As Tim Tebow tried to make his illustrious NFL comeback, it was looking more and more possible that it would be Tebow Time in Philly. But in the end, the Eagles decided to cut him.
After putting a rather impressive fourth preseason game outing, Philly fans were bracing for Tebow Time. But as the Eagles made their final roster costs to trim to 53 players before the start of the regular season, coach Chip Kelly decided not to keep the Tebow circus in town.
Kelly admitted that it was a "Big Week" for Tebow. And he did come out and show the world that his passing has improved as well as his presence and awareness in the pocket, namely stepping up and throwing instead of questioning and taking a sack or always running away, as was his old status quo.
Rather, Tebow stepped up and threw for 11 of 17 with good touch on his throws, ultimately getting two touchdowns and just one pick, notching 189 yards in the process. A lot more than we are used to seeing of a quarterback who has routinely struggled with inconsistent passing his entire short-lived NFL career.
After picking up Tim Tebow during the offseason to give him another chance, many people questioned Kelly's roster moves (and he made a lot of bold ones like Trading Nick Foles to the Rams for injury-prone Sam Bradford, amongst countless others odd trades).
Just before the end of the first half, Tebow shined. Starting at his own 15-yard line, he brought the birds together, running for 17 yards after thwarting a sack, in classic Tebow nature. Then he strung together a 28-yard pass and a 23-yard pass, capped with a beautiful touchdown. This was the shining moment that diehard fans really wanted to see of the former Florida standout.
After a few go-nowhere series in the fourth quarter, Tebow rallied the troops during a nine-play, 45-yard touchdown drive that ended with Freddie Martino adding six to the score in the end zone.
Ryan Mallet also got his pink slip this week. And while many thought that was to make room for Tebow, who could provide more depth (he can pass decently now, and his run option creates options for Kelly, where he can place Tebow and Bradford on the field at the same time and let the defense guess whether it's a run, a pass, a fake or what-have-you), it just wasn't meant to be.
The day that many Tebow fans have long awaited seems to have come and passed. While there is still slim hope that a team may pick him up from the free agency, it's really looking like the end of the NFL road for him.