TIM TEBOW-an early look

TIM TEBOW-an early look-by J.P. Fox for Football Reporters Online

    As probably the most celebrated player coming out of college in I don’t know how long, Tim Tebow should be on his way to stardom in the NFL. But as we all know, college success doesn’t automatically translate into success in the NFL. Tebow isn’t your prototypical quarterback. He might have a run-first mentality, which isn’t what NFL Scouts look for in a franchise QB. In college, he focused on short-to-intermediate routes but did have an outstanding 67% completion percentage with a mind-boggling 88:15 TD to INT ratio. With those numbers, you would think he is at the top of the draft boards of NFL executives. The debate begins….. Is Tebow a franchise QB?? Is Tebow destined for another position in the NFL?? Is he a Pat White type of player, strictly running the wildcat?? There are many different views.
   
    Tim Tebow won two BSC National titles, as a freshman and a junior. He also captured the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore. With that on your resume, and his knack for being the team leader, that’s things you look for in a QB. Can he lead his team to championships? Yes. Can he throw the ball with accuracy? Yes, 67% completion percentage is not too shabby. Can he improvise? Yes, his 57 rushing touchdowns in his career broke the all-time SEC record. So why are there so many doubters?? Well, Tebow has a long, slow, elongated delivery when throwing the ball. The NFL looks for QB’s to have short, quick releases and that is not something that Tebow possesses. When Philip Rivers came out of college, people knocked him for having an unusual delivery. Look at how he turned out in the NFL: He was an MVP candidate down the stretch for the Chargers. Tebow also has taken a beating in college. Not by getting sacked a lot, but by the way he runs with the football. He is a competitor, and he prefers to play "smash mouth" football, running guys over instead of sliding.
   
    With his bullish mentality, some people believe Tebow is destined to be a tight end, fullback, H-Back, or even a linebacker or safety. He’s 6’3 240 pounds and that could be a perfect size for an H-Back or linebacker. But would the transition to another position be that much worth the while for a team to take a chance on, rather than keeping him at his natural position and teaching him proper mechanics?? That’s where everybody wonders and wonders about him. I’d like to see somebody take a chance on him as a quarterback. His statistics don’t lie. With the numbers he put up, and his ability to make things happen, he’s like a bigger Vince Young. In the BCS National title game that Vince Young played in against USC, he had the game of his life. Also, like Young in a big-time game, Tebow put up the game of his life in the 2010 Sugar Bowl against Cincinnati, posting 533 total yards and 4 touchdowns. He was 31 of 35 passing with 482 yards. That had people talking and probably had some NFL GM’s rethinking their view on him as a QB. I know you can’t judge somebody on one game, but that was a big step in the right direction.

    Starting at linebacker, #55, Tim Tebow….. Doesn’t that just sound weird?? Tebow has been a quarterback his entire life, and making him switch to another position, teaching him all the new techniques, that might ruin a player. He has already said that he will do everything in his power to be a quarterback at the next level. Working hard, changing his throwing motion, listening to coaches, and more. Changing a QB’s throwing motion could be disastrous. It could ruin his confidence and make him think too much. But changing his position entirely might not be the worst thing either, on the flip side. He is a huge guy, a freak physical specimen, and a team-first player. If somebody drafted him to be an H-Back or Tight End, I’m sure he wouldn’t object. But I know, in his heart and his mind, he’d love the opportunity to be a quarterback. In my mind, a team that has a QB that he can sit behind for a few years to learn and work on his game would be the ideal fit. I truly believe he will be a successful QB at the next level and I really would like to see that happen. I grew up watching him play quarterback and be successful at it, and I’d like to continue watching him do that. But if he has to play a new position, I wish him all the best in that endeavor as well.

The Tim Tebow watch continues……