New England truly was the best landing spot for Tim Tebow. Bill Belichick won’t allow the media circus to become a problem like it was in New York, and who better to call plays for the former Bronco then the only head coach in 2010 that viewed Tebow as a first-rounder (that would be you, Josh McDaniels)?
That said, outside of the miracle that was Tebow finding another NFL suitor, this is a non-story.
Some have suggested that Tebow could be used as an option along the goal line or for two-point conversion attempts, but why would the Patriots ever take the ball out of Tom Brady’s hands? Don’t forget that he has seven rushing touchdowns over the past two years by virtue of his ability to recognize an opponent’s weakness and attack it. The Pats could line Brady and Tebow up in the same backfield, but that would be a novelty, and most novelties are short-lived.
People have pointed to Belichick’s previous success with Corey Dillon and Randy Moss as reasons to believe Tebow will succeed in New England. But don’t forget that Belichick’s last two reclamation projects were Chad Johnson and Albert Haynesworth, who both lasted just one year with the Pats. With Ryan Mallett entrenched as Brady’s backup, it’ll be an upset if Tebow sees the second year of the two-year contract he just signed.
Was it a bad signing? Not at all. But it’ll likely be a fruitless one, nonetheless.
Other NFL News & Notes:
+ Pacman Jones is delusional if he believes he exercised correct judgment during his recent altercation with a woman outside of a Cincinnati bar. He claims the woman threw a beer bottle at him, but it would appear from the surveillance video that she actually poured the beer on him following a verbal altercation between the two. That doesn’t excuse what the woman did, but at no point was Jones acting in self-defense. Self-defense is defined as a countermeasure that involves defending oneself, one’s property, or the well-being of another from harm. Striking the woman wasn’t self-defense – it was retaliation. Had Jones truly wanted to defend himself, he could have easily walked away from the barrier (in this case, a metal rail) that was between he and the woman. In fact, at one point he did briefly walk away only to return to fuel the situation. Was the woman the aggressor? Yes, but that doesn’t mean Jones is absolved of any wrongdoing. Given his history, why he thought hanging out at a bar with intoxicated people was a good idea is beyond me. But regardless, his claims of self-defense should fall on deaf ears.
+ Judging by the overall reactions to “Butt-Gate 2013,” people are largely defending Chad Johnson for giving his lawyer a “Good Game!” in court on Monday, which will put him behind bars for the next 30 days. Honestly, I think the entire situation is funny and rather fitting. Only someone who would legally change their last name to “Ochocinco” could playfully slap his attorney on the ass and wind up in jail for doing so. But the reality is that the judge was dealing with a domestic violence case, which isn’t funny. Had Johnson not head-butted his ex-wife and subsequently violate the terms of his promotion, he would have never been in that situation in the first place. Was the judge’s reaction extreme? Yeah, especially considering she reacted more to the laughs in the courtroom than Johnson’s back-side pat. But let’s not lose focus of the big picture here.
+ One thing to keep an eye on when preseason starts is how often Colin Kaepernick is willing to throw to a covered Anquan Boldin. Many pundits have mentioned Boldin as one of the reasons why the Niners will manage without Michael Crabtree (Achilles), but don’t forget that Joe Flacco deserved just as much praise for Boldin’s postseason performance as the receiver did. Even when he was tearing apart the likes of the Colts, Broncos, Patriots and 49ers last season, Boldin wasn’t creating a lot of separation in his routes. Speed has never been a big part of his game and now that he’s older, his ability to create separation has further diminished. Flacco had no qualms about putting the ball up and allowing Boldin to high-point passes. Will a less experienced Kaepernick be willing to do the same so that Boldin doesn’t become a non-factor in San Fran? We’ll see.
+ The Ahmad Bradshaw signing in Indianapolis was a low-risk, high-reward move by the Colts. If he’s healthy, he’s the type of running back who can attack the edge of a defense as well as run between the tackles. He also still has the ability to break long runs, and given how inconsistent the Colts’ rushing attack was last year, he was a solid get at one-year and $1.1 million.
+ It was pretty much a foregone conclusion that the Bears were going to release Gabe Carimi at some point, so for them to acquire a sixth-round pick from the Bucs in exchange for the former first-round bust was a positive. But for Chicago fans, the trade was one last painful reminder of how brutal former GM Jerry Angelo was at finding talent at the offensive line positions. Carimi lasted less than four years in Chicago and came on the heels of Chris Williams, whom Angelo drafted ahead of Branden Albert in the 2008 NFL Draft. Thankfully for Bears fans, Angelo is gone and current GM Phil Emery made the offensive line a focal point this offseason. We’ll have to wait to see if Jermon Bushrod and/or Kyle Long pan out in Chicago, but at least fans can take some solace in the fact that the pair wasn’t handpicked by Angelo.