Robert Sabo/New York Daily News
Tim Tebow is ‘live’ during Jets practice Thursday, meaning the defense can hit Gang Green’s backup quarterback â€" a rarity at training camp.
CORTLAND â€" Practice hasn't been very kind to Tim Tebow so far.
The Jets’ backup quarterback went into Thursday's practice 15-for-31 with one interception â€" numbers that don't even convey the wobbly passes and slow decision time that fans have witnessed throughout training camp thus far.
But on Thursday morning at SUNY Cortland, the Jets got a peek at just how valuable their backup quarterback can be. Down at the goal line Tebow was given four chances to put the ball in the end zone. He scored three times.
Prior to his first attempt, coach Rex Ryan yelled out to his defense, "Tebow is live!" meaning the QB could be hit, a rarity in practice.
"Right before that, (offensive coordinator Tony) Sparano told me to keep it on the bootleg, so when he said I was live, I smiled," Tebow said.
Keep it he did, rolling left off a fake hand off and running it straight into the end zone untouched. He scored again on a wildcat play and threw a touchdown to FB/TE Josh Baker. Running back Terrance Ganaway fumbled the fourth opportunity.
"Tim, this was his best day of camp," said Ryan. "And that's because we got to do a little live football, where he's going to stand out."
Tebow finished 3-for-5, with one sack and a passing TD on the day in addition to his two rushing touchdowns. Though he could have been, he wasn't hit during the drill.
Unfortunately for Tebow, he won't regularly have his protective rights stripped. Tebow said this was the first time he's ever been live in practice and it was also the first time Ryan has ever allowed his quarterback to be hit. He won't be live during Saturday's Green & White Scrimmage, Ryan said.
Robert Sabo/New York Daily News
Tebow rushes for a touchdown
In a normal practice, when a lineman lays a finger on Tebow, the play is called dead, and the QB is down. This isn't how the game works come September.
"Sometimes it can be a little bit frustrating to think I could have gotten that pass off or I could have gotten out of that," Tebow said following Thursday's practice. "You always believe you could make something happen, sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes that's not."
For the most part, Tebow will have to look for his check-down option when he sees pressure coming in training camp.
"In a game, (scrambling) will come natural," he said.
Not seeing Tebow trucking defenders and juking downfield might make it difficult to evaluate him as a quarterback, but Ryan doesn't see that as a problem.
"We know what that's going to look like," Ryan said. "When we play another team then you'll see that, we think we already know what we have."
Tebow said not being able to run allows him to focus on other parts of the job.
"Gotta just continue to work on everything that are weaker points for me…from those under center drops to my play action, things I haven't done my whole life," he said. And while he wants to become a better practice player, Tebow said the most important times to play well are when the bright lights are shining.
"I want to be a gamer," Tebow said. "For those 16 days you want to be at your best. Those three hours on each Sunday or Thursday or Monday night."
Asked why he doesn't just take off the red jersey in practice, Tebow laughed, "I don't think (quarterbacks coach Matt) Cavanaugh would like that."
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