Tim Tebow: One of the most puzzling outrages in the history of the National Football League
Trevor Lawrence was considered a picture-perfect pro prospect while in college, one of the best ever. In three years at Clemson, he threw 90 touchdowns, 17 interceptions, and ran for 18 touchdowns in the ACC.
Tim Tebow in the three years that he started for Florida threw 83 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and ran for 49 touchdowns in the SEC, which has been the best conference in college football the last decade and a half.
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Yet, Tebow was never considered a legitimate pro prospect. Since Tebow left Gainesville, the Gators have not been as good.
Tebow, who had been exiled from playing the quarterback position in the NFL for years was trying out this summer for tight end with the Jacksonville Jaguars, before being cut last week, where Trevor Lawrence was selected first overall in last spring’s NFL draft.
The reality that Tebow ever had to resort to trying out for tight end somewhere is as unjust a circumstance as any that the NFL has seen. No matter how well or poorly Lawrence performs this season and no matter how many games Jacksonville losses he will be given the chance to start again in year two for Jacksonville because his talent is so highly thought of by the NFL world.
Tebow, during his time as a quarterback, did not get that benefit of the doubt that not only Lawrence has but a lot of struggling young quarterbacks have gotten throughout league history. And Tebow actually won games immediately and was still denied.
This is hardly an argument that Tebow should be the starting quarterback for Jacksonville. There is no realistic scenario or rational world where Tebow would be the Jaguars' starting quarterback in 2021.
Yet, one would think that Tebow never had any success in the NFL with the way he is discredited by media members and fans.
But the facts are that he had a winning record as a starting quarterback in the NFL at 9-7. The detractors will say his 9-7 record was all because of the defense. But when Tebow took over as starting quarterback of a 1-4 Denver Broncos team in the sixth game of the 2011 season the Broncos had the worst record in the NFL (7-24) over the prior two years dating back to week 8 of the 2009 season. If the defense was so great that would not have been the case.
The Denver Broncos started winning when Tebow became their starting quarterback. He inspired the team, leading them to an 8-5 record the rest of the 2011 season which included a division championship and a playoff win against the Pittsburgh Steelers where he threw for 316 yards, two touchdowns, 50 yards running and another score against a defense that was really “great.” As the Steelers were the No. 1-ranked defense in the NFL that season. He also had zero turnovers.
He outplayed Ben Roethlisberger, who will probably go into the Hall of Fame someday. Tebow and the Broncos were beaten by badly by Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and New England the Patriots the following week and he never got an opportunity to start another NFL game. Belichick’s record against first- and second-year quarterbacks is notorious and Tebow had as tough a time against him and his Patriots defense as has Peyton Manning and every other quarterback beginning their career over the last 20 years.
Time will tell if Trevor Lawrence has a record as good as 9-7 through his first 16 games in the NFL. Chances are he won’t because most quarterbacks in league history have not had a record as good through their first 16 games. Certainly, Peyton and Eli Manning did not. Neither did Aaron Rodgers just to name a few who ended up having good careers.
The list of NFL quarterbacks - both successful and unsuccessful - who got endless opportunities to start but did not have a better career record through 16 games goes on and on. There has never been another quarterback in NFL history who had a winning record through their first 16 career games as a starter and never got another opportunity to start a game.
Yet, Tebow did this with a team that had the worst record in the NFL over the two years prior to his taking over the starting job during the 2011 season. Most confounding of all is the fact that Tebow’s early shortcomings were blown out of proportion alas, because all young quarterbacks have struggles.
Surely Tebow would have continued to improve and gotten better like the rest of them. But that opportunity was not afforded to Tebow. Which begs the question: why have so many other young quarterbacks been given years and endless opportunities to develop but not Tebow? They surely were not better.
Although Tebow’s style of play was constantly criticized he did the most important thing on the field, he won games, which is the objective of every team. His style of smash-mouth football energized his team and proved a winning strategy. Tebow kept the clock running and moved the chains with his feet which tired the opposing defense and gave his defense rest. He is a natural leader and instilled confidence in his team, winning big at every level. That’s why his fans and teammates would get excited and have hope when he was under center.
Although racial discrimination has played no role in his experience playing quarterback, strangely Tebow has had a similar experience to that of many black quarterbacks over the history of the NFL. For decades talented black quarterbacks were denied the chance to start. Their style of play, which for many featured tremendous running ability, was dismissed as a style that would not work in the NFL and thus were not given a chance to play.
The opportunity to play was a slow gradual one that took decades as talented black quarterbacks eventually become too good and numerous to ignore, forcing themselves onto the field with their undeniable talent and winning style of play. Even so, former Boynton Beach standout Lamar Jackson has a style that many wanted to deny in the league just three years ago.
Jackson had a superior collegiate career to every quarterback in his 2018 draft class. Longtime highly regarded NFL executives and scouts suggested he should play another position going into the NFL combine. Four quarterbacks were selected before he was taken by Baltimore. Who knows how far he would have fallen if it weren’t for Ozzie Newsome, a longtime top executive with Baltimore who is black. Fortunately, Jackson got an organization and a coach in John Harbaugh who believed in him.
By his second season, his first full season as a starter, he not only rushed for over 1,000 yards and shattered the single season rushing record for a quarterback, but he also led the NFL in touchdown passes and led Baltimore to 12 straight wins to end that regular season.
What could Tebow have done had he been given a full season? Many were still questioning Jackson after his rookie season when he became the starter in week 11 and led Baltimore to the playoffs mostly with his legs.
Tebow had his own unique style. He ran the ball, but he ran it in a way not seen before. He had decent 4.7 speed but wasn’t a blazer like Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb, Colin Kaepernick or a Cam Newton. Instead, he had a kind of fullback approach. Embracing contact and fearlessly running over defenders. Tebow threw touchdowns too and it worked! He was different but proved he could win NFL games with the way he plays and that’s all that should matter. The same way black quarterbacks who don’t just stand in the pocket like statues proved they could win with their style.
The one opportunity Tebow did get with Denver he delivered. Imagine in your given profession producing the way Tebow did when provided an opportunity and then being denied another opportunity. All any of us hope for is to be treated fairly, to be given an equal opportunity to compete.
The story of Tim Tebow is one of the most puzzling outrages in the history of the league.