It’s nearly June, NFL teams are having organized team activities, and Tim Tebow remains unsigned. According to an article by David Fleming in ESPN The Magazine, his camp is privately admitting his days in the NFL are probably over.
Here’s what Fleming writes:
Even now, after Tebow cleared waivers unclaimed and with members of his camp privately admitting that his NFL run is probably over, the football world remains as divided as ever over him.
Fleming goes on to say that Tebow’s former teammates won’t say anything bad about him, but scouts won’t say anything good. The consensus feeling is that Tebow is better than some second or third-string QBs in the league, but not worth signing because of how divisive he is.
“He’s not a quarterback. When you look at his run two years ago, when you watch the tape and break it down, he wasn’t really doing anything that impressive. He’s a tough guy, a great leader, a great person. But he isn’t a good enough quarterback to have all the distractions that come with him,” a scout told Fleming.
In addition to having issues with his throwing mechanics, Fleming says Tebow also struggled with the mental side of the game. Fleming says Tebow had trouble remembering plays the offensive coaches wanted him to run. For instance, Fleming says while the defense was on the field, the coaches would tell Tebow what series of plays they wanted to run and that Tebow would almost always forget the plays. As a result, Tebow was penalized for delay of game an NFL-high seven times. Fleming also says scouts believe Tebow hardly audibled because he was unable to read and process defenses quickly enough.
Pretty shocking that this is happening to a guy who helped the Denver Broncos go to the playoffs and win a playoff game two seasons ago.
The thinking used to be that Tebow could have an NFL future if he switched positions, but I’m not even sure that is the case. If teams are reluctant to bring on a project quarterback because of the distraction he causes, why would they want a project tight end or running back? Maybe Tebow will have to start considering his options in other leagues.
Helmet smack to Pro Football Talk
