By Benjamin Klein

Newly signed New England Patriots’ quarterback, Tim Tebow, must prove that he’s better than Ryan Mallett during training camp and throughout the preseason unless he could find himself jobless yet again.

Tebow had a tough time finding an organization that was willing to take a chance on him until the Patriots singed him to a two-year deal around a week ago. Tebow now has the opportunity to backup Tom Brady each week and potentially get some time on the field as well.

Tebow’s exact role has yet to be determined, but you can bet that he’s going to have to play remarkably well in order to make the final roster. The Patriots don’t really need to keep three quarterbacks on the team and Tebow must make it his mission to secure the No. 2 job over Mallett.

Two of my friends over at NESN, Doug Kyed and Luke Hughes, recently did a 53-man roster projection and most of the focus was on Tebow. Kyed left Tebow off his roster and the quarterback just barely made the team for Hughes—and both kept Mallett. Both agree that it won’t be easy for Tebow to make the final squad.

Mallett, a third-round pick in 2011 by New England, has rarely taken the field since joining the Patriots. He only has four career pass attempts and eight rush attempts on his resume. Backing up Brady doesn’t require a lot unless he goes down with an injury—like when Matt Cassel took over when Brady hurt his knee.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter said in a question-and-answer session in February that the Patriots have been impressed with Mallett during practice (Insider subscription required). Tom Curran of Comcast SportsNet New England reported before the NFL draft that New England hadn’t had conversations about dealing the backup QB.
 
Now that the draft has come and gone, nearly every team knows whom their quarterback for the upcoming season will be. But that doesn’t mean that everything is going to go according to plan once Week 1 is set to start. Injuries happen all the time and sometimes derail quarterbacks for extended periods.

Will Tim Tebow make the 53-man roster?
Yes, as the No. 2 QB. 46.2%
Yes, as the No. 3 QB. 41.1%
No, he’ll get cut. 12.7%
Total votes: 197
 
If Tebow plays well up until the regular season, and there’s a market for a player like Mallett, New England could feel comfortable trading him and keeping the former Florida Gator as the No. 2 guy.

Is that a stretch? Sure it is. But it’s certainly a possibility.

Regardless of what happens with other teams, Tebow needs to focus on playing well once the Patriots take the field. He isn’t going to have many opportunities to succeed before the Patriots need to make a final decision as to who will be on the final roster and who will be cut.
 
Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports
Last year, Mallett had 67 preseason pass attempts. Brian Hoyer—who was eventually cut—had 47. Brady threw the ball 27 times in two games. With Tebow fighting for a spot on the team, we should expect him to throw at least 40 preseason passes. If his mechanics are poor and he isn’t making plays, he’s gone.

Let me say this again: The Patriots don’t need three quarterbacks on the roster.

Tebow must play better than Mallett in order to have any shot at making the team. Keep in mind that he signed a deal that doesn’t include any guaranteed money (h/t USA Today). The Patriots won’t owe him anything if they decide to let him go at the end of the preseason.

You don’t have to call it a quarterback competition, but Tebow will be looking to take Mallett’s backup job. His spot on the team is nonexistent if he doesn’t.

..By Andrew Martin

COMMENTARY| Quarterback Tim Tebow recently signed a free-agent contract with the New England Patriots to compete for a spot on their roster. While training camp is still weeks away, he is already helping his new team without even stepping on the field.

The ink is hardly dry on the two-year, $1.38 million deal Tebow signed with the Patriots, but he is already paying dividends without having even thrown an official pass. While he will compete on the field to make the team, the benefits of his signing have already started manifesting off it.

One of the oldest tricks in the book is gleaning intelligence from new players about their former teams. Tebow is known for his virtue but it’s likely even he is willing to participate in this long-running ritual.

It just so happens he played for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets during his first three seasons. The Patriots play the Jets twice and the Broncos once in 2013, making any insight he can provide even more important.

Tebow started 11 games for Denver in 2011, and should have a lot of familiarity with the tendencies of two of their current top receivers, Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas. He can leave Wes Welker, the Bronco’s most recent addition at receiver, to New England quarterback Tom Brady.

Last year, the Jets had Tebow on the sidelines with a clipboard for most of the season. Given that time to observe and study, he may know their team as well as any of their coaches.

Collecting information about former teams is another version of scouting. Team game plans can change on a regular basis, but tendencies and history can be utilized to effectively strategize for an opponent.

Another area where Tebow is already helping the Patriots is by being a lightning rod for the media. “Tebowmania” arrived in New England before the quarterback reached the locker room for the first time. While he attracts significant media coverage, he has a pristine reputation and can divert attention away from other issues that are impacting the team.

The ongoing injury troubles of star tight end Rob Gronkowski would typically be a huge distraction, especially in light of his most recent surgery. However, that story has been somewhat buried in the media firestorm that accompanied Tebow in his first few days as a member of the Patriots.

Tebow’s ability to divert attention from will be greatly tested in the coming weeks because of tight end Aaron Hernandez’s connection to a murder investigation. Anything that can minimize such a negative story would undoubtedly be appreciated by the team.

New England coach Bill Belichick has never coveted the spotlight, but the positive attention generated by his new quarterback is a good trade-off if it can be used as a smokescreen for the rest of the team.

Finally, while it may not be a tangible impact, Tebow’s departure from the Jets will actually cost them more this season than the entirety of his two-year contract with the Patriots. ESPN New York’s Greg Cimini reported the Jets will be paying the Broncos $1.53 million this year as part of the agreement they made when they traded for the quarterback last season.

The fact the Jets are paying more to have Tebow not be on their team than New England is to have him on their roster must be particularly aggravating for the division rival.

New York coach Rex Ryan publicly wished his former quarterback the best. However, he also said he hoped Tebow would replace Brady. This can be taken as a compliment for the future Hall-of-Famer, or as a shot against Tebow. Either way, it’s the stuff that fuels great rivalries like the Patriots and the Jets.

Many observers are curious what Tebow will do on the field for the Patriots, or if he will even make the team. That will all be revealed in time. As the countdown to training camp begins, he is already proving his worth off the field and showing an impressive variety of ways in which he can contribute.

In addition to the Yahoo! Contributor Network, Andrew Martin has written for Bleacher Report and a number of print publications and websites on the topics of history and sports. He also produces his own blog and has appeared on various sports talk shows and podcasts.

By Jesse Reed

The New York Jets did Tim Tebow wrong in 2012 in a number of different ways, but the polarizing quarterback will make his old team pay with the New England Patriots this upcoming season.

No, really.

You’ve likely heard that the Jets will be paying the majority of Tebow’s salary this season. As Brian McIntyre or Yahoo! Sports reported, New York will shell out $1,531,875 for Tebow in 2013.

Should Tebow make the Patriots roster in 2013, New England will owe him less money for both years on his current contract than what the Jets owe him this year.

 
Salary info courtesy of Spotrac.com and Brian McIntyre of Yahoo! Sports

Don’t think for a second that Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels aren’t salivating at the thought of sticking Rex Ryan and his staff right in the eye with this fact by using Tebow to burn the Jets in 2013.

On a side note, poor John Idzik. Seriously, the new Jets general manager’s rebuilding job in the next few years is nearly as difficult as the one Reggie McKenzie has with the Oakland Raiders. Different challenges, yes, but the project is still monumental.

Back to Tebow and the Pats.

The Patriots appear to have high hopes for Tebow.
Jared Wickerham/Getty Images
I’m going to go out on a limb and predict Tebow to actually make the team’s roster this season. Belichick has been known to keep just two quarterbacks on his final roster (he did it last year with Tom Brady and Ryan Mallett), but my gut tells me Tebow will be on the field at some point for New England this year.

If only to make Ryan and the Jets look bad.
 
Anything you can do, I can do better. I can do everything better than you.
Jim Rogash/Getty Images
There are some who believe it’ll be a cold day in hell before Belichick would consider bringing Brady to the sideline to put Tebow in the game.

But this is Belichick we’re talking about, here—one of the most unconventional coaches of the modern era. Belichick has proven time and time again that he doesn’t value players’ feelings—not matter how much they’ve helped New England succeed.
Tebow will _____ with the Patriots against the Jets this season.
Score at least one touchdown 51.0%
Make at least one huge play 32.8%
Embarrass himself while trying to make a big play 2.4%
Not even hit the field 13.8%
Total votes: 1,717
 
No, I’m not suggesting that Tebow will play more than a few key snaps. What I am suggesting is that he’ll make a couple of key plays and will likely score at least one touchdown against New York this season.

And New York will have paid him to do it.

If you’re a fan of irony, then this is a story you’ll want to follow.

Keep these dates marked on your calendar, Tebow fans:

•September 12: Jets @ Patriots
•October 20: Patriots @ Jets

Personally, I’m betting on Tebow to score in the first game. It’ll be just the second game of the year, and chances are the Jets will still have plenty of kinks to work out on both sides of the ball.

It’s a perfect opportunity for Belichick to unleash Tebow, who will undoubtedly have a huge chip on his shoulder after the way the Jets gave him the cold shoulder last season.

 Buzzy Says : i am sure T2 does not care anything about getting revenge on the Jets

2011 season

FOX Sports

Maybe if this whole professional football thing doesn’t work out, Tim Tebow can act on Plan B.

The quarterback, who has been the talk of the town recently in New England, could think about a potential career in Major League Baseball. According to WEEI, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were considering drafting Tebow out of high school — but fate stepped in the way. Tom Kotchman, a Florida-area scout for the Red Sox, previously worked for the Angels and remembered the now-famous quarterback’s baseball days.

“We wanted to draft him,” Kotchman said, “but he never sent back his information card. Either it never got to him, or … It’s Tim Tebow. Who knows if it got to him, and if it did we just never got it back. Otherwise we were going to take him.”

The information card — which asked a series of questions, including the player’s interest in playing pro baseball — was needed to even put Tebow’s name on the Angels’ draft board. Since it never came, the team sort of had their answer anyway.

Looking for more scoops on your favorite New England sports teams? Check out NESN.
Tebow played left field as a junior at Nease High in Ponte Vedra, Fla., hitting .494 with four home runs while leading his team to the final four of the state playoffs. That was the last year he played baseball, though, as he enrolled at Florida during the spring of his senior year to get a head start on his football career.

“He had a strong arm and had a lot of power,” said Red Sox Florida scout Stephen Hargett, who worked with Kotchman with the Angels. ”If he would have been there his senior year he definitely would have had a good chance to be drafted.

“He had leverage to his swing. He had some natural loft. He had some good power. He was a good athlete. He had had enough arm for that position. He was a left-handed hitter with strength and some size.”

By James Walker | ESPN.com

The New England Patriots rocked the football world last week when they signed immensely popular quarterback Tim Tebow to a two-year contract. But one of the underrated aspects of the signing is Tebow has no guaranteed money, and New England can cut the quarterback without penalty.

With that said, we ran an AFC East poll last Friday on whether Tebow will make New England’s 53-man roster. The results were overwhelming. After more than 7,000 votes, nearly 70 percent of our AFC East community predicts Tebow is good enough to make the Patriots’ final roster.

It would be an interesting turnaround for Tebow. Just last week he was a player on the scrap heap that nobody wanted. Not even the talent-deprived New York Jets, who are rebuilding and need all the talent they can get, wanted nothing to do with Tebow on their roster. However, Tebow has a solid chance to make the 53-man roster of the Patriots, the reigning AFC East champs.

New England did not carry a third quarterback last season. The Patriots went with future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady and young backup Ryan Mallett, while they used the extra roster spot on another position.

However, a versatile player like Tebow could contribute in a lot of different ways. In addition to being a third quarterback, Tebow also can fill in at H-back, tight end and special teams. Tebow also is adept at running the Wildcat package, although it probably would be unwise for New England to take Brady off the field for any amount of plays.

By Brian McIntyre

 
New England Patriots signed quarterback Tim Tebow to a two-year contract last week worth $1.385 million that included zero guaranteed money. As noted by Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com, the New York Jets, Tebow’s former team, will spend more in cash and salary cap dollars for the former backup quarterback/personal punt protector than the Patriots will spend over the next two seasons combined.

Here’s the breakdown:

When the Jets acquired Tebow from the Denver Broncos on March 23, 2012, they agreed to repay the Broncos for a portion of a $6,277,500 salary advance that Tebow had received from Denver in 2011, an amount totaling $2,531,875. The Jets paid $1 million in 2012 and will pay $1,531,875 back over the course of the 17-week 2013 regular season after failing to trade the quarterback’s contract to another club this offseason.

When they released Tebow on April 30, the Jets basically ate the $1,531,875 this season.
There are no guarantees that Tebow makes and stays on the Patriots’ 53-man roster this season, but if he does, he will earn the league minimum base salary of $630,000. When you add in the $525 in workout bonuses Tebow earned from the Patriots for participating in last week’s three-day minicamp, the Jets will be spending at least $901,350 more in cash and cap space on Tebow this season than the Patriots will spend on the former Heisman Trophy winner. Tebow currently has a $755,000 cap charge in 2014 ($730,000 base salary plus a $25,000 workout bonus), so overall, the Jets will spend just around $140,000 more on him this season than the Patriots are currently scheduled to spend on Tebow over the next two seasons.

“NFL AM’s” Eric Davis says free-agent quarterback Tim Tebow might fit as Robert Griffin III’s backup, running the read-option a few times a game to spare Griffin from some of the hits he took in 2012.

 Link To Video

Buzzy Says : I guess they were wrong My source says the camp was talking to the Red skins

By Jesse Reed

Want more real-time New England Patriots news?Visit Team Stream on BleacherReport.com! ×
Tim Tebow’s Improved Mechanics Must Stand Up To Preseason PressureBy Jesse Reed(Featured Columnist) on June 16, 2013 7,886 reads 

Next Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Tim Tebow has been working hard to improve his mechanics and shorten his throwing motion.

According to multiple NFL insiders, including Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post, Tebow’s throwing motion is “noticeably improved,” and he’s much more accurate with his passes as a result:

Bart Hubbuch @HubbuchNYP 
Not going to lie: Tebow’s throwing motion is noticeably improved. Better arm angle, tighter spirals. Work with Testaverde apparently helped.11:42 AM – 12 Jun 2013
Though Tebow didn’t get much work done with the New England Patriots during the team’s mandatory minicamp (he is the third-string quarterback, after all), the work he did put in was better than we’ve seen in the past.

According to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, Tebow completed 10 of 16 passes in the first two days of minicamp, and at least two of those incompletions were drops by receivers.

That’s a marked improvement from the horror stories we’ve heard in the past about Tebow’s practices. After watching the following NFL.com video, Bleacher Report’s Aaron Nagler had to admit Tebow’s throwing motion does look different—more compact:

Aaron Nagler        ✔ @Aaron_Nagler 
Forget the scrum. Interesting to note in b-roll, Tebow’s throwing motion DOES look different. Bit more compact:

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