Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Two weeks ago, we were discussing whether Michael Vick or Nick Foles should be the Eagles starting quarterback, as the ‘Birds looked to turn around, after a disastrous 2012, and win the weak NFC East. Two divisional losses, two injured quarterbacks, and two weeks later and we are talking Tim Tebow?
To be fair, the talk didn’t come out of nowhere.
Tim Tebow was reportedly spotted at the airport in Philadelphia. Let the rumors begin!
— Fantasy Sharks (@fantasysharks) October 28, 2013
Fortunately, Adam Schefter came to the rescue, just before fans started selling custom midnight green Tebow jerseys outside the Linc.
RT @Jordanpetdog: Please address rampant Tebow-Eagles rumors/sightings. Is it a possibility?? ... No. Not happening.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 28, 2013
Tebow simply isn’t worth it. I don’t want to hear about eight wins in 2011 and a playoff win, because if you actually watched those games you know that the Broncos won those games behind Von Miller leading a dominant defense, Willis McGahee having a career resurgence, and Matt Prater kicking at an all-pro level. That isn’t to say that it wasn’t fun to watch, and Tebow didn’t make a few great plays late in games, but winning a playoff game with Tebow at quarterback was nothing short of a miracle by John Fox and the Broncos coaching staff.
I would fully agree with anyone who says that Michael Vick, Nick Foles, or Matt Barkley isn’t going to win a Superbowl with Chip Kelly’s offensive system, but what would the Eagles gain by giving Tebow a chance?
If you want to give Tebow a shot because he is still relatively young and you think you can work with him, then why wouldn’t you just work with Nick Foles? Foles at the very least has had a few very good NFL games, and if we are going to forget about Nick Foles because of one bad passing game against the Cowboys, then Tim Tebow won’t go over very well here. Hell, Matt Barkley is a far better NFL prospect than Tebow and he is younger.
If you want to give Tebow a shot because you feel like he could fit Kelly’s system, then why not just wait for Vick to get healthy and keep starting him for the rest of the season? By the time you got Tebow ready to play, Vck would be back healthy anyway.
And while Vick may not be, let me rephrase that; is not, the long-term answer at quarterback, he at least helps the offense as a whole to progress. The Eagles would have to dumb down their offense, like the Broncos did in 2011, for Tim Tebow to start at quarterback. And is it really worth it to set the whole team back for Tim Tebow? They sure as hell won’t get the bounce back of Peyton Manning that the Broncos did after Tebow.
The bottom line is watching the Eagles the last two weeks absolutely sucked. I can’t stand it. This is turning into the third straight year where I want to turn every Eagles game off by the middle of the third quarter. Losing sucks, but Tim Tebow certainly isn’t the franchise quarterback that will turn the Eagles around.
Rebuilding isn’t a fun thing, but to win a title, Chip Kelly and the Eagles need to continue to clean up the mess that Andy Reid left. And to get a franchise quarterback, the Eagles need a high draft pick. The Eagles may lose a majority of their games for the rest of this season and it won’t be fun to watch. But potentially seeing Marcus Mariota or Teddy Bridgewater(Not Johnny Manziel,) in an Eagles uniform for 2014 and beyond will be.