Tim Tebow in the NFL

As we have passed the final day of the college football season everyone in the business now begins to look toward the NFL draft in April. A major topic of discussion which has been going on several years now is what kind of player Florida QB Tim Tebow will be in the pros. Tebow has been a one-of-a-kind player in his college career and has compiled one of the most impressive resumes in NCAA history becoming the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy in addition to becoming a two-time national champion. However, pro scouts have questions with his arm strength and accuracy and his perceived inability to make “all the throws” that an NFL Quarterback is expected to make in addition to his uncharacteristic 6’3”, 240 lb frame. One question I’m always asked is how I think Tebow should be used in the NFL and whether I believe he can be a QB at the highest level or switch positions and I feel I have formulated the optimal solution.

First off I want to start by professing how big of a Tim Tebow fan I am. I have followed his career since I saw him dominate a nationally televised high school game my senior year and have been on his bandwagon ever since. I’ve seen Tim play a lot and have concluded that there are a number of throws that he simply can’t make. He can throw very well on the run and toss the ball downfield with zip with ease but unfortunately he really struggles making quick throws and throwing touch passes. Now I will never doubt Tebow and if there’s one player who can overcome the odds and dedicate himself into becoming a successful NFL QB it’s Tim Tebow. I have been sold on his ability to do anything since he made his impassioned post-game speech after losing to Ole Miss last season before leading Florida to 20 consecutive victories including a national title. People have been telling him he’s too big to play Quarterback since his high-school days yet he’s proved everyone wrong so far. Having said that I believe there is a role Tebow can fill as a successful next level Quarterback.

A lot of analysts believe that Tebow will have to switch positions to either Tight-End or Fullback because of his impressive size and running ability. I on the other hand can still be a QB in the form of a short-yardage specialist who can actually wreck havoc on opposing defenses. How quickly everyone has forgotten Tim’s freshman campaign at Florida when he was the backup to Chris Leak. Tim was brought in in every short-yardage and goal-line situation and had phenomenal success. If I was a coordinator and had Tebow on the roster I would develop a shotgun spread package to bring in if I need a few yards for a first down or was inside the 10 yard line. Tebow has mastered the option-read play at Florida where he reads the defense and decides to either hand the ball off or take it himself. If you came out in a spread with a couple of running backs and receivers you could open up and number of play options from a single formation that could be read at the line of scrimmage. Tim could have the ability to hand it off, pitch it on a option, run it himself, drop back to throw or run any number of play-actions fakes. In fact Tebow is the only player who can actually play-fake to himself and throw a jump pass for which he was famous at Florida. An opposing defense would have to prepare at length for Tebow every week and the wide of variety looks they have to be prepared from cause them to hesitate and prevent them from selling out on either the run or the pass. Forcing the defense to play more of a base package and hesitate for even a moment gives a huge advantage to the offensive line and I believe would result in Tim being able to gain an easy 5 yards every time. He can also burn you deep because he can throw it on a line if you let any kind of receiver slip past and run free in the secondary.

I think the trend of a specialist Quarterback will come into vogue in the NFL in the next few years as teams the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins are already trying to put it in place. If a team can find success with Tebow in a role like this expect it to be copied far and wide.