Okay I know this is supposed to be a college football blog, but this particular post involves Marcus Mariota who is technically not in the NFL yet so there's that. Also Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow attended college and played football so I think it's safe. Either way I'm going to talk about Tim Tebow making his return to the NFL in the form of the Philadelphia Eagles.
So is Chip crazy or what?
Okay so I guess I first need to address that I'm not the biggest Chip Kelly fan. He was a good and aggravating coach at Oregon that transitioned to the NFL and has proceeded to confuse pretty much every fan of the game with his trades and general Chippiness. He traded Nick Foles and acquired Sam Bradford first of all. And, not that I don't love Sam, but what the heck? Sam Bradford has been perpetually injured since he made his arrival in the NFL. One injury after another and that's after the injuries that sidelined him at Oklahoma. I mean yeah he was a Heisman-trophy winning quarterback, and rightfully so, but he's still "Always Injured Bradford". I wonder how much longer he has in the NFL before he just says, "Okay if I get injured anymore I will literally no longer have legs" and retires early like so many of his counterparts. I'm not saying that Nick Foles was some amazing quarterback for the Eagles that didn't deserve to not be traded, but I'm saying that I really wonder what Chip was thinking when he traded him. Of course I'm also just this biased blogger so I guess I don't really get to have a say in the goings on of NFL teams.
So then you start hearing rumors that Kelly is trading up to get Marcus Mariota, who he coached at Oregon, to come to the Eagles as well. If you're keeping track that would be 2 Heisman-trophies at the Eagles. I honestly think that Mariota is going to be the best possible option for the Eagles especially after the next one I'm about to lay on you.
Alright so here's the real point of this blog. That's Tim Tebow. Yes that Tim Tebow. The one that painted the Bible verses on his face and led Florida to two national championships. That same one. Also the guy that is currently an analyst for the SEC Network, but I digress. The Eagles have signed him to a contract and apparently it's a good thing? I'm not really sure. All I know is that I watched Tim Tebow play in the NFL. And while he was definitely the best player for his team while he was in college, the NFL just was on a different level. He could never quite get up to the hype that everyone thought he would. That's not entirely his fault. A lot of the time the college quarterbacks that everyone thinks are going to play out really well in the NFL don't quite do that. Instead they fall flat on their face and people like Tom Brady step on them on their way to fame and fortune. Let's not forget that currently some of the best quarterbacks in the league were not first round picks or Heisman trophy winning quarterbacks.
I know I keep bringing up Tom Brady, who I hate, but it's because the dude just won the Super Bowl AGAIN and he was the 199th pick in the NFL Draft from Michigan. Did anyone think that he would do what he's done as a quarterback? No. They didn't. In fact the number 1 pick that year was defensive end Courtney Brown. Ever heard of him? No. Me neither. That's because he had a mediocre professional career and finished in 2006.
The point is that just because a quarterback seems good on paper doesn't mean they always are. Bradford and Tebow are just that. They're pretty good on paper, and they even play kind of well. But well enough to really make a splash in the NFL and say, "They were worth that pick." No not really. Honestly, I think that the smartest thing Kelly could do at this point is draft Marcus Mariota and let him play just because I honestly believe Mariota could make waves for the Eagles. Especially since he and Kelly already have the connection of coach-player. And it clearly worked for them at Oregon. Why wouldn't it translate to the NFL? Right? Maybe.
Of course what would also be fun is to have three Heisman-trophy winning quarterbacks signed on the team and then just let them go at it Gladiator style in order to crown a winner. I'd watch that.
