11:07 a.m. UPDATE: Tim Tebow has been released by the Patriots
Tim Tebow was just 5-of-19 passing going into Thursday evenings game, yet he still survived Tuesday’s mandatory cut down to 75 players, even after not seeing any playing time during the team’s third pre-season game versus the Detriot Lions. Most believe that Thursday’s final pre-season game was Tim Tebow’s last opportunity to demonstrate his worthiness for a spot on the Patriots’ 53-man roster.
If you believe that past performance is a predictor of future outcomes, then Tebow’s last chance performance against the New York Giants, with only six seconds remaining to put the Patriots ahead for good, should give you confidence in his potential ability to play and contribute in some way, shape or form.
In his short stint as a 2011 starting quarterback in the NFL, Tebow’s amassed some incredible play, below are some examples to make my case:
- Tebow’s first win as an NFL quarter back came as a 24-23 victory over Houston after rallying his team from a 17-0 halftime deficit and a fourth quarter rushing touchdown to seal the deal.
- In Tebow’s first start of the 2011 NFL season and trailing the Miami Dolphins after three-and-a-half quarters, Tebow rallied his team from a 15-0 deficit in the last three minutes to an 18-15 win. That victory turned out to be the largest comeback in NFL history with less than three minutes remaining since the 1970 merger.
- On Thursday Night Football against the New York Jets, Tebow ran for a 20-yard touchdown with less than one minute remaining on third-and-four to complete another comeback win, 17-13.
- In week 14, against the Chicago Bears, Tebow again led Denver to a 13-10 overtime victory after a 10-0 deficit with just over two minutes remaining.
- Tebow went on in 2011 to lead five fourth-quarter comebacks, three in three weeks where he led Denver to an AFC title.
So is it within the realm of possibility that Belichick sees the same things? I believe so, and I don’t believe I’m the only one, just ask Josh McDaniels who drafted Tebow in 2010 as the NFL’s 25th overall pick.
In Belichick’s 30 plus years of coaching in the NFL, he’s seen and coached them all. Don’t let anyone fool you. Belichick knows exactly what he wants to do with Tebow. Belichick was quoted in a Boston Herald piece earlier this week on Tebow saying, “He’s great to work with, outstanding … smart, works hard, football is important to him.” All qualities Belichick loves in a player and I believe he meant it.
Tebow finished the Patriot’s pre-season going 11-for-30 with two-touchdowns, two-interceptions, seven sacks, completing 36.7 percent of his passes with a 47.2 percent passer rating, ugly I know, but even Tebow has admitted that his play can be stressful to watch at times.
Should Tebow make the Patriots 53-man roster, and I believe he will, some how, some way, God only knows (no pun intended), Belichick will find a way for him to contribute and help this Patriots team win. It also never hurts to have the team’s owner on your side. ESPN Boston reports Robert Kraft quoted as saying, “I’m rooting for him big time … I’m in his corner.”
Stats courtesy of ESPN NFL
