Sports Nut: Do Stop Believing

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Sports Nut Do Stop Believing The Denver Broncos' surprising, logical decision to dump Tim Tebow for Peyton Manning. By Josh Levin Posted Monday, Mar 19, 2012, at 10:19 PM ET Peyton Manning is the NFL's least-mysterious superstar. Before each play, he cracks open his skull and shows off his brain, directing his teammates by flapping his arms and shouting things like "Louisville Soul Train." After the snap, he picks out a receiver and hits him in the hands. By externalizing his internal deliberations, Manning lays football's complexities bare. And by making passing and catching look so simple, he demonstrates that preparation and talent usually win out (unless the offensive line has some problems with protection). When you watch Tim Tebow, you have no idea what he's thinking, what he's doing, why he's doing it, who he's aiming at, whether it's really possible for a ball to wobble like that, and—on certain, gilt-edged weekends—how his team is winning. Last season, Tebow led the Broncos to six straight regular-season victories and a playoff win over the Steelers without demonstrating that he knew what he was doing. For this, he was loathed by football rationalists and beloved by an army of blue-and-orange magical thinkers. If Monday's reports prove correct and the Broncos dump Tebow for Manning, it will reveal that NFL front offices can stomach a certain kind of uncertainty. It's a risk to stake your franchise to a soon-to-be 36-year-old quarterback who just missed an entire season with a bum neck. But this is a risk that football teams understand. Every great player has to deal with injuries and every great ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Republican Voters Say They Want Strong Executive Experience. So Why Are They Voting for Rick Santorum? Yes, Europe Has More Economic Mobility Than the U.S.—but Europeans Are Still Snobs Of Course Birth Control Pills Should Be Sold Over the Counter. No, They Do Not Interact Badly With Antibiotics.	Advertisement
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