Tim Tebow said after he was cut by the Patriots that he will continue trying to be an NFL quarterback. But his stubborn insistence that he will only play quarterback and only in the NFL may make it harder for him to realize his dream.
As Peter King reported on NBC on Thursday night, when Tebow says he wants to continue trying to be an NFL quarterback, he’s emphasizing both “NFL” and “quarterback.” Tebow has said he’s not interested in playing in the Canadian Football League, nor is he interested in being on an NFL roster if it’s at a position other than quarterback.
But Kurt Warner had some good advice for Tebow on the Dan Patrick Show. Warner says that it actually helped him that he got cut by the Packers, where he spent time in training camp as a backup to Brett Favre, and was forced to play in Arena Football and NFL Europe. Tebow says that he should see it as a blessing that he was cut by the Patriots -- where he likely would have spent all season on the bench behind Tom Brady if he had made the team -- and should seek out opportunities to get live game experience in the CFL or Arena Football.
“If that’s what your dream is and you want to keep pursuing it, find somewhere else to play. A key for me was to get reps,” Warner said. “I needed to see things that I couldn’t see standing on the sidelines. That’s where guys like Tim Tebow are: We know he’s a work in progress, but the only way to get that progress is to find situations and to play.”
Warner said that if Tebow is serious about becoming an NFL quarterback, he should show NFL teams what he can do while playing in a minor league.
“I know you want to play in the NFL, but right now you need to find places to hone your craft,” Warner said. “Whether that’s Canada, whether that’s the Arena League, whether that’s anywhere else, I would encourage him, whatever the opportunity is, to take advantage of it and go play as much football as you can.”
So far, Tebow hasn’t shown any interest in playing football outside the NFL. Perhaps Warners’ words of wisdom can get through to him, and Tebow can realize that he’s not good enough to play quarterback in the NFL right now, and if he ever wants to be, the best way to get there is to play quarterback in another league.