The Tim Tebow saga is continuing as the quarterback still remains a free agent and after a spate of injuries on the NFL schedule this weekend, he continues to be unable to find work, as the Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams and Cleveland Browns have not been interested in him and while many have compared Tebow to current Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, the two aren't even close when it comes to NFL potential.
Let's hit Tebow's news first. It all started when Michael Silver reported that the Rams had been "discussing" the possibility of signing Tim Tebow and that news came just before the game against the Panthers on Sunday that saw quarterback Sam Bradford get injured and lost for the season. Tebow could be an interesting fit for the Rams with explosive players like Tavon Austin and that's about it for the Rams, but clearly that won't be happening now, as the team said it is not interested.
Some rumors have percolated from the Browns and Bears, well, from their fans and maybe some writers out there, but neither of those teams appear interested either. The Bears brought in Jordan Palmer after Jay Cutler was injured and Joe Banner said the Browns are not looking into signing Tebow. The star from Florida was previously released by the Patriots before the season started and now he is stuck in free agent purgatory for the time being and after reading about one writer who claimed that Johnny Manziel was the next Tebow, there are a few reasons to look at as to why he isn't.
There are some similarities, sure: Both quarterbacks have won Heisman trophies. Both put up some stunning numbers in college. Both played for an SEC team was crazy fan bases. And oh yeah, both are very good at improvising. But where Manziel stands far apart from Tebow is a pretty obvious area and anyone should be able to see it on game days.
Tebow is an exceptional athlete (nowhere near as good as Manziel) but he has issues with his mechanics and as everyone saw in the preseason with the Patriots, he has issues throwing the ball accurately. His arm strength and power from the pocket also leaves something to be desired. Manziel on the other hand, that kid can ball. Manziel has a very good arm and it should get stronger as he develops as a passer and while he is an electric runner, he has put up some amazing numbers passing the ball and with the NFL moving toward more mobile and spread option gimmicks and quarterbacks like Robert Griffin and Colin Kaepernick, there's no reason to think why Manziel should have success in the NFL if and when he gets drafted into the league, likely after this college football season.
The Aggies have transformed into a very powerful team in college football on the strength of Manziel's skills and this season he has been amazing again after putting up over 3,700 passing yards and 1,410 rushing yards last season with over 40 combined touchdowns and this season he could eclipse some of that, as he has over 2,200 passing yards already with 18 touchdowns while passing for just seven interceptions. He has rushed for nearly 500 yards this season with six scores and those skills could come to good use in the NFL as well.
Manziel had an NFL throw early in the game on Saturday to receiver Mike Evans, who is becoming a great player in his own right and that's for another column, but Manziel has been stupid good. He has passed for a touchdown in every game but one and the team still won and he has had at least three in four games this season. He has passed for over 400 yards three times and his arm is the reason why he is NOT Tim Tebow. Although Tebow deserves and NFL shot too. That's also for another column.
