NFL Great Rodney Peete’s Thoughts On Tim Tebow
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From an early age Quarterbacks are taught to find a way to win, not find a way to win while throwing for 70% and 300 yards. It’s hard for me to grasp why we should care if Tim Tebow only completes 3 passes for three quarters and 18 in the 4th and overtime, he wins. No matter how he gets it done, we all need to sit back and watch what’s happening and applaud.
The simple fact is that the position of quarterback in the NFL is the most difficult position in all of sports. As a quarterback, your play directly affects the outcome of a game 99% of the time, far more than any other position in any other sport. It’s not always the good or even great plays you make, it is often times the bad plays or the plays you don’t make that determine your place in history. Whatever the case, isn’t WINNING the most important thing?
Sure we can sit and analyze his mechanics and accuracy all day, but what matters most is the way he handles pressure and the way he takes adversity and scrutiny to find a way to win. Don’t we want that in our Quarterback?
I played in the NFL for 16 years and have taken my share of criticism and praise. I have been criticized for “winning ugly.” Is there such a thing? I’ll bet the Colts would love to “win ugly” right about now.
Thousands of hours have been and are being spent by football “experts” analyzing whether Tim Tebow, Cam Newton, Andrew Luck and many others would be successful QB’s in the NFL. As a 16 year veteran of the league I can tell you that the fact is, NO ONE KNOWS!
Circumstances and intangibles play as much of a role in the success of a quarterback as talent in the success of a young quarterback. Remember Tim Couch, David Carr, Jermarcus Russell, they were all locks right? We all but gave up on Alex Smith until Jim Harbaugh changed the climate and changed the confidence of the former number one pick.
You cannot teach intangibles like emotion, momentum, heart and even luck, but rest assured they all play a role in any quarterbacks success. In the end, it is all about making others around you better and finding a way to win when the game is on the line. Tebow has all of them and more importantly, his teammates have it too and they believe in number 15.
Tebow won in high school; he won in college and probably even won when he was 8 years old, so why doubt him now? Right now he is in a “zone”, like a pitcher who is throwing a no-hitter, everyone else should just leave him alone and let him play.
For right now, let’s stop trying to analyze and tear this kid down and let’s start applauding him. It is time our country admired a young man that puts his faith, family and teammates before himself because it is truly rare in this world with or without football.
By Rodney Peete
@RodneyPeete9 on Twitter
More about Rodney:
NFL veteran quarterback Rodney Peete, best known for his leadership and a winning attitude, spent 16 successful years in the NFL. His admired position in the public eye has led him to a successful career as sports star, television/radio personality, author and philanthropist with The Hollyrod Foudation.
Rodney is president of HollyRod Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based entertainment and investment firm. Additionally, he and his wife Holly Robinson Peete are co-founders of the HollyRod Foundation, an organization established to generate funds to fight Parkinson’s Disease, support children suffering from Autism, and improve the quality of life for those in need. In his role for the organization, Peete has been able to secure partnerships with some of the largest corporations in the world including Target, Anheuser-Busch, Mercedes-Benz, and Starwood among others.
He also serves on the Board of Governors at his alma mater, USC, from where he holds a B.A. and was First Team All-American, Johnny Unitas Award Winner, Heisman Runner-Up and 1988 Player of the Year.
Rodney and Holly have been married for 15 years and are the proud parents of four children: twins Ryan Elizabeth and Rodney Jackson, Robinson James and Roman Matthew.
Rodney Peete threw for 16,338 yards and 76 touchdowns in the NFL over 16 seasons and is a founding member of LockerSmash
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