UPDATE: Quinn clearly didn't like the way his quotes about Tebow were depicted by GQ.
Quinn fired off a five-part tweet Wednesday afternoon in response to Silver's story:
"The comments attributed to me in a recent magazine article are in NO WAY reflective of my opinion of Tim and the Broncos. Tim deserves a lot of credit for our success and I'm happy for him and what he accomplished. Most importantly, he is a great teammate. That interview was conducted three months ago, and the resulting story was a completely inaccurate portrayal of my comments. I have addressed my disappointment with the writer and have reached out to Tim to clear this up. I apologize to anyone who feels I was trying to take anything away from our Team's or Tim's success this season."
***
It's been more than a month since Tebowmania came crashing down in the Broncos' 45-10 playoff loss at New England.
So GQ decided this was pretty much a perfect time to print The Year of Magical Stinking: An Oral History of Tebow Time, a series of quotes reflecting on Tim Tebow's tumultuous 2011 season from NFL players, executives and analysts compiled by veteran league scribe Michael Silver.
The most notable thoughts arguably came from Tebow's backup, free-agent-to-be QB Brady Quinn, and 2011 NFL defensive MVP Terrell Suggs of the Ravens.
From Quinn:
Early season: "There was a game when (former Denver QB) Kyle (Orton) got hurt and the coaches were calling for me to go in, but Kyle got up and finished the game out. So I was the second-string guy. Then, a few weeks later, they decided to put Tim in. I felt like the fans had a lot to do with that. Just 'cause they were chanting his name. There was a big calling for him. No, I didn't have any billboards. That would have been nice."
On OT win over the Bears: "We've had a lot of, I guess, luck, to put it simply."
On opposing defenses: "The entire game, the defensive line is chasing the quarterback around, and that wears down the pass rush. Meanwhile, the defensive backs are chasing receivers, but you only throw eight passes, so they start to feel lazy. It only takes that one play, that one big pass, for a touchdown."
Faith: "If you look at it as a whole, there's a lot of things that just don't seem very humble to me. When I get that opportunity, I'll continue to lead not necessarily by trying to get in front of the camera and praying but by praying with my teammates, you know?"
From Suggs:
"They say we were giving him a hard time because he's a Christian. No, that's not it! We were giving him a hard time because he was terrible."
"I mean, it's an insult to us players. You know, wins are hard to come by in this league, and if I was Denver's defense, I would feel a certain way -- they're not allowed to, 'cause they're all on one team, but people are making it look like Tim Tebow is the kid from Foxborough (Tom Brady) which, that couldn't be more opposite. It's just crazy that we're calling him a phenomenon when basically he's mediocre. (Panthers rookie QB) Cam Newton's a way better quarterback than Tim Tebow, and we don't have a Cam Newton phenomenon."
Among others interviewed by Silver include Broncos HC John Fox, VP of football operations John Elway and OLB Von Miller, Vikings DE Jared Allen, NFL Network analyst and former league MVP Kurt Warner and ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer.
Here are some more samplings, starting with Allen, whose Vikings lost 35-32 to Tebow and the Broncos in Week 13:
"We decided not to cover anybody in that game, so we left guys wide-open for him to hit, which sucked. It can lull you to sleep, where you're just thinking, 'We can stop the run. We can stop Tebow.' But you know, it's still the NFL. You don't need to be Tom Brady to hit a wide-open guy."
"You know what the coolest part about the whole thing is? And the reason people hate it? Because it's showing that the conventional wisdom of coaches isn't really necessary. You know, coaches always think they have the winning theory: 'Our way is the right way! Blah blah blah!' Well, here's a dude that they basically had to scrap the whole offense for and go back to running a college (system). And they have been successful with it. Sometimes people think the game is more difficult than it is. If you find something that works, go with it. And I don't really think it has to be a nine-syllable frickin' play."
Buffalo Bills LB Nick Barnett:
"I think it does rub some of the guys the wrong way. For a lot of Christians, using football as a measuring stick of how good God is -- it's not necessarily what you're supposed to be doing."
Dilfer:
"I don't have a problem with what Tim Tebow's doing with (his outspoken Christianity). I've seen him try to articulate why he has the belief and why he believes the things he does, in a very easy way to understand. He's not the guy, when the cameras are put in his face, saying, you know, 'Praise to God, because he supernaturally let that ball hit my receiver!' You know what I mean? But he's upfront with it, and he makes many people uncomfortable. I do have a problem with what the Christian community is doing with his faith, that they are almost becoming a cult following. I think it's an 'us' problem, not a 'him' problem."
Warner:
"To me, it's a biblical story. That's what the Bible's full of: Ordinary guys who are able to accomplish extraordinary things, not by their own strength and might but by God's hands coming with them. And I think it's very similar to my story and what people took from me going from a grocery store clerk to a Super Bowl champion. Often we want to focus on the individual and the great things he's done, kind of like Tim Tebow, and rightfully so. But the thing you always notice in the Bible is that the result of those things is other people believing. That's what I take away from this: Tim is an ordinary guy who by football standards might be considered ordinary but is doing some extraordinary things. I've seen a team and commentators and analysts and fans come to believe. And it doesn't always have to be believing in Jesus and believing in faith. They're believing in the fact that regardless of our limitations, we can still accomplish great things."
There's far more to sift through in GQ's three-page web version, so dive in.
Source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomSports-TopStories/~3/CYZzICKuUfM/1
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