New Orleans wouldn’t be a bad spot for Tebow

OK, OK, I give up.

After two years of resisting the temptation, I have finally decided to bite the bait.

I will now write a column about Tim Tebow.

To make matters worse, in this column, I will explain why I think he would actually be a pretty good fit for the New Orleans Saints.

I kindly ask that you refrain from throwing sharp objects my way while reading.

Just hear me out – I really don’t think this would be such a bad idea for the team’s future.

The first reason why I think Tebow would fit in New Orleans is because of the leadership within the organization.

The Saints have Drew Brees – one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

With the Jets and Broncos, the problem was never with Tebow as a player or as a teammate. The problem was with the Tebow-Mania that surrounded his existence in the locker room.

The problem was the divide that was created in the locker room from fans who would persistently push for Tebow to play at the first sign of offensive weakness.

Every three-and-out, the whispers would start.

After a bad quarter, it would grow worse.

Following a loss, it was a full-on media frenzy.

The reason for this was simple: Those teams had Mark Sanchez and Kyle Orton under center – players that have no business starting on NFL rosters.

The need for aid was obvious.

Any backup quarterback in those situations will be popular just because fans are so desperate for freedom from the inept offensive reign of those two sub-par passers.

But with New Orleans, it’d all be different.

Everyone knows that no one is replacing Brees as the team’s starter until he retires – that’d be understood from the get-go.

No one (in their right mind) would be clamoring for Tebow to be the full-time starter if the team enters a rough patch.

But away from Brees’ prowess, there is a genuine need for a player with Tebow’s skills in the Saints’ offense.

Let’s face it, for as good as the Saints’ offense is as a whole, the Black and Gold are not very good in short yardage situations.

How many times in the past three or four years have the Saints been faced with critical third-and-1 or fourth-and-1 situations?

How many times in those situations did the team get stuffed and was either forced to punt, kick a field goal or turn the ball over on downs?

Don’t believe this was a real problem?

Statistics say otherwise.

Did you know that New Orleans was 25th in the NFL last season in third-and-1 conversions?

In 2011, it was worse and the team was 28th in the league.

I’m not saying that all of those problems would be remedied with Tebow on the roster, but for all of his weaknesses on the field, the guy is a short yardage threat because he is a powerful runner.

When was the last time that you’ve seen him thrown for a loss in the backfield?

I’m sure it happens on occasion, but not often.

Most of the time, he picks up a yard or two – which is all the Saints usually need.

I know the obvious concern with these situations is the predictability and the concern that opposing teams would know the play when Tebow is in the game.

But Sean Payton is no dummy – he’s a creative dude.

I’m sure he would put in some wrinkles that would allow Tebow to fake the run and throw a short pass to Jimmy Graham or to Marques Colston. Likewise, I’m sure they can also put Tebow in the huddle to fool the defense, but then split him out wide and allow Brees to orchestrate a play.

The Jets were predictable with their offensive use for Tebow because they were an awfully stale offense.

The Saints are anything but stale – I think the outcome would be totally different if he’s given a shot to work with the offensive minds that the team has in its building.

And then away from all of the X’s and O’s, the dude just is a good teammate.

No one would want to win, nor succeed more than this guy.

No one would be more willing to do the little things than Tebow.

Guys like that are valuable to have in the locker room – especially of a team with championship aspirations.

So take it for what it’s worth, I think it’d be a good fit.

I’m not a Tebow guy – I think he’s a very limited, one-dimensional player.

But his one dimension just so happens to be something that the Saints need.

If the season continues to grind nearer and he remains on the open market, this probably wouldn’t be the worst place in the world for him to play.

If Sean Payton couldn’t make it work, then we all would know that it’d officially be time to take Tebow-Mania to Canada and join the Canadian Football League where others have gone in the past.

Until then, let’s give him a shot in a real organization with a legitimate quarterback and see how it all pans out.