Report: Patriots to release Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow’s NFL career is over.

That’s the way it looks, anyway, as the New England Patriots reportedly have decided to release the popular -- and polarizing -- running quarterback as they trim down Saturday to their final 53-man roster. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the Patriots’ plans.

The expendability of Tebow underscores a few truths about the NFL.

One, there’s little to no room on NFL rosters for experimental players or projects. The pressure to win now is tremendous, and only heightened when teams make the kind of turnaround Indianapolis made last season. Virtually every team has a chance to be in the playoff hunt every season, or at least fans have come to expect that. So every player on every roster has to be able to contribute on the field in a significant way.

That increased pressure to win now, and the outdated concept of three-year coaching blueprints, means there is a constant churn of rosters and an impatience to develop young players. It used to be that young quarterbacks had years to learn at the elbows of veterans. Now, those are the exotic exceptions. There aren’t many Aaron Rodgers scenarios anymore.

And most important, a quarterback has to be able to pass, and pass accurately and consistently. Robert Griffin III, Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson and Cam Newton, all those passers can drop a deep ball into a bucket. Because Tebow doesn’t have that kind of accuracy -- whether it’s accuracy, quick decision-making or something else, he’s just too limited for the game’s highest level.

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