Jacksonville Jaguars need to sink claws into Tim Tebow

Three words to the Jacksonville Jaguars: Sign Tim Tebow.

Now.

Don’t tell me he’s not good enough to play for the worst team in football. Your offense has scored three field goals in two games and features a roster that shouldn’t even be eligible for fantasy football, let alone the NFL.

Until you sign Tebow.

It’s the right move, the only one for a team whose quarterbacks are Blaine Gabbert, Chad Henne and some dude name Ricky Stanzi. They have a combined record since 6-36 in games they’ve played since the start of 2011, the year Tebow led the Broncos to eight wins after being named the starter before a Week 5 win over the Dolphins.

The Broncos had a losing record when Tebow took over. They ended it as division champions, with a playoff win, something they failed to accomplish with Peyton Manning running the show last season. Tebow started 13 games, threw for 14 touchdowns and ran for seven. Don’t tell me Tebow – in a Jaguars jersey – won’t average more than the 4.5 points per game Jacksonville is averaging entering its game NC-17 game against Seattle on Sunday.

I watched footage of 20 Jaguars – or simply Tebow – fans holding a “Sign Tebow” rally outside EverBank Field in Jacksonville, which is basically the Jaguars’ temporary shelter before they move to Los Angeles.

It started at 3:16 in honor of their savior’s favorite Bible verse. A group of Jaguars fans behind the website  claim they will rally every Monday until their hometown team signs their hometown boy.

The website’s mission: “Make it clear, we the fans, want the Jacksonville Jaguars to bring in Tim Tebow. You know you want to see this happen.”

Of course, you want to see this happen: You just don’t want to admit it.

It’s not cool to cheer for someone who NFL personnel and most talking heads in the media claim can’t play quarterback. It’s not cool to pull for someone who wears his beliefs and convictions on his eye black. It’s not cool to support a guy who the media criticizes like he ran a ponzi scheme, stealing snaps from quarterbacks who would rather throw for touchdowns, not run for them.

And you know what’s also not really cool? Watching your team sink deeper and deeper into irrelevancy as your owner decides it’s best for business to play a “home” game in London in each of the next four seasons.

“I passionately believe the big growth now is going to come from overseas,” owner Shad Khan said after the announcement in August. “We’ve got to go where we can leverage and take advantage of some of those things. You’ve got to fish in ponds where you’ve got fish in there. We’re going to a pond where there are no fishermen.”

Tell me Shad: What’s easier to do – schlep all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to go fishing or pay the league minimum to bring the biggest fish your town will ever see to you?

You’ll make more money signing Tebow than you will in London. They certainly are insatiable football fans, but they just call it soccer.

What are you going to do as the owner of Premier League soccer team Fulham? Offer fans who buy an Fulham ticket a Jaguars’ ticket for their game at Wembley Stadium at half price?

Shad: You buy Tebow, fans buy his jersey. Between April 1, 2012 and July 31, 2012, Tebow’s No. 15 Jets jersey had sold more than all but two players – Manning and Robert Griffin III. Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Eli Manning, Joe Flacco and Ben Roethlisberger wish they had Tebow’s numbers.

Khan’s valued at $3.8 billion, ranking him No. 122 on Forbes 400 list, so why can’t he see signing Tebow is what’s best for business? He’ll bring so much media to Jacksonville that Khan can turn the upper deck into a press box, so at least games won’t be blacked out.

Companies will line up to throw cash at you for their ticket on the Tebow Train. If Jockey would have given away $1 million in prizes had Tebow led the Broncos to the Super Bowl, imagine how many sponsors would pay for a seat on the Tebowagon if he leads Jacksonville to the playoffs. You know, the playoffs, a place where Jacksonville hasn’t been since 2007.

What’s so frustrating watching Tebow remain out of football while guys like Dominique Davis, Austin Davis, Josh Johnson, Josh McCown and Luke McCown remain in it is Khan’s philosophy how to change a team that’s won four of its past 25 games is the same as mine.

“We want to create an identity, a bold, ambitious franchise that is aggressive and forward-thinking on the field and away from the field,” Khan said after announcing the Jaguars’ impending invasion of jolly old England. “We want to be the kind of franchise players want to belong to, sponsors want to be part of, and Jacksonville is proud of.”

And you do that by signing Tebow, not agreements for the Jaguars to play on foreign soil.

Jon Gallo

Jon Gallo is an award-winning journalist and editor with 19 years of experience, including stints as a staff writer at The Washington Post and sports editor at The Baltimore Examiner. He also believes the government should declare federal holidays in honor of the following: the Round of 64 of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament; the Friday of the Sweet 16; the Monday after the Super Bowl; and of course, the day after the release of the latest Madden NFL video game.