Tebowdelphia?
Posted: March 20th, 2012 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 55 Comments »Will Andy Reid be interested in acquiring Tim Tebow? Hell yes.
Okay, that answer is skewed. I just wanted to mention Tebow and hell in the lead. I can’t help but be shallow and childish occasionally.
Joking aside, I do think Reid will investigate this situation pretty seriously. Tebow is a special player. If the cost is low, you have to think about it. To not do that would be dumb. I learned my lesson with Reid a couple of years back. We had current franchise QB (McNabb), future franchise QB (Kolb), and a great #3 (Feeley). I wrote that going after Michael Vick fresh out of federal prison made little sense and it was unlikely the Eagles would do it. Within 24 hours, Vick was on his way to becoming an Eagle.
Tebow is a much different case, but is similar in that he’s awkward and isn’t a player we need. Reid wanted Vick. Will he feel the same about Tebow? That really is the key question.
Let’s talk about Tebow for a second. He’s not as bad as his critics say, but isn’t as good as his fans would lead you to believe either. Tebow is a good football player. He’s just not a good passer right now. He needs a lot of work. He has an excellent work ethic. You wonder if he had the right teacher and the right offense if he could develop into a solid passer.
The problem with bringing him to Philly is timing. The coaching staff needs to do whatever it takes to get Vick to get over the hump as a pocket passer. The staff also needs to push Mike Kafka hard to get him ready to be a good backup. Would they have the time to also work with Tebow this spring/summer? Tebow is much more than a casual project.
Here’s the other question…what do you do with Tebow? Does he come here to be the backup and you push Kafka back to #3? That’s possible, but then you need Tebow ready to step in and play if (or when) Vick gets hurt. We saw last year with Vince Young that you need a passing QB to make this offense truly click. Tebow isn’t a passer. The Broncos offense worked with a lot of running and some play action passes. We can’t do that. DeSean, Maclin, Avant, and Celek must be heavily involved in the offense.
You could bring Tebow in and have him be the #3 guy. At that point, he’d basically be sitting for a year, unless you used him in specialty packages as a runner/trick passer. Would Tebow embrace this role? He’s a positive guy to be sure, but going from “the man” to #3/role player is tough for anyone to swallow.
If the price is a 6th round pick, I’m all for Reid bringing Tebow in and giving him a look. Can’t hurt. You can see what the guy can do this summer and go from there. If you invest a 5th round pick, you need to project him onto the 2012 roster and have a plan for how to use him. You really need the plan either way, but 6th round picks are more disposable than 5th rounders.
I’m ambivalent about Tebow. I love the fact he comes up big in the 4th quarter, but I hate the fact he’s so pedestrian for 3 quarters that the game has to be decided then. I love his work ethic and intangibles, but the lack of progress with is passing skills bothers me. The guy isn’t a Sophomore at UF anymore. He’s entering his 3rd year in the NFL.
In the end, I think some team that is more desperate for a young QB or a ticket-seller will go for Tebow. The Eagles have Kafka. And there aren’t many empty seats at The Linc. There are a lot of reasons to doubt that the Eagles will go after Tebow, but never let logic completely rule the day when we’re talking about Big Red and QBs. Just ask Vick, Vince Young, and Mike McMahon. Reid loves a challenge. Not all work out, but remember…you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. And if there is anything Reid loves more than challenging QB prospects, it is omelets.
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Matt Alkire posted some thoughts on DT Fletcher Cox, a very likely Eagles draft target.
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I know a lot of you loved the stats, graphs, and numbers work that Derek did at Iggles Blog. I am not gifted with that stuff. For your fix, I encourage you to check out Brian Solomon’s work.
Brian’s post today is about KORs and the new rules.
Brian is a smart guy. Except when he disagrees with me. That’s when you can see his drinking problem, meth addiction, gambling addiction, cheese addiction, agoraphobia, and PTSD from seeing Jimmy Bama’s awful mustache have kicked in.
But mostly he’s smart.
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Someone asked about how the Giants have won 2 Super Bowls with subpar LB play. Good question.
In 2007 the LBs were better than you realize. Kawika Mitchell had a good year and Antonio Pierce was a flat out good MLB. The DL dominated and Eli did just enough to win.
This year their team was better on offense than defense. The DL was once again the key to the defense. Michael Boley was a quality veteran LB when healthy. Matthias Kiwanuka played SAM and while he had issues, they used him the right way and covered up his weaknesses as much as possible.
You don’t need great LBs anymore. You just need to be good enough. Sadly, the Eagles haven’t been good enough at LB since 2008. Let’s hope that changes in 2012.
“Joking aside, I do think Reid will investigate this situation pretty seriously. Tebow is a special player. If the cost is low, you have to think about it. To not do that would be dumb. I learned my lesson with Reid a couple of years back. We had current franchise QB (McNabb), future franchise QB (Kolb), and a great #3 (Feeley). I wrote that going after Michael Vick fresh out of federal prison made little sense and it was unlikely the Eagles would do it. Within 24 hours, Vick was on his way to becoming an Eagle.”
First that now being wrong about Manning to the Broncos?
Wow, you’re losing it!
No doubt.
Ok no offense but there is NO way the FO should consider trading ANYTHING for tebow.We simply don’t need the distraction.The FO has done an impeccable job so far.Keeping the offense line intact..great move…making dejax happy good move..he gets focus and starts to terriorize secondaries.Not overpaying for SUBPAR LB’s. money might be spent better elsewhere..like locking up shady..you know..OUR probowl RB!…..why erase all this good work by bringing the circus to town.We need this team..this.. YounG team to gel and focus.More focus equals….less blown coverages,missed tackles and dropped passes.If Vick has a bad game..we need the locker room to be behind him..not questioning if Tebow should get a shot to start. The FO should concentrate on trading AS..and .drafting well..i personally want Luke 1st rd,Boykins 2nd(first pick) and Kendricks or Zbrown(2nd rd 2nd pick).
I definitely agree with this.
i totally agree. i want it to be all business for all of the players.
i don’t want the players to be thinking about tebow or heck, even talking to him.
i don’t want reporters asking every player on the team how they feel about it, how he is going to fit on the team, etc.
its a distraction that the team just doesn’t need!
I think it’s very reasonable to argue that the “distraction factor” alone is reason enough not to bring Tebow to Philadelphia. But I also that the argument is irrelevant.
Andy Reid just doesn’t care about that stuff. If he did, we’d never, never, never have invited the pariah that was Mike Vick onto the team. There are other examples, but I think that Mike Vick makes my point.
Andy Reid does what he believes is right for the team. You may not agree, but that’s my point. He doesn’t care whether you, or a whole stadium of people just like you, agrees. Tebow may or may not come here. But thoughts of Tebow being a”distraction” won’t enter it the decision making process.
I completely agree with the Tebow analysis in this Comment.
There’s a big difference between inviting a distraction to a relatively strong football team (i.e. signing Vick a few years ago), and adding to an under-performing, psychologically convalescing football team the nuclear-powered moron-circus that is Tebow-Mania. To do that after our whole off-season strategy has been to bring stability and positivity to our locker room!?! I would rather re-sign Vince Young than do that. (Seriously.)
Geez, I know there is a very funny song on youtube about the guy aka “Captain Checkdown”, but you do know that we picked up Trent Edwards last month, right? Adding Tebow would make 4 qbs, that is a lot, even for Reid. Though the thought did cross my mind how Reid does love qbs, and a challenge. Personally, i am just ready for kafka to step up.
I’m ready for Kafka to step up as well.
Tulluch signs with the lions. Can we please have Hawthorne come for a visit….I love the thought of he and Luke being our LBs.
Per one report, Hawthorne is in an airplane right now headed to DET and doesn’t know that Tulloch has re-signed.
Somebody needs to show Hawthorne some respect. He’s a pawn in the FA LB game right now.
Rolle/LK/Hawthorne would be a HUGE upgrade at LB without paying much $$ out, hopefully he just gets on a plane to Philly from Detroit. Chaney/Mathews/Clayton and draft pick backing up.
I would hate the coverage of this. T shirts of the angel devil combination with Tebow and Vick in halos and horns.
The media/coverage part of Tebow would be nuts. However, he’d be coming here to sit so that angle would die down when he wasn’t playing. Tebowmania didn’t go nuts til he got on the field.
Tebowmania was in full force well before Orton got benched. The Broncos were even afraid to list him as the 3rd string QB in the preseason. He and Quinn were officially listed as co-backups in order to placate the Tebow contingent. No other team did this.
But that was local Tebowmania, not Skip Bayless level.
And the situation was in part due to the lack of a good starting QB. In Philly, he’d clearly be behind Vick.
I take very little solace in that. Tebowmaniacs are not content to see their guy on the bench, no matter who is starting. Vick presents a very ripe target for the kind of people who “love what Tim Tebow stands for.” One bad game from Vick, and the circus comes to town. Why would Reid or Roseman want to bring that into the Eagles organization? Not worth the trouble for a third-tier quarterback.
Fair enough.
I’m certainly not looking to ever deal with them.
Can you tell that I was pumped up for today’s Tebow-Talk? I promise to take it down a notch.
Tommy, there was definitely a LOT of Tebow-talk nationally before he took over for Orton, and while true “Tebow-Mania” may have been more local up to that point, that was summer 2011. There is NO WAY Tebow comes here after this past season and sits on the bench without a media circus. You need to re-think this.
I think the media is more interested in Tebow than any NFL teams are. He is incapable of fixing his throwing mechanics, even after two full seasons working with NFL coaches. You should never want a QB who can’t throw a 10 yard out pattern on your team, especially a passing team like the Eagles. People keep saying you need to patient with him, and that he has a “great work ethic.” That is such a load of BS. What other player has ever warranted that kind of patience? You either have it or you don’t. If the talent isn’t there, then so long. This is professional football, not a developmental league.
The coaches in Denver did a wonderful job of putting Tebow in a position to succeed, and their defense was awesome at keeping the Broncos in many games, but Elway and the rest of Denver’s management knew that this was not a sustainable model. Why should any other NFL team think differently?
I want no part of Tebow. You’re right that his critics are overly critical of him and his supporters are overly supportive of him, but the fact is he is an extremely polarizing player. Bringing him in would create a huge circus in Philadelphia. First off, it would be near impossible to plug him in as your 3rd QB. The second Vick goes down (and we all know he is likely to at some point in the season), Tebow fans will be going crazy when the Eagles trot out a guy that nationally is a complete unknown (Kafka). Second, as you pointed out, he is not a quality passer. This offense is not designed around the run and play action. You need a gifted QB who can pass first and foremost, making the safeties and LBers play back in coverage, opening up holes for McCoy to run through. Third, while there is no question that AR is a gifted QBs coach, when a QB struggles elsewhere in the league, the automatic assumption shouldn’t be to send him to Philadelphia for Reid to magically turn him into a quality passer. Reid is talented, but the guys he has developed were much more gifted QBs than Tebow has ever been. McNabb and Vick both have cannon arms. While you would never call McNabb or Vick “accurate” QBs, McNabb had a completion percentage almost 10 points higher than Tebows, and by the time Vick got here, he was over 7 points higher. I just don’t see this as a good fit for Tebow what so ever, other than the fact that AR is viewed as a QB guru, but that only benefits Tebow, not the Eagles.
And let’s not forget the magic that didn’t happen with Vince Young.
Tebow and a 4th rounder for Asante. Done deal. Asante moves to WR (he’s always been one of Manning’s favorite targets). Tebow moves to SS, but ends up playing on both sides of the ball for a few games while Vick is injured. Tebow picks off Peyton in the 4th quarter of the Superbowl, smashes through Asante’s weak tackle attempt, and takes it to the house for the game winning TD.
Seems like the most likely scenario.
I could actually live with that. I retract my earlier comment.
Greatest comment ever.
Kudos.
+1 greatest ever.
That was amazing!
I think Jacksonville should go after him. Maybe offer a 4th round draft pick. He is the one guy that can immediately sell tickets in that stadium. Blaine Gabbert kind of sucks. I can see Tebow winning them some games.
So who has had a better career so far Tim Tebow or Kevin Kolb?
Tommy, do you see the Eagles trading Asante AND getting a starting LB between now and the draft?
How about bringing him in as a fullback? Can he catch?
Could take a light run load. Could mix in fullback options with our screen. Marty would love it.
Add Plaxico Burress and Tebow, and inside the 10 yard line the Eagles might be unstoppable.
However . . . I want NOTHING to do with either of these guys. ZIP.
One’s a knuckle head. The other is locker-room problem . . . not because he’s a bad guy. Because — as the comments coming from Bronco players suggest — he gets WAY too much credit for anything good that happens without mentioning the other 52 guys.
Eagles will take their time with Asante, think they still have around $18M in cap room left.
Since they know Asante will eventually come off the books, they can use that entire sum if needed and not worry about rookies and “slush” funds (for IR, PUP, PS and cutting veterans at the end of camp). So they won’t let anyone pressure them into a fire sale.
I think the Eagles attitude is simple, we’ve got 10 draft picks, we’re gonna take one LB in the first 100, and another in the 4th to 5th rounds. So why grossly overpay for a two down MLB or a decent SLB. We’ve already got solid nickel LBs, a WLB, and two guys who can fake it if need be at MLB and SLB. They’ll sign a veteran at some point, and it’ll get easier once Tulloch’s contract details come out (I suspect he’d didn’t get a great deal or his agent would be boasting). They have plenty of ammunition to trade for someone like DeMarco Ryans as well (not that I’d give much, with his salary, it’s kind of a Witherspoon deal except he’s younger with a bad knee).
They don’t need the Bear LBs, the Bears don’t have the Eagle DL or secondary. They just need to upgrade over last year, whether it’s rookies, young guys improving and/or a couple veterans. I say bring ’em all in and let Mike Caldwell take a 2 by 4 and the last man standing . . .
I don’t hate the idea of adding London Fletcher to the draft haul of a LB in first 100 and a LB later. Assuming he’s relatively cheap and can still play.
After last year’s debacle, I like the idea of FA veterans and new draft picks competing with the guys they already have for a starting spot (with the full offseason). And anyone who can’t learn to play LB around Fletcher is probably someone we’re better off without.
Desean would be rendered useless with Tebow in the game. His noodle-arm couldn’t get the ball deep enough. But wait….Riley Cooper may flourish having his college QB back.
It would be tempting to have him in here as a backup or a package player. But my problem is this. Didn’t we have enough headlines and new players last year, which did affect us. Don’t you think adding Tebow could bring that stuff back again. And this is philly. God forbid Vick goes down and Tebow finds his way in there and wins a game or two, we all know it would start a Philly and national qb controversy which I think would affect the team. Something we do not need. What this team
Needs is chemistry and to stay out of the limelight for a little.
We’re still hearing things about the Eagles and Plaxico, but I think that is most likely posturing on the part of Plax and his representation. I know a lot of fans want a ‘big’ WR. I’d rather pay a little bit more money for someone like Early Doucet to compete with Avant in the slot, and see what we can get out of Riley Cooper or a late-round draft pick as our ‘big’ WR.
The LB situation seems to be the same as the Plaxico situation. Eagles keep being mentioned, but it appears to be a leverage tactic to drum up the price for other teams that actually have interest. Hopefully, Hawthorne is spurned by the whole Detroit gaffe, and gives us a strong look. Guy is 26 years old and can play any of the 3 LB spots in the base, as well as sub in the nickel and dime packages.
I’d have absolutely no problem with Rolle/Kuechwalker/Hawthorne. Hell, that would probably be our best linebacking corps in years.
Does anyone else suspect that Tommy is just pretending to want Tebow in order to create a conversation here?
Don’t troll our hearts, Tommy.
Worked on me, that’s for sure.
Did I totally miss something? Did lofton get signed, I keep hearing talk about Hawthorne and tulluch but nothing about lofton?
I think we’re assuming he’ll want too much money, but maybe we’re wrong not to speculate on him more.
Tommy,
Today is the 1st day of Spring, not April 1st. The thought of Tebow coming to the Eagles is not funny in any way whatsoever, unless you are a fan of one of the other 31 teams.
Tommy – what are your thoughts on Manny Lawson? I know you said he is more of a line-of scrimmage type LB but he seems to be the right size and can hold the edge. He also is pretty good at coverage.
jay glazer reporting that we traded with the Texans for Demeco Ryans??
I asked Tommy about him month ago and people shredded me for saying it. He is a good LB. I am assuming he will be MLB but I think he can play SAM.
Rotoworld reporting demeco Ryan for a mid rd pick? He’s making 5.9mil a year though
Probably all base salary and they could probably just restructure.
So T-master;
Is Ryan a band aid until we can get Kuechly up to speed?
Holy shit, Demaco Ryans is a good linebacker. This is great news!
Surprised the board isn’t exploding right now this is completely out of the blue and is an actual quality LB, plus he’s a guy that should fit our system perfectly! Dudes a tackling machine!
Great acquisition for the Birds, which really takes a lot of pressure away from drafting a starter. I’m excited.
600+ tackles in 6 yrs sounds good to me, l i’m pretty sure he’s the best tackler on our team now lol
Ryans is the perfect pick up for this defense. He may not be the flashy superstud LB, but he’s smart, sound, instinctive and most importantly, a good tackler. This shores up things nicely. Now, find a SAM in the early/mid rounds, draft Fletcher Cox and win the Super Bowl.
“Sadly, the Eagles haven’t been good enough at LB since 2008. Let’s hope that changes in 2012.”
I guess we just got our wishes granted, Tommy.
[…] think it makes sense.” Need an opinion from the Internet? “Tebow is a special player, “ wrote Iggles Blitz’s Tommy Lawlor. “If the cost is low, you have to think about it.” Super Bowl-winning coach Tony Dungy says […]