Life-Saving Trades, Tebow and $$$

The Trade That Saved Jerome Harrison's Life
The mid-season NFL trade deadline usually comes and goes with little or no fanfare.  This is in stark contrast to the NBA or Major League Baseball trade deadlines where potential trades are discussed and hypothesized for what seems like months at a time.  The main reason for this lack of trade excitement in the NFL is due to the shorter regular season (16 games vs. 81 and 162 games for the NBA and MLB).  Each and every game is so important to a team's success that risking any mid-season effects due to a new or lost player is just not worth the potential benefits of a trade.  It's much safer for an NFL trade to occur in the offseason so that the players and teams that are affected can at least have the 6 weeks of practice and training camp to adjust to a new scheme or playbook.  One player who was traded prior to this year's NFL trade deadline is grateful that his proposed new team wanted him now rather than later.

Jerome Harrison is happy he was traded last week.  The trade
physical disclosed a brain tumor that alerted Harrison to get
the medical help he needed.

Detroit Lions running back Jerome Harrison was proposed to be traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for fellow running back Ronnie Brown along with a draft pick.  Both running backs were feeling rejuvenated to get to their new teams and help them push for the playoffs later this season.  However, Harrison complained of headaches during the mandatory physical prior to a trade being finalized, and the Eagles team physician order an MRI, which revealed that Harrison had a brain tumor.  The trade was voided and Harrison has already undergone surgery to remove the tumor.  Subsequent to any trade, analysts and experts debate which team received the best side of the deal, but I think we can all agree that this trade was a "win" for everyone involved.

Good luck and speedy recovery, Jerome!


Why Do People Not Want Tim Tebow To Succeed?
Ever since Tim Tebow burst onto the scene in 2006 with Florida as a change-of-pace, run-right-over-you kind of quarterback, he has been a lightning rod for lovers and haters.

The lovers worship Tebow for becoming the first sophomore ever to win the Heisman Trophy, for leading Florida to 2 National Championships, for being drafted in the 1st Round of the NFL Draft, for being a humanitarian, for serving multiple "missions" to the Philippines, and for being awarded the starting quarterback position for the Denver Broncos last week.

Bronco quarterback Tim Tebow will be watched and analyzed like never before
as he tried to validate all the Tebow-lovers and confound the Tebow-haters.

The haters despise Tebow for being overrated and receiving more credit than he deserves, for being blessed with an NFL-ready roster at Florida to shadow his lack of "traditional" quarterback skills, for being lucky that he rose so high in the NFL Draft, for coming across as a self-righteous Christian, and for winning the popularity contest in Denver so when first-string quarterback Kyle Orton consistently underperformed this season, Coach Fox had no choice but relent to the Bronco fans and start Tebow against the Miami Dolphins this last week.

Whether you are a lover or a hater, however, there is one thing about Tebow that you can't deny - he is a leader and a winner.  He has succeeded at every level and he seems to inspire his teammates to play at a different, higher level.  He will no doubt have his ups and downs as a quarterback in the NFL.  He is still realistically a rookie in terms of experience and only time will tell whether his prominent success in high school and college will translate at football's highest level.  In addition to his inherent ability to lead a team, Tebow's will to win and make plays results in a heightened ability to improvise when a play breaks down or his receivers aren't open.  Tebow will be exciting to watch whether you love him or hate him because he will make good plays, bad plays, and ugly plays.  In his first game as a starting quarterback this season, Bad Timmy had a rough 3 1/2 quarters against the winless Miami Dolphins, falling behind 15-0 with less than 5 minutes left in the game.  Then Good Timmy showed up and stormed the Broncos to an 18-15 overtime victory.  Interesting stat:  In his limited playing time during 2010 and 2011 so far, Tim Tebow has led the Broncos to as many come-from-behind wins after having 13+ point deficits in the fourth quarter as Bronco legend John Elway.  And that's why both the lovers and the haters will watch...and why they will probably both be right about Tim Tebow.

What Did We Pay For Again?
The Louisiana Superdome has hosted numerous championship sporting events, political conventions, and even hurricane refugees since it opened in 1975.  With yet another Super Bowl, a NCAA Final Four and other prominent events to take place in the Superdome during the next 16 months, Mercedes-Benz spent an undisclosed amount to own the naming rights for the next 10 years.  Given the low per-capita income levels in Louisiana (one of the lowest in the country), Mercedes-Benz is undoubtedly banking on the exposure of nationally-televised events, championship games, and the long-term success of the New Orleans Saints in order to reap the benefits of such a significant investment.  So what happens on the first national televised event last night on Sunday Night Football with the Saints taking on the Colts?  NBC mentioned the "Mercedes-Benz Superdome" only once!  According to Front Row Analytics, the lead play-by-play announcer Al Michaels said "The Superdome" as opposed to "The Mercedes-Benz Superdome" 7 times, which was estimated at a missed value of $1.19M for Mercedes-Benz.  Further, the Mercedez-Benz Superdome was on screen 16 times during the broadcast and Michaels only said the full name once.  Thanks for the love, NBC!  Please send Mercedes-Benz that $1.19M check in the mail at your convenience.