The football world was shook up on Monday by the New England Patriots surprise signing of polarizing quarterback Tim Tebow. No one could've predicted this as a landing spot for Tebow, but now that it has happened it makes perfect sense and very well could lead to the resurrection of Tebowmania.
Since his tumultuous one-year stint with the Jets came to an end last month, Tebow has come under more scrutiny than ever. It really is incredible to see how the tides have turned on him after only one season. After his 2011 unlikely run with the Broncos, Tebow was on top of the world. People had him pegged as the next big quarterback and his winning ways (despite subspar stats and frequent questions about his abilities) and unlikely comebacks generated a lot of excitement around the league. Just a year later, he is traded to the Jets and essentially forgotten by most people that supported him. He stumbled in limited playing time on the porous Jets offense and didn't even get an opportunity to play when starting quarterback Mark Sanchez got benched due to poor play (The Jets instead opted to start 3rd-stringer Greg McElroy) Once the regular season ended, the demise of Tebow began with rumors of his release from the Jets and on April 29th, his days as a Jet were finally over. Once he was released, the press went into a frenzy that no one in the NFL will sign him and he even received offers from the Canadian and Arena football leagues. It looked like Tebow's career was in jeopardy after only four seasons in the league.
Enter the New England Patriots.
The Patriots, who have been one of the most dominant franchises of the past decade, took advantage of the lack of interest for Tebow and signed him to a two-year, low money contract. This move raised a lot of eyebrows around the league since the Patriots are clearly all set at quarterback with Tom Brady. The move may confuse and/or anger some people, but this move has the potential to be a game-changer for the Patriots and is the perfect fit for both sides. For the first time in his career, Tebow is entering an established system with a powerful offense where he isn't in the midst of a quarterback battle. Since Bill Belicheck has been at the helm, the Patriots have used multiple players at multiple positions. Troy Brown, Mike Vrabel and Richard Seymour were used frequently in various packages on both sides of the ball that weren't their natural position and thrived. With Tebow, Belicheck is getting the most versatile player he's ever worked with in his coaching career. Tebow can lineup at quarterback, running back, or tight end. He has shown he can run the ball very well (he averaged 5+ yards per carry with Denver and even had a few nice runs with the Jets last year) and gives the Patriots a chance to run the wildcat/read option packages, which they could not do previously due to the lack of having a quarterback that could run the ball. Tebow's on-field flexibility give the Patriots yet another viable option in their potent offense.
Another big win for Tebow is being reunited with Josh McDaniels. McDaniels drafted him while he was still the head coach in Denver and clearly has a lot of faith in the kid's talent. As offensive coordinator, McDanniels will give Tebow the opportunities the Jets never gave him. Tebow is an undeniable freak athlete who could be very dangerous if properly utilized and this offense will do their damnedest to make sure he gets his chances to shine.
Adding to Tebow's victories by signing with the Patriots will be the media spotlight around him. Wherever Tebow goes, he brings a media circus (granted it's not his fault since he just wants to go out and play.The circus isn't created by him, it just comes to him for a variety of reasons.) The Patriots are notorious from shielding their players from the media as much as possible, which is perfect for Tebow. Tebow isn't a player like Rob Gronkowski who will go and blab to the media on his own, Tebow will happily stay in the background and only talk to the media when called upon. This harder media access should benefit Tebow substantially allowing him more time to work on learning the playbook and work on establishing a role on this offense opposed to the media constantly pressuring about if he's going to be the starting quarterback, what exactly his role with the team will be, etc.
I strongly believe Tim Tebow joining the Patriots was the best possible thing to happen to him in his career thus far. This franchise is smart, knows how to win football games consistently and most importantly, will give him the best possible chance to succeed. He's got familiarity with the offensive coordinator so there's no danger he won't pick up the system and gets to play with the most talented offense he's ever. He also gets to be mentored by a future hall-of-famer in Tom Brady and will get an opportunity to shine at multiple positions on the field. After spending a disastrous season with the Jets where he was given very few chances to make an impact, he know enters a franchise that spreads the ball around and gives everyone a fair shake to perform on-the-field. Tebow might not be the flashiest or most complete player to ever play the game, but the kids is super-athletic and a team player that will line up where ever he is asked to contribute, making the Patriots the perfect fit for the potential return of Tebowmania.
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