Patriots Sign Tim Tebow

[Ring 6]

I remember a highly touted Heisman winning QB who completed less than 50% of his passes per year for several seasons as a starter, and had a season with 8 TDs and 25 INTs. He had many other years with tons of INTs. 62 TDs, 80 INTS in 5 seasons, only once over 50% completions, and that was 51%.

He was awful- no poise, no brains, no heart, and was run out of town on a rail.

Jim Plunkett NFL Football Statistics - Pro-Football-Reference.com

Then later in his career something clicked with Jim Plunkett. .While not historically great by any means, he was good as a Raider

So a career reboot is not unprecedented, but it is rare.

You cannot compare completion percentage in 1977 to 2013.
It is an entirely different passing game with different schemes and rules.
50% in the 70s was what 60% or higher is now.

 

[Ring 6]

Talented where? He hasn't shown an ability to run routes, he hasn't shown an ability to catch the football, he hasn't shown the ability to pass protect, he hasn't shown the ability to accurately pass a football, he hasn't shown the ability to consistently read and dissect a defense and he sure as hell hasn't shown the ability to play on D. Where exactly does this Tebow is a talented footballer myth come from? Is it because he has shown a will to win in a position he played for years? If that's what people are positioning, he's a moderately talented Running Back and a below average Quarterback. That may change under Coach Belichick but right now, the title of talented footballer and Tim Tebow, in my opinion, do not go hand in hand.

Tebow has a competitive demeanor, is committed to football, has some athletic ability and has shown he can make some plays, mostly running with the ball.
Tebow has not shown he has enough skills that there is a position or role on an NFL team that he can be effective at.

I see 2 possibilities here.
1) Tebow is the right guy mentality, personality and commitment wise to be a Patriot QB, and BB brought him in to see if there is any chance the actual skills needed can be coached and developed. In this case, I would assume the plan is that he goes through at least 2, if not 3 training camps and seasons before ever being considered a viable option on the field.

2) We don't even carry a QB3 normally, so if we can find a 'good teammate' that has the versatility to be the emergency backup at 4-5 positions and could fill in on special teams, why not see how the final 53 shakes out and see if there is a spot, much like we would use for a Niko Koutivides type player if there is room.

 

[ausbacker]

Tebow has a competitive demeanor, is committed to football, has some athletic ability and has shown he can make some plays, mostly running with the ball.
Tebow has not shown he has enough skills that there is a position or role on an NFL team that he can be effective at.

I see 2 possibilities here.
1) Tebow is the right guy mentality, personality and commitment wise to be a Patriot QB, and BB brought him in to see if there is any chance the actual skills needed can be coached and developed. In this case, I would assume the plan is that he goes through at least 2, if not 3 training camps and seasons before ever being considered a viable option on the field.

2) We don't even carry a QB3 normally, so if we can find a 'good teammate' that has the versatility to be the emergency backup at 4-5 positions and could fill in on special teams, why not see how the final 53 shakes out and see if there is a spot, much like we would use for a Niko Koutivides type player if there is room.

I'm not arguing that Tebow isn't a wonderful competitor Andy, I'm wondering why people think he's a talented footballer despite the lacking factual basis to make such a claim. For mine, somebody like Troy Brown should be considered a talented footballer. The guy played on O, D and ST with some distinction. To me, that's a talented footballer.

 

[Ring 6]

I'm not arguing that Tebow isn't a wonderful competitor Andy, I'm wondering why people think he's a talented footballer despite the lacking factual basis to make such a claim. For mine, somebody like Troy Brown should be considered a talented footballer. The guy played on O, D and ST with some distinction. To me, that's a talented footballer.

I wasn't disagreeing with you. Although I would definitely call Tebow a talented COLLEGE football player

 

[ausbacker]

I wasn't disagreeing with you. Although I would definitely call Tebow a talented COLLEGE football player

I know you weren't, it was more elaboration on my position. In regard to Tebow as a college footballer, we are in agreement.

 

[Tunescribe]

Now available on eBay. These are ridiculous.

 

[Joker]

yeah...well, at least we can be thankful that the Tebow circus has left town and all the hoopla is over for good....I mean, show me!!! ...show me even ONE Patriots fan wearing one of those shirts!!! Go ahead, Tunescribe....SHOW ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!......it's D-O-N-E....no more stories, no more interviews, no more ESPN and NFLN clips...OVER!!!!! you hear me????

 

[Tunescribe]

yeah...well, at least we can be thankful that the Tebow circus has left town and all the hoopla is over for good....I mean, show me!!! ...show me even ONE Patriots fan wearing one of those shirts!!! Go ahead, Tunescribe....SHOW ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!......it's D-O-N-E....no more stories, no more interviews, no more ESPN and NFLN clips...OVER!!!!! you hear me????

Well, the shirts are being made in North Carolina. Apparently they don't get BB's press conferences down there.

 

[Joker]

Can't wait for the Jets game , the 2nd game of the season....50,000 red, white and blue Tebow Tebowing shirts and jersies...everyone chanting .."T-E-B-O ..PLAY HIM NOW!!!"...fireman Archangel Gabriel blowing his horn and the Patriots cheerleaders dressed in nun outfits running out onto the field and taking whacks at a Rex-in-effigy dummy on the fifty yard line with their lead lined wooden yard sticks..and instead of a National Guard fly over, they'll rig up a Pope-mobile drive-by replete with an escort of altar boys sporting water cannon uzis filled with holy water to keep the vampires and demon possessed "haters" at bay....

yeah...who needs a circus, right?

 

[supafly]

Tebow has a competitive demeanor, is committed to football, has some athletic ability and has shown he can make some plays, mostly running with the ball.
Tebow has not shown he has enough skills that there is a position or role on an NFL team that he can be effective at.

I see 2 possibilities here.
1) Tebow is the right guy mentality, personality and commitment wise to be a Patriot QB, and BB brought him in to see if there is any chance the actual skills needed can be coached and developed. In this case, I would assume the plan is that he goes through at least 2, if not 3 training camps and seasons before ever being considered a viable option on the field.

2) We don't even carry a QB3 normally, so if we can find a 'good teammate' that has the versatility to be the emergency backup at 4-5 positions and could fill in on special teams, why not see how the final 53 shakes out and see if there is a spot, much like we would use for a Niko Koutivides type player if there is room.

In my opinion it all depends on how much they thought of Mike Kafka. If Kafka wasn't getting the playbook very much or simply had a lack of talent as a QB in this system or otherwise, then bringing in an upgrade at the QB3 position makes some sense. After all, Tebow can surely offer more of a versatile skill set at other areas than Mike Kafka could, no?

Not only can it potentially be an upgrade in that area, but it may also allow an extra player to be kept on the 53 man roster who normally wouldn't have made it. I have no idea what Belichick's plans for Tebow are, but the possibility does exist that we can now cut down on a wedge blocking reserve LB who wouldn't see the field, a TE5 (although I thought the chances of that were pretty low in my opinion), or even some other kind of special teams player who may have been a one trick pony.

We also have the thought that he can help the defense to prepare as a scout team QB in terms of the read option. If anything, it never hurts to practice tackling a 6'3" 240 lb football player--no matter what position you'd have him playing. It's possible that Tebow may be able to take some short yardage snaps at the position of RB in goal line/2 pt conversion situations.

We know that a player of that size has to offer something as a blocker, so if Belichick is able to coach him up a bit he'll most likely put his heart and soul into at least contributing as a blocker in certain situations (I'm assuming).

To sum it up--Mike Kafka obviously couldn't do any of those things, and unless he was somehow progressing as a downfield passer and we just don't know about it, I see the move to add another QB as a positive, because he's probably much more of an addition to the "QB3" position than adding another guy like Kafka may have been.

We know the kid is a good athlete when put in certain situations, and we know that he's proven to be a pretty efficient leader too judging by his experience not only at FL but taking a pretty shoddy DEN team and helping to lead them to a playoff berth and upset of a good team. I agree with ausbacker that he isn't a "great NFL talent," but are probably some things that Belichick sees fit to try and make the most out of too.

If anything we can just replace Brady with Tebow vs PIT and let him sling the ball all over the field for 350 yds

 

[supafly]

Just to add one more thought--I'm not thrilled with this idea of adding Tebow to the team. I was more than fine with him somewhere else or out of football altogether; but if Belichick thinks that there is something in there that can add assistance to our team, locker room, attitude, work ethic, etc--then we have to abide by the mantra of "in Bill Belichick we trust."

If Tebow ends up as an additional weapon vs teams that get cute and dare us to run the ball by lining up in nickel formations (don't ask me for specifics, I'm throwing crap at the wall and seeing what sticks) or some other aspects of the game, then we'll all be more than happy to see him as an improved end of roster player.

That's what we all need to remember--he's nothing more than a potential upgrade to an end of roster player. At least that's the way I am viewing it myself.

 

[chumpchange]

Just to add one more thought--I'm not thrilled with this idea of adding Tebow to the team. I was more than fine with him somewhere else or out of football altogether; but if Belichick thinks that there is something in there that can add assistance to our team, locker room, attitude, work ethic, etc--then we have to abide by the mantra of "in Bill Belichick we trust."

If Tebow ends up as an additional weapon vs teams that get cute and dare us to run the ball by lining up in nickel formations (don't ask me for specifics, I'm throwing crap at the wall and seeing what sticks) or some other aspects of the game, then we'll all be more than happy to see him as an improved end of roster player.

That's what we all need to remember--he's nothing more than a potential upgrade to an end of roster player. At least that's the way I am viewing it myself.

Theoretically, that WOULD be great, but that's not how it's going to happen. Tebow is a locker room cancer, plain and simple. And it's the not media driving the obsession with him; it's the insane fan base he brings with him.

This is Tom Brady's team, and it's insulting he has to deal with this. The Broncos or Giants would never have subjected to Eli or Peyton to this nonsense. Nor any other team with a franchise quarterback.

Brady is already showing tension. Asked "If the Patriots decided to use Tebow in a special package, how would you react to coming off the field?"

"I have no idea."

"You'd be OK with it?"

"That's a very hypothetical question. Maybe we'll deal with it if it happens."

When has he ever answered with anything other than, "Whatever helps us win" or "Whatever Coach decides."? This was a classless move by Kraft, and it's just beneath Brady. Why would Belichick and Kraft subject the Hall of Famer, good-company-man to the insult of answering these questions about a player who has no business on an NFL roster as a QB.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Brady is already showing tension. Asked "If the Patriots decided to use Tebow in a special package, how would you react to coming off the field?"

I think the question reminded him of the Funny or Die sketch he did.

Tom Brady's Wicked Accent from Under Armour and Tom Brady

 

[supafly]

Theoretically, that WOULD be great, but that's not how it's going to happen. Tebow is a locker room cancer, plain and simple. And it's the not media driving the obsession with him; it's the insane fan base he brings with him.

This is Tom Brady's team, and it's insulting he has to deal with this. The Broncos or Giants would never have subjected to Eli or Peyton to this nonsense. Nor any other team with a franchise quarterback.

Brady is already showing tension. Asked "If the Patriots decided to use Tebow in a special package, how would you react to coming off the field?"

"I have no idea."

"You'd be OK with it?"

"That's a very hypothetical question. Maybe we'll deal with it if it happens."

When has he ever answered with anything other than, "Whatever helps us win" or "Whatever Coach decides."? This was a classless move by Kraft, and it's just beneath Brady. Why would Belichick and Kraft subject the Hall of Famer, good-company-man to the insult of answering these questions about a player who has no business on an NFL roster as a QB.

I hear what you're saying, and I originally shared some of the same concerns and that's why I didn't really want him here.

That said, the possibility lies that you're reading between the lines a bit too with some negative speculation. Tom Brady is always going to be a "company man" as you say, and I'm really not the least bit concerned with Brady feeling out of place, jealous, or tired of the hype. Let's see how it plays out a bit. It's only been 2 days so far, so I expect this to die down a bit with the lull between the end of tomorrow's OTA's and the start of camp--which is about a 6 wk period. For all we know, Belichick took that into consideration that there'd be a lull with no action between now and then.

I'm not worried about how Brady handles the situation at all. If he didn't publically say a word about losing Welker then this is probably nothing. There's a decent chance that the question may have caught him off guard, or he actually just answered it as honestly as possible. I'm not going to believe that Tom Brady is going to be upset about any of it, nor am I going to buy into the thought that "it's a sign of disrespect to him from the organization."

I respect your thoughts and totally see where you're going, I just don't personally agree with it myself.

 

[chumpchange]

I hear what you're saying, and I originally shared some of the same concerns and that's why I didn't really want him here.

That said, the possibility lies that you're reading between the lines a bit too with some negative speculation. Tom Brady is always going to be a "company man" as you say, and I'm really not the least bit concerned with Brady feeling out of place, jealous, or tired of the hype. Let's see how it plays out a bit. It's only been 2 days so far, so I expect this to die down a bit with the lull between the end of tomorrow's OTA's and the start of camp--which is about a 6 wk period. For all we know, Belichick took that into consideration that there'd be a lull with no action between now and then.

I'm not worried about how Brady handles the situation at all. If he didn't publically say a word about losing Welker then this is probably nothing. There's a decent chance that the question may have caught him off guard, or he actually just answered it as honestly as possible. I'm not going to believe that Tom Brady is going to be upset about any of it, nor am I going to buy into the thought that "it's a sign of disrespect to him from the organization."

I respect your thoughts and totally see where you're going, I just don't personally agree with it myself.

I respect your opinion as well, but I think people are unrealistic with this idea that Brady doesn't fell normal human emotion and will just be somehow immune to the Tebow circus rolling onto his turf.

Can you think of any franchise QB in this league who would be fine with being quizzed about his 3rd string backup, or having the pro shop sell more of the backup's jersey than his, or having Sportscenter run promo shots of the Hall of Fame Coach and the 3rd stringer rather than the Hall of Fame Coach and the Hall of Fame QB? Particularly when the 3rd stringer in question is literally the worst quarterback in the league and not fit to be on the same field?

And what's worse, no other franchise QB would be expected to endure that the way Brady is. This show tremendous lack of respect for what Brady has done and sacrificed for this team. Shades of Joe Montana/Steve Young, except the 'Steve Young' in this case is awful.

 

[PATS16N0]

Tom Brady has put up with -for his entire career- Manning fanboys in media, Brady haters in media, Patriot haters in media, "Spygate" slander, etc.

I think he can handle Tebow as a third string quarterback.

Brady isn't Sanchez and knows he's basically a New England folk hero that could crash on any of our sofas if he shows up on our porch in the rain one night. Seriously doubt he's going to be insecure about Tebowmania.

If anything, it'll make him play better.

Anyone who says that historically, Tom hasn't breathed fire when doubted, hasn't been watching. Look what he did to Denver in the play offs after a week of Tebow hype leading into the game.

Whatever Tebowmania survives Belichick's off-season Belichick-mumbling, Brady will kill on the field

The dude rises above it all every time.

 

[Afam]

J.I. Tebow troll....

= identical Tebow troll...

...

Ok you are clearly baiting him now. That's is not right. Last time I checked that is against the rules.

 

[Joker]

that offends you?...that a poster at J.I. posts the same Tebow propaganda that is posted here?

I'll remove the post if it bothers you that much....

 

[supafly]

I respect your opinion as well, but I think people are unrealistic with this idea that Brady doesn't fell normal human emotion and will just be somehow immune to the Tebow circus rolling onto his turf.

Can you think of any franchise QB in this league who would be fine with being quizzed about his 3rd string backup, or having the pro shop sell more of the backup's jersey than his, or having Sportscenter run promo shots of the Hall of Fame Coach and the 3rd stringer rather than the Hall of Fame Coach and the Hall of Fame QB? Particularly when the 3rd stringer in question is literally the worst quarterback in the league and not fit to be on the same field?

And what's worse, no other franchise QB would be expected to endure that the way Brady is. This show tremendous lack of respect for what Brady has done and sacrificed for this team. Shades of Joe Montana/Steve Young, except the 'Steve Young' in this case is awful.

Having played under the bright lights of 5 SB's and 7 AFCCG's, I assume Brady to be more apt at "ignoring the noise" than maybe you might.

That isn't even bringing into account the challenges of a perfect season, the taking over for a recently signed 110 million dollar franchise QB, Spygate, coming back from a potentially career ending injury (and the infection etc which was a story in itself), all of the continued talk of breaking records, past and current streaks, the acquisition and cut of Randy Moss, the ongoing drama surrounding Welker's contract situation(s), Gronkowski's injuries, marrying a supermodel, dumping a movie star, a child out of wedlock, gunshots fired at his wedding and the lawsuit that followed, the recent decision to negotiate his own contract for much less and all of the chatter that brought up, and of course...the fact that he's involved in one of the world's biggest power couples.

Brady is a lot tougher both mentally and physically than many realize. He's played through some insane injuries and never breathed word one about it. We've seen him come back from a lot of different stuff in his career and actually sometimes even be better for the experience.

There is absolutely no competition from either one of Mallett or Tebow for Brady's job...if anything the only real question is to whether or not someone else may take an occasional snap away from him in a trick play package, or who might get some reps in garbage time. That's the main difference between Brady in NE and Sanchez in NY. There aren't going to be any questions about controversy as to who is starting etc.

The only reason anyone's talking about Tebow at the moment is because this is the end of the 2nd day since he's arrived. As savvy and relentless as the media may be, even they will eventually tire of asking the same questions about a 3rd string QB--especially when they know they aren't going to get the answers they desire. The only reason they are asking now is to get Brady and Belichick's initial reaction to the news about Tim Tebow's recent signing.

 

[Joker]

yeah...that is almost all correct ...except the part "the media will eventually tire" you suggest. The media will switch to making up straw man scenarios in lieu of actual quotes, as they have done literally thousands of times since BB has taken the reins. Have you forgotten John Tomase's "story" the week before the Pats/Giants Super Bowl?

Again, for the 100th time, it's not Tebow playing for the Pats that is the problem...it's the unrelenting national interest in everything even remotely related to the "Chosen One". This is not an image that is suddenly going to evaporate. I related a news story from WPRI on Monday evening's broadcast. "What do you think of the Pats signing Tim Tebow???"...the anonymous person on the street answered "I don't really follow football very much but Tim Tebow???...oh yes, I'll definitely watch the Pats games now"...and therein lies the rub. Tebow "fans" do not necessarily translate to "football fans", but they do represent a very sizable faith based demographic to the media. The media will cater to this demographic for the same reasons the Pats will market new jerseys of their newest member of the 90 man roster because the promise of sales outstripping a Brady or Gronk jersey are too irresistible to pass up.

BB will keep a lid on the press presence in Foxboro...but no one can stop the twitterers from introducing any and all kinds of fabricated rumors with every misstep the Pats or Brady makes. Think about it, if the Pats stumble out of the gate to, say, 3-3 or 2 and 4, do you honestly think that sports links coast to coast will NOT be headlining "when will Belichick make the move to Tim?"....

There are real question marks with this year's Patriot squad...the secondary...the edge rush...in fact, any kind of a pass rush...Gronk's health...the question marks surrounding the WR's...these are very real concerns to any Pats fan. How the Tebow presence is a benefit to ANY of these concerns eludes me. I'm a BB believer so I believe he has a plan to get the Pats off and running out of the gate. I really hope it plays out like that. I'm with the side of the fanbase that believes the roster is better served with depth at one of the weak positions than carrying a third string QB with a worldwide celebrity status.