Tim Tebow: Why not an NFL Blake Bell?

Strange, don’t you think, how Tim Tebow’s ascension to NFL stardom seemed to come via divine intervention, then Tebow’s descent from the Broncos’ quarterback job seemed to come from the same source. How else to explain the collection of events that made the Indianapolis Colts decide they would be better off without one of the great quarterbacks in NFL history?

In many ways, Tebow is Dr. Frankenstein. He created the monster that consumed him. If Tebow magic doesn’t develop down the stretch last season, and Denver makes the playoffs, and upsets the Steelers in the AFC quarterfinals, would Peyton Manning have looked at the Broncos as a viable contender? If Kyle Orton had remained Denver’s QB, and the Broncos limped home with a losing record, would they have been attractive to a  free agent quarterback the likes of Manning.

So now Peyton Manning is a Bronco, going from the comforts of a dome-heavy schedule to a Mile High City that offers anything from 70-degree weather to snowstorms for games after Halloween. And Tebow is in limbo.

But franchises as varied as the Packers and the Jaguars have expressed interest in Tebow’s services. Miami, too, and even the Jetropolitans apparently are considering trading for Tebow.

Any team looking to hand its huddle over to Tebow has ostensibly surrendered its attempts at valid playoff runs. Making Tebow your quarterback clearly would be a ticket-selling ploy.

But why not Tebow as a backup and special-occasion quarterback. Why not Tebow in the Wildcat, the offense that developed out of the University of Arkansas when Darren McFadden was a high-stepping tailback and moved on to the NFL with the Dolphins? The offense that OU used to great success last season as a short-yardage, goal-line attack with third-team QB Blake Bell?

Tebow’s strengths play directly to the Wildcat. A raw-boned, 240-pound tailback who can bounce off tacklers and also throw better than any tailback alive. Tebow in large doses will render an offense ineffective. But Tebow as a curveball, Tebow as an occasional fill-in, on 2nd-and-2, or 3rd-and-1, or first-and-goal, would be a major headache for defenses. A Tebow second shift would make game-week preparation a nightmare for opponents.

The Jets already have a history of alternative offense, with Brad Smith in the Wildcat. Smith has moved on to the Buffalo Bills, but Tebow would be a worthy successor to the offense.

I know that Mark Sanchez is on shaky ground as the Jet leader, but Rex Ryan could make it clear Tebow is no threat. He’s a situational quarterback.

As for the reports that the Jets desire Tebow to help stabilize a volatile locker room, well, that’s silly. Tebow would give the Jets a major PR lift, but he would only add to the wild fabric of the locker room. Tebow and Santonio Holmes in the same locker room, coached by the son of Buddy Ryan, smacks of a movie plot.

No, Tebow to the Jets would be a pure football move. And probably a good one. Scoring on the goal line is tough in the NFL. Much tougher than in college. A solitary yard is precious in the pros. Tebow as a shotgun quarterback, willing to run or throw, would make that yard easier to obtain.