It may seem a little disingenuous using a biblical reference
to describe the latest situation surrounding New York Jets’ backup quarterback
Tim Tebow but what would be the point in writing these things if you couldn’t
have a little fun with it?
Besides, it kind of fits in a way. Especially when you
consider how Tebow’s football odyssey has gone so far.
The funny thing is Tebow’s high school career started with a
controversy similar to this one. Tebow was attending Trinity Christian and
wanted the chance to compete for the starting quarterback job.
Tebow would not be granted his wish so he and his family
decided to transfer him to nearby Nease High School. Tebow would win the
starting job there and led his team to the state championship during his senior
year.
Tebow would only travel an hour and a half to begin his
college career at the University of Florida. He would help the Florida Gators
win a national championship during his freshmen year playing as a backup and
situational player.
Most people are aware of the rest of his numerous exploits
while playing for the Gators.
He won the Heisman trophy twice, once as a sophomore. He
also led Florida to another championship, broke numerous records and collected
a ton of awards during his time there.
Despite Tebow’s many detractors and their lowly assessment
of his skills, Tebow’s pro career has followed a similar pattern. Tebow was
drafted in the first round by the Denver Broncos even though most draft experts
expected him to go much lower.
Tebow wasn’t expected to find much success in Denver but
things changed during his second season with the team. He would replace starter
Kyle Orton after Orton got the team off to a 1-4 start and led the team into
the playoffs.
Tebow was also able to deliver the team a playoff victory by
throwing the game-winning pass in their win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The
Broncos were not willing to commit to Tebow long term though which is how he
ended up with the Jets.
The Jets added Tebow via a trade during the off-season and
talked as if they had big plans for him but none of those plans really came to
fruition this season. The Jets claimed they would put together a Wildcat
package in order to make use of Tebow’s skills but rarely used it or him during
this season.
Tebow was sure not to make any waves despite his lack of
playing time but even he was unable to suffer quietly through this last
indignation.
Starting quarterback Mark Sanchez had been playing horribly
this season and head coach Rex Ryan felt it was time to make a change at the
position. Instead of giving Tebow the opportunity to compete for the position
though, Ryan awarded the job to third-string quarterback Greg McElroy.
Now Tebow wants out of New York and who would blame him? All
he wanted was a fair shot to win the job but it’s like he’s re-living his high
school situation all over again.
Although Sanchez was able to lead the Jets deep into the
playoffs during his first two seasons in the league, there have always been
questions about his decision-making and accuracy. During this past off-season,
Tebow had the choice to either go to the Jets or back home and play for the
Jacksonville Jaguars.
Tebow actually chose to play for the Jets and I always
believed he chose to go there because he felt that Sanchez would be easier to
unseat than Jaguars’ starter Blaine Gabbert would be. Tebow probably thought
the competition between him and Sanchez would be fairer than the one between
him and Gabbert would be.
I agreed with Tebow in this regard.
Jacksonville was bringing in a new coach and new coaches are
usually more inclined to build around a young quarterback like Gabbert. Even if
Tebow did win the job in Jacksonville most people would think that his
home-town fans pressured the organization into giving him the job rather than
him earning it.
So Tebow decided to go where he felt he had the best chance
to compete and to a team where he knew his playing time wouldn’t be affected by
his super-loyal fan base. It was a smart and admirable decision on his part.
It would be an easy thing to say that he made the wrong
choice but I don’t think he did. Sanchez faltered just as Tebow expected he
would.
Gabbert bombed even worse than Sanchez did which is why many
people will say that Tebow should have went there but going to Jacksonville now
is a better situation for Tebow than if he would have asked to be traded there
last off-season.
Gabbert failed but he failed on his own. Tebow’s presence in
Jacksonville would have put every move Gabbert made under an intense microscope
and that’s not a good position to put a young quarterback in.
Now that Gabbert has shown that he can’t get the job done
though, bringing in Tebow actually seems like a better option. The best part
about this situation is that Tebow won’t have to feel his popularity undermined
Gabbert’s chances to win the job.
So if Tebow does return to Jacksonville then he’ll
essentially be going home. Home to where his career started and back to the
area where most of his football success occurred.
It also may be the only place left for him to get a chance
to prove he can lead a team in the NFL which means that Jacksonville could
represent a promised land of sorts for Tebow.
The Jet’s still hold Tebow’s rights though and have not
expressed any desire to let him leave New York so getting back to Jacksonville
may not happen very soon.
But most people feel it’s only a matter of time before the
Jets either release or trade Tebow. If so word is that the Jaguars are
definitely interested.
Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Blogger for The Sport Mentalist and an NBA Blogger for The Sport Mentalist 2. He is also a Sports Reporter for Pro Sports Lives. He can be contacted at sportmentalist@yahoo.com and be sure to follow him on Twitter @sportmentalist.
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