Good Pitching Will Beat Good Hitting Any Time... And Vice Versa.

http://www.foxsports.com/content/dam/fsdigital/fscom/mlb/images/2014/09/11/091114-mlb-2014postseason-pi-mp.jpg

The 2014 MLB Post Season is set as far as teams go. But it wasn't an uneventful Sunday with five teams' post season fates hanging in the balance. The Cincinnati Reds chopped the legs out from under the Pittsburgh Pirates over the final two games including a walk off grand slam that sent the St. Louis Cardinals the NL Central Championship. The Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers won, sending the Tigers into the Divisional round and leaving the Royals with the Wild Card on Tuesday. And a 4-0 win in Arlington saved the Oakland A's from a possible 163rd day of baseball against the Seattle Mariners who went home after their win over the Los Angeles Angels. So, the table is set with the Royals, A's, Giants and Pirates taking the four wild cards while the Angels, Tigers, and Orioles claimed the AL West, Central and East divisions respectively and the Dodgers, Cardinals, and Nationals taking the NL West, Central and East divisions. But for now, we can all take a breath and collect ourselves before the post season starts tonight.

However, as we all know, here at Right of Centerfield I like to jump the gun when it comes to sports and love making bold, if not crazy, predictions for upcoming events whether it's College Football, NFL Playoffs, March Madness or even this very MLB season. So, here's a look ahead to some of the possible match ups we'll see come October and then an unveiling of the 2014 World Series Contenders as well as the Champion.

Tuesday, September 30* AL Wild Card
Oakland A's at Kansas City Royals

http://static.bangordailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Red-Sox-Royals-Baseball-600x428.jpg

The longest active post season drought is over. The Royals, after 29 years of post season let down, are led by Alex Gordon (.266/.351/.432) and James Shields (14-8, 3.21 ERA) but they simply do not score runs like a playoff team should, finishing the season 14th in runs scored with 651. Although KC has made a habit of not striking out, they are the only team in the league with less than 1,000 Ks on the season, they're also last in the league in home runs (95) and walks (380). However, when the Royals get on base they are the best at stealing bases (153). The Royals bullpen pitching and defense are the two stars for this team that will limit the A's dynamic offense- or what's left of it. Kansas City has the second best save percentage in the league (82%) behind only San Diego and the seventh, eighth and ninth inning combo of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland is better than any in the game averaging a 95.9 mph fastball and incredible movement on all of their pitches. Then there's the defense which has been commended by Terry Francona as saying, "[when Gordon, Jarrod Dyson, and Lorenzo Cain play] nothing drops [in the outfield]. Nothing."
Now, the A's have heard all of this before. However, they've also scored runs before and that hasn't panned out over the last month of the season when they have a post season contender worst 91 runs in September. (The Royals are only just above them at 96 though) Although, that may not matter in this round when the ever potent-in-October Jon Lester takes the mound. Lester has a 2.11 ERA in the post season and posted a 4-1 record with a 1.56 ERA last year en route to a World Series with the Red Sox. However, since the A's traded Cespedes for Lester there has been little pop in the lineup that they will desperately need against the superb pitching of James Shields and the KC bullpen.
A's: 2-1

Wednesday, October 1 NL Wild Card
San Francisco Giants at Pittsburgh Pirates

http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/298/files/2014/01/7732000.jpg

The 2014 National League MVPP- most valuable position player- will play host to the 2012 NL MVP as Buster Posey and the Giants come to Pittsburgh. However, rotation questions plague both of these clubs. Madison Bumgarner leads the Giants in wins (18), ERA (2.98), K's (219) and WHIP (1.09) and has won five of his last seven starts but Bumgarner has posted an 11.25 ERA while allowing five runs over four innings of his lone start against the Pirates this year. Meanwhile, the Pirates' pitching staff doesn't have a single starter with an ERA under 3.00 nor more than 13 wins. However, the Pirates and Giants are in the top 12 of the league in runs scored, 4.22 and 4.08 respectively, and total runs, 675 and 653 respectively. The Pirates lead the season series 4-2.
Pirates: 5-4

Thursday through Wednesday 2-2-1 (Best of 5) AL Divisional
Oakland A's at Los Angeles Angels
Angels in 3

Thursday through Wednesday 2-2-1 (Best of 5) AL Divisional
Detroit Tigers at Baltimore Orioles

http://bronxbaseballdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/justin-verlander-540x360.jpg

The Tigers are the best all around group of hitters going into the playoffs finishing in the top two spots in runs (757), batting average (.277), OBP (.331) and slugging percentage (.426). The Orioles have some of the top pop in their bats leading the league with 211 homers- 25 better than the second team who hails from no-gravity Colorado. Chris Tillman gets the nod to start for Baltimore most likely against Max Scherzer. However, don't count out the Tigers pitching to be the dominant factor in this series. Scherzer, Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello pack a decent 1-2-3 punch out of the gate while Al Alburquerque and Joe Nathan will strike out anyone who comes to the plate in the later innings. On the other side, Bud Norris and Wei-Yin Chen will follow Tillman to test the Tigers in the early innings and, much like the Tigers, Darren O'Day and Zach Britton will control the eighth and ninth. Runs will be at a premium but the bats in this one know how to drive in clutch runs even against stellar pitching.
Tigers in 5

Friday through Thursday 2-2-1 (Best of 5) NL Divisional
Pittsburgh Pirates at Washington Nationals
Nationals in 3

Friday through Thursday 2-2-1 (Best of 5) NL Divisional
St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers
Can we have this as a World Series instead? No? Well it will certainly feel like a World Series matchup without the interleague lineup changes. Clayton Kershaw, Zach Greinke, and Hyun-Jin Ryu to start against the likes of Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn, and Shelby Miller? Who needs to hit the ball when the pitcher and catcher can just play catch all night? Of course, that might be the case if we also weren't going to be seeing Yasiel Puig, Adrian Gonzalez, Dee Gordon, Hanley Ramirez and Matt Kemp. And that's just the Dodgers. The season series is held by the Dodgers (4-3) but with Yadier Molina, back from a midseason injury to his catching thumb, the Cardinals can matchup with the contenders out west.
Dodgers in 4

Friday through Saturday 2-3-2 (Best of 7) AL Championship
Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels
Angels in 6

Saturday through Sunday 2-3-2 (Best of 7) NL Championship
Los Angeles Dodgers at Washington Nationals
This one will be even better than that St. Louis-LA matchup with the Nationals, not Kershaw, getting the nod for best pitching performance this season. Stephen Strasburg- yes, the same guy who was so highly touted as the most dominating pitcher in the country mere years ago- is not the backbone of the dominant starting pitching for the National League East Champion Washington Nationals. Tanner Roark (15-10, 2.85 ERA), an ace for most any team in the league, is relegated to the bullpen. Those are just hints as to how loaded the Nats' are on the mound. The reality is even more stunning. Jordan Zimmerman hasn't lost in the second half posting an 8-0 record along with a 2.18 ERA and 0.89 WHIP. Strasburg has a 3-1 record in September along with 32 K's and a total of three walks, that's 10.66 Ks/BB. Then Doug Fister and Gio Gonzalez have two of the best pitches in the game with Fister's sinker being nearly unhittable and Gonzalez's curve resulting in a .156 average.
Kershaw and the Dodgers make a quality 1-2-3 starting rotation but questions abound after that and unless the offense picks them up the Dodgers will exit after five games. The Dodgers are 2-4 against the Nationals this season and who owns both of the wins? You guessed it, Clayton Kershaw. They've been outscored by a slim margin (25-23) even though they were shut out in the first game of the season. With Dee Gordon, NL steals leader, on the base paths no base is safe and with Yasiel Puig backing him up with a lighting rod of a bat, the early runs in innings are always at risk. This will be a tough battle that takes the two teams 2,308 miles across the country and through four timezones after each set of games. Luckily they get a nice full day between the games.
Nationals in 7

Tuesday through Wednesday 2-3-2 (Best of 7) World Series
Washington Nationals at Los Angeles Angels
Why the Nationals win: Starting pitching is the key to this matchup with the Nationals simply dominating from start of the rotation to the back end and a pretty nice bullpen to back them up. Then there's Jayson Werth, Adam LaRoche, and Anthony Rendon to score those runs that are somewhat important to winning a World Series. Plus a World Series trophy might inspire a change in Washington right before the November elections and maybe Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi will retire and buy the Nationals. Our nation's capitol hasn't had a World Series trophy in over 90 years. Let's change that this year, boys.
Why the Angels win: Mike Trout's insane ability and Albert Puljos' playoff experience will combine as a force of nature to conquer the National starting pitching to force early bullpen action. Oh and Howie Kendrick, the second best bat on this team, will be the 2011 David Freese and 2013 Big Papi of 2014 for this team of All Stars in the October Classic. The pitching will be the biggest question mark in a rotation that doesn't feature a single pitcher with an ERA under 3.00 and only Matt Shoemaker and Hector Santiago with improved ERAs post All Star Break. But when you score more runs than anyone else and own a higher away runs per game than home runs per game average, you are able to win games.
My Pick: The Nationals in seven games will pull off what some may call an upset and others will call destiny and others will simply say "Finally."

http://bronxbaseballdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/justin-verlander-540x360.jpg

A note for all my Reds fans out there: Each of the past two times Cincinnati has finished under .500, the following season has resulted in a National League Central title (2010, 2012) so don't be too upset with this finish.

*All dates are courtesy of mlb.com

Commander inCompetent

http://www.dividedstates.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/bho-disgrace.jpg

It was laughable for a few months, that laughter that parents share as they watch a toddler walk around at first. Then it got frustrating, the frustration that comes from one too many spankings but you know you have to do it one more time and think this time the lesson will stick. Then it went into infuriating, like a teenager who had turned his back on all of his parents' teachings. Now it's just annoying, like a President who won't even change which hand his latte is in as he exits Marine One so he can salute the men that he, supposedly, commands.



And yet, even with this childish lack of respect, the Commander in Chief of the greatest military the world has ever seen has the audacity to both claim a Nobel Peace Prize and then bomb seven different countries in the span of six years- and those are just the air strikes we know about.

To date, the Obama administration, led by the President himself, has sent airstrikes to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq and, as of Tuesday, Syria. 

In Pakistan alone we can see how much destruction this man has caused in the name of "strengthening international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples" in the field of "arms control and disarmament and world organizing."

As you can see in the video, close to 85% of the airstrikes that have hit Pakistan have come during the Obama administration. Each month of strikes that killed more than 93 people has happened on Obama's watch. There have been six such months with the highest estimated death toll topping 150 in September 2010. All of the airstrikes in Pakistan since Obama took office in 2009 have resulted in over 2,700 casualties.

Another Nobel Peace Prize worthy number: 580. The number of Pakistanis killed in the time between Obama taking office and his receiving of the award later that year- not even 12 months later. That is 63 more than all the airstrikes on Pakistan under President Bush.

Now, does this speak more to the members of the Nobel committee and how ignorant they are or to the arrogance of our Commander in Chief to accept this award knowing how much destruction he has caused in such a short span of time? I'll let you decide that piece.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/23/politics/countries-obama-bombed/index.html

In Afghanistan, hundreds of airstrikes were aimed at suspected Taliban and al Qaeda forces with many of them also hitting civilians in the process. Now, after almost 13 years in Afghanistan, we are still leaving troops behind in a "support" role to help train Afghan forces and maintain security.

Libya has seen one of the darkest days in US history when the embassy in Benghazi was attacked and four Americans were killed by rebels on September 11, 2012. That came after airstrikes against the nation in conjunction with a U.N. Security Council resolution. Those airstrikes ended in the death of Moammar Gadhfi.

Hundreds of militants in Yemen have been killed due to continued US airstrikes in the region, however several hundred civilians have also been the victims of such strikes. Somalia, known for the pirates off the coast, has also seen our airstrikes come down when the US attacked and killed the militants associated with al Shabaab and their leader earlier this year.

And now, the latest attacks come with the threat of ISIS in Iraq and Syria. While some have been humanitarian in origin, most have been acts of continued warfare against terrorist groups like al Qaeda and ISIS. Bombing ISIS directly and the oilfields they control, Obama and his Joint Chiefs have begun yet another war in the Middle East and this one is not likely to end before Obama leaves office.

One thing is abundantly clear, and has been since the first day in office, this Commander in Chief and Nobel Prize recipient currently in the Oval Office has no respect for the men and women in the armed forces that he commands and even less respect- yes, less than no respect- for human life in general. Whether that comes across in his blatant disregard for those in the womb, his concern, or lack thereof, when he attacks another country, or his neglect for those he so openly welcomed into the country and has now turned over to the Republicans in Congress as a political problem rather than people, it makes little difference. Obama, the man who spoke so eloquently and won over the hearts and minds of millions of Americans, is nothing more than a political killing machine with no regard for who suffers.

The Beacons of Playoff Contedership Are Lit; The Big 10 Calls For Aid

The Power 5 conferences are refusing to answer the Big 10's pleas while demolishing their top-tier brother 10-1 thus far. Kenny Trill is dismantling Johnny Football's legacy (read: Kevin Sumlin is a tremendous quarterback coach) and he doesn't need cash grabbing signs to do it. The University of Cincinnati (1-0) has a better record than their in-state rival THE Ohio State University (2-1). Kentucky isn't just a basketball school anymore. No one is talking about Nick Saban's Tide and yet they are still 3-0. And that's how you know college football is in full swing at this point. After three weeks of non-conference gridiron battles and some light em up in-conference games only one thing is certain: no one could have predicted Penn State would be the main beacon of hope for the Big 10's playoff hopes.

10 Observations and Predictions from the First Three Weeks of College Football

After this past Saturday, Notre Dame has now played Purdue annually 68 times. That's a rivalry for all you Michigan fans whining that ND is leaving your "rivalry." The Irish have also won the past seven annual meetings by a combined score of 204-119. This independent squad still plays Stanford, Florida State, Arizona State and USC before the end of the season. With wins against these powerhouses, Notre Dame's lack of championship game will garner more support for their playoff case than any Big 12 team.

Penn State is now up there with Nebraska as the only teams in the Big 10 to be undefeated through three weeks of play. However, Penn State is the only team to have won a game in conference and thus leads the Big 10's playoff hopes. The rest of the Nittany Lion's schedule includes home games against both Ohio State and Michigan State and no consecutive road trips. Look for these guys to be at the top of the conference come December.

Kansas State faces the toughest test of their entire season on Thursday when Auburn comes to town. If they can survive a visit from the SEC powerhouse, the Wildcats could win out even with road trips to Oklahoma and Baylor. The Wildcats have had two weeks to prep for this game and will need every second they can get if they want to beat the Tigers.

Ole Miss and Texas A&M are dark horses for the playoff and yet are two front runners to win the SEC West. Oh and by the way, the SEC West has lost one game and that was when Arkansas lost to divisional-foe Auburn. #KennyTrill4Heisman

Arizona State might be the team to beat out West if anyone from the PAC 12 wants to be bowling in the playoffs. Although Oregon is the top team, the title game will be a tough fought battle between the Sun Devils and Ducks challenging the Ducks to outscore this explosive Arizona State offense.

Cincinnati has the team to win out- if they circled that game against the Buckeyes for the past several months that is- but they'll be overlooked because of their conference schedule. There is no doubt that the Bearcats' toughest test will be out of conference against Ohio State on September 27. However, if the defense gets their jitters out with another in-state rivalry game this coming Saturday against Miami (OH), the Cats can run with the Big 10 big boys in the Horseshoe.

Eight SEC teams are in the Top 25. Seven of them are in the top 15. Five of them are from the SEC West. All five of the SEC West canidates are in the top 10. If you don't think the SEC will get two teams to the CFP you are kidding yourself.

Oregon is the top team in the nation at this point. Although the SEC is the top conference, Oregon has played better to this point and should easily win the PAC 12 and a spot in the playoff. Oh and the SEC and PAC 12 will start playing home and home regular season games to settle the "Top Conference" debate by 2022.

Florida State won't win out- thus losing any shot at making the playoff- but will still win the ACC. The Seminoles simply have too many let down games and a tough title game against North Carolina or Duke to make it to December unscathed. The toughest let down game will be in two weeks when they visit North Carolina State after a home game against Clemson who are looking to wreck havoc on the Seminoles streak.

Oregon, Alabama, Georgia and Notre Dame will end up in the CFP. If all of these teams are wiped off the map by alien invasion: UCLA, BYU, Auburn and Penn State make the final four.

Top 25, Associated Press be Damned
1. Oregon
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma
4. Florida State
5. Auburn
6. Texas A&M
7. Ole Miss
8. LSU
9. Notre Dame
10. MSU
11. Georgia
12. UCLA
13. Arizona State
14. South Carolina
15. Stanford
16. Missouri
17. BYU
18. Wisconsin
19. KSU
20. Clemson
21. Nebraska
22. Ohio State
23. Penn State
24. Mississippi State
25. USC

More Than The NFL

Over the past 72 hours, many people have taken to social media and the airwaves calling for the removal of Roger Goodell and about half of the NFL's legal department and the GM, Owner and Head Coach of the Baltimore Ravens, and it hasn't even been a week since Ray Rice was terminated from the Ravens and subsequently suspended indefinitely by the NFL.

In today's knee-jerk society, this is no surprise.

From the 2012 presidential debates to the VMAs and America's Next Top Model to ISIS and Ferguson, social media has taken off as the main way for everyone to have a voice on just about anything. However, hashtags, trending topics, and Facebook campaigns are simply gasoline poured on a small fire to make a sudden explosion. They don't last and people forget whatever isn't easily accessible on their homepage.

Which is why the focus of this atrocity has turned from Rice to the NFL's "higher-ups" in less time than Rice was a free agent. We want people to blame and now that Rice has been punished we can't harp on him anymore. Time to move on to Goodell and the other head-honchos who told Rice to knock out his fiancee in the elevator.

Except, they didn't and, to my knowledge, have never done anything to condone off-field misconduct.
Unless you count allowing Michael Vick back into the league condoning of his actions because he has talent? Or maybe it's the 203 DUI cases since 2000 that have yet to lead to an actual comprehensive crackdown on substance abuse for players that marks the NFL's real stance on punishing players- read: talent?

Enough with the sarcasm. This case brings to light numerous problems in the modern NFL and the way NFL officials and players have banded together to sweep hundreds of crimes under the rug with little to no official action taken.

Take the Rice case. 
Ray Rice was arrested for "simple assault charges" on February 15. On February 19, TMZ becomes the leading investigative journalism TV station with the release of the first video outside the elevator. Rice's charges are changed- over a month later- to aggravated assault. Ray then applies for-and of course is accepted into- a pretrial intervention program on May 1. This is the end of any legal discipline for the star running back.
Commissioner Goodell, in all of his wisdom, then waited until July 24 to suspend Rice for an extremely long time: two games. He, and the NFL he represents, was rightly chewed out for the lack of any backbone when it comes to star players becoming violent criminals. Another month passes and it just so happens that the NFL makes a major overhaul of their domestic violence policy. TMZ, keeping their status as top-tier investigative journalists, released the second video on Monday, which shows Rice knock out his fiancee with one punch. The Ravens subsequently fire Rice and the NFL places him on suspension.

If this doesn't smell like bullshit to you yet, maybe this tweet by the Associated Press will add a tinge of that all too familiar odor to the situation:

BREAKING: AP Source: Law enforcement official sent copy of Ray Rice tape to NFL executive in April
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 10, 2014

This entire situation is a sticky one for the NFL to handle. I get it. You don't want to supersede the justice department and you want to wait for the legal side of things to resolve. Except... the NFL is a private company. The public didn't vote for Roger Goodell last November. The greater number of fans didn't decide on the coaching staff or the players to be drafted. Not many fans are making the ticket prices or setting the unreasonably high price for jerseys.

So, why is it so impossible for you to punish your personnel reasonably? Why are you making policies if you break them less than a week later because of some "new" video surfacing for the public? What is the actual role of your legal department and all of these policies about violence and what people smoke?
To a large percentage of Americans and fans across the globe, it seems to be a front to let people express grievances and then quickly dismiss their worries with money or a lenient punishment. In fact, an ESPN poll expresses this rather well when it asks if Roger Goodell should resign or be fired in the wake of the Ray Rice "situation."

But hold up there. Is this "situation" simply that- a mundane occurrence for the league? Is this an exception or is it the rule? Has Goodell and Co. simply mishandled this one occurrence or is the general public just now getting a good look at the inner workings of Goodell's take on crime? The upcoming investigation by former FBI director Robert Mueller might answer these questions.

Chris Rock hits the nail on the head here:

Just to be clear. Ray Rice was not fired for beating his wife. He was fired because a video of him beating his wife was released.
— Chris Rock (@ozchrisrock) September 8, 2014

For now though, there's another side of this problem to examine.

Two years ago when Ray Lewis retired after a Hall of Fame career, one of the only topics covered outside of the Super Bowl itself was the murder charges that Lewis had faced earlier in his career. He was cleared of all murder charges- a deal that called for him to plead guilty to obstruction of justice and testify against his co-defendants- and had many a heartfelt statement to make on the subject. Yet, it still remains a dark spot on his football career. Now, as an analyst for ESPN, Lewis has said he takes this matter with Rice personally.

So, maybe the real question we should be asking isn't who in the NFL ranks can we blame for the criminal actions of the gridiron talent. That part is easy.
Maybe the onus lies at the feet of those who continue to pump money into the players who break the law time and time again.
Maybe being an armchair quarterback has more responsibility than we thought this time last week?

But that would require those fans who see football as more than just a sport to speak up. That would require people to actually give a damn when stars break the rules and do more than take to social media to #disappointed the player and his coaches.

That's too much work though. We do our part and change our profile picture for three hours and "#" the crap out of the situation. For as long as it shows up in our newsfeed. Then we go about our daily lives without a second thought as to why we #fireGoodell two days ago.

We've become so desensitized to violent crime that it doesn't take us aback to say that Ray Rice was involved in a domestic assault case. He took a right hook to a woman that is maybe half his size. He knocked his fiancee out and then dragged her out of the elevator. That is not normal behavior. And, if it is, we are way past #'s and trending topics to #enddomesticviolence.

To solve the cancer that is domestic violence we have to be willing to say that there is in fact a problem going on. We all know the saying "the first step to beating your problem is to admit there is a problem." Well Houston, we have a problem.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, intimate partner violence (domestic violence) makes up 15% of all violent crime. Over one million women are victims of domestic violence each year. Victims have lost almost 8 million days of paid work because of domestic violence. There are more animal shelters than there are shelters for battered men and women.

This is a problem that clearly effects more than just the NFL. This is a day to day atrocity that effects the lives of millions. From the men and women who are abused to their abusers and to any children or family members involved, we have a responsibility to end domestic violence and the stigma surrounding these victims, both male and female, young and old.

I don't have all the answers here and I can't solve this problem with a snap of my fingers, none of us can. However, a more direct approach to help those involved identify and stop the violence happening to them is needed today more than ever. That begins by knowing what domestic violence is and how to identify it from both an insider and outsider's perspective.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse CALL 1−800−799−7233 or online at http://www.thehotline.org/

The Swivel Chair Quarterback

I recently read one of the best articles about Tim Tebow and the atmosphere of the National Football League that surrounds him even now that he has been off the field for quite some time. I encourage everyone to go and read this article and then come back to this one.

First off, I want to make it clear that before his time in Denver, aka his time leading the Florida offense to two National Championships and one Heisman in the middle, I was an incredibly anti-Tebow guy. The guy irritated me because he was so good and he played for the only SEC team I sincerely wished would lose all their games- maybe I should try wishing the Bengals lost all of their games. However, when he got his chance in Denver, one of my all time favorite teams, my reaction to this polarizing quarterback quickly changed.

He brought the team back from near extinction in 2011 and won an AFC West Championship for them, one of only two in 13 seasons. He went 3-1 against the division, winning all three division road games- as a matter of fact he was 5-1 away from Mile High in the regular season. A 7-4 record by the Tebow-led Broncos culminated in a Wild Card game with Pittsburgh at Mile High. Or, I should say, almost culminated in that game, until Tim Tebow did what few other quarterbacks can do: found a way to win.

The game was going completely Denver's way at half. Up 20-6 the Broncos were in control and Big Ben and the Steelers were on their heels. However, five second-half Denver drives ended with only three points to show for it (punt, punt, field goal, fumble, punt) and the defense was unable to hold off the Steelers who tied the game, 23 all, with 3:48 left in the fourth quarter.
The coin flipped, Denver started their overtime drive on the 20 and Tebow immediately regained control. One snap, one quick throw and 80 yards later Tebow and the Broncos are going to New England.

Tebow passed for 316 yards, two touchdowns and added another score on a scramble in the redzone. He ended with a 125.6 passer rating and 366 all purpose yards. Of course, the following week the Broncos were outmatched by New England and lost 45-10.

However, Tebow has done something that neither Jay Cutler nor Matt Schaub (both with only two playoff starts under their belts) were able to do by throwing zero interceptions and finishing with a post season Passer Rating over 87.5- he finished with an even 90.0 in 2011. And, most importantly, he owns a playoff victory, something that 13 current starters can't say (Bradford isn't starting anymore but he would be the starter for St. Louis had he not been injured).

Now, he's not the best quarterback to ever walk onto the gridiron. His throws aren't perfect. He hangs onto the ball too much or throws the ball too early. He's not a traditional quarterback and may bring media attention simply because he's a proud Christian who wins football games. Given time though, Tim Tebow has a God-given ability to adapt and can be used in many different offensive styles; wildcat, option, and spread to name a few, to help almost any franchise become a top tier team.

Pop quiz: Who's jersey was at the top of the NFL jersey sales list for much of 2010 and finished in the top 3 despite not making the playoffs or completing 50 passes on the season?
Tim Tebow, as a rookie. He was also the only rookie to be featured on the top 25 NFL jersey sales list at the end of the season.

No matter what you think of Tebow you cannot deny that he brings a spotlight, and therefor money, with him wherever he goes. Whether he likes it or not, his name is out there and was recognized faster than most any other athlete since 1994. As Dan Orlando says, "Tim Tebow is a brand." And that brand isn't going anywhere anytime soon. In fact the fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars have gotten together to petition the team to bring Tebow into the woeful organization and Tebow has reportedly heard from several "interested" teams to bring him back under center.

We know he can win games. We know he can bring in fans and revenue. We know he wants to play the game. The only thing we don't know, as Steve Matoren points out, is why NFL owners aren't going after Tebow with everything they have and why coaches aren't pushing the front office to give him another chance. Unfortunately, I don't have an answer for you other than a similar proposition to Steve's: these people- coaches and owners- are scared that Tebow will come in and become the face of the franchise instead of them. (Except, when we are talking about teams like Jacksonville, Buffalo, Cleveland, and Tampa Bay they don't have a steady franchise face yet, so why not Tebow?)

Are Steve and I right that the egos of coaches and owners have gotten so out of proportion that they're afraid to bring in Tebow simply because he might take over as face of the football side of things? (Which only makes a tiny bit of sense seeing as he is the football player and they are at most on the sidelines...)

And that brings me to the next segment here. If you're in the sports world, you either live off of hypotheticals or believe they are the devil's tool to take you down. Here at Right of Centerfield, I'm a huge proponent of hypotheticals and see absolutely no harm in looking into the crystal ball of football to see where Tebow might just land if he decides to get off ESPN's chair and put on pads again if any team can suck up their ego enough to win some games.

5. The NFC East
No, really. Tebow could end up, and fit in nicely, with three of the four teams in the geographically challenged eastern NFC division.
Eli Manning is a franchise quarterback, I get it, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be a good idea for the Giants to bring in a more mobile backup option for Eli than Ryan Nassib who totaled 138 yards on the ground at Syracuse. Not only would Tebow provide another style of play for the otherwise non-impressive Giants offense, he has proven himself as a competitive starting quarterback if Manning were to ever go down.
Dallas has Romo and won't be looking for a new starter anytime soon, as long as Tony stays healthy. The backup, Brandon Weeden, proved he could throw the ball better than Brady Quinn, Chad Henne and Mark Sanchez in 2012, just barely, but ran it worse than everyone except Chad Henne. So, really, Dallas is also in need of a backup.
Washington already knows that the mobile quarterbacking of RGIII is dangerous and can cause their main man to get seriously injured rather easily. So, once again, there's a call for a backup who can come in and command the field from the start and knows the pressure of winning with media hype surrounding them and neither Kirk Cousins nor Colt McCoy are serious contenders for that job.
Philly would be the outlier in the division as the team has a quality quarterback in Nick Foles and no one wants Sanchez and Tebow compete for playing time again, especially not Sanchez or Tebow.

4. Houston
The Texans looked much better in their season opener than they did at all last year. Whether that is because of Clowney and Watt unfairly manhandling the Redskins' offense until Clowney left the game or because of the play of new quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick remains to be seen down the road but both new additions to the Texans staff showed promise (as long as they stay healthy). Over Fitzpatrick's nine years in the pros, he has a career 59.9 completion percentage and close to 17,000 yards through the air, respectable numbers for having been with the Rams, Bengals, Bills and Titans throughout his career. However, his backup, Tom Savage, from Pittsburgh and Rutgers, could barely run to save his life in college averaging -1.9 yards per carry over 167 attempts. With a defense that is back to postseason capability, an open division race for the foreseeable future and Arian Foster commanding the ground attack, Tebow's arm and maneuverability would be a welcome addition to this Texan depth chart.

3. St. Louis
When Sam Bradford went down for the season, the playoff hopes for the Rams dwindled near completely lost. The home opener of the season didn't do much to reassure the fans that Shaun Hill or Austin Davis are ready to take the helm in the Edward Jones Dome. Hill, who strained his quad and is questionable for this coming weekend, threw for 81 yards on eight completions. Davis threw for 192 but had no touchdowns and a pick to show for it. The Rams have the personnel that would allow a Tim Tebow-esque quarterback to thrive in the Arch City but the tough NFC West division makes every game a must-win and even Tebow's magic would be stretched pretty thin in that dome.

2. Tampa Bay
Unless the Bucs and their coaching staff pull some sort of miracle out of their hat, Tampa is going to be in for a long season behind a backup quarterback turned starter in Josh McCown. Bringing Tebow in wouldn't even be the greatest idea considering the personnel, or lack thereof, that he would be surrounded by. Vincent Jackson is the only experienced wideout on this team and Doug Martin isn't the ideal running back. Having said that, Tebow is one of those players you can literally build an entire side of the football around. He is versatile enough to salvage a few wins for the Bucs and would be an ideal franchise QB in Florida down the stretch.
Speaking of Florida...

1. Jacksonville
You may have heard that Tim Tebow played at The Swamp for four years and only earned two National Championship crystal balls and a Heisman. You may have also heard that the Jaguars' franchise just so happens to be in the same area, an hour and a half away from in fact, that same Swamp. Oh, and the high school that Tebow won a State Championship with is about half an hour from EverBank Field. If that's not enough of a reason for the Jaguars to pick Tebow up and at least have him sign a few autographs and bring people to the stadium for a few Sundays, maybe his 31-5 college and professional career record in Florida might be enough to sign him up. They even have T-shirts ready for him:

Realistically, do I see Tim Tebow putting on the pads and taking another snap under center? No. Unfortunately the buzz that surrounds Tebow is too much for the billionaire owners to stomach even if he straight up wins. And for those that say that he should go in as a tight-end or fullback, I just want to ask, why? Why should a quarterback, who has proven over multiple seasons that he can win, be removed from his position especially for teams that still need a quality quarterback?

Tebow is and will always be a quarterback at heart but now he'll be a few steps up from armchair quarterbacking as he gets national coverage every Saturday on SEC Nation in his suit and swivel chair.