The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New England Patriots are getting ready to play on Friday night and while starters Josh Freeman and Tom Brady will get some time on the field, the intrigue regarding backup Ryan Mallett is interesting to look at, as the Bucs were reportedly interested in trading for him earlier this year.
According to Pro Football Talk, the Browns and Buccaneers both made calls to the Patriots about Mallett, although obviously nothing came of it. The Buccaneers then drafted Mike Glennon in the draft to make up for not having a solid young backup and now he could be the one to challenge Freeman. Mallett will likely get the majority of the snaps on Friday night after Tom Brady's knee issue and Tim Tebow has shown that he is not quite ready to take over the backup role.
Here is a flashback of the story about Mallett and the possible Buccaneers interest from earlier in the offseason:
New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow was underused last season by head coach Rex Ryan and offensive coordinator Tony Sparano as the team struggled all year, but could a change of surroundings possibly help the quarterback move on and have a successful NFL future?
The answer to that question is speculation until the Jets decides what move it wants to make, but there is a chance another team could give him the opportunity to play, even if it is not in a starting position and one place could be with the New England Patriots, as they are taking calls on backup Ryan Mallett and could decide to move the quarterback to the Buccaneers or Browns.
While the Jets normally do not like to do business with their AFC East rivals, the trade could be mutually beneficial for both teams, as the Jets could get their hands on some draft picks, while the Patriots could bring in a unique player that would reunite with the man who drafted him, as Josh McDaniels is on the coaching staff.
It has been reported that the Jets have shopped Tebow around the NFL at the scouting combine, although general manager John Idzik sounded as if he may want to keep the quarterback heading into the offseason after a recent interview.
"Let it play out this offseason and into training camp. I think that'll be healthy for all concerned, including Tim,"said Idzik to NFL.com.
Tebow was completely ignored by Sparano last season, appearing in just 73 plays on offense while working more consistently as a punt protector. The quarterback performed admirably when sent into the game, rushing for 102 yards and completing six of eight passes, but he never found his way into the endzone.
The Patriots have shown they are willing to try different formations and McDaniels saw something in Tebow when he drafted him in the first round and the two could reunite to find that magic again. Some executives have said that Tebow's future in the NFL will require a position change, something he might be more inclined to do if playing on a Patriots team that will be in championship contention.
Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg could find more use for Tebow this season, but at trade would be a simple way to send off another huge distraction for the team, who already have been dealing with the trade of Darrelle Revis and questions about starter Mark Sanchez.
Tebow's former teammate in Denver Von Miller told NFL.com that he thinks the partnership might work. "The Patriots can handle everything that comes with Tim Tebow," the linebacker said. Mallett was a third round pick and the Patriots would probably accept a slightly lower pick and players for him if the Browns wanted to deal. The report also says that the Buccaneers could be interested in acquiring Mallett, as they would like a backup and someone to compete with Josh Freeman, as he had a down season last year. Mallett likely will never have a chance to start in New England, which is one reason why he wouldn't mind getting moved.
Tebow was able to some special things in Denver when the coaching staff tried to make the offense work for him and even though the Patriots have Tom Brady, Bill Belichick would love nothing more than to have another advantage over the defense by having the element of surprise.
While starting for the Broncos Tebow led the team on a number of fourth quarter comebacks and he took the team the playoffs where they won a dramatic overtime game against the Steelers. As linebacker Terrell Suggs said last week, the Patriots are the most hated team in the NFL, it might make sense to grab on to the most hated, or at least most discussed quarterback in the league to join the team.
Although he has an unconventional set of skills, Tebow has proven all throughout his career that he is a winner, leading his teams to championships in high school as well as in college at Florida, where also won a Heisman trophy. Tebow could be a solid contributor to a winning team and since the Jets have shown they don't know or don't want to use him, they might as well get something in return an ship him to a team that does.
The Buccaneers liked what they saw in Glennon in the lead up to the NFL draft and after the news on Monday that Tim Tebow was released, he could also be in the mix for a position on the roster despite the team also having Dan Orlovsky as a backup. Glennon was selected in the third round ahead of names like Matt Barkley and Ryan Nassib and despite the fact that Bucs safety Ronde Barber said the GM is "married" to Freeman, coach Schiano is not since he wasn't the one who drafted him, which is one reason why Glennon was brought in.
