Have We Seen the Last of Tim Tebow?
“We all know what happened next in Denver. It was fluky and unsustainable; but, it was also, without question, memorable. And maybe that is the greatest quality that Tim Tebow could bring to an NFL roster – he makes you remember him.”
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Two years ago, Tim Tebow led the Denver Broncos to one of the most shocking playoff victories in NFL history. It seemed that the young quarterback was destined for greatness after he shredded the Pittsburgh Steelers number one ranked defense for 316 yards and threee touchdowns (two passing and one rushing) on the NFL’s biggest stage. However; Tebow was soon shipped out of Denver to make room for Peyton Manning and his new team, the New York Jets, never gave him a chance before releasing him in April of 2013. And then, in a last ditch effort, he was signed by the New England Patriots last June – only to be cut during the team’s final cuts in August. To the majority, it seems like Tim Tebow has played his last down in the NFL; but if we have learned anything from Tebow, it is to expect the unexpected.
Since his release from the Patriots, Tebow has been working with throwing coach Tom House of 3DQB at the University of Southern California. Other professional quarterbacks that have also worked with House include Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Alex Smith and Carson Palmer. This past Sunday ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown aired a segment with former Super Bowl winning quarterback and ESPN’s in-house quarterback guru Trent Dilfer analyzing and interviewing Tebow on his progress in his attempt to reinvent himself as a quarterback. And while, to be fair, the timing of the segment is perplexing given Tebow’s recent signing with ESPN as an analyst on their soon to be launched SEC Network – the content of the piece leaves you wondering if Tebow has finally accepted that he never possessed the skills necessary to be a successful starting quarterback in the NFL; and has now rebuilt himself as a quarterback capable of being successful, in some capacity, at the professional level.
In the segment, Dilfer praises Tebow’s progress over and over again. Finally, at the segment’s conclusion – he states the following: “ I spend three-hundred and sixty-five days of the year looking at quarterbacks – high school, college and pros. I don’t have all of the answers. I do know this. If you put Tim Tebow on a football field with four other NFL quarterbacks, and you didn’t know who they were, and just watched the ball. Don’t watch the player, just watch the ball. You wouldn’t know which one is Tim Tebow and you wouldn’t know which one is the NFL quarterback. I want you to watch this in context. This is one of the greatest players to play college football and he didn’t know how to pass. I believe now he knows how to pass. Every GM, every scout, every person out there should go at least watch Tim Tebow now, because it’s a different guy.”
What should we take away from this? Maybe nothing. Or perhaps, we should take away a lot from it. Despite his countless flaws, Tim Tebow was a winner at every single level of competitive football. He led Nease High School (Ponte Vedra, Florida) to a state championship in 2005; and then he went on to have one of the most successful college careers ever at the University of Florida. He won a national championship as a backup/goal line quarterback as a freshman before having one of the most prolific seasons ever as a sophomore en route to winning the Heisman Trophy. As a junior, he lead his team to a victory in the national championship game before wrapping up his brilliant collegiate career with another prolific season as a senior which culminated in a Sugar Bowl victory over Cincinnati in which Tebow was named the games MVP.
We all know what happened next in Denver. It was fluky and unsustainable; but, it was also, without question, memorable. And maybe that is the greatest quality that Tim Tebow could bring to an NFL roster – he makes you remember him. It might not always be pretty and it wasn’t ever by the book; but, my god did he ever breathe life into a franchise stuck in a ditch and resurrect them into a winning team, once again. Like it or not – Peyton Manning would not have come to the Broncos if Tim Tebow didn’t win seven of his first eight starts which catapulted the Broncos from worst to first in the AFC West. Tebow made the Broncos relevant again. And it would not be a stretch to say that he could do the same thing, again, if given another opportunity.
It’s been two years since Tim Tebow hit DeMaryius Thomas for an eighty yard touchdown on the first play of overtime in the opening round of the 2011 NFL Playoffs. At the time, it was far fetched to suggest that would be the last we’d hear or see from Timothy Richard Tebow on the football field. Yet now, two years later, it looks as if that will be the case. However; if there is one thing that Tim Tebow has proved time and time again, it is this – don’t ever bet against him. He’s always been at his best when no one gave him a chance.
