There are a few hundred jokes I could use here to describe the mess of a situation that is Cleveland professional sports. I will refrain from doing so because they are mostly all very overused and I don't want to lose any readers who may support teams from the city. However, it's widely known that Cleveland has slowly managed to become the laughingstock of the sporting world. The city's last championship came before the Super Bowl era (in 1964 to be exact) when the Browns won the NFL title game 48 years ago. All three franchises in Cleveland have suffered from the mystical presence that has haunted the city for nearly 50 years now.
-The Browns have fallen victim to "The Drive" and "The Fumble". They have an owner in Jimmy Haslem who is currently under investigation by the FBI. Tim Couch, Charlie Frye, Kelly Holcomb, Trent Dilfer, Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn, Colt McCoy, Thaddeus Lewis and Brandon Weeden are just a few of the many quarterbacks that have started games for the team over the past several years (That list alone should be enough to sing Tebow. Truly, how many of those guys are still in the league or how many of them could actually start for another one of the league's 31 teams). The Browns have failed with nearly every one of their first round draft picks except for Joe Thomas and Joe Haden. They get mocked by their own fans throughout home games. To amend the words of Charles Schultz's Linus, "Out of all the Cleveland team curses in the world, their the Cleveland team cursiest" (If you didn't get that reference from A Charlie Brown Christmas, I don't want to talk to you for awhile).
-The last Indians World Series came in 1948. The Indians have made a couple World Series in the last 20 years, but couldn't get the job done. They had a 3-1 series lead in the ALCS against Boston in 2007, but managed to get outscored 30-5 in the final three games. They had players in their system in recent years like CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Shin-Soo Choo, and Brandon Phillips, but traded them all away.
-The Cavaliers are the most recent team to suffer from the curse, but they have been battered these last couple years. It all started with "The Decision" where "The King" decided to leave (Just a quick observation for those of you who haven't caught on. If there is a "the" in front of something, it is probably very bad news for the city of Cleveland). Now LeBron James has one ring (and is on his way to a second one it looks like), while Dan Gilbert is putting all of his eggs in the Kyrie Irving basket. Until the Cavs get a few other players around Irving, it looks like it is all on Uncle Drew's shoulders. LeBron and his crew may be up to "not five, not six, not seven" rings by the time the Cavaliers can finally compete for a championship.
What could possibly solve all these problems? Instead of bringing back "The King", Cleveland should bring in someone who models his life around "The King of Kings". That's right, Tim Tebow would not only turn the Browns around, he would turn the entire city around. The Browns have Jason Campbell, Thad Lewis, and Brandon Weeden currently on their roster at the quarterback position. Campbell has managed to choke away the job for three teams already. Even if he was just brought in to mentor Weeden, won't it be just a little awkward mentoring someone who turns 30 this October? Weeden is already nearing the end of his "prime age" for the quarterback position, but he only has one season under his belt in the league. Him having any amount of success seems to become more impossible every day. People claim Tebow was a miracle worker and got lucky in Denver. If you ask me, it would be a far more miraculous feat if a below average veteran or 30 year old rookie had the ability to lead Cleveland to a playoff win. Bottom line: A major change needs to happen at the QB position before the Browns become legitimate contenders.
I'll admit it right now: Tim Tebow throws the football worse than me. No matter how many times he "improves his form", the poor throwing motion is still noticeably evident. If he is brought in, the entire offense will have to be redesigned around his skill set. To me, the Browns are in a perfect position to do this. A brand new coaching staff was brought in this off-season, and an anemic offense finished near the bottom in multiple offensive statistics last season. Rob Chudzinski, the former Panthers' Offensive Coordinator, was hired as the coach this off-season. Chud (which is arguably the worst nickname in sports) worked with Cam Newton, so he has an experience with mobile quarterbacks. Also, Tebow's old coach, Urban Meyer, is only a couple hours away should he need some help on incorporating Tebow's skills. Carolina had a couple decent running backs who carried a lot of the workload. They also had a receiver in Steve Smith who could stretch the field. Hypothetically, Chudzinski could make Trent Richardson and Montario Hardesty the features in a Browns offense centered on the run. Then, Travis Benjamin and the recently acquired Davone Bess would provide targets for Tebow when he dropped back to pass. In a very talented division like the AFC North, such a drastic change to the offense may be the only way to ensure that Cleveland becomes competitive in the near future.
Most importantly, there is the fun quotient Tebow would brings to Cleveland. The 2011 Denver Broncos were one of the most entertaining football teams I've ever watched. For three quarters, they looked like as impressive as Joffrey Baratheon in the Battle of Blackwater. The last fifteen minutes, however, someone flipped a switch and the team sprang to life. Should Tebow be placed in a system where he is the focal point of the offense and there isn't a debate on which way the team should operate, there's good reason to believe the offense could function for an entire game. For some reason, no one has bought in to Tim Tebow, though. The man is a winner. It isn't pretty, but he always seems to get the job done. When a team finally becomes dedicated to him and gives him a fair deal, the potential payoff is huge. For one, Tebow guarantees media attention. Any publicity is good publicity this day and age, and the Browns training facility in Berea would be packed with people should Tebow get signed. Tim Tebow would sell tickets, too. When you play in a stadium that can have games in below zero temperatures late in the season, it's hard to fill seats, but having a team with Tebow at the helm would get this difficult and important task done. The cost for signing him would also be minimal. Tebow hasn't done anything to receive him an expensive contract, plus his biblical attitudes about everything in life make it seem highly unlikely he would ever end up in dispute about money, should he ever become a top tier quarterback. Finally, should the Cleveland curse be a work of the devil, who else would be more prepared to perform the exorcism to save the city than Timothy Richard Tebow?
Even if Tim Tebow does not get signed by another NFL team, there is no doubt he will have future successes with his charity work, his ministry, and any other endeavors he pursues. He understands there are more important things out there than football. But with his athletic ability and intangibles on and off the field, it would be a shame if no franchise gives him another shot. It may take a major leap of faith to sign one of the most interesting players in NFL history, but as Tebow has proven his entire life, a little bit of faith can go a very long way.
J. Nave
-The Cavaliers are the most recent team to suffer from the curse, but they have been battered these last couple years. It all started with "The Decision" where "The King" decided to leave (Just a quick observation for those of you who haven't caught on. If there is a "the" in front of something, it is probably very bad news for the city of Cleveland). Now LeBron James has one ring (and is on his way to a second one it looks like), while Dan Gilbert is putting all of his eggs in the Kyrie Irving basket. Until the Cavs get a few other players around Irving, it looks like it is all on Uncle Drew's shoulders. LeBron and his crew may be up to "not five, not six, not seven" rings by the time the Cavaliers can finally compete for a championship.
What could possibly solve all these problems? Instead of bringing back "The King", Cleveland should bring in someone who models his life around "The King of Kings". That's right, Tim Tebow would not only turn the Browns around, he would turn the entire city around. The Browns have Jason Campbell, Thad Lewis, and Brandon Weeden currently on their roster at the quarterback position. Campbell has managed to choke away the job for three teams already. Even if he was just brought in to mentor Weeden, won't it be just a little awkward mentoring someone who turns 30 this October? Weeden is already nearing the end of his "prime age" for the quarterback position, but he only has one season under his belt in the league. Him having any amount of success seems to become more impossible every day. People claim Tebow was a miracle worker and got lucky in Denver. If you ask me, it would be a far more miraculous feat if a below average veteran or 30 year old rookie had the ability to lead Cleveland to a playoff win. Bottom line: A major change needs to happen at the QB position before the Browns become legitimate contenders.
I'll admit it right now: Tim Tebow throws the football worse than me. No matter how many times he "improves his form", the poor throwing motion is still noticeably evident. If he is brought in, the entire offense will have to be redesigned around his skill set. To me, the Browns are in a perfect position to do this. A brand new coaching staff was brought in this off-season, and an anemic offense finished near the bottom in multiple offensive statistics last season. Rob Chudzinski, the former Panthers' Offensive Coordinator, was hired as the coach this off-season. Chud (which is arguably the worst nickname in sports) worked with Cam Newton, so he has an experience with mobile quarterbacks. Also, Tebow's old coach, Urban Meyer, is only a couple hours away should he need some help on incorporating Tebow's skills. Carolina had a couple decent running backs who carried a lot of the workload. They also had a receiver in Steve Smith who could stretch the field. Hypothetically, Chudzinski could make Trent Richardson and Montario Hardesty the features in a Browns offense centered on the run. Then, Travis Benjamin and the recently acquired Davone Bess would provide targets for Tebow when he dropped back to pass. In a very talented division like the AFC North, such a drastic change to the offense may be the only way to ensure that Cleveland becomes competitive in the near future.
Most importantly, there is the fun quotient Tebow would brings to Cleveland. The 2011 Denver Broncos were one of the most entertaining football teams I've ever watched. For three quarters, they looked like as impressive as Joffrey Baratheon in the Battle of Blackwater. The last fifteen minutes, however, someone flipped a switch and the team sprang to life. Should Tebow be placed in a system where he is the focal point of the offense and there isn't a debate on which way the team should operate, there's good reason to believe the offense could function for an entire game. For some reason, no one has bought in to Tim Tebow, though. The man is a winner. It isn't pretty, but he always seems to get the job done. When a team finally becomes dedicated to him and gives him a fair deal, the potential payoff is huge. For one, Tebow guarantees media attention. Any publicity is good publicity this day and age, and the Browns training facility in Berea would be packed with people should Tebow get signed. Tim Tebow would sell tickets, too. When you play in a stadium that can have games in below zero temperatures late in the season, it's hard to fill seats, but having a team with Tebow at the helm would get this difficult and important task done. The cost for signing him would also be minimal. Tebow hasn't done anything to receive him an expensive contract, plus his biblical attitudes about everything in life make it seem highly unlikely he would ever end up in dispute about money, should he ever become a top tier quarterback. Finally, should the Cleveland curse be a work of the devil, who else would be more prepared to perform the exorcism to save the city than Timothy Richard Tebow?
Even if Tim Tebow does not get signed by another NFL team, there is no doubt he will have future successes with his charity work, his ministry, and any other endeavors he pursues. He understands there are more important things out there than football. But with his athletic ability and intangibles on and off the field, it would be a shame if no franchise gives him another shot. It may take a major leap of faith to sign one of the most interesting players in NFL history, but as Tebow has proven his entire life, a little bit of faith can go a very long way.
J. Nave
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