I can even break it down by city Colorado Springs--Tebow by a landslide. Boulder and Denver-Manning by a landslide!

Never in my life have I seen an athlete idolized purely because of his political/religious views. If he hadn't done the commercial for the anti-abortion group, this entire Tebow-mania would NEVER have existed. He was a good college quarterback, and is probably a good guy, but there have been hundreds of guys like that, and never once has a player who has never played a down in the pros been the best selling pro jersey in the country, several years running.

Religious nuts are convinced the only reason the Broncos didn't play him was because they hated him because he was religious (despite the fact that tons of players in the NFL openly display religion, before, during and after games. Two different coaches, including the one who drafted him, ranked him clearly below Orton in ability. He made some of the worst passes I have ever seen a quarterback make, pro or college.

He was fun to watch though, I will give him that. It was a combination of train-wreck and an ungodly ability to escape a pass rush.

Some donation from sports figures this year:

* Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, $5,000 to Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and $1,000 to Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind.
* St. Louis Rams guard Jacob Bell, $1,000 to Florida Democratic congressional candidate Patrick Murphy
* Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Kellen Winslow, $1,500 to the Obama Victory Fund
* Buccaneers center Jeff Faine, $1,000 to Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.
* Washington Redskins quarterback John Beck, $400 to GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney
* Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, $2,500 to Romney and $10,000 to National Republican Congressional Committee
* New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, $2,500 to Romney; $5,000 to Romney's PAC; and donations to several Republican Senate candidates
* New York Giants co-owner Jonathan Tisch, $35,800 to Obama Victory Fund; $15,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee; $10,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee; and donations to several Democratic members of Congress and a Democratic PAC
* San Diego Chargers president Dean Spanos, $2,500 to GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry; $2,500 to Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and $2,500 to McCarthy's Victory Fund
* Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, $2,500 to Perry; $2,500 to Romney; and $2,500 to GOP Texas Senate candidate David Dewhurst
* Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Tony Pashos, $1,500 to Ron Paul's GOP presidential campaign
* New York Knicks guard Baron Davis, $7,500 to Obama Victory Fund
* Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni, $5,000 to President Barack Obama
* Atlanta Hawks coach Larry Drew, $500 to Obama
* Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge, $2,500 to Romney
* Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, $35,800 to Obama Victory Fund; $2,000 to Rep. Niki Tsongas, D-Mass.; and $2,000 to Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md.
* NBA commissioner David Stern, $2,500 to Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; $5,000 to Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y.; $30,800 to DSCC; and $4,800 to Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.
* Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, $10,000 to DSCC
* Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos, $30,400 to DSCC; $33,300 to Pelosi Victory Fund (with money split between Pelosi and DCCC)
* Orioles pitcher Jeremy Guthrie, $2,500 to Romney
* Atlanta Braves senior vice president and Hall-of-Fame slugger Hank Aaron, $1,000 to Florida Democratic congressional candidate Lois Frankel

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505103_162-57350928/several-sports-figures-donate-in-2012-elections/

Democrats overwhelmingly favored Manning, repukes ALSO picked Manning by about 10%. Identifying yourself as "very conservative" is not a party (nor is it much fun, I'd imagine).

In the end, I think the Broncos were screwed either way. I'm not sure Tebow has what it takes to make the next step, and I'm not sure Manning has enough left in the tank.

Last edited Sat Jun 30, 2012, 08:54 AM - Edit history (1)

I did notice the figures but still thought it was somewhat interesting so I posted.

I don't know for certainty one way or the other as far as how Manning will do but I think Broncos possibly have the future starter on roster. I'm familiar w/ Osweiler due to his time at Arizona State. I felt he was the best QB on the roster as a Freshman (largely because Danny Sullivan was terrible). He didn't get much playing time Sophmore season due to Threet completing his transfer uneligible year but did alright, no interceptions in 6 games. Junior season he had a really solid year as a full-time starter. He has nice arm strength, great mobility & size. 6'7. I really felt he should have stayed one more to be ready for the pros but I felt if you're going to go pro this is the best situation for him. Ideally, he'll be backing up someone who would probably be one of the better QB coaches in the league if he was one. I emphasize ideally as I'm aware Manning could go down this season or the following year.

Of course I'm bias in this analysis, I feel Osweiler is in the best situation possible(not ready to be a quality starter right away) to succeed. He could also easily be a failure but feel in Denver is in a good spot if they can get a couple of years from Manning.

I'm just not a fan of sloppy journalism.

With Manning out of Indy and his run coming to an end, he may be a great mentor for a younger QB. If Manning can stay healthy and effective for a year or two, it should give Osweiler time to develop into a quality NFL QB, but I'm not sure that's going to happen. I think if Manning isn't able to play and they have to throw Osweiler to the wolves, it could be a disaster. In other words, I completely agree.

the Broncos, and El SuTebow decided to not become a Jets fan (or at least he hasn't yet!)