Please Hire Tim Tebow - Week 10

Historically, NFL teams coming off their bye week haven't fared much better than at any other point in the season. Since 2000, the chances of these well-rested teams notching a win have hovered around fifty percent. Blogging can take it out of you. In amongst my day job, family and church responsibilities, taking care of the dog, and all sorts of other mind-sapping activities, I have to follow current events, catch up on relevant news, look up key statistics on teams I really don't care about...all of these things can drain a man.

So I took a bye week.

I've got a fifty-fifty chance of winning this week; what does that even mean? For me, it means writing an entertaining and informative piece on that man Tim Tebow which pulls in a goodly number of readers. As a writer, that's all I really want: people who read and enjoy my work.

Not much happened in the Tebow-sphere during my bye week - better known as week 9 of the NFL season; oh, except those pesky Jaguars fans are still urging ownership to sign the ex-Gator...

Promises, promises...

Mr. Khan may want to consider that advice. Everbank Field holds a little over 67,000 fans. If signing Tebow would fill all those seats with popcorn eating, Coke drinking fans, that might help offset the poor results in Jacksonville and on the other side of the Atlantic, where his Barclay's Premier League football team - Fulham - have not been faring well either. The Cottagers - Fulham play their home games at historic Craven Cottage which only seats 25,700 fans - have won three games out of eleven this season and currently sit 18th out of 20 teams in the league. That may not mean much to American Football fans but if Fulham end the season in one of those bottom three places they get relegated to the Championship - kind of like the minor leagues.

Packing them in at the Cottage

One other piece of Tebow news that has recently surfaced is that he has signed an additional representative to explore opportunities in college football broadcasting. Naturally, all the Tebow is no Jedi/Quarterback folks out there are cackling that this signifies the end of Tebow's NFL career. Personally, I don't think so but let's wait for this all to play out before we start shoveling dirt over him.

In week 10, both the Jaguars and Buccaneers broke their seasons wide open...well, at least they each notched their first win of the year, keeping the overall first round draft pick sweepstakes tied up tighter than a Tebow spiral. So assuming that Tim is not over in the Philippines helping out with typhoon recovery efforts, what teams are still in the running to sign him?

As I've noted before, the New York Football Giants have begun their annual late season tear. Winners of three consecutive games after dropping their first six, it certainly appears as if Eli's bunch have woken from their regularly scheduled hibernation and are starting to play some football. I never seriously considered Eli getting kicked to the curb a possibility, and it certainly is less likely now.

Another week, another...holy cow! The Jacksonville Jaguars won! The previously winless Jags held off the Locker-less Tennessee Titans despite two TD passes from backup Ryan Fitzpatrick. Does this mean Jacksonville is out of the running for Tebow? Hardly. Chad Henne was underwhelming in the win, completing 14 of 23 passes for 180 yards, no touchdowns and 2 interceptions. The Jaguars current game manager was also sacked three times. I'm sorry, to me Jacksonville remains the most obvious destination for Tebow. With Jake Locker leaving a game yet again - this time due to a Lisfranc foot injury - the Flaming Thumbtacks could be a late-season entrant in the Tebow sweepstakes.

Did Greg Schiano save his job Monday night after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers also notched their first victory of the season? Schiano may be a caretaker coach until the end of the season; I'm not what replacing him now would bring to the table. As much as I still believe Tampa Bay is the best fit for Tebow, it is doubtful the team will make any major player moves unless something drastic happens. Quarterback-wise, although the Bucs won, new QB Mike Glennon didn't light it up. The young NC State product was 11 of 21 for only 139 yards. The rookie did have a TD pass - to a tackle! - but that was offset by an interception that led to a Dolphin field goal. Couple Glennon's mild night statistically with the loss of running back Mike James, who suffered a fractured ankle, and things are not going to get any easier for my hometown Bucs.

So who else could benefit from the athletic skills and leadership abilities of Tebow?

With everyone dog-piling young Tim for his poor completion percentage, it's noteworthy that Terrelle Pryor of the Oakland Raiders was 11 of 26 (42%) for only 122 yards, with no touchdowns, an interception, and four sacks. Pryor did have a rushing touchdown but that was not enough to overcome the resurgent G-Men. Although TP's season completion percentage is much higher (almost 59%), he has only thrown 5 touchdowns against 10 interceptions, and he has been sacked an incredible 29 times. Is Pryor really a better option than Tebow?

Looking around the league you might make the case that the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings are still in need of QB help. If Cutler heals or McCown performs well the Bears would be off the table. Minnesota is on odd team this year, and after picking up Tampa Bay castaway Josh Freeman, Christian Ponder is still getting the nod as their starter. It's doubtful that Tebow could walk into that funhouse and make a difference.

So what do we know after week ten? The Jags and Bucs still look like the two best candidates to bring Tebow back to the NFL, with the Raiders running a close third. Will anything happen this year? The chances are getting slimmer by the week. But Tebow himself may not be putting too much thought into it at the moment. I suspect his heart and mind are far away from Jacksonville or Tampa or Oakland right now, and focused more on what he can do to help the good people of the Philippines recover from Typhoon Haiyan.

We're right there with you big guy.

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Please Hire Tim Tebow - Week 6

I have to be honest with you. I was pretty sure that Tebow would be a first, second, or even third string quarterback with some NFL team by now. It's week six; there are three winless teams in the league. There are four one-win teams in the league. That's seven teams that basically have stunk it up so far this year.

I've heard all the arguments. I've had Tebow's NFL stats thrown in my face. I've been kicked around like Cinderella in a house full of step-sisters. But I'm getting back up and I'm stating for the record - again - that I believe Tim Tebow can be a quarterback in the NFL. I don't blame him if he retires and goes on to lead his life completely for the cause of Christ. But I believe that Tim has the talent, ability, maturity and leadership to be an NFL quarterback.

So sue me.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jags put up a fight in Denver yesterday. But I don't think anyone seriously gave them a chance...not even Jimmy Johnson.

WARNING: Jimmy uses a crass term to describe Jacksonville's collective derrieres

Maybe the Jags need to hire Johnson as their new head coach?

In an interview last week, Jaguars owner Shahid Khan admitted that it would take more than Tim Tebow to turn around the on-field fortunes of his NFL franchise. But at least he's not saying, "No," anymore.

Honestly, while I think that Jacksonville makes the most sense geographically for Tebow, it would likely be the worst possible destination for him as a jumping off point for resurrecting his career. Unless the team was fully committed to him and ready to tailor their offense around him, it's likely Tebow would have little more success than the quarterbacks they have today.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mike Glennon showed a little spark yesterday as well. The Bucs new starter is still 0-for the season but he did score twice yesterday with both touchdown passes going to to Vincent Jackson. Glennon's stats were a respectable 26 of 43 for 273 yards with those two TDs and 1 interception. He was also sacked twice. Is this what the Bucs want going forward? Will the Glazers be content to win moral victories every week or is it becoming a race against Jacksonville for the first overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft?

Glennon goes down against the Eagles on October 13, 2013

Looking over Mr. Glennon's stats while quarterback at North Carolina State, I don't think you can compare them to what Tebow achieved at Florida. I know that college and the NFL are light years apart, but I still prefer Tebow with the Bucs over any of their current options. There are a lot of things to recommend this match...I hope it happens.

New York Giants: I don't think anyone predicted this. If you look at the passing stats for Eli Manning it's not terrible at first. He's near the top for yardage, completing 123 of 229 (53.7%) passes for 1,721 yards. It's the next stats that are horrifying: 9 touchdowns against 15 interceptions and 16 sacks. I don't think Tim Tebow is the answer in New York. Frankly, I'm not sure what the problem is. Maybe this is just the Giant's typical terrible start to the season and they'll win out from here?

Long shots...

If not the Bucs or the Jags, then where? There are some other teams who are struggling as we wrap up week 6 of the 2013 NFL season.

Oakland Raiders: The Raiders have entered the conversation before but that was before everyone (but me) started jumping on the Tyrelle Pryor bandwagon. I don't know that you can hang their loss to the Chiefs yesterday on Pryor alone; football is a team sport. Offsetting his better than 50% completion rate and a touchdown in the second quarter were 3 interceptions and 10 - TEN! - sacks. Swap out the name Pryor with Tebow and tell me the prognosticating public would not be calling for Tebow's head if he had that kind of performance. In fact, I challenge you to go and find an NFL game in which Tebow has played where he was that bad. Go ahead...I'll wait.

Mommy!

Minnesota Vikings: I can't dog pile the Vikes today, I just can't. Cam Newton played out of his mind and AP was hurting over the death of his son. It didn't help that Matt Cassel played like he did, well, last year in Kansas City, but we'll see where the Vikings go from here. They've signed Josh Freeman off of waivers from the Bucs so I expect we may see Josh on the field next Monday night against the Giants.

Houston Texans: I'll be honest. I don't know squat about what's going on in Texas other than the fans were cheering...cheering...when Matt Schaub went down hurt. The Texans have some playmakers but I think coach Gary Kubiak may be more concerned with saving his job than bringing in a new QB project.

Apparently the lack of contact from potential NFL suitors is not causing Tim Tebow to sit around, wring his hands, and wait for the phone to ring. Reports are he was enjoying some family time in Hawaii. By all accounts he still looks to be in pretty good shape although I suspect it would take him at least a couple of weeks to be at anywhere near game shape/speed.

Still, at least for the Jaguars and Buccaneers at least, I'm thinking it would be worth the wait.

What do you think?

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Please Hire Tim Tebow - Week 3

Week three of the 2013 NFL season is nearly in the books and Tim Tebow remains unemployed. Despite intriguing offers from Satan's own Arena League team in LA and a (ba) bush (ka) league team in Moscow, my favorite Florida Gator is still riding the ultimate quarterback pine.

So what would-be opportunities are out there this week for Mr. Tebow despite all the haters? Week three was just another great example of why I shouldn't play Fantasy Football. I am consoling myself with the fact that I never play in paid leagues. I have an aversion to funding other people's good times when I'm being kicked like a Ray Finkle field goal attempt.

LACES OUT!

Over the first couple of weeks this season, there have been some pretty clear front-runners in the Tim Tebow sweepstakes. Let's take a look at whether those franchises should continue to have Tebow's agent on speed dial...

Jacksonville Jaguars:

The hags...I'm sorry...the Jags travelled north by northwest to play in the new 12th Man kingdom known as Centurylink Field. I know this stadium more from watching the Seattle Sounders MLS team but it's every bit as hostile toward opposing NFL franchises when the Seahawks are in town. This game went pretty much according to script. Backup QB Chad Henne had an even worse day than last week with a sub-50% completion percentage and two interceptions. Chad did manage to recover his own fumble but was also sacked four times. Jacksonville eked out a late score on a Jones-Drew 2-yard carry but that didn't take the sting out of the final score: 45-17 Seahawks.

Shhh! Don't tell anyone but we want Tebow!

Oakland Raiders:

A number of people disagree with me on this one. The Raiders play Peyton Manning and the Denver TD Passes, er, I mean Broncos, tonight. We'll have to wait and see how they do. Oakland still has Terrelle Pryor managing their meager offense but I guess if they keep winning...

Cleveland Browns:

What in the world? With the week's most amazing player personnel move in trading Trent Richardson to the Colts, the Cleveland Browns had become the first team entered into the 2014 NFL Overall First Draft Pick sweepstakes. Cleveland had so much as announced, "We give up!"

Apparently no one told Brian Hoyer and Jordan Cameron, who combined for three touchdowns, including the game winner with 51 seconds left. While that throws a monkey wrench in my Tebow to Cleveland campaign, it definitely creates a new entry on the potential candidate list.

Minnesota Vikings:

Christian Ponder may not be the cause of the Vikings starting 0-3 this year but when Minnesota scores three rushing touchdowns and two of them are by Ponder...something isn't quite right. Tebow may not be the answer as long as Ponder continues to run for his life, but the former Purple People Eaters bear some watching.

Teams you would have previously thought were as far from even thinking about Tim Tebow as the Sun is from the Earth...

New York Giants:

What the what? Who has the most Super Bowl MVP trophies in the last six years? If you said Eli Manning, go to the head of the class. The Giants are 0-3 and if no one is panicking in New York yet, it may start getting a little jittery in the Big Apple very soon. New York is extremely impatient with its sports teams and is the poster sports city for the, "What have you won for us lately?" mentality. Manning can't all of a sudden begin to stink overnight, but he is 32 and he has more interceptions (8) than touchdowns (5) in this young season and has been sacked 11 times. How sweet would it be for Tebow to return to New York and lead the G-Men to the playoffs? Take that J-E-T-S Jets!

Washington Redskins:

Robert Griffin III was supposed to be the next big thing in the NFL. Washington banked everything on his amazing skills. Supposedly he was (and is) everything Tebow isn't - basically someone with all the running skills of Tebow but who could actually - and accurately - throw the rock. Griffin's numbers aren't as startling as Manning's, but the 'Skins are also 0-3 and with RGIII coming off major, major knee surgery, his issues could be just  rust and having to work his way back into football shape, getting re-acclimated to the speed of the game. Still...

The worst of the rest:

It could happen...

There are a couple of other 0-3 teams out there who never would've entered the Tebow discussion a few weeks ago: The Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I honestly see no way Big Ben Roethlisberger gets pulled in Pittsburgh but I could totally see Tebow being given a shot in Tampa. It would be a friendly environment, being just down the road from Gainesville, and in Greg Schiano they have an ex-college coach who has shown a flair for the unusual since coming to the NFL. Despite the fact that Schiano endorsed Josh Freeman today as his QB, if Freeman continues to post the big L, who knows?

I still believe Jacksonville makes the most sense for Tebow. It would ostensibly show the fans that the team has not completely given up on the season, or them. But as a long-time resident of Tampa who endured the bad old days from the get-go in 1976, I'd love to see Tim come to town.

What do you think?

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Please Hire Tim Tebow - Week 2

Here we are, almost finished with week two of the NFL season, and Tim Tebow is still unemployed - at least as a quarterback. Absent the Ohio River Rumble that will take place tonight between the Bengals and Steelers, let's look at some of the heroic - or hapless - QB play that begs for teams to pick up the phone today and call Mr. Tebow's agent.

Patriots vs. Jets: This is always a weird game; after Thursday night, no one is kicking Brady to the curb and honestly, he's working with an entirely new group of receivers so we have to say there are no Help Wanted signs in Foxboro. Geno Smith - who NFL.com noted was, "repeatedly sacked when he took too much time to throw," also threw three fourth quarter interceptions. The Pats only scored thirteen points; if you can't beat that, improvements may be called for. In week one, the Jets pulled one out of their, um, helmet, and overcame the Bucs due to the worst defensive error I've seen in Tampa since Warren Sapp was traded. The Jets didn't receive a gift this week, so they lost. You never say never but it is highly doubtful that Tim would go back to the Jets.

How long before you can buy a Geno Smith sandwich in NY?

Actually, there was some pretty solid play across the league this week at the quarterback position, looking at the results from Sunday's match-ups: Ryan vs. Bradford, Rivers vs. Vick, Peyton vs. himself...but there were also a few stinkers.

Ravens vs. Browns: What in the world is going on with the Ravens? Did these guys really win the Super Bowl last year? Did Joe Flacco really get stratosphere money in a new contract? Did that jinx him?

The mighty Ravens may have held the Browns to two measly field goals in the first half but there was a big old goose egg on the other side of the scoreboard. Divisional game or not, the Super Bowl champions should not be playing their home opener and be down 6-0 at the half. Flacco and Browns QB Brandon Weeden put up relatively respectable numbers with completions rates close to 60% and over 200 yards through the air. Joe even added a consolation TD toss midway through the fourth quarter but still.

As bad as the Ravens were, they still beat the Browns. That tells me Cleveland needs to be hitting the phones soon. Mr. Tebow? We have a collect call from Rob Chudzinski; will you accept the charges?

We are the champions, my friend...

Vikings vs. Bears: It galls me that there is an FSU quarterback starting in the NFL and Tebow is unemployed. If you're from Florida, you'll understand that. Christian Ponder has had an iffy tenure in Minnesota and were it not for the reigning NFL MVP in the backfield, I'd warrant that Ponder's job security would be much shakier than it is. But even with all-world running back Adrian Peterson hitting the 100-yard mark, Jay Cutler and da Bears were able to beat the Vikes in spite of Cutler's two picks and a fumble that Minnesota returned for a score. Sure, Ponder is a relatively steady pocket passer...but Tebow just wins, baby!

Raiders vs. Jaguars: In reality, for the second week in a row, there is only one Job Opening Waiting to Happen:

Starting QB for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Last week's goat, Blaine Gabbert, was out injured so ex-Jets and Dolphins castaway Chad Henne (no relation to Sonja) got the start. Honestly, there is so much low hanging fruit here it's nearly too numerous to mention. The Jags were beat by a team whose kicker (another Free Shoes University product) scored over 60% of their points. The Raiders QB from the Big Ten (or twelve or something) school that must not be named was an underwhelming 15/24 for 126 yards. So Tebow could definitely be a good fit in Oakland, but we talked about that last week as well. The Jags #2 put up much prettier numbers than Pryor, completing 25 of 38 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown. Not bad. But Chad, your team scored 9 points and lost to the Raiders. You are now 0-2 with no relief in sight.

Tebow constantly gets ripped for poor stats - except in the win-loss column. Henne may be a more prototypical passer but is he really the guy who's going to take the Jags to the playoffs?

It's so bad, that the local Orlando television station that carries the Jags away games actually apologized for doing so yesterday. How desperate does a team have to be when the television networks that carry your games IN FLORIDA apologize for having to show them?

Let me re-quote a short section of Please Hire Tim Tebow - Week 1:

Back in January,  [Jaguar's GM] Caldwell told reporters, "I can't imagine a scenario in which he'll be a Jacksonville Jaguar—even if he's released."

That was in January; it's now the business end of the NFL season in September and the Jags are 0-2 with not a lot of love coming from the fans and not a lot of wins taking place on the field.

Is Tim Tebow the answer for Jacksonville? Fox Sports reported on Saturday that a Russian - yes, you read that correctly - a Russian football team has offered $1 million for Tebow to come over and help them win a playoff semi-final game. So what do the Moscow Black Storm know that Dave Caldwell and the Jaguars don't?

They got a light-up scoreboard and eh'thing!

Maybe they know that if you put fans in the seats and those fans by jerseys and stuff, your team becomes popular and makes money. I don't think anyone can argue the fact that a growing number of Jaguars fans would like to see Tebow given a shot. ESPN just reported a story indicating there is a Sign Tim Tebow Rally scheduled for 3:16 today in Jacksonville.

If I didn't know better, I'd think it was almost Tebow-Time in his hometown of Jacksonville.

What do you think?

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