Monday started off as a slow news day in the sports world with very little happening with the NBA Finals having a travel day. The afternoon was just a little different.
Gator fans got some unfortunate news regarding point guard Scottie Wilbekin but quickly rejoiced when news broke late Monday afternoon that the New England Patriots had signed former Florida Gator quarterback Tim Tebow.
This is huge news for most Florida fans and well, everybody in sports, as Tebow mania is officially back in the NFL.
At GatorCountry.com we have a number of different opinions on Tim Tebow and his new home in New England, so we decided to bring this topic to our roundtable and discuss it there.
Andrew Spivey: “He’s back and honestly the New England Patriots are the team that I thought should have drafted Tebow out of Florida. There is no better coach to handle Tebow and the madness that comes along with him than Bill Belichick. Additionally, there is no offensive coordinator that will help succeed more than Josh McDaniel’s. I think the biggest positive for Tim going to New England is that Belichick will have complete control over the media and not allow Tebow to get overwhelmed about the unwarranted madness that follows him.
“If Tebow is going to succeed in the NFL, the Patriots are the team that’s going to make it happen. Nobody in their right mind will expect Tebow to start over Tom Brady which will help. Also, with all of the play makers on the Patriots, Tebow will have a chance to contribute in other ways. mainly as a wildcat quarterback or an h-back type of player. One thing is for certain, McDaniel’s will find a way to get Tebow on the field.
Seth Puglio: “Rejoice Gator nation, Tim Tebow is back in the NFL. You will undoubtedly see Florida’s golden child all over your television for the next couple months as every talking head imaginable analyzes how Tebow will be used by the New England Patriots. There will be a ton of guesses from backup quarterback, special teams, tight end, wildcat player, the speculation will be never ending. At the end of the day I wouldn’t count on seeing him too much, sorry.”
“That being said, New England is the type of organization that might just be able to wrangle the media hype that surrounds Tebow mania. I don’t expect anyone to be trying to boo Tom Brady off the field anytime soon so Tebow is no threat to cause a stir in the locker room there. The New York Jets mishandled Tebow, there’s no other way to put it. I expect Belicheck to devise a couple well thought out schemes in which Tebow can be effective and allow the Patriots to be more creative in their offense. He provides the Patriots with a natural leader and a multi-threat play maker. Belicheck clearly was watching the Gators in the golden years as Tebow will join former Gator teammates Aaron Hernandez, Jermaine Cunningham and Brandon Spikes up in New England. I don’t expect Tebow to ever be a starting quarterback in the NFL but if one team can find a way to utilize the former Heisman winner effectively, it will be the Patriots.”
Dan Thompson: “Tim Tebow in New England is the perfect fit, and honestly, the only fit (as I predicted on April 29th, on GCTV). New England has a proven quarterback, a no-nonsense coach, an offensive genius at the helm and a place that he won’t be expected to play, especially as a quarterback. Tim Tebow needs to improve his mechanics drastically and needs to become a better practice player in order to ever have a chance to play in the NFL. Tebow will need to watch everything that Tom Brady does, learn every piece of information Josh McDaniel can teach. He can be productive if he is flexible in perhaps learning the H-Back or tight end position. However, it’s not like you can just throw Tim Tebow into a tight end role and expect high production right off the bat. Tebow will fade behind the brick wall that Belichek puts up around his team and there will be no clamoring for his play. Again, perfect spot for Tim.”
Nick de la Torre: “My initial thought when Tebow was released earlier in the offseason was that it would be tough to for a team to sign him due to the media circus that surrounds Tim. It’s not his fault that national news outlets want to know what he ate for breakfast, if he’s starting or who he’s dating. A team doesn’t need that kind of attention around a backup quarterback, which he would be until he can get into and familiarize himself with a new playbook. New England and Bill Belichick won’t stand for the media circus and there won’t be one in New England. Tebow won’t have an introductory press conference and I doubt that Belichick will have him doing weekly press conferences. This should give Tim a chance to go about his work and continue improving and developing himself as a player without having to deal with us media hacks.”
“Tebow enters into an ideal situation in New England. For starters, Josh McDaniels is the offensive coordinator/QB coach. McDaniels is the one coach who believed in Tim enough to draft him and he clearly had a vision for Tim in Denver. Tim is not going to play QB right away and he shouldn’t. Tom Brady is clearly the starter and will remain so until he retires. This gives Tebow some serious time to work on things like his footwork, decision-making and throwing motion to make these things second nature to him. Belichick is the smartest man in the room; so don’t expect Tebow to ride the pine behind Brady all year. The Patriots will find creative ways to use Tebow that highlight his strengths. This is the best case scenario for Tim Tebow.”