Mike Ditka On Tebow and the Jets Shows How Out of Touch Da Coach Is

Dec. 23, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow (15) runs off the field after the game against the San Diego Chargers at MetLife Stadium. Chargers won 27-17. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

There is no larger lighting rod in the NFL today than former Jets quarterback Tim Tebow.  Former Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka is not afraid of lighting, thunder, hurricanes or any other media storms.  To wit, Da Coach joins the very narrow cross section of NFL “experts” who think that Tebow could be a successful NFL starting quarterback.

Most recently, Da Coach commented on Tebow for the Sunday “4 Downs with Ditka” in the Chicago Sun Times:

"“I think [Tebow] can play quarterback in the NFL, but whatever offense you run might have to be tweaked a bit. This kid is a talent and he proved it in college. He is an outstanding leader. Now, does he have an unusual throwing motion? Yes. But there a lot of quarterbacks that didn’t have a perfect throwing motion. Some of them turned out to be great quarterbacks because they were great leaders. I really do think there’s a place for him. If not at quarterback, I think he could play tight end. If I was in the league and coaching today, I would take a chance on him at quarterback.”"

But wait, there’s more. When asked to follow up about Tebow and the Jets, here’s Da Coach on Sirius XM:

This comes from the guy who traded his entire draft away for a chance to take running back Ricky Williams when he was the head coach for the New Orleans Saints.  Does anyone out there still care what Ditka thinks anyway?  Is Da Coach completely out of touch or has he been brainwashed sufficiently by the Worldwide Leader to take a contrarian view just to keep his name in the paper so he can keep slinging wine and cigars?

The more Ditka talks nowadays, the farther I’m taken away from the larger than life legendary coach of my childhood.