Tim Tebow has likely done enough to secure a roster spot on the New England Patriots after a strong performance in his final preseason game, NFL experts seem to think.
The free agent quarterback seemed to have the odds stacked against him when coach Bill Belichick took a chance on him on the offseason. Tebow was coming off a disappointing season with the New York Jets where he struggled to see the field and did little with the chances he did get. He came to the Patriots solidly behind Tom Brady and promising backup Ryan Mallett, the third quarterback on a team that has traditionally only kept two on the roster.
Tim Tebow has had a shaky preseason, struggling with accuracy but employing a strong rushing attack. But his final performance on Thursday against the New York Giants may have done enough to warrant a spot on the team, some Patriots followers believe. Tebow threw for 90 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another 30 yards.
The performance showed Tebow as a capable quarterback and important insurance policy should the aging Brady be injured.
Tebow has some other things going for him as well. He has the endorsement of Patriots owner Robert Kraft , and a strong backer in offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who drafted Tebow in the first round with the Denver Broncos and would still want to prove it was worth the risk.
And though Tebow may not look like a traditional quarterback, he still finds a way to win, notes Yahoo! Sports columnist Lee Carpenter .
“There is a line football people use when they talk about Tebow. They call him a winner.’ They say this even as they cringe when describing his throwing motion, his robotic windup and the footwork he still struggles to get right,” Carpenter wrote. “There’s enough ‘winner’ in Tebow to keep him in the NFL.”
ESPN Patriots correspondent Field Yates also predicts that Tebow will make the final roster , though his counterpart Mike Reiss disagrees.
For all the support Tim Tebow may have within the New England Patriots and from sportswriters, the only opinion that matters is that of Bill Belichick, the coach who is notoriously hard to figure out. The final decision will come by Saturday night, when the Patriots must submit their final 53-man roster.