Tim Tebow: The most overrated player in the NFL?

Even many NFL players concede that Tebow is massively overhyped

The New York Jets' underperforming quarterback Tim Tebow has become one of the sports most polarizing athletes.
(Image credit: Alex Trautwig/Getty Images)

NFL fans all over the country have spent the last year grappling with the grating, confounding popularity of Tim Tebow, a quarterback whose passing game is as mediocre as his personal character is admirable. And now, it seems that even Tebow's fellow NFL stars are tired of "Tebowmania." A recent poll of 180 active NFL players conducted by Sports Illustrated found that a whopping 34 percent think that Tebow, currently serving time as the New York Jets' backup quarterback, is the most overrated player in the league. Tebow earned that ignominious title last year, too, though in 2011's poll, he scored just 22 percent of the vote — indicating that players believe he's growing more overrated with time, not less. Is Tebow really the most overrated player in the NFL?

Of course he is: The players "nailed it," says James Walker at ESPN.com. Tebow has "quickly become one of the most popular and polarizing athletes in sports," bafflingly drawing as much media attention as elite players like Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. But he's not anywhere near their league, and it shows. This season, Tebow has thrown for just 32 yards and rushed for 76. Though he's not entirely unskilled, it's no surprise that the "unjustified hype" over his debut with the Jets has led to criticism from his fellow players.

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