This is why I wondered if it was wise to piss him off. Unless you include guys like David Carr that everyone has agreed to consider career backups, the best available free agent quarterbacks after Smith are Donovan McNabb, David Garrard, and Vince Young (unless I'm missing something). Not exactly pick of the litter. Maybe Colin Kaepernick better suit up. I suppose they could trade for Tim Tebow.
David Garrard just tweeted that he is a Miami Dolphin. https://twitter.com/#!/davidgarrard9/status/181913553010307072
I just find the pressure argument questionable about Peyton going to SF. I know he has a reputation for not performing well in the playoffs, but he had as much pressure on him every season in Indy as anyone else. That team was super bowl or bust almost every season in recent memory, so I don't think a media circus in SF really scares him.
All Tebow hatred aside, this was probably the best thing that could have happened to him as a Bronco if they keep him. He gets to ride the pine behind Peyton Manning until he retires, learn from the best and this could be similar to the situation that won him a title at UF. If Manning doesn't try to work in Denver for more than 2 years, and Elway doesn't jettison Touchdown Jesus, I bet Tebow comes out of the deal a qb that is worthy of a starting position on a playoff caliber team. If they drop his ass, then I hope he fades into obscurity as quickly as possible. The next qb drama up on the block is....
People keep talking about how good this is for Tebow, but has Manning ever been known as a good mentor/teacher? I know he's a good guy, but I've never heard of anyone flourishing under him. Of course, it all depends on what you like. Maybe you like 6'5'' 230 lb QBs with laser rocket arms.
What makes you think Jimmy Graham can block? There are tight ends that block and those who catch the ball. Few do well at both. No chance Tebow plays TE, especially in Denver. And Tebow was one of the strongest players on the team at Florida. They had to cap his workouts because he was out lifting the linemen. ballsack hit it on the head. Even at any other position, as soon as Manning throws an INT or loses 2 games in a row, the "Bring Back Tebow" shit will run wild. I wouldnt be surprised if the Broncos and Manning didn't discuss moving Tebow as part of their negotiations. Not to mention the fact that Elway hates Tebow and wants him out.
Quite the opposite. Manning is known for taking 100% of the snaps in practice. Tebow doesn't need "mental reps".
The biggest Tebow hater on ESPN got on and started talking about how Tebow can be a 3rdQB slash player on multiple teams, but completely shit on the idea he will ever be a QB.
Well I probably agree with him. He's ill-suited to be a backup anywhere: no one wants a backup that requires complete overhaul of your offense whenever he enters a game. He probably has to be either a starter or a specialist. The list of places he could plausibly start are limited, possibly zero: -He won't start in JAX until they've given up on Gabbert, and signs point to this not being the case. They can't trade for Tebow now because given the fan base and Gabbert's shaky confidence, that's signing a death warrant on his career. Midseason, this might be very different. -Maybe he's preferable in Miami to Gerrard or Flynn. I don't know. I wouldn't say so, but it could make sense economically. I can see Miami doing this as a desperation move. -Cleveland is in the market for a starting QB, but I doubt they consider Tebow a long term solution. They'll look to the draft. And in the short term, they'd probably prefer McCoy. As far as places where he'd fit as a zany 3rd option, yeah, New England makes sense. Other than that, I can see the Raiders having some interest (would Denver trade him in the division?). Perhaps the 49ers. But again, not a long list. The problem is that most of the teams that would be amenable to it already have mobile QBs (i.e. Philly, Washington, Tampa), so Tebow doesn't provide them much value. If I were John Elway, I'd be deluging Blaine Gabbert with hate mail right now, just to fuck with him.
If Elway is confident he can't be a franchise QB, I would. With the amount of debate and controversy he'd cause, it'd be like sending over a set of blankets teeming with smallpox. I can't imagine Manning becoming a mentor to Tebow. Beyond the reps, he never struck me as an altruistic teammate and seemed quick to throw guys (and idiot kickers) under the bus. Maybe that's just being a perfectionist and tough competitor. Or maybe not. Hines Ward just "retired" today (i.e. no other team was willing to offer him a contract). Sad to see the Steelers cut him, but he was a waste of a roster spot at this point. He's a likable guy though, and I'm sure he'll be offered a TV job quickly. 2 Super Bowls. 1 Super Bowl MVP. Leads the Steelers in most career WR stats. Decent resume for the HoF.
With no injury protection for the first season. What happened to incentive laden contract and OK for team to protect itself? $40million balloon payment if he passes the physical before the 2013 season.
They should trade for Tebow. He's not a long term solution, and Gabbert blows. Tebow will put asses in the seats. The fans here are clamoring for him. They actually believe he's still wearing a gator uniform,and his play style is going to revolutionize the NFL. Have you seen a jags game on tv? The stadiums are more than half empty. I take it back. Tebow is a long term solution. While the franchise is getting on its feet and bringing in revenue they can start a proper rebuilding process, and then bring in the right QB. You want to stay in Jacksonville? Start giving the fans what they want first, be a smart football franchise later. Nobody gave a fuck when this team went 11-5. Tebow could change all that. Also, it would be Tebow in a wide open division behind a good defense and a great running game. Sound familiar? He isn't preferable. Garrard is way better than Tebow. Ditto for Flynn based on how he's performed in his limited starts. Miami is only interested in wins right now, especially with the colts floundering. New England makes sense because Belichick has a history of moving players to different positions, not to mention he's always shown interest in versatile players. Still a long shot. If Tebow landed in Oakland (read: never) I would laugh my ass off. I don't think the raiders have any draft picks for trades.
A few points kampf: I'm in full agreement with you about Jax. The problem is that team management doesn't seem to be. Their position is that gabbert hasn't truly been given a fair shot yet, and needs more time to evaluate. Wrong, but it seems to be what they believe. As for Garrard...who knows how good he is? The guy is going to go 18 months between games. Maybe he's as good as he was in his heyday in Jacksonville but I doubt it. I think we'll see something that closely resembles McNabb in Minnesota. Who was worse than Tebow. I actually meant to say Moore, not Flynn. I think we will see some serious regression to the mean from Moore if he plays. Personally, I'd take Moore over Tebow, but there's reason to believe that their front office wants to make a big move after one of the most embarrassing offseasons in NFL history. I threw Oakland out not because I think they have assets; merely because I think that even without Al Davis, they still might be crazy and risk taking enough to say "why not?"
It's a combination of factors. The "gotta win right now" mentality plus the lack of decent veteran QB's available plus the huge salaries & bonuses they were getting forced the teams to play these guys a little earlier than they might have wanted. We have already seen in 1 year under the new CBA, teams are more willing to take risks in the 1st round, including trades. $40million guaranteed made it prohibitive to miss on a pick, which is why you saw so many lineman drafted early before and so many QB's taken much earlier that people thought last year. If you miss on a lineman, you can shuffle him around to another position (OT to OG or DE to DT). If you whiff on a QB or RB or WR, you are pretty much out that money.
It's been this way for much longer than half a decade; you'll have to go back to at least the early 80's to the days when it was considered customary for a QB drafted in the 1st round to sit on the bench for a year or two before starting. Guys like Aaron Rodgers and Dante Culpepper are the exception, not the rule.