Tebowmania Hits New England!

Tim Tebow: New England Patriot. The words go together like peanut butter and olive loaf.

 

I know several weeks ago I blogged about how Tebow deserved better than he received from the Jets. Not because he is a good QB (he's not) but because he handled himself with class during their debacle and was never given a chance despite the Jets having nothing to lose. But of all the places Tebow could have landed, the Patriots seemed the least likely.

 

It was reported by Yahoo several weeks ago that Patriots Coach Bill Belichick "hates" Tebow. So a reunion with Tebow and the coach who made him a first round draft pick back in 2010 (Josh McDaniels, who is now the Patriots offensive coordinator) was deemed to be a pipe dream. Should have guessed it was most likely just blowing smoke.

 

However, an even more than normally unhappy looking Belichick cut short his press conference today to address the signing. Peppered with what seemed like questions he should have expected, Belichick seemed disgruntled having to answer questions about why the Patriots signed him, and what position he is going to play? His answers of how talented Tebow is, and that the Patriots will do what is best for the team just had the feeling of someone who has had a player forced on him.

 

Get used to it Bill. It comes with the Tebowmania that follows him wherever he goes.

 

Maybe it was McDaniels saying that he'd rather have Tebow to develop than Mike Kafka (the 3rd string QB released by the Patriots when they signed Tebow)? Maybe it was Bob Kraft seeing some type of marketing deal? Maybe it was secret resentment that the Bruins and Red Sox were getting all the media love in Boston while the Patriots were still being questioned for letting Wes Welker get away to a conference rival? Who knows?

 

Or maybe it was that they were intrigued by the fact that Tebow, despite his shortcomings as a typical NFL quarterback simply has the heart of a winner? Has proven capable of defying the conventional thinking of "he can't win as a quarterback" by having won as a starter in the NFL? Maybe there is some magic there that an organization lie the Patriots can develop? McDaniels obvious saw something in Tebow when he made him a first round selection while running the show in Denver. Now this sounds more like the Belichick we know. And it cost the Patriots nothing besides their already established 3rd string QB. Reportedly, there was no guaranteed money in the two year deal Tebow signed.

 

Can McDaniels and Belichick develop Tebow? Can they find the right mix of uniting poor traditional QB skills but intriguing talent with an offense that can win in the NFL? Maybe. Maybe not. We won't know until it's tried. And since Tom Brady has a couple more years left in him, there will be no rush to find out. And at worse, they simply cut Tebow without any financial ramification.

 

So for now, let the media hype this up. It gives them more of what they know the public likes: Tim Tebow.