Tim Tebow will compete with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for playing time, not catch passes from him.
The Boston Globe is dispelling any rumors that Tebow, whom the Patriots acquired as a free agent after he played last season with the New York Jets, will be utilized at any other positions besides quarterback.
The newspaper reported that Tebow participated in a skills drill, in which a player turns his back, catches a pass and head upfield as he is chased by a pair of defenders.
The Globe reported that other national media sites such as ESPN and the NFL Network mistook his involvement in the drill as a sign that he would have a role beyond that of a QB in a Patriots offense that has question marks at the pass-catching positions after a tumultuous offseason involving Aaron Hernandez's murder charge.
The newspaper said Tebow's involvement in the drill was due to his potential to be a ball-carrier or a scrambling quarterback.
"He's just practicing his open-field running," New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said. "Matt Cassel and (Doug) Flutie and some of those other guys I've had a chance to coach, I think we did the same types of things with them. And again we know Tim has a skill set that some of these other guys don't possess in terms of his ability to run with it, scramble with it when he has it in his hands."
The Globe added that the Patriots are hoping Tebow can win the backup QB position so it would be able to trade Ryan Mallett before his contract expires after the 2014 season.
McDaniels was Tebow's head coach with the Denver Broncos and knows what Tebow can do. But McDaniels did not give his QB a ringing endorsement.
"He's put in a lot of time and effort to improve his individual skill set to play the position of quarterback in our offense, and I think every day is a learning tool for him," McDaniels told the Globe of Tebow. "It's hard to gauge things at this point, but he's going to do all those things, and I'm sure he'll listen and take the coaching the way he always has and try to work to get better every day."
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