Mark Sanchez was being accused of laziness , which only added to the drama of adding Tebow for the sake of having a Wildcat quarterback under new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano. Nonetheless, Tebow was a Jet, not to mention the only backup quarterback to have his own press conference bigger than any that the incumbent starters had ever had. And boy, was he excited:.
As many predicted, Sanchez failed to improve, the Jets missed the playoffs and Tebow's presence became a distraction. The idea that a high-character player like Tebow could keep the Jets together only backfired. The team's grand plans for an unstoppable Wildcat package were grounded, as Rex Ryan and his coaching staff vastly overrated Tebow's abilities as both a runner and a thrower. During the season, a Daily News report listed mostly anonymous Jets players and officials who took unprovoked shots at Tebow, calling him "terrible.
Still, Tebow knew that his biggest asset at this point was his character, and saying anything was only going to prevent him from getting another starting gig, either in New York or elsewhere. It was not until Rex Ryan elected to bench Sanchez in favor of Greg McElroy after a playoff-eliminating loss to the Titans in Week 15 that Tebow's allure began to wear off. His human side finally came to light:.
I'm just glad he proved he could look furious. In fact, he was so furious that he asked to be kept out of the Wildcat package for the following week—though he'd later deny those reports. Tebow is simply not a good enough player to overcome even the slightest hiccups in character. Of course, anyone would have been angry for getting passed over, especially when you consider that this may have been Tebow's last chance to get a chance to start an NFL game.
But for Tebow, this comes with the territory of trying to turn a high-character reputation into a career in the NFL. Where or if Tebow plays in the NFL is yet to be determined. The Jets will try to trade him , but his value is at an all-time low. At the peak of his career, the Jets paid a whopping price of a fourth-round pick for him. More to the point, the Jets have shown just how damaging Tebow's popularity can be to a team.
Those who blindly support and follow him everywhere he goes—"Tebowmaniacs"—have fueled his demise as much as they have helped him. Whether a team is looking for a starting quarterback, a backup or a fullback, they can find solutions that will not provide the distractions that Tebow does.
Why trade for Tebow when you can just draft a late-round quarterback who is likely a better passer who wouldn't bring ESPN cameras to their training camp? Tebow is now treated like Terrell Owens, in that decision-makers see Tebow as more of a destructive force than an asset—which is incredibly ironic considering how different the two personalities are and how well-intentioned Tebow is.
The dramatic rise and rapid decline of Tebow's professional career is a stark reminder that players without NFL talent simply do not last in the NFL, no matter how hard they try and no matter how much they want to succeed.
Perhaps Tebow is just another one of those great college players not fit for the NFL, though his exceptional character garnered acclaim that most others never would have received. Considering everything else that Tebow has accomplished in his young life, there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, because this world could use a lot more Tim Tebows.
New User posted their first comment. Log in. NFL Feature. Tim Tebow with the New York Jets. Modified 05 Dec Feature. How 'Tebowmania' began Tim Tebow was off to a sizzling start, collecting trophies and awards during his college years at the University of Florida. Edited by Amaar Burton. New York Jets Denver Broncos. Sort by: Most popular Recent Most upvotes. Login to post your comment. Show More Comments. No thanks Delete.
Cancel Update. Login to reply. Cancel Reply. Contact Us. GDPR Compliance. Writer Awards. A southpaw with a clutch gene and a fullback's physicality, he wasn't just the talk of Florida, but rather all of college football , during a three-year run as the Gators' undisputed QB1.
All of it led to A year after trading Jay Cutler to the Bears , Denver made its biggest splash of the offseason when it traded up into the first round of the draft to take Tebow at No. It wasn't long before Tebow already owned NFL jersey sales, and for a short stretch, the QB appeared to validate the attention. More of a gadget player until December of his rookie year, when he replaced a struggling Kyle Orton, he flashed more as a runner than passer in three starts but orchestrated a dramatic comeback win.
That set the stage for , when he once again replaced Orton and paired sloppy starts with iconic finishes, going and famously leading an upset of the Steelers in the playoffs. Tebow was a legitimate, if unorthodox, winner during his stint under center, but the Broncos were not convinced his accuracy woes would allow for long-term success.
They went all in on Peyton Manning entering , signing the longtime Colts legend and proceeding to trade Tebow -- and his polarizing QB prospects -- in a swap of mid-round draft picks.
The Jaguars are on the rise and you can download the CBS Sports app so you don't miss any headlines out of Jacksonville. Favorite the Jaguars now if you already have the app so you don't miss a thing from one of 's most interesting teams. The beginning of the end for Tebow, at least in the NFL Just one year after taking the Broncos to the divisional round of the postseason, No. While fans hollered for his Big Apple emergence during Sanchez's struggles, coach Rex Ryan and the Jets staff refused to view Tebow as anything but a " more potent Brad Smith " -- the former Jets special teamer who saw occasional snaps at QB and receiver.
The ex-Broncos hero started in just two of his 12 games and threw just eight passes in his lone season with the team, making his "biggest" headlines as a member of the punt team. In between requests to consider a position switch and play some variation of tight end, fullback or running back, Tebow admittedly refused to sway from the QB spot. But he also failed to stick in both New England and Philadelphia after hitting free agency. The Patriots gave Tebow his first shot post-New York, reuniting ex-Broncos coach Josh McDaniels with his former starter, but a mediocre preseason left him among the club's final cuts.
This is where Tebow's journey takes a crazy turn.
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