Why They Cut Tim Tebow

All weekend I’ve been trying to figure out why the Eagles cut Tim Tebow and brought in a nobody (in football terms) such as Stephen Morris to replace him as the third-stringer (and also why no other team has picked Tim up). I would take Tebow today over a healthy percentage of signal-callers who are in the league, including some of the starters.

The fact is, Tim looked great in the fourth preseason game, has drastically improved his throwing, is a proven leader and winner, and is a dual threat at the position. I don’t think it is because he is a vocal and consistent Christian (though anti-Christian bias is certainly an element in why so many trolls hate just the sight of him).

First: I think, yes, Tim is still somewhat inconsistent as a passer, and most coaches prize predictability at the position. Tim’s passes still sometimes sail too high or too low. But the truth is, he is the ultimate gamer who finds a way to win, no matter what it takes. Eagles coach Chip Kelly, who brought Tebow in, is a system coach who has proven he will get rid of talented players who don’t fit his system. Clearly, Chip didn’t trust Tebow enough in that system, which involves timing and pinpoint accuracy.

Second, and more important, how do you keep a born leader on the bench? Would you put Achilles on latrine duty, or at the head of the army? Tebow may or may not be a third-stringer when it comes to talent–and I seriously doubt this–but he is a hall-of-famer when it comes to leadership. How do you make Sam Bradford (or, ahem, Mark Sanchez) the team leader when Tebow is there, on the bench or not? Wherever he goes, teammates respect and love him, and fans demand him.

Chip Kelly, the supposedly daring football mastermind, decided, at the end of the day, to play it safe, and the other coaches did, too.The NFL has a serious herd mentality. All I can say is, if I needed to win a game, I know who my quarterback would be … and it wouldn’t be Stephen Morris.

God’s blessings on you, Tim. The NFL’s much too small for you.

About Stan Guthrie

Stan Guthrie is an editor at large for Christianity Today magazine and for the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview. His latest book is God's Story in 66 Verses. He also is author of All that Jesus Asks: How His Questions Can Teach and Transform Us, Missions in the Third Millennium: 21 Key Trends for the 21st Century, and A Concise Guide to Bible Prophecy. He is co-author of The Sacrament of Evangelism. Besides authoring, writing, and editing books, Stan is a literary agent, bringing together good authors, good books, and good publishers. Stan writes the monthly Priorities colum for BreakPoint.org. He has appeared on National Public Radio's €œTell Me More,€ WGN's Milt Rosenberg program, and many Christian shows, including The Eric Metaxas Show and Moody Radio'€™s €œNew Day Florida.€ A licensed minister and an inspirational speaker, he served as moderator for the Christian Book Expo panel discussion, Does the God of Christianity Exist, and What Difference Does It Make?
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