Monday saw the beginning of practices for the Senior Bowl, a college all-star game that offers NFL scouts the opportunity to scrutinize and rank potential draft picks. One of these potential picks is Tim Tebow, who surprised some this week when he insisted he is practicing to be drafted as an NFL quarterback.
Tebow, long considered to lack the offensive skill set to succeed as an NFL QB, flourished in the University of Florida offensive system, setting records, winning two BCS titles, and exhibiting a leadership so fierce that the athletic department saw fit to canonize a nine month-old post-game Tebow speech and put it on a plaque next to the entrance of the football facility in Gainesville. No joke.
If you like it then you shoulda put a plaque on it
See you in September 2010?
Considering that the Jaguars lost 17,000 season ticket holders after the 2008 season and averaged around 74% stadium capacity for home games, of which all but one was blacked out, Florida governor Charlie Crist - and others - has campaigned for the Jaguars to do the economically savvy thing and draft Tebow, regardless of his actual fit to the team’s needs. The organization seems to be in step with that notion, albeit inconspicuously. Owner Wayne Weaver is on record saying that the "iconic" Tebow is "compelling" and "would be an asset to any football organization."
Say hello to 49,000 of your closest friends
The idea of the local team drafting the local kid also makes for an interesting what-if, as in, what if there was some system in place for professional teams to get dibs on drafting local/regional college/amateur players. Certainly, it restricts the open market, but if Tebow goes to the Jaguars and does well, consider the impact he will have had on the people of north Florida.
For the Gators and, maybe, the Jaguars...truly a savior.
"And while it’s no guarantee that Tebow would start, or even have success for the Jaguars, wouldn't he at least put fans in the seats?"
ReplyDeleteI understand that Tebow is rather iconic down in Florida, but the only way I can conceive of him putting fans in the seats long-term is if he plays successfully.
If his career is similar to that of Jamarcus Russel, do you really think people would be buying tickets to watch him play?
Long-term, I completely agree. How good does he need to be, though? Certainly Russell hasn't set the bar very high. Could Tebow out-perform a David Garrard? Or is he the next Eric Crouch?
ReplyDeleteI guess the question is whether Tebow is the beneficiary of a system or if he can perform as a QB at the NFL level. His performance at the Senior Bowl may reveal the answer.
Either way, the potential financial windfall for the Jaguars is hovering above this situation. I'm curious to see how it could play out.
Certainly if he could perform at a pro-bowl level like Garrard (HA!), he'd be a boon for the Jaguars. But I don't think he's capable of being a solid QB in the NFL - I think he's the next Crouch. I think it all comes down to how successful he and the team will be. Winning games usually solves attendance issues moreso than a big name that fails to deliver.
ReplyDeleteAlso, if there really is an unspoken agreement to allow the Jags to draft Tebow, wouldn't that be a huge deal? It seems pretty shady to me (if true) and would set up all sorts of potential problems down the road.
I would think that'd have a very negative impact on the integrity of the draft/game.
There are only rumors on an unspoken agreement and, you're absolutely right that if something like that did exist, it would seriously jeopardize the integrity of the draft.
ReplyDeleteAs for performance, the first two days of the Senior Bowl practices have been underwhelming. We'll see how he can improve throughout the week and up until draft day. If not at QB can he, unlike Crouch, find a position in the NFL?