According to Tedy Bruschi, we're long overdue for a healthy stretch of radio silence from Tim Tebow.
The former New England Patriots linebacker, now paid to discuss football on ESPN, believes Tebow is hurting the New York Jets through regular sessions with the media. "You need to disappear, okay, Tim Tebow? You're not the starting quarterback," Bruschi spouted off during an episode of ESPN's "NFL 32" last week.
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"To be honest, I just do what I'm told -- and this day (is) to talk to you (reporters), so I'm gonna talk to you," Tebow told Nate Davis of USA Today. "And to be honest, I just go about it however the Jets set it up -- the rules that they want us to (follow), who they want us to talk to, who they don't want us to talk to. And so I don't get paid enough to make all those decisions. I just do what I'm told and try to do it as best as I can."
Tebow said he respects Bruschi's opinion, but took a moment to defend himself: "... I don't know that I'm out there (outside the locker room) talking. I'm here talking to y'all because that's what they want," he said. "Like I said, I just do what I'm told and try to make the most of it. So that's something you'd figure that he would understand though."
As Dan Hanzus indicated last week, Bruschi's critique of Tebow is half-baked. Sanchez's backup is wheeled out before reporters on a carefully orchestrated schedule. Along with throwing passes, running the Wildcat and operating as punt protector, this is part of Tebow's job in today's NFL. Asking him to break from that responsibility or take a sudden oath of silence borders on absurd.
Tebow fields his share of unfair, off-the-mark criticism -- so much of it ponderous. We're surprised the most recent example of this comes from a former player, one more familiar than most with what a quarterback is forced to deal with from an always-churning media machine.
