January 31st, 2013 
BuzzyBuzzard By Chris Trapasso
It would actually be better if Tim Tebow was less famous.
As asinine as that sounds, it’s true, especially when it comes to his NFL future.
In reality, Tebow isn’t anywhere near a prototypical quarterback. We all know that. His elongated delivery, sporadic accuracy issues and inability to quickly read defenses make that obvious.
But the media circus that follows him everywhere makes him nearly undesirable to every team.
Without it, he probably would be considered by many front offices.
Rich Schultz/Getty Images Just think, plenty of incapable quarterbacks have caught on as backups, third-stringers or novelty signal-callers over the years, but none of them came with as much distracting baggage as Tebow.
So, how does he reduce the ubiquitous buzz that surrounds him?
Step away from the NFL for a year.
Tebow, at least for a little while longer, will find his way onto ESPN and will be discussed by other media outlets.
Remember, search-engine optimization is king today, whether we like it or not.
People won’t suddenly stop typing “Tim Tebow” into Google.
But, if he’s not a member of an NFL team, and spends the year training and honing his lacking quarterback skills, the attention will naturally wane.
No press conferences. No “Tebow” chants in any NFL stadiums.
He should make it as difficult as possible for anyone to create a fresh story or angle about him.
Essentially, Tebow and his public relations team should put forth a concerted effort to reduce his publicity—crazy, right?
Now, if a team offers him a deal this offseason, he shouldn’t decline. But fading away from the NFL’s premier spotlight would be a bold yet calculated and smart decision.
Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports In 2014, his return would undoubtedly be covered, but by then, the “heroics” of the 2011 season with the Denver Broncos would be a distant memory, and a good portion of America presumably would have lost its fascination in Tebow’s Cinderella story.
Theoretically, he would have improved mechanics and not nearly as much media attention. Therefore, he would be adequately appealing to a team that wants to incorporate more read-option into its offense, or, say, just add more options to its 3rd-and-short or goal-line package.
A year hiatus from the professional game wouldn’t deter teams anymore than it has now—heck, he basically took a year off from football in 2012 with the New York Jets, didn’t he?
Tebow won’t ever be an elite quarterback. He probably will never lead another team to the postseason. He may never again be a starting signal-caller.
Should Tim Tebow step away from the NFL for a year?
Yes 14.2%
No 85.8%
Total votes: 233
But he can be useful to a well-coached team with a front office concerned with winning, not just selling tickets.
So, he should let his fame subside by not playing in 2013, giving him time to prepare for the 2014 season.
Will Tebow do it?
Probably not.
Athletes can never get enough fame.
However, if he wants to be taken seriously by an NFL team—a future employer—he should do whatever he can to diminish what has become the dreaded Tim Tebow media circus.
Buzzy Says: I dont think so, The more distracting baggage the better as far as i am concern.
Posted in
I’ve got a question…Why do Fans of Tim Tebow allow others to set the agenda? To define the discussion?
I still see articles saying Tim is (and always will be) an “unconventional” QB. Really? Have any of these people been paying any attention whatsoever to the changing convention in the NFL? These are the same people who were calling Option Offenses a “gimmick” just a few months ago and some still do. The reality is that, in the greater scheme of the NFL, this “Age of the Pocket Passer” likely will go down as the fad. It only began about 25 years ago, took years to catch on and, just as we begin getting immersed in “It’s a ‘Passing League’” and “Running Backs are an over-rated position”, the importance of Defenses viewed as diminished, etc., almost over-night, the NFL Pendulum swings back full with a vengeance.
All of Tim Tebow’s supposed shortcomings have been considered strengths for the majority of the NFL’s existence and are just now coming back into their own. Versatility, Leadership, Mobility, the Ability to Make Plays on the fly…Tim Tebow is one of the best Passers in Football while he’s moving. For half a century that was considered an important skill. Only for a few years has it been seen as unimportant…Now that brief age appears to be rapidly evaporating.
So my question to Tebow Fans is…Why are YOU not setting the tone instead of responding to those who clearly have as little historical knowledge of the Game as they have of its current trends.
It’s a great question, Brandi.
The problems you discuss are not limited to football or to the discussion of Tebow. The search for truth requires integrity. Integrity is essential because it gives one the fortitude to be energetic rather than lazy in the search for answers. Integrity also supplies the discipline to be governed by truth rather than by what is emotionally or socially gratifying.
I don’t know if “integrity” is the exact quality that is lacking today, but it is something like that.
As it is, the NFL media are mostly noise rather than signal. This has interesting implications for sports betting, by the way.
By the way, I probably didn’t answer your specific question, about why Tebow fans don’t set the tone.
This is a superb question, again not limited to NFL or Tebow debate. In the political forum, Saul Alinsky has explained some of the dynamics by which an intellectually corrupt group may capture the public’s loyalty. As yet, I don’t know how that can be countered.
Alinsky tactics, too, come down to integrity. Will people be ruled by the truth or by that which is easiest and which they find gratifying?
How do you set the tone with people who view you as a fanatic who knows nothing? I do reply to these people and I am often dismissed as someone who knows nothing. I’ve watch Tebow play for nearly a decade. Watched him adapt and I know he will do it again. Not to mention having to listen to other QBs being praised for doing exactly what Tebow does on the field. He does not need to sit out a year. He does not need to go to the CFL away from his fan base. I did not buy any Jets merchandize or tickets. When he went there I vowed I would not buy another Nfl product until they did right by him and stopped using him and our devotion to him. He just needs someone to let him play-full throttle, no holds barred, like he always has. Believe in him, put good players around him and watch what happens. Hall of Fame QBs have Hall of Fame receivers and backs. They weren’t throwing to nobodies. Football is a team sport.GBPT2!
Start by bringing some historical perspective to the conversation. There have been few things said about Tim Tebow’s “fitness” as an NFL QB that weren’t said for years about Joe Montana. Perhaps it’s fitting that the West Coast Offense will take the brunt of the impact from the implementation of these Option Offenses as, it was Bill Walsh who was called a “flake” and Joe Montana who was called unfit to run an “actual NFL Offense.” In Montana’s case, his detractors didn’t slow even after he Won a Super Bowl. It was written off as the Bengals blowing it; NOT as Montana and the 49ers Winning it. It wasn’t until Montana and the 9ers Won a 2nd Super Bowl that the detractors quieted down…lest they simply look like fools.
This will be the same for Tim. He’ll have detractors claiming “Football” reasons even if he Wins a Super Bowl. Given the image some have that only those of a certain political niche would be a tebow Fan, there are some who will never stop.
Terry Bradshaw was so vilified IN PITTSBURGH, that he never stayed in town when the season was over and avoided going there as much as he could. After the Steelers had Won a 2nd Super Bowl with Bradshaw behind Center, many Steelers Fans, Pittsburgh business, Charitable causes, etc. tried to get him to spend more time there. But he refused and said basically…Y’All didn’t want me before we got these rings, now it’s my turn to say that I don’t want you.
Two of the Winningest QBs in NFL History both faced non-stop derision for most of their early years in the League. Bradshaw STILL has many, particularly Stat-Heads, who consider him a “mediocre at best” QB. So that should tell you all you need to know about those trying to joust with you.
Brandi: I, for one, do stand up for T2 and always will no matter what the detractors imply who are more than mistaken about his credentials etc. It is like Sage stated about the “discipline = integrity” and not many people are up to those standards so the only thing they have to offer is throwing road blocks in someone’s way who is going to achieve what they never will due to obviously not measuring up a/o lacking in so many areas; i.e., especially true when it comes to a work ethic such as his that creates “MAJOR” opportunities!!!
GBPT2!!