Tim Tebow to the Rams? Cue the Tebowmania
Tim Tebow? Yes the name came up in the wake of Sunday's injury to Sam Bradford, the St. Louis Rams' starting QB. But at this point, Tim Tebow is merely a talking point.
Alaysha Harris, 6, holds a sign during a rally at EverBank Field to encourage the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL football team to sign Tim Tebow, Monday, Sept. 16, 2013, in Jacksonville, Fla.
(AP Photo/The Florida Times-Union, Will Dickey)
St. Louis Rams QB Sam Bradford injured his knee Sunday in a 30-15 loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Cue the Tebowmania?
The Rams back-up quarterback is Kellen Clemens.
But you won't find too many Rams fans who see Clemens as a viable replacement to Bradford.
This is how St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports writer, Bryan Burwell put it:
This is not intended to be a rip job on Clemens, who is a true pro. But there’s a reason he’s a career backup and the epitome of a journeyman quarterback in his eight years in the NFL, and it begins with these numbers: He has completed only 51.9 percent of his 378 career pass attempts; his pass efficiency rating is an entirely pedestrian 62.2; he’s thrown for seven TDs and 13 interceptions and has won only four of his 12 starts.
In his last extended playing time for the Rams —in 2011 when Bradford was last injured — Clemens had an 0-3 record as a starter, including a nine-for-24, 91-yard passing effort in a 27-0 loss to Pittsburgh.
So with all due respect to Clemens, the Rams are in for a rocky road if Bradford is done for the season.
That's why Tim Tebow is apparently being discussed as an option, according to Mike Silver at NFL.com.
When Tebow was cut from the New England Patriots earlier this year, this was precisely the 'Tebow Returns' scenario that ESPN analyst (and former Jets and Chiefs coach) Herm Edwards forecast.
"He's an injury away" from getting on a team, Edwards said at the time. He noted that Tebow could be a fit with the Buffalo Bills, if their starting QB is injured. Even in New England, said Edwards, if Tom Brady gets hurt, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick could bring back Tebow as a backup quarterback to Ryan Mallett.
No official word yet from the St. Louis Rams as to whether Tebow is anything more than a talking point as the Rams try to figure out what they're going to do if Bradford is out for the rest of the season.
And Tim Tebow? He is reportedly in Hawaii and not tweeting or talking yet.