Jun 11, 2013; Foxborough, MA, USA; The New England Patriots offense including quarterbacks Ryan Mallet (left) Tom Brady (center) and Tim Tebow (right) at the practice field during Minicamp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports
When Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots invited Tim Tebow to join them in Foxborough they surely should’ve known what Tim brings to the table. A firm grasp of the clipboard and a relentless media swarm obsessed with Tim.
Yet for whatever reason the Patriots arrogance has allowed them to invite Tebow into their clubhouse because they believe the can end, or control, Tebowmania. People say they’ve done it with high profile players in the past like Randy Moss, but Tebow and the ensuing circus are an entirely different beast.
“Like I said, we’re not going to get into a minute-by-minute evaluation of a player. I don’t think that’s the way to go, especially at this time of year,” Belichick said in a press conference.
Belichick was asked how Tebow looked yesterday.
“I think everybody out there is pretty much in the same boat: just trying to get better day by day. Some guys are starting at different points; he’s obviously starting at a point different than where other players were. They’re all moving along. Guys that are out there are making progress. Guys that aren’t are doing what they can do and they’re falling behind.”
Here is the rest of the Tim Tebow questions and Bill Belichick’s answers:
Q: You did a lot of work on him coming out in the draft. Was the limited snapshot you saw yesterday consistent with your evaluation of him?
BB: I don’t think evaluating players on a couple plays is really a good practice. We’ll wait until we have a little bit more information and make our evaluations as a staff, talk about players after a chunk of time, after we’ve had a chance to see things. Any player you put out there, the first day is a learning experience. As you do it the second, third, fourth time, just like when we all do anything multiple times we get better at it hopefully, get more experience, get more comfortable and do it better. I don’t think that’s any different than any football player at any position.
Q: With a guy like Tim Tebow who has versatility and flexibility, would you want to try him at one position and then move him around and see what he can do, or would that vary from player to player?
BB: Each player is different.
Q: So there’s no formulaic way to start with him? You just say ‘We want you to learn this spot first and then after that, go from there.’
BB: You have to start somewhere. Where the starting point is, is what it is and then you grow to wherever you grow to.