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Rex Ryan: Tim Tebow at running back 'a possibility' (1 Viewer)

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Rex Ryan: Tim Tebow at running back 'a possibility'

By Marc Sessler

Around the League Writer

It certainly pleases Rex Ryan that Bill Belichick is locked away right now, in some back room, trying to crack the code on Tim Tebow.

When Ryan was asked Thursday if Tebow might line up in the New York Jets' injury-riddled backfield Sunday against the New England Patriots, the Jets coach didn't count it out.

"That's a possibility," Ryan said. "The thing about Tim, with him being a football player like we've always talked about ... by playing quarterback, he knows all the positions. And so can you plug him in at running back? Plug him in at tight end? Whatever ... I think the answer is yes."

We might see more of Tebow on Sunday for two reasons: (1) Running back Joe McKnight (ankle) hasn't practiced this week and Bilal Powell (shoulder) has already been ruled out; (2) Ryan is obsessed with beating Belichick and will dump the playbook to earn a win in the deadlocked AFC East.

ESPN New York's Rich Cimini reported Thursday the Jets didn't go out and sign another runner because of Tebow's ability to contribute out of the backfield, according to sources. Cimini called it a "sure sign" Tebow will be heavily involved.

The 3-3 New York Jets haven't found a way to make Tebow a consistent force in the offense. Ryan relishes opponents having to plan for what they've seen -- or haven't seen -- from Tebow, but his impact has been marginal for an attack that ranks 30th in the league.

Last week's ground explosion against the Indianapolis Colts was promising -- and the best way to save Mark Sanchez -- but New York's base offense has failed to deliver. Until we see it in the flesh, Tebow remains nothing more than window dressing on a scheme that lacks identity.
 
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Rex Ryan: Tim Tebow at running back 'a possibility'

By Marc Sessler

Around the League Writer

It certainly pleases Rex Ryan that Bill Belichick is locked away right now, in some back room, trying to crack the code on Tim Tebow.

When Ryan was asked Thursday if Tebow might line up in the New York Jets' injury-riddled backfield Sunday against the New England Patriots, the Jets coach didn't count it out.

"That's a possibility," Ryan said. "The thing about Tim, with him being a football player like we've always talked about ... by playing quarterback, he knows all the positions. And so can you plug him in at running back? Plug him in at tight end? Whatever ... I think the answer is yes."

We might see more of Tebow on Sunday for two reasons: (1) Running back Joe McKnight (ankle) hasn't practiced this week and Bilal Powell (shoulder) has already been ruled out; (2) Ryan is obsessed with beating Belichick and will dump the playbook to earn a win in the deadlocked AFC East.

ESPN New York's Rich Cimini reported Thursday the Jets didn't go out and sign another runner because of Tebow's ability to contribute out of the backfield, according to sources. Cimini called it a "sure sign" Tebow will be heavily involved.

The 3-3 New York Jets haven't found a way to make Tebow a consistent force in the offense. Ryan relishes opponents having to plan for what they've seen -- or haven't seen -- from Tebow, but his impact has been marginal for an attack that ranks 30th in the league.

Last week's ground explosion against the Indianapolis Colts was promising -- and the best way to save Mark Sanchez -- but New York's base offense has failed to deliver. Until we see it in the flesh, Tebow remains nothing more than window dressing on a scheme that lacks identity.
Nothing like watching a slow white upright runner getting pummeled.
 
Rex Ryan: Tim Tebow could play RB this week

By Josh Katzowitz | Blogger

Forgive us if we're constantly making jokes about what Tim Tebow can and cannot do on the football field.

Obviously, he can play quarterback (or, as his critics would rebut, he plays “quarterback”), and he's clearly an all-star punt protector. He also can fake a punt with the best of them. Of course, that leads us to joke that the Jets should have replaced the injured Darrelle Revis with Tebow at cornerback and that the departed Wayne Hunter's struggles at tackle could have been alleviated by a dose of Tebow Time.

And now that backup running backs Bilal Powell (shoulder) and Joe McKnight (ankle) are banged up, we can officially joke that Tebow can suit up as the No. 2 to Shonn Greene's No. 1.

Hahahaha, right?

Wait. That isn't a joke?

Not according to Rex Ryan. Neither Powell nor McKnight will practice Thursday, and neither is likely to play Sunday -- possibly, maybe, perhaps opening the door for Tebow at running back.

Wait, Rex, are you being serious?

Manish Mehta

@MMehtaNYDN

With Jets hurting at RB, could NYJ plug Tim Tebow in at RB vs Pats? Rex: "The answer is yes." #nyj

So … wow.But, hey, maybe it makes sense. As Ryan points out, Tebow isn't much of a speedster but he does have power. Because of his size, he wouldn't be easy to bring down, and he's elusive enough to make life difficult for linebackers.

Sounds like a joke, but maybe the Jets are onto something. They haven't effectively used Tebow in the wildcat, but perhaps backing up Greene might work out for a team always on the lookout for offense. Especially the ground-and-pound variety.
 
Potential hilarious scenario:

-Shonn Greene gets injured, Tebow get some runs and somehow looks good on a couple of them. He starts week 8 at RB in a timeshare, thus granting him RB eligibility

-Greene comes back and reclaims the RB job

-Sanchez eventually gets benched, and Tebow can be started as a RB while playing QB.

 
Potential hilarious scenario:-Shonn Greene gets injured, Tebow get some runs and somehow looks good on a couple of them. He starts week 8 at RB in a timeshare, thus granting him RB eligibility-Greene comes back and reclaims the RB job-Sanchez eventually gets benched, and Tebow can be started as a RB while playing QB.
LOL.
 
I've thought for a while now it would be interesting to see what Tebow could do as a running back.

(yah his running style is different then a traditional RB but he could learn it, has moves/power)

Could make for a lot possible plays.. (at least it would be a way to use what he can do well)

 
The extra pounds he put on have slowed him waaayyy down.

He was never the quickest guy on the field, but in Denver he could at least get outside and make a move.

 
This is a ridiculous attempt by Rex to save face for the awful decision to sign Tebow. Really Rex, you're going to line up Tebow as a running back? Let's see: he's slow, he has no elusiveness, and has never played running back. The only reason he gained yards rushing as a QB was that he had the threat of throwing or handing off to another player.

 
This is a ridiculous attempt by Rex to save face for the awful decision to sign Tebow. Really Rex, you're going to line up Tebow as a running back? Let's see: he's slow, he has no elusiveness, and has never played running back. The only reason he gained yards rushing as a QB was that he had the threat of throwing or handing off to another player.
So you're saying once he gets some experience playing the position, he'll be identical to Shonn Greene?
 
This is a ridiculous attempt by Rex to save face for the awful decision to sign Tebow. Really Rex, you're going to line up Tebow as a running back? Let's see: he's slow, he has no elusiveness, and has never played running back. The only reason he gained yards rushing as a QB was that he had the threat of throwing or handing off to another player.
Who's face is he saving? Woody Johnson's?-QG
 
This is a ridiculous attempt by Rex to save face for the awful decision to sign Tebow. Really Rex, you're going to line up Tebow as a running back? Let's see: he's slow, he has no elusiveness, and has never played running back. The only reason he gained yards rushing as a QB was that he had the threat of throwing or handing off to another player.
I think Tebow has been really effective - on the fake punt on short fourth downs. And someone mentioned it in another post but if the Jets wanted to reasonably go for a 2 point conversion every single time or frequently they could do it with TT. Problem is they never score TDs.And seriously make a list of 2nd string QBs in the league and really ask who has a better chance of winning a game if forced to play. There aren't more than 2 or 3 (Shaun Hill? Matt Flynn? Rosenfels? Who else?), and then you get to a long list of maybe 35-40 QBs who would all be signs to any FF player he should immediately pick up and start the DST playing against them. Tebow has a better resume than all those guys.As for the FB/RB idea - I love it, so long as he pulls back and passes every so often. I honestly don't know why more teams with QB capable skill players - like Brad Smith, or Armanti Edwards - don't roll out a 2 QB backfield every so often.
 
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I would imagine there are position players at RB, TE and WR who were QBs in HS or college that may be better at the skill position than Tebow and be just as good of a passer. Guys like Boldin, Cobb, Santana Moss.

ETA: or was it Randle El?

 
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This is a ridiculous attempt by Rex to save face for the awful decision to sign Tebow. Really Rex, you're going to line up Tebow as a running back? Let's see: he's slow, he has no elusiveness, and has never played running back. The only reason he gained yards rushing as a QB was that he had the threat of throwing or handing off to another player.
He's not going to line-up Tebow as a RB. This was Ryan responding to a direct question about Tebow as a RB, somewhat indirectly.
 
This is a ridiculous attempt by Rex to save face for the awful decision to sign Tebow. Really Rex, you're going to line up Tebow as a running back? Let's see: he's slow, he has no elusiveness, and has never played running back. The only reason he gained yards rushing as a QB was that he had the threat of throwing or handing off to another player.
He's not going to line-up Tebow as a RB. This was Ryan responding to a direct question about Tebow as a RB, somewhat indirectly.
IF Greene got hurt, and IF Grimes got hurt. and IF Hilliard got hurt, then TT would play.
 
You cant expect tebow to be effective when getting involved in under 5 plays a game.

I would still rather see him at QB then sanchez

 
If a team committed to Tebow as the starter for 2 years and crafted the offense around his skill set, I do think he'd be more effective than at least the following QBs

Gabbert

Kolb/Skelton

Sanchez

Then there are a few more you could argue as well. I don't get the narrow-minded attitude of the NFL in regards to offensive philosophy. CFB has far more varied offensive philosophies. It's almost like the 'we don't do it that way' argument that when you get to the NFL suddenly the only way to play QB is to be a great pocket passer.

Maybe I'm missing something but if the mold was created to fit the player I believe Tebow could be at least average.

 
Don't think you're missing anything other than the lack of motivation for a team to completely reshape its entire offense in order to have a QB that is "at least average"

 
If a team committed to Tebow as the starter for 2 years and crafted the offense around his skill set, I do think he'd be more effective than at least the following QBsGabbertKolb/SkeltonSanchezThen there are a few more you could argue as well. I don't get the narrow-minded attitude of the NFL in regards to offensive philosophy. CFB has far more varied offensive philosophies. It's almost like the 'we don't do it that way' argument that when you get to the NFL suddenly the only way to play QB is to be a great pocket passer. Maybe I'm missing something but if the mold was created to fit the player I believe Tebow could be at least average.
Let's leave Tebow out of it - you have a good point.It's a "franchise" league and most corporate franchise models call for some degree, sometimes a large degree, of shaping what the franchises look like - appearance, meesaging, product - so the overall corporate strategy is maximized. What no one ever talks about is the degree to which this top down approach takes place in the NFL. A simple way to look at it is the external stuff, cheerleaders, vendors, music, uniforms and branding, but how much of what is on the field is affected by this.
 
If a team committed to Tebow as the starter for 2 years and crafted the offense around his skill set, I do think he'd be more effective than at least the following QBsGabbertKolb/SkeltonSanchezThen there are a few more you could argue as well. I don't get the narrow-minded attitude of the NFL in regards to offensive philosophy. CFB has far more varied offensive philosophies. It's almost like the 'we don't do it that way' argument that when you get to the NFL suddenly the only way to play QB is to be a great pocket passer. Maybe I'm missing something but if the mold was created to fit the player I believe Tebow could be at least average.
Let's leave Tebow out of it - you have a good point.It's a "franchise" league and most corporate franchise models call for some degree, sometimes a large degree, of shaping what the franchises look like - appearance, meesaging, product - so the overall corporate strategy is maximized. What no one ever talks about is the degree to which this top down approach takes place in the NFL. A simple way to look at it is the external stuff, cheerleaders, vendors, music, uniforms and branding, but how much of what is on the field is affected by this.
It's funny, but I work in franchising and a lot of my job is upholding standards across the system. So I'm well aware of this dynamic, yet had never thought of it that way.I guess at McD's and other retail franchise brands, you don't have nearly the kind of diversity of logos, branding, venues etc that the NFL does. Each team is essentially its own brand.So would the NFL as the 'franchisor' get into what kind of offense, what kind of QB etc would be 'appropriate'? I wouldn't think so, as long as it was within the rules and provided a good product.
 
Don't think you're missing anything other than the lack of motivation for a team to completely reshape its entire offense in order to have a QB that is "at least average"
worked ok for the broncs last year
So much so they signed Peyton and traded him as soon as they could. Something tells me they didn't see his W/L record as sustainable.
Elway didn't want to become the 2nd best bronco qb, so he ran tebow out of time and signed old man rivver
 
If a team committed to Tebow as the starter for 2 years and crafted the offense around his skill set, I do think he'd be more effective than at least the following QBsGabbertKolb/SkeltonSanchezThen there are a few more you could argue as well. I don't get the narrow-minded attitude of the NFL in regards to offensive philosophy. CFB has far more varied offensive philosophies. It's almost like the 'we don't do it that way' argument that when you get to the NFL suddenly the only way to play QB is to be a great pocket passer. Maybe I'm missing something but if the mold was created to fit the player I believe Tebow could be at least average.
Not related to Tebow, but the NFL is and always have been a bunch of conservative (not politically) traditionalists that would rather do things because "that's the way they've always been done" than actually innovate on their own or stick their necks out. Every evolution of the NFL takes some well-entrenched, top-end coach to lead the charge that everyone can copy off of 5 years later.If it weren't for those few guys, 30/32 NFL teams would still be playing with the philosophy that you run up the middle on every play, throw 4 passes a game, and punt on any 4th down regardless of the situation, field position, or distance.
 
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For the record, Tebow is not "slow." He is, however, white, and therefore ineligible to be considered a RB by most of the American voting public. As he's shown throughout his career, Tebow is powerful and probably faster than half the starting RBs in the NFL. I'd bet on him in a race vs. the current Jets' starter, the horrific Shonn Greene.

The same people that can somehow envision truly slow, chubby players like Leron McClain or Mike Tolbert as viable RBs just can't grasp the notion of faster, more elusive runners like Tebow playing the position. I'd love to see him get a real chance at QB, his natural position, but anything is better than the humiliation the Jets are putting him through now (protecting the punter?)

Very few QBs could produce much with the putrid group of "weapons" the Jets have on offense, but however they use him, Tebow can be an offensive force and would give them their best chance to win.

 
Fans of Tebow Lament His Limited Role on Jets

By BEN SHPIGEL

Published: October 20, 2012

Haley Duquette, who may be the most ardent Tim Tebow fan in Bolton, Vt., feels like a fool. Every Sunday, she starts out brimming with optimism, hoping that this will be the day when Tebow stars for the Jets. And every Sunday, she flips off her radio or television, an 86-inch projection model in her basement, and wonders why the Jets do not recognize his talent.

The last few games, Duquette said, she did not wear Tebow T-shirts because she just does not “feel as pumped up on game days anymore.”

“I almost feel like the joke’s on me or on the fan base, because we were all like, ‘Yay, this is going to work,’ ” said Duquette, a 31-year-old nurse. “But it doesn’t seem to be working at all.”

Duquette’s experience is shared by legions of Tebow devotees around the country — and, indeed, the world — who once derived so much joy from watching him play but now spend their Sundays girding for what has become a weekly dose of disappointment: images of Tebow standing on the sideline instead of barking in the huddle.

Through six games, Tebow has appeared in 45 offensive plays — including 31 snaps at quarterback — but rarely two in a row, instead making his mark on special teams. He has converted three fake-punt plays, including a 23-yard pass on fourth-and-11 last week against Indianapolis. To John F. X. Walsh, a Jets fan and, like Tebow, a Florida graduate, that bit of trickery amounted to a tease.

“That was like, yes, this is what we’ve been waiting for,” said Walsh, 43, an entertainment lawyer who lives in Manhattan. “Something can happen every time he’s on the field. He’s got speed, he’s got power, and he’s sitting there rotting away.”

There are many Tebow supporters who wanted Tebow — and still do — to displace Mark Sanchez as the Jets’ starting quarterback. Walsh and Duquette are not among them. In fact, when Walsh loaded the football game Madden 11 onto his iPhone two years ago, he quickly traded Tebow to the Jets. His plan? Use Tebow on running downs and Sanchez in passing situations.

“That’s what I always envisioned would happen with the Jets,” said Walsh, whose frustration bubbled over in the fourth quarter of the Jets’ game Sept. 23 at Miami, when they failed to score a touchdown after having first-and-goal from the Dolphins’ 1.

“You tell me he can’t get 3 feet in four chances?” Walsh said. “He can’t get the ball over that line? I couldn’t believe it. My friends are getting a little sick of me saying, ‘Tebow Time, Tebow Time.’ ”

For their part, the Jets never considered Walsh’s proposal, a stark division in playing time. But they did speak of Tebow’s arrival as a critical component in diversifying their offense, avowing a package of plays — short-yardage, red zone, Wildcat formation — that were designed for him. Some fans, puffed with hope, feel misled and confused.

Duquette harks back to her reaction the day of the trade — “a terrible, terrible day,” when she wondered, “Why on earth would the Jets need him?”

“If you want to find out what Tebow did, you can just turn on ESPN and see what four plays he was part of,” said Kris Dehnert, who owns and operates the Tim Tebow Fan Club page on Facebook. Dehnert, 30, who lives in Tampa, Fla., attended the Jets’ game at Miami, but, in general, he said, “I just don’t find myself watching him as much.”

Dehnert’s page has more than 253,000 fans — enough to fill three MetLife Stadiums — but Tebow’s limited playing time has had an effect. At the beginning of the season, Dehnert said, it was attracting about 900 new fans every day. That number has dropped to roughly 250.

On a micro level, Mike Roche has noticed a similar trend. No longer is Roche, who lives in Orlando, Fla., invited to Tebow-watching parties as he was last season, when Tebow’s penchant for last-minute comebacks made Denver Broncos games must-see television.

Traveling around the state, Roche, 36, who earned a master’s degree in business administration at Florida, said he used to notice “a crazy amount” of No. 15 Broncos jerseys. Since the March 21 trade, Roche said, he has seen only a few Tebow Jets jerseys.

Carrie Long, a relatively new Tebow fan, bought one almost immediately. She tracked his every word on Twitter and the Internet, and traveled to Cortland, N.Y., for the Jets’ intrasquad scrimmage in August. Jokingly, Long called herself a “curse” because of how Tebow’s fortunes have seemingly swung since she started backing him last winter: the Broncos’ playoff loss at New England, Peyton Manning’s arrival in Denver, the Jets’ marginalization of Tebow.

“You’re thinking, maybe God has a plan for him,” said Long, 35, a nursing student from McDonough, Ga., who has read Tebow’s books to her two children. “He’s in the big city, they have Rex Ryan and Tony Sparano there, and they want to ground and pound. I think his fans were thinking it was lining up for Tebow to start, but now you’re kind of losing hope because you’re thinking it’s not really going to happen.”

Tebow’s charity work, public displays of faith and spirited leadership and on-field performance have attracted a fervent fan following that transcends that of a typical football player, let alone a backup; after all, it is doubtful that Utah grads gather each week to cheer on Jets offensive lineman Caleb Schlauderaff. Tebow still remains a sociocultural phenomenon, and his trade to New York — the biggest stage for a professional athlete, the news media capital of the world — seemed a chance for him to have a wider platform to express himself, to reach people who do not even know he exists, as remarkable as that might sound.

In June 2011, Duquette was one of them. She had never heard of Tebow until watching him promote his book “Through My Eyes” on “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.”

She found Tebow’s story intriguing but forgot about him until the Broncos’ epic comeback last October against Miami. Then she became, in her words, obsessed. Duquette devoured Tebow trivia, attended a speaking event in Jacksonville and started following him with fervor.

Her knowledge of all things Tebow now rivals that of longtime fans like Nicole Weltman, who overlapped two years with Tebow at Florida. Weltman, 25, grew up a Dolphins fan in Boca Raton, Fla., but her loyalty to Tebow supersedes her childhood allegiances. The day of the trade, Weltman, the president of Gotham Gators, the area’s official chapter of Florida’s alumni association, called the Jets’ group sales department. When the schedule was released, she bought 200 tickets — 100 for the preseason game against the Giants, 100 for next week’s game against Miami at MetLife. She had an ulterior motive.

“I figured it would be late in the season enough where he might be starting,” Weltman said.

Barring anything unforeseen, that will not happen. Sanchez is very likely to start against Miami, as he will Sunday against New England at Gillette Stadium. Given the Jets’ lack of depth at running back, it is possible that Tebow’s role will expand. For fans like Weltman, Long and Walsh, that would be a welcome start.

As for Duquette, she will again wear a Tebow T-shirt on Sunday, retreat to her basement and plop into a recliner beside her husband, Darren, with some Woodchuck cider. She will cringe if Tebow throws the ball because she recognizes his flaws, and she will root for him, for Sanchez, for the Jets, because that is how she thinks Tebow would want her to react.

But still, Duquette worries about the future beyond Sunday, because she has trouble envisioning a positive outcome.

“I want him to be happy, and I want him to be on a team,” Duquette said. “But I don’t want him to be some gimmick sitting on a bench.”
 
For the record, Tebow is not "slow." He is, however, white, and therefore ineligible to be considered a RB by most of the American voting public. As he's shown throughout his career, Tebow is powerful and probably faster than half the starting RBs in the NFL. I'd bet on him in a race vs. the current Jets' starter, the horrific Shonn Greene. The same people that can somehow envision truly slow, chubby players like Leron McClain or Mike Tolbert as viable RBs just can't grasp the notion of faster, more elusive runners like Tebow playing the position. I'd love to see him get a real chance at QB, his natural position, but anything is better than the humiliation the Jets are putting him through now (protecting the punter?) Very few QBs could produce much with the putrid group of "weapons" the Jets have on offense, but however they use him, Tebow can be an offensive force and would give them their best chance to win.
I tend to agree guys in this thread say he runs upright watch when he hits the second level and linebackers have a shot at him they don't truck him like a normal qb(that's why they slide). He runs similar to Steve Mcnair or Daunte Culpepper. He can play as a running fullback or power tailback. I don't see a guy who can run an end around but Ryan wouldn't call those calls for him. Also old and shot older tailbacks that have led their teams to Superbowl wins are clearly slower than Tebow ie Otis Anderson, Corrie Dillon and Antwon Smith. I'm not even sure the Riggo that led the Skins in the early 80's was faster than Tebow.
 
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Tebow is a bum, plain and simple. I hope they start him at RB and if/when he fails maybe I can stop hearing about him. He is an average football player at best. Maybe its because im not religious I don't get all the hype and love for this kid. I have seen him play and honestly I don't see anything special. Yeah he won a few games, Vince Young was a winner and where is he now?

 
For the record, Tebow is not "slow." He is, however, white, and therefore ineligible to be considered a RB by most of the American voting public. As he's shown throughout his career, Tebow is powerful and probably faster than half the starting RBs in the NFL. I'd bet on him in a race vs. the current Jets' starter, the horrific Shonn Greene.

The same people that can somehow envision truly slow, chubby players like Leron McClain or Mike Tolbert as viable RBs just can't grasp the notion of faster, more elusive runners like Tebow playing the position. I'd love to see him get a real chance at QB, his natural position, but anything is better than the humiliation the Jets are putting him through now (protecting the punter?)

Very few QBs could produce much with the putrid group of "weapons" the Jets have on offense, but however they use him, Tebow can be an offensive force and would give them their best chance to win.
I suspect this is just the wiley rex ryan setting himself up for trick plays on special teams.
 

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