A day after Tim Tebow’s release from the New York Jets, the Omaha Beef – an indoor football team in Nebraska – offered the former Florida quarterback a roster spot and $75 per game. Forty-one days later, the New England Patriots trumped the Beef’s offer, signing Tebow to a two-year, non-guaranteed contract. ESPN’s Ed Werder broke the story Monday afternoon, and immediately, our Facebook and Twitter feeds exploded. Tebowmania is a big deal – since ESPN tells us it is – so now it’s our turn to take a stab at it. As the hysteria slowly dies down for the time being, alligatorSports assistant editor Landon Watnick and alligatorSports.org editor Chuck Kingsbury will debate if Tebow will succeed in his first season in Foxborough, Mass.
Landon: Tebowmania is shallow and pedantic at this point, but I actually think Timothy Tebow can bring something positive to the table for an NFL team.
Media gluttony aside, Tebow can only help the Patriots. Not only is he a great teammate, but he’s a great athlete. He proved that in his second season with the Denver Broncos.
He was erratic throwing the football in 14 games in 2011-12, but he doesn’t have to play quarterback under coach Bill Belichick. As a 6-foot-3, 236-pound bruiser, he has a good mix of physicality and agility to play tight end, fullback or running back. I have faith in what Belichick will do with him.
Don’t forget Josh McDaniels, Tebow’s former coach in Denver, will be calling the plays. And you know how much of a man-crush McDaniels has on Tebow.
Tebow will succeed in his first season with the Pats, but he’ll only experience moderate success. To be fair, anything compared to his last season with the Jets would be considered a success.
I’m about to drop possibly the worst pun in the history of sports, but it’s time for a Boston Tea-bow Party.
Chuck: Don’t ever drop a pun again, or I’ll drop you.
If the New England Patriots – and more importantly, Belichick – were seriously considering Tebow for a spot on its 53-man roster, he would’ve been signed to a contract with guaranteed money.
Without it, he’s at as much of a risk of being cut as the other 19 undrafted rookie free agents. And the deal won’t even cost New England a ham sandwich if it parts ways with Tebow before the start of the preseason. But hey, the Patriots may be trying to prove a point.
With a two-year deal worth $630,000 in base salary in 2013, Tebow could be a low-risk, high-reward player. But this seems like a short-lived favor from Belichick to Urban Meyer.
Landon: Chuck, the only things you’ve been dropping lately are deuces.
Tebow basically dropped one last season in New York. He was pretty bad in limited minutes, but in all fairness, so was his offensive line the entire year.
If Tebow does see snaps at running back or fullback, he’ll see a significant improvement in that department in New England. Throughout his career, he’s only prospered with a good offensive line.
In 2011-12, the Broncos led the league in rushing offense with 2,632 yards – mostly because of the offensive line’s success at run blocking. Tebow rushed for 660 yards that year on only 122 carries.
Sure, he might have to adjust to learning a new position, but Tebow could find some success getting carries at the goal line or in the open field. I don’t see him eclipsing 660 yards, but 200-250 yards on the ground and 3-4 rushing touchdowns would constitute a successful season. If he does switch to running back, I see Tebow accomplishing that.
I’m not so confident in his hands, but Tebow has the size to potentially be a dangerous target at tight end. I’d really have to see Tebow get some reps in practice at the position before I determine if he can catch a pass.
If he pushes his quarterback dreams to the curb, Tebow could be one of many valuable weapons for Tom Brady.
Chuck: Ask Brady if he’s cool sitting out a snap or two for Tim Tebow.
Belichick may project him at tight end – despite his lack of suddenness – and it’s a blueprint that has worked well with few players in recent memory, most notably Mike Vrabel, who lined up at tight end in sub-packages in the red zone during his eight years in Foxborough.
But Vrabel was also the starter at weak side linebacker, too.
Let’s face it – Tebow’s last stand will be in New England. His window is closing rapidly, and the idea that the Patriots would even consider sitting him behind Brady for grooming purposes is a fluke.
Tebow’s poor footwork hasn’t gotten any better since his freshman season at UF. He doesn’t go through his progressions. He drifts in the pocket waiting for a receiver to come open and constantly finds himself trying to create plays instead of operating within an offense’s structure. His mechanics haven’t improved.
And he couldn’t hit water if he was sitting in a pool.
With Ryan Mallett on the depth chart, the Patriots reserved just two roster spots for quarterbacks in 2012. There is no chance in hell Belichick clears roster space for a third.
Even if he changes positions, Tebow will be at a disadvantage sitting behind both Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez – arguably the best tight-end combination in the league.
I have no faith in Tebow as a potential in-line blocker, nor do I think he can gain separation off the line of scrimmage if he were to make the transition to tight end.
Quite frankly, he has a better shot long snapping. But hey, at least he’s a little bit closer to Canada, right?
Contact Landon Watnick at lwatnick@alligator.org. Contact Chuck Kingsbury at ckingsbury@alligator.org.
Former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow throws a pass during UF’s 51-21 win against LSU in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Oct. 11, 2008.
