The New England Patriots' head coach had nice things to say about the New York Jets' backup quarterback, Tim Tebow, as Bill Belichick said the third-year ... player – whatever position he plays – is "valuable" to the Jets.
Belichick listed the various roles Tebow has, unable to fully classify how the Jets utilize him:
"He’s played more quarterback than anything else. He’s also played running back, he’s played what I would say is tight end, (and) he’s also played a little bit of receiver. They’ve put him in some different spots. When he’s the quarterback, he’s the quarterback: He can run, he can throw, he can run the option, he can run their regular offense or they can run Tebow-type plays there that Denver ran last year or that (Tony) Sparano ran when he was at Miami."
Tebow has been used everywhere by the Jets, and made his biggest play of the year by tossing a 23-yard pass in the team's win against the Indianapolis Colts, his second fake punt conversion in as many weeks. Belichick noted Tebow's unique abilities on special teams and said that his team would have to prepare for the extra options he brings to the punt unit.
Last year, Belichick had to prepare for Tebow as a quarterback when the Pats played Denver in the playoffs. That really wasn't much of an issue, as the Patriots stomped the Broncos 45-10, with Tebow only completing 9-of-26 passes. Belichick's offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, drafted Tebow for the Denver Broncos, but was fired part of the way through Tebow's rookie year.