ON HIS LAST LEGS? Patriots quarterback Tim Tebow looks for a receiver in the second half of last night’s game at Gillette Stadium against the Giants. (AP)
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Thursday night may or may not have been the last sighting of Tim Tebow in an NFL uniform, but it is at least a strong possibility.
The Patriots preseason finale against the Giants at Gillette Stadium — a 28-20 New England win — represented a last stand of sorts for Tebow, and as he always seems to do, he left a confounding impression. Tebow was underwhelming for most of the night, but threw in a dash of promise — like a golfer who couldn’t make a par for 16 holes and birdied the last two.
Tebow relieved Tom Brady’s backup Ryan Mallett (who started the game) in the second half and finished the game, completing 6-of-11 passes for 81 yards with two touchdowns, an interception, and 30 rushing yards on six attempts.
After looking shaky on his first three series, failing to move the offense while being sacked four times, Tebow gave the Patriots a 21-20 lead with a 52-yard scoring pass to Quentin Sims 2 minutes 34 seconds into the fourth quarter.
That scoring pass proved to be the game-winner.
Incredibly, it was the first touchdown pass in a game of any kind that Tebow had thrown since the 80-yard walk-off game-winner to Broncos’ receiver Demaryius Thomas in Denver’s wild-card playoff upset win over the Steelers in overtime two seasons ago. Tebow, of course, did not produce a touchdown of any kind in preseason or regular season for the Jets last year.
“Every time you get the ball you want to score and anytime you score it feels good,’’ he said.
Tebow capped his roller-coaster night with another feel-good moment when he sealed the Patriots’ win with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Sims with six seconds remaining in the game.
Before throwing the first touchdown, though, Tebow looked as immobile as a 40-year-old with bad knees trying to avoid the pass rush of the Giants’ second- and third-string defense and the New England offense looked stagnant and unimaginative with him behind center. If this sounds familiar to Jets fans, it should.
On his next series after throwing the first touchdown, Tebow hit Giants cornerback Trumaine McBride in stride for a look-what-I-found interception while trying to connect with his receiver, Aaron Dobson — a significant no-no turnover with the lead and 8:01 remaining in the game.
Plays like that have left Tebow, who spent his pre-NFL life as the star player, in a position he has never experienced in his athletic life — holding his breath waiting to see whether he makes the team.
There are Patriots insiders who insist Tebow has no chance of surviving, and others who insist the Patriots will keep him because they’re in such desperate need of a feel-good story with the sordid Aaron Hernandez situation hovering over the franchise.
What Bill Belichick, who stubbornly would not even address Tebow by name when asked several questions about him after the game, decides will be somewhat fascinating, because he’s so cold it’s unlikely he gives a damn about a feel-good story if that player cannot help him win games.
“You don’t try to wonder,’’ Tebow said of his 48-hour wait to learn his fate. “Because of my faith, [I] don’t worry about the future, because I know who holds my future. That’s something I try to live by. It really gives you a lot of peace in whatever circumstance you’re in.’’
Teams could do worse than to have Tebow as their third quarterback. But the Patriots have kept only two quarterbacks on the roster in three of the last four seasons (they carried three in 2011). So, unless Belichick and his offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels have some creative plans for Tebow that they have not unveiled this preseason, he’s likely a goner.
“It’s hard to gauge things at this point,” McDaniels told reporters Monday about evaluating Tebow.
That assessment from McDaniels, the guy who drafted Tebow as the Denver head coach and had a man-crush on him, sounded rather ominous.
In a spot of bitter irony, Tebow’s magical run in Denver was ended by the Patriots in the AFC Divisional playoff round after that win over the Steelers. Now, pending Belichick’s decision tomorrow, the Patriots could put an end to Tebow’s NFL career if they cut him.