Have to disagree with my friend Rick Bozich of the Courier-Journal who wrote that Tim Tebow should not have been in the game when the Florida quarterback suffered a concussion in the third quarter of Florida’s 41-7 win over UK on Saturday.
Not many coaches are going to pull their starting quarterback in the third quarter of a conference game on the road. The score at the time was 31-7 Florida, not 51-7 Florida.
I’m more in line with Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, who wrote on his Open Mike blog:
Or should our Dud of the Week be the clanging cymbals in the media who are trying to blame Urban Meyer for Tim Tebow’s injury by saying Tebow should not even have been in the game at the time? Good grief, Tebow got hurt in a football game. It happens. Why do we have to blame somebody? For crying out loud, you don’t take your starting quarterback out of the game midway through the third quarter. Yes, the game was in hand (31-7) at the time, but it wasn’t over by any means.
Clay Travis of Fanhouse gives his opinion, as well, siding with Meyer:
The new offensive coordinator, the new receivers, the upcoming bye week where live action wouldn’t happen, the fact that it was the second drive of the second half, the fact that up until now Tebow has been indestructible, all of these things would militate in favor of playing Tebow.
Pete Schrager of Fox Sports takes up for Meyer.
I know coaches don’t like to take their starter out. He needs stats for his future. Bigger win margins help in the rankings and so on.
But what about player development. Wouldn’t that be a good time to give the backup some real game experience? If the score turned around and got closer, put the starters back in. You’re up by 4 scores, let the backups learn.
Blame Meyer? No. But an opportunity that could have worked to their benefit is gone and now the backup QB is going to have to get on the job training when it counts the most.
I couldn’t agree more that Urban Meyer was right to keep Timmy playing in the third quarter. What worries me is that Meyer might try to keep him from carrying the ball down field now, like he did when Tim got hurt last year. Tim is Tim, and if he can’t play football all-out 100%, everybody starts screwing up. I think that’s what led to his famous speech last year about playing hard. Look, Tim Tebow didn’t return to play for his senior year just to turn the game over to Brantley in the third quarter in an SEC game. And he was sacked — not banged up running for the goal. The only thing that should keep Timmy off the field is a test that shows he’s not OK yet.
I was at the game and when I saw Tebow run on the field for the infamous drive, I told my buddy that he had no business being on the field. Our guys were so clearly dominated (especially our D-line, geez), and the game was so clearly over, that there was no need for him to play another down. Everyone in my little area of the stadium agreed with me, and I truly believe that Urban Meyer was trying to pad some Heisman stats. I understand Mr. Clay’s opinion, and I’m not a Bozich fan, but I think Bozich is right and this injury is on Urban Meyer.
Either way Urban Meyer is a butthead. At least Spurrier made you laugh as he twisted the knife. Meyers is just a jerk with no sense of humor.
I think this was Meyer’s karma coming down hard on Tebow. Why do bad things happen to good people? Cause they play for Meyer.
Or something like that.
Tim Tebow is still the talk of the town and in continuing in every news edition of ESPN.
Why is that? It is because it is an unresolved issue with the fans, Sport personalities,
and most importantly Tim Tebow.
For the fans, they can not understand why a Coach who was beating UK by such a large margin would risk the injury of their “goose who lays the Golden eggs” each week, and is the Moses to lead them to the promised land, SEC Championship and a bid for the big glass football in the BCS National Championship.
Fans, whether he played the entire game or not, it is football, and Meyer can not be faulted for playing him in an attempt to run up the score, no more than if he took him out.
Football is football, and whether a UK fan, Tebow Fan, or Gator Fan, injuries are part of the game.
However, I was at the game, and the Flordia Gator fans were not as much irritated about leaving him the game as they were leaving him out on the field so long and not placing him on a stretcher and taking him immediately to the hospital. Gators were upset and I heard it from the fans.
I spoke with local doctors in the area who were sitting several rows in front of the injury and they could not believe that they were raising his head up off the ground when he could have possibly had a broken neck as well as getting him up and attempting to walk him off the filed.
With what was witnessed in the hit and the injury as he laid on the field, with his body limp, lifeless, and feet turned out to the ground, it does not take a doctor to figure this out.
Because of the buzz about it, the sports media has continued to cover the story.
Florida’s Coach Meyer is a great coach, but mistakes were made on that field that night that could have cost a great player serious consequences.
Tebow would tell you it is part of the game, but one thing for sure, I am sure that he has to be wondering in the back of his mind, wondering the same things that the fans have thought as he has watch the replay of his injury.
One thing for sure, if he has been thinking these things in his mind, his confidence will be effected in his Coach, and will be demonstrated on the field, and relationship with Meyer.
I think that the Gator fans confidence in this Coach will also be effected if Tebow does not return or if their goals are not achieved, SEC Title, and National Championship.
One thing is for sure, football is football, and their will other Tebow injuries to others, but this can be a situation can be used for Meyer and others in emergency responses to injuries to assure a greater safety for the player, and for Coaches to rethink their game plan when achieving such demonstrative victories.
The most important issue now and in future is to restore his health, and allow him to heal so that he can achieve his goals and whether UK or Gator Fans, we all wish this for Tebow.
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