You should probably sit down for this, although I have no idea why you were standing: there’s still no team interested in a quarterback who can’t throw, and therefore he can’t be a quarterback. Also, there’s still no team interested in a player who will be released in a matter of days.
Scratch Rams off list of possible destinations for Tim Tebow. St. Louis, rumored 2 be interested last yr, won’t be trading for him, I’m told
— Manish Mehta(@MMehtaNYDN) April 9, 2013
Let’s begin this day with a question: why?
Yesterday New York Jets general manager John Idzik conversed with season-ticket holders during a conference call. They mostly talked about Darrelle Revis’ shredded knee, and the possibility that the team’s stud cornerback and one of the league’s best overall defenders could be traded. You know, pleasant matters.
But then inevitably the subject of one Timothy Tebow surfaced, for that is mandatory when the Jets are discussed in any public forum. Somehow he remains the most relevant irrelevant backup quarterback in league history, so well done there. I suppose on many levels what Idzik said next and how he addressed the Tebow situation should be expected. He dodged, bobbed, and weaved, but the fact that he left the door for a Tebow training camp appearance even slightly ajar gives us all great pain.
As it pertains to his religious beliefs, Tim Tebow generally doesn’t care what you think. He wants you to follow, and he really appreciates it if you believe in his teachings while helping him in his quest to build a hospital on every street corner around this Earth. But if you don’t? Meh. Tebow is doing Tebow, and he believes what he believes.
That’s often the path of the true believer. Critics will inevitably arise, but they are respectfully ignored. I’ll duck before typing this, but it’s admirable that Tebow has mostly done that throughout his time in the spotlight dating back to his Gator days. He’s a believer, and while those who disagree with him are acknowledged, nothing sways his view.
That changed today, because it seems that when the public calls him so very many names for siding with a homophobic crazy man, Tebow will finally relent.
If you’re a member of the somehow still thriving and breathing Tim Tebow lunatic fringe, I’d like you to please fasten your sanity cap while reading this post. OK, go.
It’s been known — or at least widely reported — for quite some time that the Jets will seek to trade Tebow this week as anyone who’s remotely important in the NFL gathers in Indianapolis for the Scouting Combine (no, I won’t be there). But if you needed some finality regarding those reports as executives begin to descend on Indy today, ESPN New York’s Rich Cimini passed this nugget along while running down the list of the Jets’ remaining offseason needs following yesterday’s purge:
The Jets will try to shop him at this week’s scouting combine. The first day they can trade him is March 12, so they might keep him until then with the hope that they can swing a deal. Chances are, no one will bite, so they’ll end up releasing him.
We agree, Richard. So, where will he play next then? Ummm, does your local rec league at the Y that’s run by Chain Smoker Lenny have an opening?
Caldwell: I can’t imagine a scenario where Tim Tebow would be Jacksonville Jaguar.
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@jaguars) January 10, 2013
What say you now, Tim Tebow truthers? The new GM in Jacksonville — the supposed safe haven for your messiah, and maybe his last opportunity to do anything meaningful in an NFL game — has no desire to employ a quarterback who can’t play quarterback. Weird.
And don’t say the next stop when he’s inevitably cut by the Jets is up here in our northern regions, with a landing spot in the CFL. Because, you know, a passing league with only three downs and a significantly wider field is perfectly suited for a quarterback who can’t pass, and has a slow, cumbersome throwing motion.
Tebow’s CFL rights are currently held by the Montreal Alouettes, and their head coach Marc Trestman worked with him prior to the 2010 draft. So that’s where he’d play if he opted to come to the land of maple syrup and so many beavers that we have to flush them out, and he’d be the backup to and possible successor for Anthony Calvillo. Of course, that perfect story would fall apart quickly if Trestman gets an NFL gig (he’s met with the Browns and Bears), but shhhhhh.
But we can’t emphasize enough that the whole awful throwing bit won’t jive well in a league where accurate throwing — and specifically, getting the ball out quickly to cover the vast stretches of field — is an absolute necessity. If you need more emphasis, here’s Andrew Bucholtz:
With three downs, a bigger field and expanded motion, the Canadian game is even more passing-focused. Yes, some dual-threat quarterbacks have had success up north, most notably Damon Allen (Warren Moon, sometimes cited as an example there, didn’t actually run very much in the CFL), but Allen was always quite capable in the passing game too. He was the CFL’s leader in career passing yards until Anthony Calvillo broke his record in 2011, and his 56.4 per cent career completion mark (much of which was recorded in an era that emphasized deep, lower-percentage throws more than today’s game) makes Tebow’s look like chopped liver by comparison. It’s hard to see why the Alouettes would even consider a quarterback who’s such a poor passer, especially when they already have a great starter in Calvillo and a plethora of interesting backups, including Adrian McPherson, Stephen Garcia and Josh Neiswander.
First off, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry that the proper Buffalo Bills uniform wasn’t available for Timothy Tebow, and he’s had to inherit Ryan Fitzpatrick’s number and hairy arms.
Also, let’s establish off the top that the likelihood of the event that’s about to be described actually becoming a real thing that’s the worst or best thing ever is so very, very low. Oh, and one more disclaimer before we go about the business of making Bills fans — those quite rightfully happy upstate New Yorkers after learning that their team will stick around for at least seven more years — vomit up a lunch they haven’t had yet. As I’ve written repeatedly, I’m not among the eight remaining lost souls who still think Tebow is a viable starting NFL quarterback, and I’m approaching this strictly from a fantasy perspective.
Alright, let’s get on with this then.
Tebow leaving New York in the offseason is, at this point, a mere formality. Or so it seems at least, given the now near daily reports of dissatisfaction on both sides, with Tebow already speaking in the past tense regarding his time as a Jet, and management reportedly set to seek a trade. Because if any quarterback has value on the trade market, it’s one who had only two true suitors last spring in the Jets and Jaguars (or Jag-Wires to some…the worst). The far more realistic expectation is for Tebow to be granted his release, and thus the cycle will begin anew.
When that happens we’ll continue debating where he could possibly find a home to start, because debating is what we do with Tim Tebow, even though he’s been a backup quarterback for a year, and has been entirely irrelevant as it relates to the actual act of playing football. The typical QB-needy destinations will be tossed around, with the Jags and Chiefs leading the list. But if there’s even a shred of an opportunity for Tebow to become the fantasy stud QB he was a year ago and rekindle that 2011 Denver magic, there’s only one destination to where that seems likely.
Buffalo.
There’s something so immensely sad about the Jets’ quarterback situation.
No, I’m not referring just to the fact that Greg McElroy — the same Greg McElroy who has attempted seven career passes, and was inactive for much of this season — will start at least one meaningful football game this year, and likely two. Of course, “meaningful” is used pretty liberally in that sentence, as the Jets’ remaining two games are only meaningful in the sense that they are indeed regular-season games.
No, I’m not referring just to the Mark Sanchez clustostraphe. It’s a mess that in truth started last spring when it was determined by general manager Mike Tannenbaum that handing a contract which includes $8.25 million in guaranteed money next year to a quarterback who has never completed 60 percent of his passes in a season was wise. The desire to keep Sanchez on board and to continue the salvage effort with a fifth overall pick was understandable, but the monetary value was not.
And no, I’m not referring just to the equally mind-numbing Tim Tebow acquisition. I’ve voiced and will continue to voice my anti-Tebow stance, and his many blind followers will scream their rebuttals. That’s a conversation for another time, but what’s not debatable is this: giving up two draft picks (including a fourth rounder) for a quarterback who’s then completely bypassed when it’s finally determined that your starter isn’t a starter at all is management dysfunction in its highest form.
Here’s the most troubling and telling fact, though. Late last night multiple reports indicated that the Jets will possibly look to part with Tebow and Sanchez, exploring trades involving both quarterbacks. Let this question linger for a second: who has more trade value? The answer is neither, as both have none. And that’s sad.
