One rumor had the Miami Dolphins in the hunt, but that has been denied by the franchise. Then came a story about the Canadian Football League. Warren Moon, a CFL and NFL hall of famer, a former quarterback known for paving the path for African American quarterbacks, says no. He feels Tebow does not have a good enough passing arm for the CFL. Passing is huge in the CFL because of the wider and longer playing field.
Moon said of the Heisman Trophy winner, “If you can’t throw the football, it doesn’t matter where you play quarterback, you have to be able to throw it. That’s his biggest problem, just being able to complete passes, and be an accurate passer. I think he’s a really good athlete playing the position, but I don’t think that’s enough sometimes.”
He was released by the NY Jets on April 30, and the Montreal Alouettes, who own the rights, have said they would welcome TT to the league—provided he’s willing to compete for a job as a backup quarterback.
Tim is known for his ability to run, but when passing, moving out of the pocket has been his nemesis. But what has been Tim’s real nemesis has been the media, the press. I feel that, in reality, he has been oversold as a bit of an enigma. First of all, he is a former Heisman Trophy winner and the expectation for recipients of the prestigious award has been, over the years, unrealistic and unfair. There is a petition out from some fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars to President Obama, asking him to “force” Jacksonville to sign the infamous athlete. Tim is a native son and it is understandable that he has a fan-base in Florida.
Here are some interesting facts about TT in his stint with the Broncos in 2011. His passer rating of 126.6 is the highest ever in Broncos postseason history. His 31.6 yards per completion is the most in NFL playoff history. His 100.5 QB rating is best ever for a Broncos quarterback in his first start and he has the third most passing yards in a game by a Broncos rookie quarterback (308 yards in his second start). His 15-plus point comeback in the final three minutes against the Steelers was the first of such a comeback since the merger. Also, in 16 games, he had seven game-winning drives.
The petition only has 144 signatures so far and 100,000 are needed. The Jaguar fans have until May 30 to reach that total. The media questions if there are100,000 Jag fans in the world. So, it’s doubtful that Tim finds a home during the current offseason.
Former Chicago Bears coach, Mike Ditka, has given a vote of confidence for Tim. He thinks TT can play quarterback in the NFL, providing whatever offense is run by a Tebow team is tweaked a little. Ditka said, “This kid is a talent and he proved it in college. He is an outstanding leader. Now, does he have an unusual throwing motion? Yes. But there are a lot of quarterbacks that didn’t have a perfect throwing motion. Some turned out to be great quarterbacks because they were great leaders. I really do think there’s a place for him. If not at quarterback, I think he could play tight end. If I was in the league and coaching today, I would take a chance on him at QB.”
It seems to me that an athlete of his caliber deserves the chance to show his stuff. Winning the Heisman Trophy was no fluke. There will be a time when Tim Tebow shows his worth and when he does, there will be many of his critics who will eat crow for their assessment of the 25-year-old. I hope Tim is given the opportunity to show the NFL world what he can do. What he did at Denver was not an accident, he can do those things and he can do them well. It will be interesting to see what develops for Tim Tebow. He deserves the chance.
