Some People Never Learn

I spoke too soon. I was overly confident that Tebow would beat the Bills. I thought I was done. I thought that I didn’t have to deal with this nonsense anymore. I thought I that I had finally found peace. Instead, I am left with this:



This is Mark Kiszla.




He first came to my attention around October of last year when he interrupted my typically lunch routine of the watching SportsCenter while eating lunch at the Modern Café. Tebow had just lost to the Lions 45-10 and critics were having a ball analyzing his poor performance. Kiszla had taken his criticisms to the highest level possible when he proclaimed Tebow the “worst quarterback in the league.”

I was halfway through a Reuben when Kiszla appeared on TV and started one of the most bizarre interviews I had ever seen. I cannot actually get the video, but did find proof that it did actually exist on the internet for some amount of time.





Kiszla was introduced and the first thing that I noticed was that he was sweating profusely; his forehead was gleaming with sweat. This isn’t highly unusual, since I am sure that TV lights can be awful bright, but the sheer level of discomfort he was in was really noticeable. During the interview itself, he didn’t really talk too much. He was asked about his comments about Tebow being the worst quarterback in the league, and he just responded with a nod and a “yes.” Then, when pressed for details and analysis, he seemed almost surprised at the line of questioning. He was asked how he came to this conclusion and what type of research he had done, and his response seemed to be, “Yeah, he is the worst quarterback in the league. No doubt.” It was almost as if he had not prepared for the interview whatsoever and figured that the interview was going to be some sort of puff piece that would allow him to simply get his name out there. So instead of explaining his opinion or providing proof that Tebow wasn’t worth of being in the NFL, he simply stated that Tebow was playing worse than any other quarterback then and that the Lions team thought that Tebow was a joke.

While I am glad that the Lions have done well this year and I will root for them for sure, I never found the Lions to be the final word in football talent. They have a rough history and had been the joke of the league for many years. I wouldn’t hinge my opinion of a player’s ability on a team that has a shot at the playoffs and EVERYONE is impressed by it.

So, with Kiszla’s nonsensical interview burned into the front of my skull, I wrote a little piece on Tebow for my blog and did an analysis of their schedule. I came to the conclusion that they would end 8-8 and wrote:

“The Broncos have more young players than old ones and Tebow's natural leadership will get them to step in line behind him. Young role players returning from injury include Julius Thomas, Eddie Royal and Demarius Thomas, and all of them are looking for a future in the NFL – and hoping that Tebow becomes the catalyst.

The reality is that Tebow doesn’t need to dominate games to win, he just needs to make good decisions and get the football to his playmakers. Tebow is a legit rushing threat and his presence is like adding a runningback into the backfield. Most defensive ends won’t run him down and defensive backs are too small to tackle his 6’3, 245 lb. frame. Teams will be forced to keep an additional safety or linebacker in the box to spy Tebow, leading to more opportunities for receivers and tight ends. Tebow won't win a lot of games a la Tom Brady, but expect some gutty, wild wins this season.

I expect Tebow to outperform my projection for him and to win 7 games this year, making the Broncos an 8-8 team. He won’t save the world…and he is unlikely to get them into the playoffs. But he is a step in the right direction for the entire team. And his presences should not stop management from drafting another QB if they feel the need…it sure didn’t stop the Carolina Panthers.”

I wrote that on October 13th, which was the week in between Tebow’s first game action of the season (against the Chargers) and their week 6 bye.

Kiszla, two weeks later, wrote:



The Broncos proceeded to put together a string of wins over Oakland, Kansas City, New York (Jets), San Diego, Minnesota and Chicago. I don’t need to tell you that I have had an absolute ball watching Kiszla squirm and try to come up with things to write about Tebow after formally damning him as one of the biggest mistakes in Broncos franchise history. Here is a screenshot run down of his articles as time passed and the wins piled up:

Kiszla: USC bringing Broncos-ready quarterback to Colorado this week (Posted: 11/02/2011 01:00:00 AM MDT)



Kiszla: Maybe McDaniels did something right for Broncos after all (Posted: 11/13/2011 01:00:00 AM MST)



Kiszla: Miller puts nasty back in orange and blue (Posted: 11/18/2011 01:00:00 AM MST)



Kiszla: Tim Tebow's Ironman sermon (Posted: 11/28/2011 01:00:00 AM MST)



Kiszla: John Fox makes all the right moves with Broncos (Posted: 12/05/2011 01:00:00 AM MST)



Kiszla: Tim Tebow has the Broncos believing they can't lose (Posted: 12/12/2011 01:00:00 AM MST)



I wanted to give you the first hand opportunity to join me for a laugh at Mr. Kiszla. Knowing that he is obligated to write about Tebow and that he had hung himself worse than any other critic made his absolute failure sweeter than I could have ever imagined.

I thought all was well, that the planet’s had realigned and the stars from which Tebow draws his magical powers from were shining brightly. Even after Tebow lost to the Patriots, Kiszla was rather quiet:



Perhaps he had finally learned his lesson.

I was wrong.

Kiszla: Orton victory Sunday will put Tebow, Elway on trial (Posted: 12/27/2011 01:00:00 AM MST)

The Broncos are choking. Can Tim Tebow save them? Better not fail, or else Tebow will make his boss look dumb and cheap.

If Denver can't beat Kansas City and outcast quarterback Kyle Orton with an NFL playoff berth at stake, then it will be the costliest fumble of Broncos executive John Elway's career and rank among the worst blunders in franchise history.
It smelled like desperation at Dove Valley on Monday afternoon, so I figured it was a good time to ask Denver coach John Fox:

Is Fox confident the better quarterback will be on his side against the Chiefs?

"I know we made that decision," replied Fox, well aware his team cut Orton in late November, banking $2.6 million in payroll savings with the transaction. "As I would say about anything moving forward, time will tell."

Now Orton could really make Denver pay.

Should his heroics cost the Broncos a spot in the Super Bowl tournament, there would be no positive way to spin it. In order to be penny-wise, Elway, Fox and general manager Brian Xanders would get pounded for being so dang foolish as to set up Orton for sweet revenge against a city that never particularly liked him.

For Tebow, the stakes could not be higher.

Choke against the Chiefs and Tebow would make Broncos owner Pat Bowlen appear cheap, cheap, cheap.

While the Tebow faithful will forgive their beloved quarterback for any football sin and try to ignore the sobering fact Denver has failed to score 20 points in seven of his 10 starts since taking over for Orton, it might be wise to remember: Tebow is not Elway's quarterback, but a first-round selection of former coach Josh McDaniels.
Tebow has earned the right to be a starter in Denver at the outset of next season.

But I don't like his long-term prospects for holding the job should he stumble against Kansas City.

This is a must-win game for Tebow, unless he wants to trade his Superman's cape for the shadow of doubt certain to follow him from now through the NFL draft, as Elway carefully evaluates every quarterback prospect.

Fair or not, Orton was run out of town as a loser with a 12-21 record as the team's starting quarterback.

So, what would that make Tebow should he get whupped by Orton, causing another all-too-familiar collapse by the Broncos late in the season?

The braintrust of Elway, Fox and Xanders made a $2.6 million wager Orton didn't possess the skills or moxie to return and haunt Denver. Know what? The oddsmakers in Las Vegas agree, having established the Broncos as 3½-point favorites to defeat Kansas City.

But you know Orton would like nothing better than to force Broncomaniacs to take his name in vain one more time.

"I wouldn't doubt it if Kyle Orton delivers the speech (to the Chiefs) the night before the game," former Broncos safety Nick Ferguson said. "He wants to come back to prove to John Elway, the fans of Denver and John Fox that you guys chose the wrong quarterback."

For a Hall of Famer, Elway has displayed surprisingly little instinct for handling a sticky quarterback situation during his first year calling signals for the front office in Denver.

From the failure to trade Orton on the eve of training camp to an obvious reluctance to let Tebow play until the booing from the home crowd grew too loud to ignore, from allowing a veteran quarterback to assist an AFC West rival in the name of saving a few bucks to being browbeaten into giving Tebow a lukewarm endorsement for 2012 after the magic of a winning streak was gone, Elway has seemed uncommonly indecisive for the fearless gunslinger we remember wearing No. 7.

So what exactly is Elway's master plan at quarterback?

Right here, right now, it doesn't appear he has one.

Better hope Tebow can save Elway from embarrassment.

Time will tell.

Kiszla has gone back to the Tebow slamming well and come up with another gem: The reason the Broncos won’t make the playoffs are because the Bowlen’s a cheapskate!

Yes, clearly this is the main problem for the Broncos. They should have kept a player, against their wishes, on their roster. They should have paid him millions of dollars to hold a clip board and resent the player that took his job. It’s a good idea to keep the former starting quarterback around the team because there is no way that it would cause dissonance in the locker room. Throwing your full support behind your young, first round QB and choosing to pass the necessary “point of no return” checkpoint when it made sense for the team is an obvious bad move.

Orton was 12-21 as a Bronco. He was not the future of the franchise, even if Tebow isn’t. The only thing he provided was a potential for a bad-to-average season that could give the Broncos a shot at a top 10 draft pick. Cutting him made sense then and it makes sense now. The fact that the Chiefs had an inept current starter in Tyler Palko had nothing, and rightfully should not have had anything, to do with Orton’s release.

The one important thing that either escapes Mr. Kiszla, or is simply is not an avenue that he feels he can explore, is that Tebow has already exceeded his expectations for this year. He has shown tremendous ability to play the quarterback position but remains a largely unfinished product; as most second year quarterbacks are. There are few quarterbacks ready to lead their team to a playoff berth in their first three years, and the ones that typically find themselves in such a situation usually have a top flight team around them.

Making the playoffs would be the icing on the cake for the potential Pro Bowler (he finished third in fan voting this year), but the more crucial thing for Tim was to help make the Broncos competitive again. Building chemistry and a trust in one another is often the deciding factor in those close games, as this season has proven time and time again.

I think Tebow is the answer for the Broncos long term. I think that he has the raw talent and work ethic to become one of the greats, but it is going to take time and he is going to need help.

Regardless of whether or not the Broncos lose to Kansas City this weekend is going to be small potatoes for the Broncos franchise in the long run. Making a playoff berth is a step in the right direction but no one believes they have the talent right now to win the big game. Winning this weekend adds one or two playoffs games to their schedule at a maximum. It would be a great experience and it would help the franchise buy into Tebow all the more, but it isn’t the end all, be all that Mr. Kiszla or anyone else is making it out to be.

Mr. Kiszla remains one of the few Tebow critics left. He has not changed his opinion of Tebow, and doesn’t seem embarrassed by the incredible miscalculations he has made time and time again. It’s going to be interesting to see how long it takes for him to finally understand Tim Tebow, if he ever gets him at all.