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- The Sudden Downfall Of Tim Tebow: How His Career Tanked In One Short Year
- The Sudden Downfall Of Tim Tebow: How His Career Tanked In One Short Year
The Sudden Downfall Of Tim Tebow: How His Career Tanked In One Short Year
Tebow's downfall began with a 45-10 blowout loss to the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2012 playoffs.
Immediately after that, we got the first sign that Tebowmania wasn't a big love-fest in Denver. Back-up QB Brady Quinn said Tebow was lucky and prayed for the cameras.
Source: GQ
In March 2012, the Broncos pulled an absolute shocker — signing Peyton Manning and setting off a frenzy of Tebow trade rumors.
The Patriots, Eagles, and Dolphins were all rumored to be interested in Tebow. People assumed he'd land in Jacksonville.
... But he landed in NYC instead, and immediately found himself in a QB controversy.
As time passed, more Broncos came out and debunked the myth of Tebowmania. Demaryius Thomas said he was happy with the Manning signing, adding, 'I wasn’t getting no balls.'
Then came the summer of 2012, which was defined by various absurdities, like a story about Tebow refusing to take a picture with Kate Upton.
Source: Busted Coverage
And a video of Tebow running shirtless through the rain.
And ESPN devoting an entire 'SportsCenter' episode to his birthday.
Finally, the season rolled back around, but a funny thing happened ...
Tebow was an afterthought. He struggled mightily in the pre-season, leaving him hopelessly on the bench
Going into the regular season, Tebow was confined to the role of wildcat QB, and barely played early on.
His primary contribution: punt protector
Week after week Mark Sanchez struggled, but Tebow stayed on the bench
Trade rumors quickly developed
When Tebow finally found his way into the headlines, it was for his new girlfriend, Camilla Belle, not his play ...
And finally a bombshell NY Daily News report dropped in November, where "dozens" of unnamed Jets players criticized Tebow. One said simply, "He's terrible."
Source: NYDN
When Sanchez was finally benched in December, it was Greg McIlroy who took over, not Tebow.
Tebow finished the season completing just 6 passes for 39 yards
Today, they cut him after no one offered a draft pick in a trade. He's back to square one 15 months after being on top of the world.
Tebow's future is uncertain. He only succeeds in a specific offensive-system that's tailored to his needs.
So his future in the NFL will depend on whether a team is willing to change everything they do for Tebow, like the Broncos did in Denver.
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