Sports Then and Now

Tim Tebow is certainly hoping for a little better treatment from the Patriots now that he is on the team.

To paraphrase from the great Mark Twain “the rumors of the death of Tim Tebow’s career have been greatly exaggerated.”

After months of rumors, speculation and denials, it appears that Tim Tebow has not worn an NFL uniform for the last time. As first reported by ESPN’s Ed Werder, the New England Patriots are going to give the former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback another chance to play in the NFL.

Of course with one of the best quarterbacks of all-time, Tom Brady, firmly secure as the starting quarterback, there may not be many chances for Tebow to show his stuff. However, given how few chances Tebow seemed to have, beggars certainly can’t be choosers.

According to most media talk, there was very little interest in Tebow for two primary reasons. One is the belief among many that Tebow doesn’t have what it takes to be a successful NFL quarterback. The other is that if a team signed Tebow they weren’t signing a football player, they were signing the ringmaster for the circus.

It could be considered hubris that New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick (and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels) think they have what it takes to both make Tebow into a capable pro and can manage the media circus that seems to follow the former Florida quarterback wherever he goes.

From the day the Denver Broncos, then coached by McDaniels, moved up in the 2010 NFL Draft to make Tebow a first round pick, the opinions as to whether the lefty had the tools to be an NFL quarterback have been flying fast and furiously. Few professional athletes have ever evoked the level of fierce opinion and emotion amongst media and fans alike as Tebow.

The winning attitude that made Tim Tebow successful at Florida will help him fit into the locker room in New England.

While most professional athletes are given a chance to prove their ability, some former players who are now in the media refused to give Tebow such a courtesy.

The venom some former players spewed at Tebow was so harsh that it made it very difficult to believe the comments were objective.

While Tebow is definitely not a prototype NFL quarterback, he has enjoyed a level of success beyond that of many players with “NFL arms” and more typical physical builds.

After leading the Denver Broncos to a playoff victory during the 2011 season, Tebow was a victim of bad luck when the circumstances around Peyton Manning eventually led the future Hall of Famer to the Broncos.

It is now clear to see that the New York Jets were a bad situation for many reasons. Tebow joined one of the NFL’s most dysfunctional teams and never really had a chance to succeed.

What Tebow needed was a place where he could learn and mature as a player without facing the pressure of unrealistic expectations.

In New England he is entering a very different situation than he faced in New York. While the Patriots have their own quirks, they are in many ways one of the most stable franchises in the NFL. They have a steady owner, in-control coach and a locker room filled with players focused on winning.

Even if you are not a believer in the ability of Tebow to be a successful NFL quarterback, it is undeniable that Tebow is a driven winner. Even if he spends most of the next couple seasons wearing a hat and holding a clipboard, you can be guaranteed that Tebow will do everything he can to get himself and his teammates ready to succeed during practice and be ready to play if is number is called.

Regardless of whether Tebow contributes for the Patriots in 2013 (or ever), his signing is a low-risk move by one of the strongest teams in the NFL and another reason why the Patriots are always a team to reckon with in the AFC.