“This is the way the world ends.
Not with a bang but a whimper.” – T.S. Eliot
Thursday might be Tim Tebow’s last game in the NFL. There is still hope, but in all likelihood he’ll get some minutes but won’t make the pending line-up cut.
His NFL career won’t end with him raising a trophy high above his head. Nor will it end with him telling the world he’s “going to Disneyland.” It won’t end with him at a podium at Canton giving a speech to cap a Hall of Fame career. It won’t even end on the field with a devastating injury cutting a promising career short.
It will end with the blurb in a press release. Bill Belichick, arguably the best evaluator of NFL talent, will have weighed in with his measurement of the University of Florida Heisman winner, Tebow.
Tebow was tried at other positions during pre-season. The real sign is zero minutes during last week’s game after a 1-7 performance in week two and no real plan revealed for his use during Thursday’s upcoming last pre-season game.
Tebow told FOX Sports he didn’t know what the Patriots coaching staff had planned for him. That’s a bad sign.
Maybe Belichick decides to hold a special teams spot for Tebow. As another tight end perhaps? Perhaps as a punt blocker as he learned in New York? Come Saturday, the Patriots will need to cut the roster from 75 to 53. At least, his dream doesn’t die alone.
Tebow will be survived by Tom Brady and Ryan Mallett. The Patriots are not one to roster more than two quarterbacks.
Tebow will join the roster of other Heisman winning quarterbacks who failed to have successful NFL careers; guys like Jason White, Eric Crouch, Chris Weinke, and fellow Florida alum Danny Wuerffel.
There was a lot of promise for Tebow coming into the NFL. He was the first sophomore to win the collegiate Heisman award and won two BCS championships at the University of Florida. He took over as the starting quarterback of the Denver Broncos in 2011 when they were 1-4. After a series of dramatic late comebacks, the team made the playoffs and beat the Steelers in overtime.
Controversy followed as fans debated whether he was the reason for the team’s success and NFL analysts giving the credit to the rest of the team or to good luck. Tebow’s low QBR and lowest passing completion rate in the league helped solidify the Broncos decision to ignore fan pleas and trade Tebow to the Jets. When Mark Sanchez went down, the Jets didn’t want to start Tebow. In New York, Tebow’s lack of accuracy was his ultimate undoing, leading to a bench role and an eventual release.
If cut, other NFL teams may be interested, but none showed signs last April when released by the Jets. Most have seen Tebow by now. Even the Jacksonville Jaguars, who could use the boost to ticket sales, have said they don’t want Tebow. Every team knows of the inconsistent practice performance, the lack of ability to read a defense and the poor accuracy.
In all likelihood, he will find a spot in the CFL, AFL or speaking tour circuit.
Brian Reddoch is a CraveOnline reporter and rabid fan of all teams Seattle. You can follow him on Twitter @ReddReddoch and at www.facebookcom/craveonlinesports.com.
Photo Credit: Getty
