It would take legions of evil forces to take down Tim Tebow, and apparently that’s exactly what has happened.
Steve Clarkson, Tebow’s personal quarterback instructor, is now suggesting that Tebow’s trade from the Broncos to the Jets last offseason was all part of a grand ploy to limit the popular passer. Clarkson said on a conference call Wednesday that the trade possibilities between the Jets, Broncos and Jaguars were meant to play out in a way that would knock Tebow from his perch.
“I think he was purposefully sent to New York,” Clarkson said, according to the Newark Star-Ledger. “From the standpoint: You send him to a situation where you have instability with your coach — you don’t know if he’s coming or going. You have a fragile-minded Mark Sanchez at quarterback. You stick Tim Tebow in there, and you kill two birds with one stone.
“So if you’re Denver, you’ve got to be thinking, ‘We send him to New York, we basically kill an opponent and, at the same time, Tim Tebow doesn’t come back to bite us in the proverbial butt, if you will, because he’s not going to make it out of there.’ You send him to Jacksonville, all of a sudden he’s got that fan base behind him and all of a sudden he’s doing what he’s done all his life — that’s win games. That would put a lot of ill will towards your organization.
“There is a lot of politics that go on with it. I think Timmy was just unfortunate to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
When Tebow was first traded to New York, Jets coach Rex Ryan talked about using him as an X-factor in the offense, especially in wildcat sets. But Tebow saw less and less playing time once the season began, and he never found his groove when on the field. Even when Sanchez struggled, Tebow was not considered for the starting position, and the season ended with most people thinking that Tebow would need to find a new home if he ever wanted to play — much less at starting quarterback — again.
Reports surfaced near the end of the season that Tebow had been given the option and picked the Jets over the Jaguars because he thought he would get more playing time in New York.
Tebow remains with the Jets, who have struggled to find a trading partner. The Jets have said he is competing for the starting quarterback job.
Clarkson also said he and Tebow have been working on Tebow’s throwing mechanics. Clarkson said Tebow has “very coachable and minor” problems with his motion, which has been much maligned by fellow players and football analysts.
Clarkson is also encouraging Tebow to lose weight. Tebow packed on the muscle last offseason, but that may have actually cut down on his ability to make plays.
