Heisman hopes of Peyton Manning on more than one occasion. I say it is time for our Vols to return the favor. They have 10 months to get ready for the Tebow express. Go Vols!