Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert has been ruled out for Week 2 against the Oakland Raiders after slicing his hand against the Chiefs on Sunday, opening a wound that required 15 stitches.
Chad Henne will assume the starting position for Gabbert, but speculation is growing that Gabbert's injury, and ineffective quarterbacking overall, may open the door for Tim Tebow to get yet another shot at being an NFL starter.
Tebow to Jacksonville has long been a logical leap. Tebow excelled as a Florida Gator, winning a Heisman trophy and two national championships in Gainesville. He is one of the most popular athletes in the history of Florida, and the Jaguars are one of the NFL's worst teams in terms of both attendance and performance.
The argument against signing Tebow is clear. He plays quarterback, yet struggles to throw the football with any accuracy. In addition, he has proven slow to read defenses, causing him to hold the football too long in the pocket and take unnecessary sacks as well as miss open targets.
As a member of the New England Patriots this preseason, Tebow was dreadful. He completed 11 of 30 passes for 145 yards. He threw two touchdown passes, two interceptions, and was sacked seven times.
On the other hand, he ran 16 times for 91 yards this preseason, and in 2011 helped the Denver Broncos develop a uniquely effective ground attack. In Jacksonville, he could pair with Maurice Jones-Drew to recreate that Mile High magic. Also, Tebow's one skill in the passing game appeared to be connecting on deep passes. The Jaguars have a sneaky good receiving corps led by Cecil Shorts that should improve once Justin Blackmon returns from suspension.
Off the field, signing Tebow is likely just good business for the Jags. His popularity is such that a petition was sent to President Barack Obama from Jaguars fans attempting to get him to order Jacksonville to ink Tebow.
An Orlando-based lawyer named John Morgan took to the radio in May when Tebow was axed by the Jets, urging the team to embrace Tebow mania. "The feedback has been incredible,'' Morgan said. "It's been very intense.''
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