Everywhere you look these days there are at least mentions of Peyton Manning and where he is expected to end up. As the week unfolded most agreed that the Manning Sweepstakes was down to two teams - Denver and Tennessee. Then on Friday morning reports surfaced indicating that the Broncos had sent a plane to Raleigh, N.C., where Manning was stationed following meetings with the Titans, and planned to close the deal.
The reports said that Manning would be working out for Broncos officials at Duke in nearby Durham, and if all goes well it's quite possible that the future Hall of Famer will be a member of the team by the weekend.
Assuming Manning winds up following that course, it will create an interesting situation for Denver coach John Fox and football czar John Elway. Neither has ever been infatuated with Tim Tebow and certainly bringing in Manning would force last year's wunderkind to the sideline.
Obviously if Manning performs anywhere near his capabilities it wouldn't matter a lick which player is holding the clipboard for him on the sideline - whether it be someone as revered as Tebow or anyone else. But if Manning takes a while to knock off the rust, there could be a repeat of last year's revolt where the Broncos fans demanded their savior get a shot.
Fox and Elway likely don't want that scenario, however remote, to unfold. It would probably be in their best interests to unload Tebow and avoid any potential ugliness down the road.
If that's the case, should the Patriots be interested?
Rather than debate the question in this week's Samsonite Make Your Case, we instead will provide some pros and cons and leave it strictly to the fans via our poll.
Pros
The one guy in the NFL who appeared to be sold on Tebow being worth a first-round pick was Josh McDaniels. As the Broncos head coach in 2010 he traded up to grab Tebow at No. 25 overall. McDaniels is now back in New England as the Patriots offensive coordinator.
During the pre-draft process, Bill Belichick also publicly wined and dined Tebow, whom he fostered a close relationship through his dealings with his college coach Urban Meyer at Florida. Belichick speaks quite highly of Tebow's football acumen and may be intrigued enough to take a look.
Might they still be enamored with Tebow's unique set of skills? Could Tebow's running ability and overall athleticism - not to mention his immense intangibles and leadership qualities - be worth having Belichick figure out how best to utilize him?
With Tom Brady firmly entrenched as the Patriots starting quarterback, there would be no need to force feed Tebow the offense as he continues to try to develop as a passer. He could take his time working on his mechanics while possibly filling some other roles in the passing game where his running ability may be accentuated as a hybrid-like H-back.
Admittedly it would be a long shot, but when it comes to player acquisitions it's wise to never count Belichick out.
Cons
Two words: Tom Brady.
Why would Belichick want to bring a potential headache of having a high-profile backup quarterback in the mix when he already has one of the best in the game running his offense? It's also worth noting that for all the hoopla surrounding Tebow last year, his development as a passer is still very much a work in progress.
Tebow possesses arguably the most unique set of skills the position has ever seen, but the bottom line is he doesn't do the necessary things a quarterback needs to do well enough to succeed on a long-term basis. For that reason it makes no sense to give up a resource, whatever that may be, in order to bring him in.
Unlike Tebow, we'll pass.
Now it's the fans turn to cast their vote in the Samsonite Make Your Case poll.
http://polldaddy.com/poll/6046357/
