After the list of players who were voted to the Pro Bowl was released last night, the blogosphere started the requisite “who got snubbed?” debate. Unbelievably, multiple sites included Tim Tebow’s name as one of those players who was snubbed. And there are reports that he will be the AFC’s second alternate and could still end up making the trip to Hawaii.
Look, the Tim Tebow story was a nice one. Really, it was. The biggest underdog to ever win two national titles in college (as well as the Heisman Trophy) had a great run: Six straight wins. Dramatic comebacks. The “Tebowing” craze.
Photo: Garrett W. Ellwood/Getty Images
But really…it’s over. It’s time to let it all go.
Tim Tebow is not a Pro Bowl quarterback. He’s barely even a serviceable NFL quarterback.
Despite a series of unexpected, if not flukish, comebacks…it’s just not there. He was exposed last week at Buffalo much like he was exposed in Week 8 against Detroit. But between then and now, a series of unlikely events and the sexy narrative pushed this reality to the backburner.
Well, now it’s time to bring it to the forefront. Otherwise, Tim Tebow could be playing in the Pro Bowl and that would be the biggest embarrassment in the exhibition’s history.
His release is slow. His accuracy is suspect. His decision-making is questionable. Consider: The last quarterback (min. 250 attempts) to have a completion percentage of 50% or worse was Ryan Leaf in 2000 (and we all know what happened with HIS career). Tebow’s completion percentage this year? 48%.
Tebow’s QB rating of 78.2 is 25th-highest in the NFL and 15th-highest in the AFC. AFC quarterbacks with a higher QB rating include Carson Palmer (whose 5.3% interception percentage is by far the worst in the AFC), Mark Sanchez, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Matt Moore. Any of those quarterbacks would be more deserving than Tebow.
There’s a very real possibility that the Broncos will win the AFC West and compete in the playoffs this year. If that happens, they will be a 4-seed and face either the Baltimore Ravens or Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round, two teams that are each in the top 5 for scoring defense and passing yards allowed in all of football. If Tebow can withstand that defense without embarrassing himself, it will be a miracle.
Denver's surge from 2-5 to 8-7 and on the doorstep of the postseason is admirable, but ultimately, the contributions of players like running back Willis McGahee and kicker Matt Prater have been understated. The defense is sending Champ Bailey, Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller to the Pro Bowl. John Fox should get consideration for coach of the year. Offensive coordinator Mike McCoy has had to shape his schemes to overcome the obvious physical shortcomings of his quarterback, and has made it work, for the most part. These are the real reasons the Broncos are on the cusp of the postseason.
Not Tim Tebow.
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