If only the NFL was giving out an award for persistence, Tim Tebow should be a worthy recipient.
After six years of not playing competitive football and a stint in baseball’s minor leagues, he tried as a tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
But the odds were not in his favor from the beginning.
First of all, it’s tough to adjust from a baseball to a football body.
The muscle groups that you must develop are different which is important because he will be blocking opponents most of the time.
Second, if returning to football shape after a one-year absence is tough enough, what about six?
No wonder he was placed as a fourth-string tight end in the Jaguars depth chart behind Chris Manhertz, James O’Shaughnessy, and Luke Farrell.
Even that fourth spot was a dogfight between him, Tyler Davis, and Ben Ellefson.
Would there be any chance that he could beat those guys for a roster spot?
He was given an opportunity to show what he can do on the field but it was a disappointing stint to say the least.
Tebow played 16 snaps in their preseason loss to the Cleveland Browns and he was targeted for a pass just once.
The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner was the only tight end who did not suit up for the special teams.
Then there’s this viral footage of him trying to make a pull block.
Tim Tebow: TE1pic.twitter.com/1mih6jFhUk
— PFF (@PFF) August 15, 2021
Apparently, he missed another block on the very next snap.
Can’t believe I missed this! This is the play after the viral Tim Tebow block. The VERY NEXT PLAY. Thank you @TheHooooligan for finding this for me pic.twitter.com/QUI7IEutG6
— Kyle Kirms (@kylekirms) August 17, 2021
Urban Meyer must have cringed after watching Tebow on the field.
He’s seeing a player that once had so much potential be reduced to this.
That’s why cutting him became an easy decision after one preseason game.
Perhaps the Jaguars let him go to save him from further humiliation.
Will Tebow Try Again?
It seems like “quit” is not a part of his vocabulary.
After getting a feel of today’s game, he might give up the football dream for good.
He can return to broadcasting or continue his public speaking engagement given his popularity.
But with more talented players coming out of college, his NFL days are over.
Objectively speaking, he could have been a bust if not for those magical moments with the Denver Broncos.
Who can forget those comebacks that he helped engineer during the 2011 season?
There’s also that 80-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas in overtime that defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in their Wild Card matchup.
Other than those moments, his NFL stint was a struggle.
He was often slow in releasing the ball and missed most of his pass attempts.
Going back to that Pittsburgh game, he only completed 10 passes out of 21 tries.
The following week, he only made nine out of 26 throws in a blowout loss to the New England Patriots.
Take away the magical highlights and he’s a quarterback with a low completion rate who often fumbles.
Yes, the truth hurts and he must accept that cracking an NFL roster will be an insurmountable battle.
But looking at it from another perspective, the truth will finally set him free, as the Gospel of John declares.
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