Philadelphia Eagles backup quarterback Mark Sanchez doesn't seem excited to have former NFL Analyst now quarterback Tim Tebow on the team.
"[Tebow's] obviously a great guy, he works hard, and we needed another guy to throw while Sam's still recovering. So that's kind of the reasoning there, at least as it was explained to me. We're excited about the upcoming year and I think we have a great group.
Sanchez isn't exactly exhibiting the "Brotherly Love" sentiment Philadelphia is known for. He seemed dismissive about Tebow's potential contribution to the team.
Tebow a camp quarterback? Does Sanchez have the inside track on personnel decisions? Probably not. Could he feel threatened by Tebow's hire? It's possible but last season, Sanchez had a 64.1% completion ratio with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, his career best. Those aren't exactly stats that will get him votes to the NFL Football Hall of Fame but it was an improvement over any previous season with the New York Jets.
Conversely, Tebow's last season in the NFL, 2011 (technically it was 2012 but he only attempted eight passes that season, so it's discarded) his completion ratio was 46% with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Tebow spent three years in the NFL before being cut by the New York Jets in 2012. He was signed by the New England Patriots in 2013 but never took the field in the regular season. One could argue the success he had with the Denver Broncos was luck. But be careful who you ask, you could end up with a tongue lashing you will not soon forget. Tebow has a very passionate fan base.
Maybe Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly liked his persistence. Tebow has yet to give up on his dream to be a NFL quarterback. He's worked out with former big-league pitching coach Tom House. That move alone shows two things in Tebow's character that cannot be disputed; one, he is humble and has no problems asking for help and two, after everyone in the business has written him off, he refuses to quit.
There are several questions surrounding this move by Kelly. He likes his players to compete for position. Could this be a ploy to inspire his other quarterbacks to work harder? Is this something to maybe motivate Eagles quarterback Matt Barkley? Is it possible to get more out of Barkley? Judging from what we've seen in the past the answer to that question appears to be no.
We'll know more in the coming days, maybe even by Thursday evening. If he stays on the team let's hope he and Sanchez can make nice and keep the distractions to a minimum this season. A feat that may be impossible with Tebow on the roster.
If he makes it.
