Tim Tebow’s a Bad Quarterback
If the Eagles want a Dream Team II to rival last year’s Dream Team, they need to be all in on Tim Tebow.
Last season, Tebow was the talk of the NFL. After sitting on the bench as a rookie, Tebow got a chance to start and took the Broncos to the playoffs with a series of improbable comebacks, then threw a touchdown pass in overtime to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs. Because of variety of factors–good looks, impeccable college pedigree, his Christianity and charity work–Tim Tebow became the one sports star who non-sports fans got interested in.
The Broncos had a chance to upgrade, though, and yesterday they signed all-time great Peyton Manning, released by the Colts after missing last season with a neck injury. Tebow is now on the trading block.
Granted, Tebow to the Eagles seems to make no sense: They already have a quarterback (a better quarterback) and they signed him to a six-year deal last year. Just last week–riffing on a hilariously premature Fox 29 report–the Philly Post’s Mike Bertha wrote it would be a terrible idea.
Or so you think! “This one makes so much sense to me that there’s no way it happens.” wrote Sports Illustrated‘s very good football writer Jim Trotter. “So why not the Eagles?” wrote the Daily News‘ very good columnist Rich Hoffman. “Really, why not?”
Even Ray Didinger, winner of the 1995 Dick McCann Memorial Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame thinks it’s a good idea: “It is an intriguing thought and I honestly think it makes sense.” Need an opinion from the Internet? “Tebow is a special player, “ wrote Iggles Blitz’s Tommy Lawlor. “If the cost is low, you have to think about it.” Super Bowl-winning coach Tony Dungy says “you probably have to look at it, and think about it.”
But none of those are the real reason the Eagles need to bring in Tebow. For Andy Reid’s entire tenure, Eagles fans have been attempting to get Andy Reid to run the ball more. No matter the quarterback, Reid throws the ball constantly. But if Andy Reid had a quarterback as bad as Tim Tebow, oh man. He’d have to run.
He might be a winner–whatever that means–but make no mistake: Tim Tebow is a terrible quarterback. Pick your metric and Tebow was horrible in it last year: 28th in the league passer rating; 31st in Total QBR; 39th in DYAR at Football Outsiders, for both passing and rushing. Despite his Heisman Trophy pedigree, he even looks bad. As a YouTube video notes, he throws the football like a javelin. It’s like watching Shaquille O’Neal shoot free throws if free throws were the main thing Shaq were paid to do.
Tebow’s career completion percentage is 47.3. As an Eagle, McNabb’s was 59. Vick’s is 60.9 with the Birds. Not even Andy Reid could continue to run the ball that often with a passer that bad. But what if he did? In the Eagles’ offense, Tebow would be terrible. The Eagles would be awful. And Andy Reid would get fired.
A Tim Tebow signing leads to one of two things: The good Christian role model helping the run-oriented Eagles to a Super Bowl victory, or Andy Reid getting fired. These are the only two outcomes Eagles fans hope for at the start of every season. Fans need to put on their JOHN 3:16 eyeblack, head to the Eagles headquarters in South Philly and start Tebowing in front of it.
Sign Tebow, and this will be the best Eagles season ever no matter how it ends.
