Newspaper Page Text
www.themaroontiger.com
November 9-15,2011
i
SPORTS
h j' ' "
.
. ■ ■■:
■ i
.
'
Xaundrae Tingling
Staff Writer
xaundraet@gmail.com
W ith eight weeks already in the history
books, the NFL season just passed its
midway point. Though the season is nowhere
close to being finished, it is never too early to
recognize players who are having spectacular
seasons so far. Here are The Maroon Tigers
NFL mid-season awards:
MVP: Green Bay Packers Quarterback,
Aaron Rodgers - There can be no arguing
that Rodgers has been the MVP for the first
half of the season. Rodgers has thrown a
league high 20 touchdowns as opposed to
only three interceptions. His 125.7 quar
terback rating is 20 points higher than his
closest rival; New England Patriots quar
terback Tom Brady. More importantly, the
Packers boast a perfect 8-0 record, and look
well on their way to winning this year’s Su
per Bowl.
Honorable Mentions:
Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings) and
Brady.
Defensive Player of the Year:
Dallas Cowboys Linebacker/Defensive End,
Demarcus Ware - Although the Dallas Cow
boys have not lived up to expectations so far,
Ware has consistently played at a Pro Bowl
level. Ware already has 12 sacks, a half sack
behind Vikings defensive end Jared Allen.
Though Ware only has 36 tackles and one
forced fumble, his constant pressure on op
posing quarterbacks has been the key to the
Cowboys defense.
Honorable Mentions: Lamarr Woodley
(Pittsburgh Steelers), Eric Weddle (San Di
ego Chargers).
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Carolina Pan
thers Quarterback, Cam Newton - Going into
this year’s NFL draft, there were many football
experts who had doubts about Newton’s accu
racy and his ability to quickly grasp an NFL
playbook. Newton has greatly surpassed these
expectations, and, so far, is playing up to the
expected level of a number one overall pick.
Newton’s 2,393 passing yards is second be
hind the 2010 Super Bowl MVP, New Orleans
Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and he leads
all rookies in total touchdowns with 11 pass
ing and seven rushing.
Honorable Mentions: Andy Dalton and A.J.
Green (Cincinnati Bengals)
Biggest Surprise:
San Francisco 49ers - What a difference a coach
makes. Jim Harbaugh has completely turned
the team around and has the 49ers with a 7-1 re
cord; the only loss in overtime to the Dallas Cow
boys. Harbaugh’s most impressive turnaround has
been his starting quarterback, Alex Smith. Smith,
the 1st overall pick in 2005, has been steady all
year throwing for seven touchdowns and only one
interception. Along with a healthy Frank Gore,
look for the 49ers to continue their good form
throughout the rest of the season.
Biggest Disappointment:
Tennessee Titans Running Back, Chris
Johnson - After securing a new contract
from the Tennessee Titans, Johnson has been
struggling all season to find his groove. This
year/ Johnson has only averaged 2.8 yards
per carry and has rushed for 308 yards. To
put that into perspective, Johnson is tied
with the Kansas City Chiefs’ backup running
back, Jackie Battle, and the Miami Dolphins’
Daniel Thomas for 34th in total rushing
yards. Johnson’s drop in production is espe
cially alarming given that only two seasons
ago Johnson became only the sixth man in
NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a sea
son.
Scrutiny of Tebow Unfair? Not So Fast
COLUMN
Dante Miles
Staff Writer
miles.dante@yahoo.com
O ver the past four weeks, no
quarterback in the NFL has
been scrutinized more than Denver
Broncos starting quarterback, Tim
Tebow. From his abnormally long
delivery, his happy feet in the pock
et, and his ability, or lack thereof,
to read defenses, everything Tebow
does is dissected for all to see.
As the weeks pass, more and more
Tebow supporters have appeared
and said the treatment Tebow has
received is unfair. Many people have
pointed to Tebow’s strong religious
beliefs as a reason why critics root
against him and wait for him to slip
up.
After writing an article question
ing the fanfare surrounding Den
ver’s quarterback, I found myself
accused of being one of those crit
ics. I received several calls and texts
from friends accusing me of being
a “Tebow hater” and demanding an
explanation of my views.
Once I replied to all the messag
es, I sat back and thought about the
article I had written. Was I being
biased? Had the lack of opportuni
ties for black quarterbacks jaded my
views on Tebow?
Honestly, yes, but with good rea
son. My dilemma with this entire sit
uation has more to do with the pop
ular thought that Tebow “deserves
a chance,” and all that disagree are
simply out to get him.
When I hear people argue for
Tebow, I can’t help but think back
to the treatment of the Carolina
Panthers starting quarterback Cam
Newton before the 2011 draft.
We all witnessed as Newton led
the Auburn Tigers to a perfect re
cord, a national title, and a Heisman
Trophy on his way to becoming a
pro. However, as the draft neared,
there were many that feared Newton
would not be able to make the tran
sition to a pro-style offense.
Before the draft, the Cleveland
Plain Dealer printed an article based
on quotes from Pro Football Week
ly’s Nolan Nawrocki trashing New
ton. Nawrocki called the eventual
overall number one pick a “fraud,”
“narcissist,” and even a “con-artist.”
One particular quote that shocked
me said, “Newton does not com
mand respect from teammates, and
always will struggle to win a locker
room. Only a one-year producer.
Lacks accountability, focus and
trustworthiness—is not punctual,
seeks shortcuts and sets a bad ex
ample. Immature and has had issues
with authority. Not dependable.”
After the report was released, there
were few people who came to New
ton’s defense, despite all the positive
things he had done to change his life
around after his dismissal from the
University of Florida football pro
gram.
Throughout the process, Newton
remained the consummate profes
sional who vowed to work hard to
improve before the draft.
The point of questioning Tebow’s
play is simple; this type of treatment
has become common for black quar
terbacks around the NFL. People
who criticize Tebow do it not to be
little his faith, but because there are
many aspects of his game that usu
ally do not translate well in the NFL,
and it will take more than a prayer to
correct them.
Got a
PASSION
for
To become a writer
Maroon Tiger, stop b
Half or contact the
m
ie section
in. It’s
re
Q Recycle The Maroon Tiger