Celani: Tim Tebow Has Nobody To Blame But Himself For NFL Exile
BOSTON (CBS) - As a huge supporter of Tim Tebow and everything he represents, it was a welcome sign to see him getting another shot at the NFL earlier this week.
Tebow worked out on Monday for the Philadelphia Eagles -- a perfect situation for him, I thought, for a number of reasons:
1. Head coach Chip Kelly is an offensive wizard
2. Sam Bradford is a walking splint
3. Mark Sanchez is Mark Sanchez
For those reasons, I thought Tebow had a legitimate shot to catch on in Philly and possibly be a backup for the 2015 season, and in the event Bradford gets hurt or Sanchez reverts back to his old ways, Tebow would be there to fill in under the tutelage of Kelly.
And as we know now, I was wrong.
Tebow came and went in Philly faster than than it takes to make a cheese steak, and like the previous two years, he is without a full-time job in the NFL.
Why is that?
Roster sizes inflate to 90 players during the offseason and preseason. Simple math would indicate that 32 teams x 90 players = 2,880 players hopeful to make a roster. Two thousand eight hundred and eighty players. That's a lot of people.
I don't know about you, but for my money there are not 2,880 football players on planet earth better than Tim Tebow.
Notice I didn't say "quarterback." Football players.
Tim Tebow was a high school All-American, a college All-American, a two-time BCS National Champion, a Heisman trophy winner, and was even voted by his peers as one of the NFL's Top 100 Players of 2012.
That type of résumé is largely unmatched, both in present day and throughout league history.
So why the NFL exile? If you think there are 2,880 football players on this planet better than Tim Tebow, then you're as brainless as a lobotomy.
I used to feel bad for Tim Tebow, with the operative phrase being used to. I felt like he was being treated unfairly by the league and its spineless executives looking to avoid the TebowMania that comes with the player and his stardom.
But those days are gone now. Why?
Because Tim Tebow could be in the NFL if he really wanted to. . . as something other than a quarterback.
Tim, it's clear no owners, no coaches and no scouts envision you as a professional signal caller -- so why not switch positions, like so many others before you have?
Former college quarterbacks Hines Ward, Antwaan Randle El, Josh Cribbs, Brad Smith, Denard Robinson, Julian Edelman and countless others -- while, admittedly, not nearly as accomplished as you -- buried their egos, switched positions and had success in the NFL.
At 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, Tebow certainly has the size to play as a "move" tight end in the NFL, but maybe he doesn't have the hands. But we've all seen his running ability, and with the prevalence of the H-back in today's game, he would -- without question -- have a guaranteed roster spot on one of the 32 teams at that position.
Just think of the play calling opportunities and matchup problems your offense would create with a solid passing quarterback and Tim Tebow sharing the same backfield. Again, the main reason I thought Chip Kelly and the Eagles were a match made in heaven.
Tim Tebow is stubborn, like all the great ones are. It's part of what makes them tick. But his unwillingness, or outright refusal to give another position a try is the sole reason for his NFL unemployment.
Don't have sympathy for Tim Tebow, because the NFL exile is solely on his shoulders.
Read more from Andrew Celani by clicking here, or find him on Twitter @CelaniSays!
