Expansive evidence suggests Tim Tebow is great guy, no player
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By DERON SNYDER
Can Tim Tebow play?
Most observers, including yours truly, have concluded that the answer is “no” if the question refers to quarterback in the NFL. Maybe, with a capital MAYBE, Tebow could squeeze onto a roster as a short-yardage specialist. But his prospects as a hybrid H-back, fullback or tight end aren’t that great, either.
I wish that wasn’t the case, because the league would be more pleasant with Tebow dispensing joy and sunshine. Unfortunately, listening to his diehard defenders will have to suffice as an added-value proposition.
Before the Broncos moved up to draft Paxton Lynch in April, more than 10,000 fans signed a petition asking the team to bring Tebow back to Denver. There are still supporters who swear he got a raw deal in after leading the Broncos to the playoffs and a wild-card victory in 2011.
Broncos general manager John Elway opted to take his chances on recovering-from-neck-surgery Peyton Manning instead of single-wing-throwback Tebow, who subsequently failed to stick after one season (eight passes and 32 rushes) with the Jets and training-camp stints with the Patriots and Eagles. There’s no question that Elway made the right move, though Tebow’s true believers insist their hero’s style would’ve worked if given the chance.
Despite the dismal numbers in Tebow’s 35-game NFL career – a completion rate of 48 percent with 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions – his fans think there’s a place for him. The headline on an Internet article last weekend read “Eight NFL quarterbacks worse than Tim Tebow,” listing players such as Nick Foles, Geno Smith, Matt Cassel and Brian Hoyer.
Considering the league’s never-ending search for players under center, does Tebow have football left in him if a team calls?
“I mean I think for me, I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in,” Tebow responded on “The Doug Gottlieb Show” on CBS Sports Radio last week, simultaneously not ruling out a comeback in that hypothetical scenario.
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