Tim Tebow to the Patriots

Tim Tebow congratulates Tom Brady after losing to the Patriots in a 2011 playoff game.

Late Sunday night I posted an article entitled "Why Tim Tebow Deserves a Spot on an NFL Roster", discussing exactly that. I pleaded my case for why Tim Tebow should get a shot in this league. About 12-14 hours later, that is exactly what happened. Tim Tebow signed a two-year deal with the New England Patriots. So what do I think of this pickup? I will tell you why this is a great fit for both sides.

First, any player that gets to play for the Patriots should be happy. I trust them the most among all organizations in football. Bill Belechick is simply the best coach in the league. He's a genius. He knows how to use players. He has put some of his receivers, past and present, such as Troy Brown, Julian Edelman, and Randy Moss on defense. In this day in age, it seems like guys aren't playing on both sides unless it's in high school or Pop Warner football. Tim Tebow is a big guy, and he's very versatile. Belechick knows where to use him. First and foremost, he is a quarterback and he should remain a quarterback, which I believe he will. But don't be surprised if they use him in different ways. Remember this play against the Steelers in 2007?

We could be seeing some little trick plays like that one. Now, you might argue, didn't the Jets try to do that with Tebow? And didn't that not work out very well? Yes, but the Jets are the Jets. Rex Ryan can't hold a candle to Bill Belechick. Bill will know how to use him. But I don't think trick plays are the best reason why to pickup Tebow.

Picking up Tebow is really a no-lose situation. What is there to lose if the whole thing doesn't work and they let him go at the end of his two-year deal? Absolutely nothing. 

Now, I know the next thing you're going to say. Jack, you said the best situation was for him to be a starter, didn't you? I did. But there is no place for him to start, and this could be even better for him. He can take a couple years to learn and continue to develop his skills. And who does he have to learn behind? A guy who some say is the greatest quarterback of all-time. That's right, Tom Brady. There are a couple big benefits of having Brady in front of him.

First, many have said how teams don't want to bring in Tebow because of the big media following he has, and how big a distraction that could be. Well, if he's sitting behind the best quarterback in the league, there won't be any quarterback controversy. We know Brady won't falter to a point where fans are crying for Tebow to come in. Brady's too good. That won't be a distraction. The other thing that is great about Tebow playing in New England when it comes to the media, is how Belechick limits his players' interactions with the media. He'll be able to keep the media off of him. Something that annoys me is how people are saying how much he loves the spotlight, and how he'll bring the media in and it will become an issue with the Pats. He doesn't love talking to the media. They follow him everywhere, and he's too nice to tell them to shut up or get off his back. He isn't a Chad Johnson guy. And when Chad Johnson was on the Pats, I don't remember really hearing anything from him that year. So there shouldn't be any concern with the media.

The second benefit of having Brady in front of Tebow is that Tebow can learn a lot from Tom. It's kind of like when the Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers as a long-term plan. They knew Favre wouldn't be around too much longer. Rodgers patiently sat behind Favre for three years, and then thrived when he got his chance. How much did Favre have to do with Rodgers' success? We don't know. I think it definitely helped him more than if he were to have been drafted by the 49ers and played right away (which is what they did with Alex Smith). The Packers do a great job of developing quarterbacks. And I think Tebow will be good if he's learning behind Tom. Will he be the next Brady? He won't. Again, Brady is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play this game. But I don't see any bad things coming out of this for Tebow. The Patriots brought him, and want to see if he can be the eventual successor to Tom Brady, when he retires some time within the likely next 2-4 years.

Not only does he get to learn behind Brady, but he is also put in a great system. A system that won 11 games with Matt Cassell starting at quarterback in 2008 (when Brady was injured and had to miss the entire season). With Tebow's athletic ability and potential, he could thrive in this system when Brady retires. 

Something I said in my last article was how Tebow needs to be put in a situation where he has a coach that supports him and has his back. Tebow has at least one coach that will do that. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels drafted Tebow when he was the head coach of the Broncos. McDaniels didn't stick around long enough to get to see Tebow play, as he was canned before Tebow got any game action. But this is great for Tebow. I wonder if McDaniels did any campaigning for them to bring Tebow in. Tebow can work with McDaniels again, and McDaniels will defend him. I also have to believe that Belechick will support him too. 

Other than that, I don't know what else there is to be said about this. I'm happy for Tebow. It feels kind of weird. Because on one hand, I can't wait to see him play, but on the other hand, I don't want to see Tom Brady go out of the league. The league will miss him. Brady will turn 36 this summer, and it will be interesting to see how long he plays. Even at the age of 35, he put together a great season and was one game away from another trip to the Super Bowl. In a recent copy of one of the Madden NFL Football games (I can't remember which year), I remember Brady playing in the league until he was 40-42, remaining at a near-99 rating in the game. I hope he's got plenty left in him and can win another Super Bowl (or two). And when he does retire, I hope we get to see Tim Tebow take over the Patriots offense. There's no guarantee it will happen. Remember, the Pats drafted Ryan Mallet a couple years ago in the third round, so Tebow will have to compete with him for the backup job. But I look forward to seeing what happens in the next few seasons, and wish Tebow the best of luck. Congrats, Tim! 

So what did you think of the Tim Tebow singing? Was it good for the Pats? What about Tebow? Whatever your opinion is, comment below, write on my Facebook fan page or let me hear your thoughts on Twitter @vellvita7. As always, thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of your day!