ISU's Man Of Steele, Shawn & Gabby, Tebow Falls From Grace

(Zach)

The Iowa Corn Growers Association would (we think) like to thank Paul Rhoads for getting them and the hideous new Cy-Hawk trophy out of the headlines.

That Steele Jantz was named the starter is not that big a surprise.  He was clearly the fans choice.  So just how good is he?  Wish I could tell you.  Jantz had a rough spring game, but that counts for nothing since he basically had just arrived on campus and was still learning the system.  ISU closes all but one of their practices during fall camp.

I didn't think Jantz would get the job and I was wrong.  In talking with him I think I mistook confidence for sheepishness.  Maybe he will be the next Seneca Wallace.  That said, for as many JUCO guys as there are like Wallace, Jeremiah Masoli and Cam Newton (though lord knows those two have more baggage with them then the Murphy family on vacation), there seems to be twice as many who come up from JUCO and disappear.

The shocker here is that Jerome Tiller is academically ineligible and will not be available this season.  There really had been no hint of this coming.  Paul said that Jantz would have won the competition anyway, but this still hurts.  The Cyclones don't have a quarterback with any D1 game experience.  No matter how good a guy looks in practice it's out the window come gameday.  That said, if they are thinking about moving Tiller to another position (as Rhoads said they are), then maybe it's not a big deal.

Rhoads said he'd be more worried about the experience if not for Jared Barnett's emergence.  If there was any clue that the staff might have felt Tiller would be unavailable it might have been the fact Rhoads was singing the praises of Barnett at the start of camp after we heard nothing in spring ball.  I can't speak to Barnett's talent, but he passes the eye test.  With only 2 quarterbacks I don't think it's a stretch to say we'll see him at some point.

Couldn't sit down and watch the performances of Shawn Johnson and Gabrielle Douglas thanks to all the Cyclone craziness.  Johnson finished 16th, Douglas 7th.  Shawn didn't compete in all the events as she recovers from injury, but this had to be a big win of a weekend for her.  If she does medal next year in London it might be more special to her than Beijing for as far as she has had to come to come back.

That Kyle Orton is better right now than Tim Tebow is no stunner.  The fact Tebow only attempted TWO passes in their preseason game last night is.  Oh by the way, that preseason game was AT HOME in front of seemingly the only people who think Tebow should be starting, Bronco fans.  Then again, can you have a fall from grace when you've never really had a graceful moment in Denver?

I've never understood why Bronco fans love this guy.  I get his charisma and accomplishments at the college levels, and having lived in Colorado, I can tell you Bronco fans keep expecting every QB they get to be John Elway 2.0 (before Tebow it was Brian Griese, Jake Plummer, and Jay Cutler) and won't settle for anything less.  But one thing still escapes me; how can Tebow be so beloved when he was the crown jewel in the rebuilding plan of Josh McDaniels?  The most hated coach in Denver history.  The coach whose every move seemed to go wrong.  It's like going to Taco Bell and thinking that you won't have to spend a painful couple of minutes on the porcelain throne later even though it happens every other time you go.