The Truth About Tebow

I wanted to like the chances of Tim Tebow going pro and becoming a successful quarterback.  But after some deep thought and a look at him at The Senior Bowl, I just cannot in good conscience predict success for one of the most accomplished college football QB’s of all-time.

It starts with the throwing motion – you know, the one that everyone keeps talking about.  He brings the ball too long and his delivery is way too long to be successful in the NFL.

Supporters of Tebow will say that this is a fixable problem – Tebow is a hard worker and with the right coaching, he’ll be able to adjust.  Yet I can’t help but feel that this wishful thinking is a serious contradiction.

First off, do we not think that the Florida Gators have qualified coaches?  Even if you don’t like Urban Meyer, you can’t tell me that there isn’t a QB Coach in Gainesville that might have said, “Hey Timmy, we need to work on your mechanics a bit.”

Tebow’s problems have been documented for quite some time.  He has had four years to fix them, and if anything they have only gotten worse.   He was able to get away with it in college (though not against Alabama), and he seemed content with that.  He could have declared himself eligible for the draft after last season, but he didn’t.  After two NCAA Titles and a Heisman Trophy, he knew his game had flaws.

Yet after 4 years of school, this man with the impeccable work ethic did not work hard enough to fix the fatal flaw in his game.

Either Tebow’s work ethic isn’t really what it’s advertised to be, or his mechanical flaws are so engrained in him that it is impossible to conclude that he is “fixable”.

The next observation about Tebow is that he is a great teammate.  If pressed on taking sides on this question, I would agree that it certainly seems as though Tebow’s teammates support him as a leader.  But college football and the NFL are much different.  You don’t just step onto the field as a lower draft pick and assume a leadership role.  Leadership is something that is earned.  Tebow could certainly earn it by performing on the field and working hard.  But that is a long road.

Tebow’s strong religious views are certainly being included in conversations in draft war-rooms across the NFL, if not as much in the public eye.  It is not unprecedented for NFL players to have strong religious convictions. 

Certainly, Tebow has done a lot of good in the name of his religion and he’s the type of person who you never have to worry about being found with drugs, guns or prostitutes.  On that note, his religious background can be seen as a positive.

But not everyone out there shares Tebow’s world views and should he try to impose them on his new teammates, they may not respond favorably.  Here’s a guy who has supposedly made an anti-abortion commercial with his mom to be played during the Super Bowl!  Nope… nothing controversial about that topic, right?  I’m sure everyone on his new team will share his views.

Tebow’s accomplishments on the football field have earned him the right to be in the NFL conversation.  Some team will definitely take a chance on him.  If there’s one thing that you cannot argue, it’s that Tim Tebow is a winner – bad mechanics or not.

Whether or not he ever  earns a spot on top of an NFL depth chart will be decided by the team that drafts him, the circumstances around him and Tebow’s ability to improve his technique.  It’s hard to root against a guy like Tim Tebow, unless maybe you live in Tallahassee.  But at this point, it’s not about being a nice guy.  It’s about having the skill-set to play at the NFL level.  And right now, it is very unclear as to whether that is something that Tebow possesses.