NEW MATES: Former Jets quarterback Tim Tebow (right) agreed to a deal yesterday to join forces with Tom Brady (left, after the Patriots defeated the Broncos in 2011) and the Patriots. (AP)
Tebowmania is getting a new look — this one comes with a hoodie.
Bill Belichick and the Patriots agreed to a deal with Tim Tebow and the ex-Jet will be at the team’s minicamp today, according to a league source. The stunning move came more than a month after the Jets cut Tebow following one disappointing season with the team. Tebow’s deal is for two years and does not include any guaranteed money, according to an ESPN report.
There was speculation Tebow would not land with an NFL team this year, but Belichick ended that and spiced up the Jets-Patriots rivalry.
Now, the question is: What are Belichick’s plans for the polarizing quarterback? Will he take star quarterback Tom Brady off the field to give Tebow snaps? Will he try to move him to tight end to fill in for Rob Gronkowski? Did he do this just to tweak the Jets or does he truly believe he can salvage Tebow’s career?
All of it adds a layer of intrigue and interest to the Border War between the Jets and Pats. Add Tebow to the list of Bill Parcells and Curtis Martin defections, Spygate and Eric Mangini handshakes to the list of Pats-Jets rivalry storylines.
The Jets dumped Tebow after April’s Draft in a move that had been clearly coming for months. The team failed to find a role for him in his one season with the Jets and he wound up taking the field for just more than 70 plays.
While teams were quick to shoot down the idea of signing Tebow, the Patriots always made some sense.
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was the head coach of the Broncos when the team selected him in the first round of the 2010 Draft. Belichick has always spoken highly of Tebow and is close with Tebow’s college coach Urban Meyer. The Patriots also are one of the few teams that appear capable of handling “Tebowmania” and all of the media attention that comes with the quarterback.
A report from Yahoo! Sports last month quoted an anonymous source saying Belichick “hated” Tebow as a player and there was “no chance” of him landing in New England.
Belichick actually shot down that report last week in an interview with ESPN.
If Tebow lasts with the Patriots, he would see his former Jets teammates and coaches in Week 2 when the Jets travel to Foxborough for a Thursday night game. It will be a night where even the most Tebow-hating Jets fan will worry he’ll come back to haunt the team.
Belichick can embarrass Rex Ryan and the Jets if he finds an effective way to use Tebow, something Ryan never could.
The Jets traded two draft picks to the Broncos in March 2012 to acquire Tebow and another pick. The Jets hierarchy spoke of using Tebow in multiple roles and how he could be a “dynamic” player. Instead, he was used mainly on the punt team and never scored a touchdown. Along the way, he brought a high level of media attention to the team that was distracting for his teammates.
The whole experiment blew up in their faces toward the end of the season when Ryan decided to bench starter Mark Sanchez and chose third-stringer Greg McElroy instead of Tebow, who then refused to play in the Wildcat package.
After the season general manager Mike Tannenbaum, the driving force behind the trade, was fired along with offensive coordinator Tony Sparano, who never seemed to be totally on board with using Tebow.
Now, Tebowmania is heading up I-95. Get your hoodies ready.