Monday
Opinion, Top PostsHead north, Tim Tebow, far north
EDDIE LEE
NFLPosts.com Editor
God loves Tim Tebow. Unfortunately, NFL scouts do not. And as the Florida QB embarks on a professional career, it’s those critics who’ll decide where the Chosen One will land.
Early prognosticators were betting that Jacksonville owner Wayne Weaver, desperate for ticket sales, would jump at a chance to draft a local hero. But that was before Saturday’s Senior Bowl.
In his first attempt at running a pro-style offense, Tebow did little to dispel the criticism that his wondrous abilities at the NCAA level will not translate into the pro ranks.
Tebow completed 8-of-12 passes for 50 yards. He looked uncomfortable in the pocket and fumbled twice, losing one of them on a running play. Worse, that elongated throwing motion that leads to many an NFL sack and a fumble, was inherently evident, as were the spotty sideline throws that need to be repetitively accurate in the big leagues.
One game won’t make or break Tebow, the most successful collegian of his era and perhaps of all time, but he needed to show the football world that some progress had been made, that those unsightly throwing mechanics would be improved. Instead, there’s more doubt.
At 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, Tebow powered over college defenses on the ground and coach Urban Meyer’s spread offense covered up his shortcomings as a passer.
The Gators attack is based on a shotgun formation, quick routes and option runs. It’s great for first downs but doesn’t ultimately prepare a QB for the pro ranks, outside of Wildcat formation duty.
Indeed, Tebow may yet make his mark with a team that uses the Wildcat more than the Dolphins but more than likely, he needs to develop his passing skills, which the 2007 Heisman winner has publicly acknowledged.
The NFL draft floor is littered with scatter-armed throwers who passed for arena-football like yardage in a college season: Colt Brennan, Graham Harrell, David Klingler, Ty Detmer, Kliff Klingsbury, Tim Rattay and going all the way back to Andre Ware.
Of the spread formation wunderkinds, few have parlayed into pro success, Drew Brees and the late Steve McNair come to mind. A few others, like Vince Young and Alex Smith, have enjoyed middling fortunes.
Perhaps the best comparison for Tebow would be Smith, the QB drafted No. 1 overall by the Niners out of Utah when Meyer was there. A little more polished as a passer, Smith had trouble with the transition to a pro-style offense and lost his job for a couple of seasons before getting it back in 2009.
And although coach Mike Singletary has pledged that Smith will begin the season as the starter, there are no guarantees he’ll remain there.
But Alex-Smith-lite just won’t cut it for this cult hero.
Tebow is by all accounts, a great Christian. On Super Bowl Sunday, CBS will air an already-controversial Family Values ad in which Tebow states his living case as an argument against abortion.
Tebow’s mother, Pam, in the Philippines as a missionary with her husband, Bob, was advised to abort her fifth child after contracting amoebic dysentery. The medicine threatened the life of her unborn fetus.
Tim Tebow lived and the rest as they say, is Gator history. A Heisman, a two-time national champion, the most TDs scored in the SEC, holder of the best passer rating season in NCAA history.
The next frontier, however, hasn’t been kind to Heisman-winning QBs.
Tebow may best be served by improving his passing mechanics in a developmental league. It’s highly unlikely that he’d go there but he’d be wise to give the Canadian Football League a shot.
The pass-happy experience of 3-down football worked wonders for Warren Moon, Doug Flutie and Jeff Garcia. And I hear the Toronto Argos have an opening.
