After the first weekend of the NFL season, half of the teams will be entering the second week of the season with a losing record. This is expected. One other fact comes to mind when recapping the week—Tim Tebow did not play a down. Why? The Eagles had cut him. As someone who does not care much about football, I do not notice much. I notice wins, and I notice losses. At the end of the day, isn’t this what matters most? Who cares if a quarterback threw or ran for great yardage only for his team to lose a close one in the fourth quarter? As a not-very-dedicated fan of the New York Giants, I don’t. My knowledge of week one can be summed up in six words: the Giants lost to the Cowboys.
Knowing that half of the teams that played lost, I wonder why Tim Tebow isn’t on a roster. You Tebow haters probably will say something dismissive about his passing ability or general skills, but this is subjective. I agree that he is not the QB you want. But, with a winning record in his pocket, he’s the one you need. How many QBs get the starting job year after year with minimal wins?
I have a theory about why Tebow isn’t given a chance—he’s too perfect off the field and too mediocre on it. From week to week, we love hearing about some ridiculous performance on the field. Tim Tebow will never provide statistics worthy of these reports, mostly because he will not have the opportunity.
When he made Sportscenter as an athlete, it was primarily so commentators could critique his average throwing form or comment on how he will not be a quality starting player. Additionally, off the field, he was a coach’s dream. Rather than hearing stories about him committing crimes (RG3 or Big Ben) or him potentially cheating (Tom Brady), we heard about him going down on one knee to pay respects to his lord. That’s a subpar story to gossip about. His building a hospital in the Philippines is heartwarming, but even this does not seem to provoke as much emotion as a superstar setting a poor example.
Moving forward into the season, fans will continue to be upset as many teams will not make the playoffs. Fans will complain about their quaterbacks. Coaches will be fired. Next year, the same. A constant in this situation will be Tim Tebow the commentator; Tim Tebow the player will have remained unrewarded. Even after leading a playoff run for the Broncos, the closest to a full-time starting position he was offered was a puppet position to create drama and a ridiculous claim for Rex Ryan to discuss. Tebow will not be a QB in the NFL, but this is because of his on-field performances.
As teams continue to lose, I note that Tebow will never provide what you want in a QB. He will not be a part of unreal highlights. He will not break passing records. But he will bring something to a team that any fan would love—he will win.
Kuhrt is a member of the class of 2017.
