Tim Tebow and the Eagles: Opportunity Knocks

*Chip Kelly is smarter than you, armchair NFL expert. From the start, Tebow has needed a coach who is innovative (and fearless) enough to deploy him in individual high-leverage situations.

*That means on the goal line, 4th/3rd/2nd/1st-and-short and as a 2-point conversion specialist (which might just become the next important NFL position).

*I think that "QB continuity" -- that a starting QB has to play every single snap, otherwise his fragile mind and team chemistry would implode -- is orthodox pap.

*I hope Kelly's intention is to test out the potential of that as a schematic inefficiency -- at a minimum, I love the idea of the 2-point conversion specialist.

*There is no downside to bringing him in, if you don't care about the media hysteria (and Kelly doesn't).

*Peter King will define a lot of the conventional wisdom on this: "Let’s be real about what this is: It’s a trial. It’s a chance. It’s a coach who doesn’t care about the distraction of having Tim Tebow in his camp, because he thinks Tebow might help his team."

*Sports media pre-emptively complaining about the media coverage is slightly disingenuous: For starters, a lot of fans genuinely care (out of curiosity, schadenfreude or other).

*And, consequently, it's worth pointing out that Tebow coverage generates a ton of online traffic (or TV/radio ratings) -- I don't see anyone sending those page views back.

*Good perspective from Adam Schefter: "Let's stop with this Tim-Tebow-in-Philly-is-a-media-circus" idea. The whole league is a media circus."

*Related: I'll wager that Tebow's Eagles jersey is a Top 5 seller for the NFL in May, right up there with Winston, Mariota, Cooper and Gurley.

*Curious: He can't wear No. 15 (retired by the Eagles for Steve Van Buren) or No. 5 (retired for Donovan McNabb). This is new territory. Options are 9, 11, 12, 17 or 18.

-- Dan

Happy 27th Birthday, Tim Tebow + Birth Day of SEC Network

Republished from my other site, DanShanoff.com. I am launching a new email newsletter this month. It won't be about Tebow, specifically, and won't even necessarily be about sports, but please feel welcome to sign up for it here.

It seems fitting that today is both the birth day of the new SEC Network and the birthday of Tim Tebow, the biggest star on the SEC Network.

It was just more than five summers ago that I launched TimTeblog.com, offering obsessive coverage of the Tim Tebow phenomenon (years before "obsessions" became a beat for new news companies).

The site was fascinating to produce -- there was obviously plenty of material around Tebow during his insane senior season at Florida, his insane NFL Draft process, his insane rookie year with the Broncos, the truly insane apex 2nd year in Denver, the modestly insane debacle in New York and the not-really-insane denouement in New England last August.

I can't help but think that the moment the lights officially go on for the SEC Network, with Tebow on-air live from Gainesville, the NFL chapter of Tebow's career will really be over.

I remain biased and mystified -- that no team will give him a shot, that QBs like Brady Quinn and Rex Grossman can land on rosters, that this really might be it.

I know he continues to train -- I actually believe him when he says that his skills have never been better. I am left with one lingering question:

Why doesn't he switch positions?

Yes, I understand that the day he lines up at anything but QB is the day that his dream of being an NFL QB is over, but -- from the looks of things -- his dream of being an NFL quarterback *IS ALREADY* over.

The implication: Wait: He would rather remain a QB and never play in the NFL again than switch to anything-but-QB (fullback? tight end?) and get a shot to contribute on an NFL roster?

It's not like he wasn't willing to do whatever it took to help his teams previously: His rookie year with the Broncos, before he took over as starting QB, he lined up as a receiver. On the Jets, he eagerly accepted a role on special teams. Anything to help the team.

The irony is that if he was on a roster as a fullback, coaches might actually be willing to deploy him more innovatively, in short-yardage situations or otherwise:

Four or five plays per game, what if you weren't sure if the fullback was going to plow you over, pitch to a running back or flip a toss over your head to a wide-open receiver?

The next phase of Tim Tebow's fascinating career begins today. He will be wildly successful and popular, because he has always been wildly successful and popular.

Look: I subscribe to the First Rule of Tim Tebow ("Just when you think it can't get any crazier, it does") and hold out that at least one more NFL opportunity will present itself (say, when Urban Meyer takes over for Bill Belichick in New England).

Even with that faith, I can't help lamenting whether the previous phase -- Tebow's NFL career -- ends today, too.

-- D.S.

Patriots Sign Tim Tebow

Folks, it's been a while, but this is a big enough deal to get going again:

The Patriots have signed Tim Tebow.

We have been talking about this since 2008. Here's why the Pats are the ideal fit for Tebow.

This should be fun.

A few thoughts:

*I'll set the over-under on Tebow TDs at 9, with 5 coming against the Jets.

*If Ryan Mallett is No. 15, does Tebow go back to his old No. 5?

*First rule of Tebowmania: Just when you think things can't get crazier, they do.

*I'm sure Patriots fans will be just thrilled to have us.

-- Dan

Tebow Tells His Side of Story

This makes a heck of a lot more sense than the notion that Tebow refused to play:

“You work your whole life to build a reputation. Then people try to bring you down when they don’t understand even what happened. It’s disappointing. You just want to express your side of the story... “I  never said, ‘Hey, I don’t want to do anything. I won’t do anything.' That wasn’t the talk at all. He knows that. And everybody on this team knows that I would never not do something if I was asked. That’s what’s disappointing… People saying, ‘Oh, you quit.‘ That was not it at all. It was just me asking to get an opportunity to play the position I love, which is quarterback. It wasn’t me asking out of anything.”

Frankly, I feel foolish for buying into the sensationalized anony-mongering before hearing from Tebow himself. I sure as heck hope that Tebow pushed the case to get the start -- or more than one-yard-plunge Wildcatting -- that is totally fair. 

See the full NY Daily News report here.

On Tim Tebow and (Football) Faith

Reprinted from my other site, DanShanoff.com. Merry Christmas, everyone.

Simply put, Tim Tebow is as team-first as any player you will meet. He is single-minded in his interest in helping his team win. He clearly thinks (and has proven) that the best chance for that is with the ball in his hands, but he has also clearly demonstrated that he is willing to do whatever it takes to help.

There are plenty of people who are tired of (or annoyed with) the "Tebowmania" thing, but that is much more of a function of being annoyed with the media's treatment of Tebow than being annoyed with Tebow himself. If anything, even the haters begrudgingly respect Tebow's complete commitment to winning and to his team. Throughout this season, Tebow has taken any number of relative humiliations -- being assigned as punt protector the most glaring, but simply not being allowed to play the most persistent -- in stride and with a "whatever it takes to help the team win" mentality.

What does it say, then, that Tebow was willing to challenge that very core of his appeal -- that very core of his personality -- by telling the Jets he didn't want to be part of their Wildcat (or faux-Wildcat) inanity this week. He must know he is more popular than the team, and he had to know the Jets would leak his request (or, framed less charitably, refusal) around playing time.

He had to know there would be blowback (with the most common response something akin to how Peter King put it: He totally agrees with Tebow that the Jets have miserably screwed him around, but you can't say you won't play.) He had to know it would instantly become part of the Tebow canon -- the December nadir to bookend the glorious moment in January during the playoffs that would define both his NFL career and Tebowmania in general.

That is how miserable he was. The Jets managed not only to implode their own season, but they made Tebow...flinch. They had him so unhappy that he went against everything he is -- and a sizeable piece of why people believe in him: both off and on the field, his subordination to the greater good... to service.

That is how screwed up the Jets are. So screwed up they could screw up Tim Tebow.

The good news is that the relationship is almost over -- it is a sign of how much the Jets fear Tebow's popularity not just that they didn't play him before, but that when he wouldn't play for them now, they honored it without fuss for days (until it inevitably fussed). Tebow will land with another team -- probably the Jaguars -- one that will hopefully give him a chance.

It cannot possibly go worse in Jacksonville -- or anywhere else -- than it did in New York with the Jets. The Jets had absolutely no belief -- no faith -- in Tebow.

And, it seemed, Tebow eventually lost enough faith in something he believed in -- "team" -- that he would turn away from that concept for seemingly the first time in his life.

Aside from believing in the essential rightness of his own decision in this particular case, I cannot imagine that was anything but difficult for Tebow in the grand scheme of his unyielding belief in always wanting to do what is right for the team.

Faith -- in oneself, in your team (or the larger concept of "team"), in the human condition, in people we admire (yes, like Tebow)... in anything really -- is essential, not just on Christmas but every day.

To see that faith tested in such a stark way -- by someone who epitomizes faith in football (and I'm not even talking about religious faith) -- is a pretty good reminder of the core position of faith in our lives, however it manifests itself. And it is a pretty good reminder how tenuous that faith can be.

If anything, this is a good moment to remind yourself -- to reaffirm, really -- that no matter what it might be, you've always got to maintain a little faith. Especially for those moments when it is tested.

-- Dan

UPDATE: Sounds like Tebow never asked out of playing -- the latest report is that he reiterated to Rex Ryan that he was there, if needed. Would be typical if this entire storyline was conflated from nothing but anonymous sourcing, then turned into insanity. The point stands that this has been a less-than-ideal experience for Tebow this season with the Jets, and you couldn't blame him for being epically disappointed. (The point also stands that, presuming the latest report is true, you're not misplacing your faith by focusing on the larger lessons of Tebow's essential character.)

Jets Bench Sanchez for... Not Tebow

Capping a lost season for Tebow fans (not to mention Tebow himself), the Jets have benched Mark Sanchez for Tim Tebow Greg McElroy.

The only upside: This almost assures (if not outright assures) that the Jets will deal Tebow in the offseason, hopefully to a team that will actually give him a chance to compete and contribute, rather than turn him into the owner's mantlepiece curio.

Over the weekend, I saw someone (apologies, I forget who) note that both the 49ers and Panthers run  offenses that would mesh with Tebow's strengths if he was the back-up QB and the first-stringer went down. Carolina feels like a good fit -- close to home, playing with a former college teammate. The Jaguars have already indicated their interest in bringing Tebow "home," and the tenuous status of Blaine Gabbert (and new ownership) makes that destination more likely than anything else.

The bottom line is that we re-engage with an exercise we went through in 2010 and 2012 -- one that seems to attract a lot of attention: Where will Tebow end up?

And the Tebow Jets jersey heads into the trunk of Tebow memorabilia....

-- Dan

(How sad is it that I still hold out that Rex Ryan will deploy Tebow in the next two hopeless weeks?)

Today In Tebow: Monday Night + Great Read

There hasn't been a lot of activity on this blog all season, but the biggest reason is that -- as it relates to on-field participation -- there hasn't been a lot of activity from the Jets with Tim Tebow himself.

The season can be summed up as a bill of goods sold -- from preseason promise that Rex Ryan had the moxie to deploy Tebow as creatively as we all think he could (or should) to... what, exactly?

It is a testament to Tebow's team-first mentality that the frustration has only peeked out if you read into some of his quotes over the past few weeks.

And so we tune into tonight's Jets game -- "playoff contention" as a pipe dream -- and hope that this will (finally) be the week that the Jets open things up with Tebow and let him do what he does best.

Rex Ryan doesn't believe. The folks who have leapt off the bandwagon don't believe. But I find it easy to continue to believe that there is productive, winning football there to be had if only the Jets would have the belief to try with Tebow.

Your Tebow read of the weekend was from the New York Times Magazine, "Let My Tebow Go," by Esquire columnist Stephen Marche, who was late to the Tebow bandwagon (like many, he climbed aboard during the Broncos' run this time last year) but remains steadfast.

I know what he's trying to say when he labels the Tebow phenomenon "absurd" -- he doesn't mean silly or stupid; he means reality-defying, and I appreciate the precision of language, up to a point. (Using the word "absurd" -- given the likely misinterpretation -- feels a bit like self-loathing/self-trolling in order to appeal to folks who don't like Tebow or the Tebow phenomenon.)

But much of the essay resonated with me. A lot of the appeal of Tebow -- certainly for the folks who picked up the fandom last year -- is the faith, the belief without evidence: He just gets it done, although I tend to downplay the mystical and emphasize the relentlessness of Tebow's approach.

Anyway, definitely worth a read. Happy holidays!

-- Dan

Happy 25th Birthday, Tim Tebow

Happy 25th birthday to Tim Tebow, who enters his new year as he entered his 24th -- as the most popular, talked-about and relevant athlete in the country.

Here's a present: This month's GQ features Tebow on the cover and a cover story by Devin Gordon, a GQ editor and Jets fan, expressing more than a little skepticism about the Tebow phenomenon.

Gordon is a friend of the Teblog, and I chuckled when I read it: We've seen plenty of critics start this way -- with skepticism. They all come around, especially the ones rooting for Tebow's team.

Looking forward to Gordon's inevitable conversion to Tebow fandom. (The accompanying pictures will get some pub, but they are actually from the first Tebow photo shoot for GQ, back in '09.)

For a trip in the wayback machine, check out GQ's Tebow cover story from September 2009 -- just a few months after this blog launched -- and this essential piece from the Tebow canon by Jason Fagone.

(Wow, I just went back to August 14, 2009 on this blog, and there were no less than a half-dozen posts. Those were the days...)

-- Dan

Jets Practice Tebow Offense -- Off The Record

"I didn't know there would be this much interest. I don't know if it's secretive. We're running our offense and our plays and our reads. It's part of the offense for us."

-- Tim Tebow, after the Jets' "secret" practice working on the Tebow-specific offense. After three years of waiting for an NFL coach to work on this, nice to finally see it happening (even if we don't get any details yet). Love this quote from Rex Ryan:

"If you're not prepared for it, why wouldn't we run it? If you're not defending it well, why wouldn't we keep running it? You're going to run something until you stop it. That's the old saying with the Packers sweep, they kept running it."

Exactly. Just because something isn't part of NFL orthodoxy doesn't mean it isn't a good idea. If anything, taking advantage of inefficiencies -- even tiny ones -- is both an important part of NFL history... not to mention an important part of successful teams.

Tim Tebow's Jets (Preseason) Debut

I don't care if it's the preseason: It will never be not fun to watch Tim Tebow take snaps in a football game, even one as mildly (or non-) competitive as an NFL preseason game.

And he'll get plenty of snaps, too, both because there's no harm in getting the reps in and because -- for now -- Mark Sanchez gets the starter's reps, then the second-half seat.

It will be interesting to see how much the Jets let Tebow do -- how much of the hand they want to show. Probably not much. Run the basic offense, get a good look at second-stringers and fringe roster guys -- Tebow won't make or break his status tonight (or any game this preseason).

It's fun to watch Tebow take game snaps, but the real fun doesn't start until the real games.

-- Dan

Tebow Foundation "W15H Wednesday"

A great cause: "W15H Wednesday," helping the Tebow Foundation bring terminally ill kids the joy of meeting Tim Tebow. USA TODAY coverage here and background from The TT Foundation here.

Go directly to the donation page here. All donations are earmarked specifically for the "W15H" program. It's a wonderful initiative.

Tebow in Short-Yardage: Jets Unveil

At Jets practice this morning, Rex Ryan gave the first public reveal of Tebow in red-zone and goal-line situations. Per NJ Star-Ledger's Jenny Vrentas:

Tebow's group had four chances to score on the goal line, and they converted on three. Tebow scored on a bootleg run, then on the second play threw to tight end Josh Baker. Terrance Ganaway fumbled on the third try, and then the Jets showed a glimpse of the potential Tebow package on the fourth play.

More interestingly, Mark Sanchez sounded fine with all of it:

"We've got to get it in the end zone. I don't care. Whatever we have to do, and Coach Sparano is going to be the judge there on what exactly he wants. But if that's what he wants, and that's what puts it in the end zone, fine. We'll drive it 99 yard and we'll run it in, it doesn't matter."

We'll see how Sanchez feels when he is removed in scoring opportunities for Tebow.


Tebow, of course, was Tebow: ""I've done that once or twice, so it comes pretty natural.... Whatever they want me to do, you know I'm going to to it."


-- Dan

Tebow: Starting Q... in the Red Zone

It has been a long-held position on this blog that the real revelation of Tebow in the NFL would come from a coach willing to deploy him in unprecedented ways.

For example, a coach using one QB between the 20s, but Tebow inserted as the starting QB in the red zone. (The nominal "starting" QB might have his feelings hurt, but if they have a problem putting themselves ahead of the team, that's a bigger issue.)

Anyway, per Rich Cimini today on ESPNNY.com, the Jets are just that bold -- they are considering inserting Tebow at QB once the ball gets in the red zone.

The benefits are obvious: An extra runner (or blocker) -- above all, a mismatch with the defense. This is the "Moneyball" idea of football.

That it seems crazy or that it has never been done before doesn't mean that it's wrong or that it won't work.

And, frankly, let's be honest: It's going to work. And then when it does, every team with a mediocre "starting" QB will be scrambling to find their own version of a Tebow to add to the mix.

(As an aside, I'll be curious what this does to Tebow's fantasy value -- it should skyrocket. If the ball is down near the goal line and he's in the game, he is the No. 1 option to carry the ball.)

-- Dan

And We're Back!

So much of the Tebow news over the past month was inane, I needed a break. But we're back to football news, so we're back here, too.

Revisiting Tim Tebow's NFL Draft Day

Can you believe it has been (only) two years since Tim Tebow was drafted?

The pre-draft hysteria about Tebow was unmatched -- then or since -- but, most interestingly, heading into draft day, it was entirely unclear who would draft him.

Would it be the hometown Jaguars? Would it be a team with glaring QB needs like the Vikings or Bills? Would Bill Belichick swoop in and snag him? Was a mystery team in the mix?

At first, the Broncos didn't seem like the team to do it -- they used their first first-round pick on WR Demaryius Thomas. But then Belichick protege Josh McDaniels traded up and picked Tebow.

Flying in the face of critics like Todd McShay and Mel Kiper, Tebow indeed became an NFL first-round pick.

At first it seemed like an ideal match: McDaniels was seemingly innovative enough to deploy Tebow in ways that took advantage of his unique skills.

The transition for any NFL rookie is tough -- let alone for a QB (any QB, not just Tebow). But the team seemed committed.

Ultimately, the wheels fell off the McDaniels regime, having nothing to do with Tebow. In his sophomore season, Tebow would thrive despite undermine-laced "support" from his new coach, John Fox. Then the Peyton-Jets drama.

But draft day will always be a great memory for Tebow and Tebow fans -- the moment when his maniacal pro preparation was validated and he earned the lifetime designation:

"First-Round NFL Draft Pick."

-- Dan

New Jets-Themed Tebow Gear Released

More on the news that the Jets will use Tebow on punt-protection duty later today. For now, Nike has new Tebow T-shirts out, with a Jets theme:

Tim Tebow Named to "Time 100"

Tim Tebow was named to the 2012 "Time 100" list of the most influential people in the world. Jeremy Lin wrote the blurb about Tebow on Time.com: "As athletes, we pour our hearts into winning games. Tim is a reminder that life is about much more than that." (Lin was also named to the list of 100.)

Tebow News Round-Up: April 16

*Tebow was at the Yankees game last night. He wore a Yankees hat. There was a mix of cheers and boos, which is par for the course for New York sports fans. He made the Daily News back page.

*Tebow's new Nike Jets jersey went on sale yesterday, and it is already sold out. I'm quite sure many, many more will be available by the time we get to the fall.

*At Tebow's charity golf event this weekend, someone bid $100,000 to spend the day with Tim. It was a generous (and eye-popping) offer, and I'm sure Tebow will make it a memorable day.

Tebow's Message for Jets Fans

"I've already said it 44 times so here goes number 45: I'm really excited to be a Jet! Haha! All joking aside it's truly an honor to be a Jet and I'm anxiously looking forward to going to work with all of my new teammates and coaches. Fireman Ed and the rest of Jets nation, I'm gonna play my heart out for you. J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS!"

-- Tim Tebow, on Twitter last night

Nike vs. Reebok Over Tebow

And suddenly, those Reebok Jets Tebow T-shirts and jerseys -- which had a shelf life of about two weeks to begin with -- are collector's items, because Nike's lawsuit against Reebok turned into a judge's injunction, with the merchandise to be pulled from stores.

Let's remember the mantra: Just when you think things can't get more [anything] when it comes to Tebowmania, it does.