It seems like Tim Tebow has everyone rooting for him to remain in the NFL, but when it’s time for the decision makers to keep him, they always vote against him. A famous person, a celebrity whose fame goes well beyond his actual talent and achievements in the pros. The New England Patriots become the next team to give up on him, and they just might be the last.
Robert Kraft, the Patriots owner, said he was rooting for Tebow to make the 53-man roster going into the regular season. Josh McDaniels, the team’s offensive coordinator, praised Tebow’s ability to learn and his work ethic. Not his ability. Not his talent. His work ethic. It’s not enough to get you on the roster of a team that doesn’t really like having three quarterbacks on their roster.
Tebow didn’t really light it up in the chances he got during the preseason. He finished with an 11-of-30 in the passing game for 145 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in three games. He also showed his running ability, going for 91 yards on 16 carries. Nothing surprising, but nothing new from a quarterback it seemed no one in the league was willing to give him a shot.
Tebow keeps talking about his faith, and being blessed, and not being worried about his diminishing NFL career. Maybe it’s easier avoiding the tough questions, and letting your belief in god guide you, or blind you, while the thing you’re supposed to be best at doesn’t want you anymore.
Tebow, being a four-year veteran, is subject to the league’s waiver system. If he clears waivers, he will become a free agent and can sign with any team. But no one has shown any interest, and unless some team enters some quarterback crisis or is in dire need for a backup, it’s hard to believe Tebow or his agent will be getting a phone call or text message handing him a contract.
The moment Tebow lost to Tom Brady for the second time in his career in the 2011 NFL season playoffs, it seemed like the verdict was passed. The Broncos set things in motion to get themselves a real quarterback, not a College star who hypnotizes the masses with his comeback skills, but is painful to watch when it comes to actual pocket play or looking anything like a decent quarterback.
The New York Jets was the death sentence to his career. Rex Ryan didn’t just hang him out to dry or misuse him in an embarrassing way, he let the entire league know that Tebow isn’t a quarterback, and never will be again. The rest was just a long list of rejections, with Tebow trying to publicize he’s working on his throw, his motion, his technique throw personal trainers who made it publicly clear he’s a better player than before.
As the preseason showed us, Tebow has a lot more work to do, but probably not enough people believing in him to actually give him a chance to prove he can survive a little while longer in the NFL.