The Sudden Downfall Of Tim Tebow: How His Career Fell Apart In The Last 20 Months

Tony Manfred
Scary tim tebow on the jetsJeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

Tim Tebow was the biggest athlete in the country 20 months ago.

He carried the Denver Broncos to the playoffs, and threw a miracle 80-yard touchdown pass to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in round one.

Today, he was cut for the second time in six months.

It’s a sudden and shocking fall for one of the most polarising players in years.

Tebow’s story took so many turns so quickly, and it’s interesting to go back and look at a timeline of how his unfortunate downfall played out.

Tebow's downfall began with a 45-10 blowout loss to the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2012 playoffs.

Immediately after that, we got the first sign that Tebowmania wasn't a big love-fest in Denver. Back-up QB Brady Quinn said Tebow was lucky and prayed for the cameras.

Source: GQ

In March 2012, the Broncos pulled an absolute shocker -- signing Peyton Manning and setting off a frenzy of Tebow trade rumours.

The Patriots, Eagles, and Dolphins were all rumoured to be interested in Tebow. People assumed he'd land in Jacksonville.

... But he landed in NYC instead, and immediately found himself in a QB controversy.

As time passed, more Broncos came out and debunked the myth of Tebowmania. Demaryius Thomas said he was happy with the Manning signing, adding, 'I wasn't getting no balls.'

Source

Then came the summer of 2012, which was defined by various absurdities, like a story about Tebow refusing to take a picture with Kate Upton.

Source: Busted Coverage

And a video of Tebow running shirtless through the rain.

And ESPN devoting an entire 'SportsCenter' episode to his birthday.

Finally, the season rolled back around, but a funny thing happened ...

Tebow was an afterthought. He struggled mightily in the pre-season, leaving him hopelessly on the bench

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Going into the regular season, Tebow was confined to the role of wildcat QB, and barely played early on.

His primary contribution: punt protector

(image url='http://static.businessinsider.com/image/50572c7e6bb3f79c7d000004/tebow-blocker.gif' alt='Tim tebow blocking gif' link='lightbox' size='xlarge' align='center' nocrop='true' clear='true')

Week after week Mark Sanchez struggled, but Tebow stayed on the bench

Trade rumours quickly developed

When Tebow finally found his way into the headlines, it was for his new girlfriend, Camilla Belle, not his play ...

And finally a bombshell NY Daily News report dropped in November, where 'dozens' of unnamed Jets players criticised Tebow. One said simply, 'He's terrible.'

Source: NYDN

When Sanchez was finally benched in December, it was Greg McIlroy who took over, not Tebow.

Tebow finished the season completing just 6 passes for 39 yards

In April, they cut him after no one offered a draft pick in a trade.

Tebow's big issue -- he only succeeds in a specific offensive system that's tailored to his needs.

So for a team to sign him, they have to be willing to change everything they do for Tebow, like the Broncos did in Denver.

The Patriots were the only team to take a chance on him, signing him to a non-guaranteed contract in June.

But he struggled in preseason again, completing just 36% of his passes and throwing two interceptions.

The Patriots cut him today. 20 months after he set the league on fire, his NFL career could be over.

Now see where the rest of the league stands

NFL Power Rankings: Where Every Team Stands Going Into The Season >

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