Tim Tebow has suffered another career setback. As always, he took it better than many of his fans.
They spent the weekend essentially telling Eagles Coach Chip Kelly he could go to you-know-where. That locale has no fury like a Tebow fan scorned. And, boy, did they feel scorned after the Philadelphia tease.
Kelly traded Matt Barkley on Friday, so everyone assumed Tebow had won the third-team quarterback job. We were just the inevitable Sam Bradford injury and Mark Sanchez butt fumble away from Tebowmania II.
But the Lord and Kelly move in mysterious ways. Tebow was released Saturday, and his tweeted reaction was predictable.
"Thanks Eagles and Coach Kelly for giving me the opportunity to play the game I love! Romans 8:28 #Blessed."
It would have been nice if his most diehard followers were as gracious. But that's never been part of the Tebow Show.
Call me a sap, but I like to see good things happen to humble, clean-living and charitable human beings.
While much of the Tebow criticism has been fair, a lot of bashers simply see him as a Bible-thumping goody-goody. He long ago became a proxy in America's culture war, with both sides too emotional to see the enduring truth:
The issue isn't Tebow's behavior off the field. It's his behavior on it.
If anything, the NFL has bent over backward to employ Tebow. Denver made him a first-round pick when half the scouts said he was free-agent material.
The winning streak that triggered Tebowmania was a magnificent fluke. He couldn't beat out Sanchez in New York. Bill Belichick tried and tried, but not even the Patriots Deflation Dept. could find a suitable PSI for Tebow.
If New England was an ideal situation, Philly was a perfect one. Kelly's madcap offense is made for quarterbacks with the versatile skills Tebow showed at Florida.
The NFL's a different animal. Defenses caught up to the read-option attack that clicked for Tebow in Denver.
He worked like a maniac to improve his passing. It was better this preseason, but not good enough to become a third-team quarterback.
"Tim's really progressed, but we didn't feel like he was good enough to be the No. 3 right now," said Kelly, who Sunday claimed Hurricanes alum Stephen Morris off waivers from the Jaguars to be the third-stringer.
The true believers aren't buying Kelly's view, of course. They long ago became football's version of birthers, convinced all Tebow needs is a chance with a properly supportive team.
He's had four now. Those pink slips can't all be due to coaches preferring murderers and pedophiles.
The bashers are now advising Tebow to go away for good. Kelly thinks a stint in the CFL would do him good.
I say go for it. Throwing live passes against the Edmonton Eskimos couldn't hurt.
The only downside would be if Tebow gets cut. Then the diehards would accuse the CFL of being part of the anti-Timmy conspiracy.
Please folks, look at his farewell tweet. Romans 8:28:
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose."
Sad as it is, it's time for everyone to accept that Tebow's purpose is not to be an NFL quarterback.
Sports on 09/07/2015