Jags Owner: Team Won't 'Force a Pick' to Land Tebow

The Jacksonville Jaguars had seven of eight home games blacked out last season.

Fewer than 50,000 went to each of their first six home dates, and it wasn't until the Jags rolled to a 7-5 record -- and wedged themselves into the playoff hunt -- that the locals got interested enough to send 60,000 to the season's final two games at Jacksonville Memorial Stadium. The opponents were the in-state rival Miami Dolphins and then-undefeated Indianapolis Colts. The Jags lost both, along with their final two road games, to finish 7-9.

So what is there to get the North Florida masses excited about with the 2010 Jags?

How 'bout bringing in the guy who played the last four years about 90 minutes away and fared fairly well for the state's flagship university?

Yeah, that guy.

"Personally, I think Tim Tebow is an extraordinary young man and he's an extraordinary athlete," Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver told reporters Thursday when asked about the draft prospects of the University of Florida Heisman Trophy winner before a Team Teal Rally at city hall. "He's going to be successful in the National Football League."

The fit seems ideal. The Jags need some juice for their franchise. The organization is not completely sold on David Garrard, who got a $60 million contract extension in 2008. And Tebow, arguably the most beloved college athlete in state history, would be an immediate draw.

An online poll by The Florida Times-Union asks readers if they'd buy season tickets if Tebow were on the Jags' roster next fall. Voters totaled nearly 4,000 as of Friday afternoon, with 44.1 percent saying, yes, they would purchase tickets, 36.1 percent saying Tebow's arrival would not affect their decision and 19.8 percent saying they would not buy season tickets if Tebow was on the team.

Of course, it's what the team thinks that matters most. Fans might gush over the two national championships, 145 touchdowns, five NCAA, 14 Southeastern Conference and 28 school records he totaled at Florida. But a lot of NFL people aren't sure Tebow, with his flawed mechanics and background in the Gators' pure spread system, can succeed at the next level.

Despite the perfunctory and complimentary talking points -- like Weaver's latest -- the Jags haven't tipped their hand regarding interest in Tebow. The team has the No. 10 pick in the April 22 draft -- way too high for Tebow, who, at best, rates as the fourth-best QB in the draft -- and they don't have a second-round pick.

"What we've got to do is trust our value board in our draft," Weaver said. "If we force a pick, then we devalue thousands of hours of work by our scouts. We have to be true to our mission and go take the best player with our pick. When we do that, we get good results."
That last remark was a veiled reference to the previous front office regime of James Harris, who made some draft-day decisions that went against long-term evaluations. First-round receivers R. Jay Soward, Matt Jones and Reggie Williams were disasters. A pair of recently selected Gators, safety Reggie Nelson and defensive end Derrick Harvey, have yet to distinguish themselves.

Gene Smith, general manager and senior vice president, now heads the Jacksonville front office.

Weaver said the Jags won't make selections based on emotions -- or finances -- but rather on the work the personnel department and scouts have put into the evaluations the last few years.

"We all know we've done it the other way in the past and didn't work," Weaver said. "Shame on you if you don't learn from your mistakes. You stay true to your process."

Just where that process rates Tebow could be impacted Wednesday when NFL decision-makers and execs flood Gainesville -- along with a media contingent of more than 120 -- for Florida's pro day workouts. It'll be there, on Florida Field, that Tebow unveils the reconfigured -- tighter, more compact -- throwing motion that a team of quarterback gurus has been working on since Tebow's poor showing in the Senior Bowl.