Right from the start, I have been opposed to Tim's involvement in the new A11 football league. I viewed it as a sideshow, a wannabe league for players not good enough for the NFL. That is probably still true. However, I find myself warming to the idea of Tim playing in the inaugural exhibition games this May and June.
The A11 commissioner says the A11, a spring league, will deliberately avoid competing against the NFL: "We're an aspiration league. There are hundreds of quality players who aspire to play in the NFL, and we'll provide them with a chance to prove themselves."
Presumably A11 player contracts will reflect that intent, by allowing players to suspend their contracts when the NFL calls. Players on the margin spend a lot of time jumping from team to team for workouts, sometimes being signed for a few days, hoping to stick somewhere. If the A11 wants high quality players, they must offer them the flexibility to answer the call from the big guys when it comes. No aspiring NFL player will risk missing his big break by being encumbered with a restrictive contract.
Given those terms, Tim would have little to lose and a lot to gain by playing in the two demo games this spring. The timing is critical and almost perfect. Teams in need of QB depth will probably not do anything until they see how the draft shakes out in early May. After that, teams will enter a period of intensive free agent activity before mini-camp in June and camp in late July. Tim should privately know by mid to late May whether any teams are willing to give him another shot.
If there is no interest, then he must do something to showcase his improved throwing mechanics. The A11 format may provide a good format for that. The A11 format favors versatile athletes like Tim, who will be far more talented and experienced than most of the players. With little time to practice as teams or develop offensive systems, the games will be heavy on improvisation, a Tebow strength.
Of course there is risk too. Playing in the A11 will inescapably be seen as a step down, like the AFL and CFL or worse. More worrisome, the exhibition games could just be bad football, with hastily formed teams flailing about. A dysfunctional offense could make Tim look worse, while showcasing his occasional tendency to improvise too much.
Bottom line, if Tim wants to get on an NFL team, then he needs to be seen playing football. The A11 exhibition games may not be the best venue, but they are better than nothing, and should get more coverage than the AFL or CFL.
Signing on for a full A11 season the following year is quite another question, and deserves a separate analysis.
The A11 gives Tim an outlet to showcase his new throwing abilities in live game action. With everyone watching.
ReplyDeleteBeing a pioneer of a new league with an exciting brand of football is an opportunity that does not come along very often. Although it may be viewed as inferior competition, the league will be full of eager players looking for their chance at stardom. This should make for some very intense & very entertaining football. If he were to succeed how could any reasonable team not be willing to give him a chance.
Ed: Please allow me an opportunity to indulge myself & ask rhetorically. How long will it be before we start seeing 2 & even 3 quarterback sets in the NFL?? Maybe the time has come for its experimentation & ultimately implementation. Which teams will lead the way & be at its forefront??? Jon Gruden said recently the game is changing. The questions are. How much & how fast??? It excites me to think about a formation with Tebow, Manziel, & say Jordan Lynch on the field at the same time. I know some of the old guard would resist such a radical departure from today's norms but would it not be feasible & even practical for a team for example like the Pats to lead the way on this. Although last year they exceeded expectations considering all the injuries & off the field problems they had, they did have weaknesses on offense that in my view could be fixed without spending alot of money or re-tooling the whole roster. A wrinkle like this added to the offense would still allow Brady to retain his status as the number one QB while at the same time easing the transition to a new kind of offense which utilizes Tebow's unique skills. Heck, I would even think it could help quell some of the media hysteria associated with Tim. Not even they say he can't run....
ReplyDeleteAm I out in left field on this or would it be workable????
On another note: I must recommend a book written by a former NFL scout called "Whatever it Takes"...His name is Daniel Kelly & ironically enough he did most of his scouting for the Jets...He loves Tim & recently wrote a very complimentary article about him. He asserts: "Tim Tebow is still a future Hall of Fame caliber quarterback capable of winning multiple Super Bowls. I stake my scouting reputation on those statements." He also says while the rest of the football world focuses on free agents & the draft if he were a GM he would introduce Tim as his teams undisputed franchise Quarterback.
One could only hope.
The big problem with a multi-QB formation is the trade off in capabilities. While you gain a QB, you lose another offensive player. That's one less player to block or one less player for the defense to cover. There have been enough QBs converted to WRs that if having a second passer on the field was more than a gimmick, soneone would have done it on a regular basis by now. For example, Julian Edelman was a QB in college, but has not thrown a single pass in 5 seasons with the Patriots.
ReplyDeleteI read that article by Daniel Kelly. He lost me when he said that Tim would be successful in the NFL because he had God on his side. Some people may believe that. I think those people have a very shallow understanding of divine will.
I agree with you on the shallow understanding of divine will. I also had issue with his stance on the Pats motives for signing him in an attempt to bury him. I don't belive that. I do though agree 100% with his football assesment. I hope it gets more notice.
ReplyDeleteI agree with his football assessment too. Unfortunately, his comments on God and the Patriots compromise his objectivity. If a hard core Tebow fan like me finds him irrational, I hate to think what the league thinks.
ReplyDeleteNow Gruden and Dilfer, that's a different story.
In the Princeton offense with the multi QB set the QB's without the ball are downfield blocking or recieving passes. The problem I see with it in the NFL is by exposing your QB's so much is the increased risk of injury. With so many dollars invested in QB's it may not be worth the added risk.
ReplyDeleteMy patience with the NFL on this issue has pretty much run dry at this point, so I would support Tim without hesitation or misgivings about the move if he elected to accept the A11's offer. I would much rather watch him play for a team in the A11 than watch him rot in free agency waiting for some visionary coach that's not going to come along.
ReplyDeleteAs it stands we're dealing with an establishment mentality that would rather sign contracts with the likes of Jeff Tuel and Blaine Gabbert than offer Tim so much as a workout. It's absolute bullsh*t, but it is what it is. And unless it changes in the very near future, Tim would be smart to consider what he and the A11 could achieve together rather than worry about any perceived drawbacks or limitations.
Isn't it interesting that the same commentators who mercilessly criticized Tebow are now doing the same to Manziel....Maybe they would both be better served playing for the A11. How exciting would it be to see Tebow vs Manziel in the inagural game this Spring. The kind of publicity this would generate would launch this league into orbit.
DeleteThere's no way the NFL is going to pass on Manziel. He may or may not last depending on how the chips fall, but some team is going to give him a shot. He and the A11 should not even be within radar range of one another at this time.
DeleteUrban Meyer remark to CBS Sports on Tim Tebow working for one last NFL shot:
ReplyDelete"You'd imagine how he works. Works every day. He's hoping. There are some conversations about it. I don't know too much. There's hope and he says there's stuff going on."
Vague and cagey.