Ignoring Tebow a huge blunder by Jags

By
Robbie Andreu
-
63
358

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a hard team to figure out. Wait, make that impossible.

I understand why they didn’t take Tim Tebow in the first round Thursday night. They had much more important needs they needed to fill with such a high pick (No. 10).

What I don’t understand is why they would take such a reach, drafting a defensive tackle who was projected as a late first-round pick at best. If you’re going to take a reach, take Tebow, the hometown hero and a legend in Florida who would have brought so much to the franchise (including drawing power to put more fans in the stands, a desperate need in Jacksonville).

And what I really don’t understand is this: How could the Jaguars ignore Tebow the way they did throughout this process? They showed not even the slightest interest in Tebow. At his press conference Thursday night after the draft, Tebow revealed that he had spoken to the Jaguars only once, and that was at the NFL Combine way back in February. Once this news spreads, there is going to be a major meltdown among Jags’ fans, who were ready to have one anyway with that questionable first-round pick.

I know the Jags were not going to take Tebow in the first round. They pretty much made that clear to anyone who would listen. But couldn’t they have at least faked it a little bit, made it look like they were interested in Tebow? At least show him a little respect? Couldn’t they have at least taken the short drive to Gainesville to interview him and work him out and show him a little love? Couldn’t they have taken the time to at least get to know him a little better — and show their fans they were listening to them just a little bit?

Instead, they ignored one of the greatest college football players of all time who happened to grow up in Jacksonville.

Amazing.

While some of their fans were launching a Web site urging the Jags to draft Tebow, the Jags were acting like the guy didn’t even exist.

This is a shaky franchise that is in trouble. Interest is waning, attendance is abysmal. After the way they’ve handled this Tebow situation, things are only going to get worse. Maybe the Jags do need seriously start think about a move to Los Angeles. Or maybe they need to dump Jack Del Rio and shake up the front office. Or just shake the front office.

The poor way they handed this whole Tebow thing could very well come back to haunt the Jags. If Tebow turns out to be a big success in Denver and Tyson Alualu becomes yet another first-round bust for the Jags, then there will be no forgiveness from their angry fans.

All I’ve got to say is, good luck with that.

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63 COMMENTS

  1. Jags fans can make a tremendous statement by selling out their season opening when Denver comes to town and then making their stadium look like a ghost town for the remaining seven games.

    Tebow is a much better player and has way more intangibles than Alualu, so timmy would have been a fine #10 pick in light of who the Jags actually chose.

    Stull, you are right in that Jacksonville should have shown Tebow a bit more interest, at the very least.

  3. i agree with you Robbie. I really did not want Tim to end up in Jax w/the Jaqs but , it would have been an excellent boost for the fans and probably the ticket sales. I would have become a Jaqs fan if he had been there. Lucky for me, a long time Broncos fan, I am so happy Tim got picked in the first round and by a team that has vision.
    I hope some of the critics will throw support to him and wish him the very best of luck in his new future. As for the Jaqs, well, good luck to the new guy,hope he is all they expect, and hope they like the new city they will probably be moved to. Too bad they are just throwing away a great fan base who stuck with them as long as they could stomach it.
    Go Gators and Go Broncos!!

  5. I for one, was a Jags fan from the time they became an expansion team. But I am starting to read between the lines, and I see an executive office that is doing what they can do to ensure they are moved. How does LA JAGS sound? Never would I expect them to take Tebow with the 10th pick, but look at what Denver and New England did, they traded down and got many great picks in the process. Tebow is better off a Bronco, atleast he doesn’t have to buy a new wardrobe.

  6. Amen Teresa. The phones would be ringing all morning long but when have the Jags ever made a good call. Sorry Wayne, you could have had at least another 10,000 of your unsold seats out of your inventory. You’re a smart business man, how could you let this happen

  7. I’m a Dolphins fan by birth so I didn’t want him to go to any other AFC East team. I’ve liked the Broncos on the side (cool uniforms). I’m excited for Tim. He gets proverbial breathing room in the high altitude. Magnificent, I say!

  8. Perhaps the problem lies in the rummor that Jax’s is on the short list for the team to stay, Low attendance again, will give the excuess to move to LA or another location that will give thme whatever they request. Pick the hometown boy and then move? Not likely. This is just a guess, but makes some sence..maybe more that their draft choices.

  10. instead, they ignored one of the greatest college football players of all time who happened to grow up in Jacksonville.

    to the jaguars: have fun with the empty stadium and your looser quarterback .. you deserve it.

  11. This is likely the death blow for theJags in Jax & they deserve it. Trading down & drafting Tim would have been intelligent…. which they are NOT! Bye Bye Jags & empty stadiums till then. (except for game 1 vs Denver.)

  12. Jacksonville’s decision came down to Tebow or Los Angeles. Evidently, the Jaguars mgmt must be looking for a change of scenery. I don’t think they will improve their ticket sales by moving to LA anymore than had they stayed in Jacksonville with TT.

  13. I am a fringe Jaguars fan and I agree with your logic…if you are going to reach doing for it Tim Tebow not some DT few know of. That being said, I am glad Tebow can go somewhere that the pressure will not be so intense. This team has no idea…which is why they’ll move, but don’t blams the fans for not supporting such a inadequate product.

  14. The Jags handled perfectly. Why lead him on if they didn’t want? People would be crying even if they did that. It was a lose-lose situation and both parties are better off with how it finished. The expectations would have been OUTRAGEOUS in Jacksonville. College doesn’t matter anymore. He’s just another rookie.

  15. I have to agree with Robbie and the tenor of the entries here. It seems that unless the Jags are definitely raising tents and moving elsewhere their action is so stupid it beggars a sensible explanation.

  16. Jacksonville would not have been a good fit for Tebow. This coming from a Gator and Jaguar fan. However, at least (like Robbie said) show some interest so other teams might think you’re going to draft him and strengthen your hand for possible trade talks during the draft. The lineman they selected may be a stud, but the Jags could have easily traded down and still selected him. Even if they didn’t think they were getting “fair value” for the 10th pick, it’s better than getting nothing, and picking a guy too high.
    The pick makes no sense, the way it was handled, but I’m a Jaguar fan, and I will always show my support by buying season tickets. I just wish the rest of the football fans in the area were as supportive. Then the team’s future location would not even be a discussion.
    Go Gators! Go Jags!!

  17. The point isn’t whether he would be a good fit or not. It’s dumb business by the Jags, plain and simple. If Tebow filled the Gatoraid cups, 20,000 more butts would be in the seats watching him do it. As it stands, the Jags will most likely be selling out one game this year, when the Broncs come to town. The Jags ownership is obviously incompetent in decision making. If u don’t want Tebow at 10, trade down and get more picks. Why pick someone who was lower on the board than he was to begin with? It’s idiotic and the decision-making involved here is mind-numbing.

  18. Meanwhile, the talking heads at ESPN are putting the fate of the Denver Broncos and Coach McDaniels squarely on the broad shoulders of Tebow, as if he’s the only player on the team. And Tim Terrific has only TWO YEARS to make it work, they say. You can’t help but feel sorry for Tebow. He has to succeed and he has to do it fairly quickly. The gods seem to like to toy with him. And, like he’s done most of his life, he likes to prove the world wrong. Go get ’em, Gator.

  20. Robbie, you’re right on the money.

    The Jags handling of this couldn’t have been any worse if they were consciously trying to botch this up?? Oh yeah, apparently they were.

    The shoe salesman must thnk he makes more money with empty seats and blackouts! YIKES!!

  21. Yea, I’m through with the Jags! They have made numerous dumb ass decisions that were so bad that they had to be made with the intention of helping them get to LA. DelRio has shown that he has no management abilities when it comes to managing an NFL team. He can’t coach worth a crap, nor can he evaluate or develop talent. the front office showed their ignorance when they ran Coughlin off instead of giving him the freedom to get the players he wanted. Why can’t the NFL force an owner to sell a team when it is poorly managed – just like the Raiders. You should have to maitain a level of production to keep a team. Just think how much better the NFL would be!

  23. Jags gave a big middle-finger to their fan base. I wasn’t looking for them to draft Tebow, but I can’t help thinking the Broncos got a lot more value out of picking him where they did than the Jags got with their 10th pick. Wonder if Wayne Weaver called this pick in from his new home in L.A.?

  24. Who ever is pulling the trigger for draft picks should be shot themself… even if they did not pick Tebow they could have traded down, picked up an addition draft pick and still got the player they wanted. I lived in Jax and had season tickets since their first season, and subcribed to the NFL package when I moved south… I no longer subscribe to watch an organization that has no common sense.

  25. I was at PUBLIX today and everyone I met was so disgusted the Jags did not takeTebow, It is ok as the Jags is a lousy team..the sooner they move somewhere else the better. They have no imagination.

  26. Before the Jags I was a life long Miami fan. When the Dolphins made that stupid mistake of firing Don Shula so they could hire slick Jimmy I finally switched to the Jags. Back to Miami for me. No more games in Jax, unless the Gators are playing. Go to L.A perhaps you can find a fan base there that will be more forgiving of your STUPID drafting. Be gone and good riddance. Perhaps now we can have the GAtor Bowl back.

  28. I agree this was handled in a bone-headed manner by the Jags, and I am a UF alum who has had roots in Jacksonville since 1984. I understand the need for good linemen in the NFL, but I don’t understand the Jags’ obsession with avoiding skill position players in the first round. They keep saying over an over that good skill position won’t matter if they can’t protect them, but the opposite is also true: all the protection in the world means nothing if they don’t have people who can actually move the ball.

    Avoiding Harvin last year was stupid, and completely ignoring Tebow this year was even dumber.

    I predict that the Jaguars fans at All-Tell Stadium will actually be cheering for the Broncos in game 1 this coming year. It will be a very pointed message that the Jags’ management isn’t going to receive support from a fanbase it seems intent on screwing over. They will likely see the writing on the wall after that game; and they will then begin to finalize plans to move the franchise, Wayne Weaver’s insistence that he wants to stay in Jacksonville notwithstanding.

    Well done, Jags management. Thanks for telling us fans, yet again, to go screw ourselves.

  29. The comments here indicate why Florida football fans are considered ignorant and short-sighted.

    Many Florida Gator fans in Jacksonville claim they would buy Jaguar tickets if Tebow was picked. Of course they didn’t flock to the stadium in 2007 when “The Eraser” made his debut or in 2008 when Harvey was drafted. We’re supposed to believe Tebow is different. Tebow, however, is an excuse.

    He’ll be better off in Denver. Jacksonville will be better off with Alualu. And fair-weather Tebow fans will get their wish to scalp that single ticket of the year… to see Alualu stone Tebow in short-yardage in the opening game.

  30. I am a former season ticket holder in Jax. I have been put off for the last few years by the dumb moves the Jags have made (Leftwich, Jerry Porter, Matt Jones, just to name a few). Ive given them a chance recently becuse of dumping the dead weight. Ive said this draft would decide for me where my loyality would go. Well, needless to say, Im shopping for my new Tebow Broncos jersey and buying the NFL package on Direct TV to watch my new favorite team. Go Broncos!

  31. gatordean as you were, i am a lifelong miami fan. the miami offices never fired shula and to this day works in the offices for the fins. shula simply did what most other coaches do when they realize it’s time to retire. as far as jax is concerned , those boneheads couldn’t decide if they should pee in the toilet or a sink. personally , their lil jag sound over their sound system sounds just like my toilet flushing and i believe thats where their program is heading! good luck jags you need it badly. God Bless you Timmy show em they were all WRONG!

  32. I KNOW that the rest of the NFL will learn that they ALL made a mistake by not taking a chance on Tim Tebow…save Denver. I am a HUGH Dolphin fan and I figured we wouldn’t draft him. Once Denver did I became a fan. I went to the Broncos website and ordered a jersey with TEBOW on the back of a number 15 jersey. I hope he sticks with this number or I look like a total dork…LOL. I have watched just about every game the Gators played the last several years and I cannot believe the way people talk about Tebow. I just got out of the Army and when I was stationed at Fort Irwin, California all I heard was how much Ohio State was going to beat us by. I am the ONLY one who thought otherwise. What did we do to the Sooners two years later??? 3 of the first 4 picks were from Oklahoma and we beat them as well. Take this information into consideration and then tell me what you think? Go Gators! Go Dolphins! Go Broncos!

  33. I love Tim, followed him since he started at UF, love everything about him. This will be hard on me because I’m a die hard Charger fan and watching Tebow against my chargers will be difficult. I hope he wins all the other games though !!!
    Go Tim
    Go Gators
    Go Chargers

  35. I cannot tell you how glad the Jags DID NOT pick Tim. He is in a perfect situation and probably the only other Team I would of like him going to would have been the Patriots, to sit under Brady for a couple of years. The Denver Head Coach came from the Belichek coaching treee and of course we know how close they are with Urban. The Jags are a losing franchise that will probably be gone to LA within 2 years. GO BRONCOS!!

  36. The Jags did the right thing, and this just shows that Robbie doesn’t understand the NFL. The NFL is about winning, that will fill seats. Tebow would maybe fill seats for a few games, but not too long. Robbie and Dooley should stick to their 5 pages of covering the orange/blue game, since they obviously don’t understand the NFL draft. Dooley criticizing it as boring, yet he spends time covering spring football and the orange/blue game, give me a break.

  37. the only thing to add is why Tebow is assumed the next Peyton Manning of the league at this point.

    I don’t think these NFL guys have a negative bias against Tebow and so the 32 yr. old guy stuck his neck out in Denver.

    Great for Tim, it’s definitely a slam dunk for taking the shot at him and he gets his payday, regardless if he goes Peyton or Danny in the next 5 yrs. only time will tell.

    You have to remember, we Gators sat around and argued that Danny was a better prospect than Peyton Manning and even Spurrier said the NFL had a bias against Gator QB’s in the NFL.

    Only time will tell and it’s not made up by alot of folks about Tebow’s success in the NFL. He want be taking off and running for 3 yds and waiving his arms and dong a getty up Bronco pose.

    The NFL is exactly what Peyton does, drop back, make reads, get rid of the ball or get the hell out of the way. This is not the college game

  38. On the contrary, the Jags clearly know very little about football. Forget about the Tebow angle for a moment, their first round pick was so bad, one can’t help but think they’re actually trying to sabotage their own franchise in an effort to hasten their exit from Jacksonville. I’d go so far as to bet that the most amazed person in the country was Alualu himself. Not only isn’t the guy a first round player, there were 4 better defensive linemen, including 2 DT’s still on the board when he was picked. Funny anyone would criticize the fans for not being more supportive, when it’s the Jags organization that is deserving of the criticism. People don’t like to pay for bad products, and the Jags management is putting an increasingly bad product on the field. And, they have only confirmed and compounded the fans’ worst fears with this draft.

  39. The real loser here is Jacksonville. Once a promising NFL city now a poster boy for small franchises NOT getting to play with the big boys. Typical corporate move, look out for the bottom-line no matter what. The heck with the fans. The heck with the city. We need more profit., more beer sales. How does LA Jags sound? More like LAGS.

  40. I am glad that the Jags did not draft Tim because it would not have been a good fit and for Tim’s sake he is WAY better off in Denver. That still does not excuse the Jags for making some really horrible draft/trade decisions over the years. The responsibility for this lies squarely on the shoulders of the ownership that hires the players and coaches and has peed on the fans. If they would invest more in those three things they wouldn’t have to spend so much money on tarps. As for the talking heads…I’ve never seen so much pressure and expectations put on someone who by their own admissions won’t be able to do the job. I thought expectations were reserved for those who were EXPECTED to succeed. I’ll never forget the look on that hack mel kipers ugly balding mug when Tebow was drafted. I thought that his head was going to EXPLODE!!! Unfortunately it didn’t.

  41. Jags attendance implodes from an already abysmal level. That means they will have less cash to make their move to LA.

    Broncos will benefit from the attention the team will get from drafting a college legend. A large percentage of football fans will want to follow the Tebow story to see what he does at the next level. If he does well you have a mega star that will be followed by a lot more interest in Bronco football. A HUGE win commercially just for his first season of being on the team.
    Jags in LA, ho-hum, will do no better than the last pro team in LA.

  45. I was a Jaguar season ticket holder from their initial season until last year. I did not renew last year because they were just boring to watch. I would have bought a season ticket for next season if they had drafted Tim Tebow. Now I will wait until they put a better team on the field. If they move to LA, so be it.

  46. If you are a Gator you should do everything you can to make it to first game against the Bronco’s. Their next home game with 20-30 thousand less fans will tell the story. At least buy a ticket and give it to charity if you can’t actually go.

  47. As a Jacksonville resident and Florida Gator, I predict that there will be more fans in the stands for the Broncos game that will be cheering on Tim. This may be the only game the Jags do not have to black out!

  48. Robbie, had no idea you were such an astute evaluator of draft talent. What’s the basis for your disbelief in Alualu — is it Kiper or McShay? Or is it all the Cal games you’ve seen?

    You need to give the Jags front office a chance to do its job. If you knew a single thing about the Jags, you’d understand that their new GM – Gene Smith – drafted as well as ANY GM last year in his first draft. His picks were questioned then and performed incredibly well on the field.

    Robbie, please refrain from making the snap judgments that are reserved for fans who aren’t expected to do their own research. And to all the purported Jags fans threatening to leave, please be prepared to shoulder a large portion of the blame if this team moves — because it will ultimately fall on those who could’ve helped, but chose not to due to their selfish, short-sighted disappointment.

  49. Lets face it the Jags already made the decision they are leaving town, therefore Tebow affect is not needed. I don’t see any way they are going to get better and increas fan loyalty in next 5 years
    in Jacksoville. They might as well leave in the cover of night and go.

  51. Robbie, you’ve gone way out on a limb way too soon, likely just for the sake of the headline. We won’t know for a while how good the Jags draft was, but taking Tebow “to fill seats” would be huge blunder right now. A popular pick for sure, but you draft to win, not to have big names. You should know that, but the posts here show our fans’ ignorance…

    So much hate from so many uniformed readers. Success in the SEC means very little in the NFL (see also Chris Leak, Danny Wuerffel, Jarvis Moss, Huey Richardson). The Jags passed on Gator WR Taylor Jacobs to take CB Rashean Mathis. Was that a blunder? Jags GM Gene Smith nabbed two rookie starters in the third round last year (Terrance Knighton and Derek Cox). Was that a blunder? If your Gator ego can’t take it when someone else succeeds, maybe you need to check where your head’s at. In America, Monday morning QB’s are free to question their team’s decisions, but could you take a break on all the hate? Trust me—it will work out. And if you want a team in L.A. move there and write the editor of the L.A. Times. Meantime, I will be true to my school and my hometown NFL team. GO Gators and GO Jags.

  52. The Jags need a QB with some personallity. DG is not the PR QB nor the leader they need. I would have traded the 10th pic down a bit and picked up a 2nd round pick for it. They then could have picked a DT or DE and still get a quailty QB in round 2. Unreal!

  53. For the past few years Jack Del Rio, Gene Smith and Mr. Wayne Weaver have acted selfishly and egotistically. They show little respect for the players, fans and Jacksonville. This draft shows clearly that it is very evident they want to move out of Jacksonville. I’ll help them pack. The management must take full responsibility for the embarrassing lack of ticket sales. Ignoring your workers/players and patrons/fans is no way to run a successful business, nor NFL team.

    Things you can bank on:
    The Home Opener vs Denver Broncos will be the only sold out game. I live in Jax and will be there, in a Broncos #15 Tebow jersey, loudly cheering for Denver. YES! Timmy will win the competition for the starting QB position. Tebow is exactly where he should be and will be Rookie of the Year. Josh McDaniels will soon win NFL Coach of the Year. Ben McDaniels is the luckiest man alive and will have a blast working with Tim for many years.

    The game vs Denver will provide Smith and Del Rio with a bitter taste in their mouth that will last for years to come. Bye-bye jags.

    Go Gators! and GO BRONCOS!

  54. You Jag-haters really are idiots. Why all the resentment? When you spout off with anger but no facts, you sound ignorant and have no credibility. Educate yourself. Consider going to jaguars.com and reading Ask Vic– just for one week. No one respects an opinionated, uniformed whiner. So 20 NFL teams passed on Tebow. Get over it.

  56. I saw this movie once where the front office executives for a professional team were PURPOSELY making horrible decisions so that our team would lose games and ultimately be moved to a new city. I wonder if the Jags owner saw this movie?

  58. there is one more angle. with a high draft pick take an above average position player and negotiate a lower contract. wait and see how many players selected below number 10 get more money. penney saved is a penny earned. houston oilers excelled at this for decades.

  59. Thank You Jags for letting Tim go to the next version of the Gator Offense that was never going to work in the SEC!!!!!
    Remember the pundits that all said that Urban Meyers system would not work in the SEC???? Remember?
    Well After talking with Urban Meyer the Broncos realized that they had something too good to pass up.
    That being Tim and the offense playbook from Florida!!!!
    I promise they know what they are doing and we are all going to be smiling Proud gators as we hear’ Former Florida Gator Tim tebow ring up another score…!!!
    Go gators and thank God the Jags didnt grab him!
    Tim and John Elway are already texting!!!!!
    Just read the Denver Post on line each day!!!!
    I cant wait for fall!!!
    now I can follow a team on sunday in addtion to my Gators!!!
    Go gators and broncos…
    Gator Bob in Jupiter-Fl

  60. The Jags certainly didn’t have to draft or even look at Tim Tebow. And fans outside of Duval County, or even in Duval County don’t need to be Jag fans. I think that Jacksonille evaporated a lot of their fan base after spurning Tebow, and the classless way that they did it. Tebow’s better off elsewhere and probably Florida is better off if the Jags stumble off into another state. Hey, Alaska doesn’t have a pro team!!

  61. wow you so called jags fans are not going to back the team anymore because they didnt choose your favorite college teams QB? ya’ll arent true fans then, and for the people saying it would sell seats, yea it would sell seats for what maybe the first 2 games then why would people want to see him riding the pine the next 2-3 years, David is a pro bowl QB so why push him aside…and FYI Weaver has said more then once he doesnt want to move the team, and i believe Gene Smith knows what hes doing. The jags would of lost a ton of fans if they drafted him because it would of only happened to sell tickets and that would of worked a whole 2 games. GREAT business move not taking him. GET OVER IT! its a business the jags are intitled to draft him just because hes from Jax

  62. yall are all talking about how the jags former first round picks were wasted but somehow forget to put Reggie nelson and Harveys names in the topic of first round busts. get over it, so jax didnt pick ur favorite player, this just shows why everyone around the country see gator fans as closed minded bias people. and for those jag fans that dont want to have anything to do with the team now, get over your little man crush! hes not a Jag (thank GOD) live with it, and somehow i highly doubt tebow will be the reason “the broncos kill the jags’ hahaha he will be on the sideline all game.

    GO Jags i will see all you bandwagoners at the game