1 » The hottest topic of conversation right now is whether or not the Florida Gators and head coach Urban Meyer did enough to help quarterback Tim Tebow prepare for an NFL career. The two schools of thought are that (a) Meyer’s primary responsibility is winning college football games and that (b) Meyer got more out of Tebow than the player did out of his four years at the University of Florida.
Check out five more BITS on Florida football players…after the break!
2 » While it has become trendy to say that Tebow will fail in the NFL, the people working with him closely and those that know him best laugh at that assumption. One of those men is Sam Wyche, a former head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers who decided to stake his reputation on Tebow’s success on the next level. “If this guy can’t be a starting quarterback in the NFL, then I was in the wrong profession for a lot of years,” Wyche said.
3 » ESPN’s Chris Low put together a nice breakdown of what the Florida faithful should watch for during spring practices beginning March 17. He believes Gators fans should keep an eye on Meyer’s involvement, redshirt sophomore QB John Brantley taking the reigns and the team finding more playmakers around him.
4 » Speaking of Brantley, ESPN college football reporter Joe Schad placed him at No. 1 of his “top 10 storylines to watch this spring.” Schad writes, “Replacing Tim Tebow is no easy task. But while Brantley may lack bull-rushing ability, he possesses pure passing talent. Hard to believe Brantley is a junior already. He has skill. Spring is the time to step forward and become a team leader.”
5 » ESPN NFL writer Len Pasquarelli named former UF linebacker Ryan Stamper as one of six players who were not invited to the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine but may still get drafted in two months. “Two-year starter for Gators; sometimes got lost in the shadow of teammate Brandon Spikes. Was a team captain who started at weakside and inside positions. Not especially big (6-2, 235). Appeared in 41 games and totaled 73 tackles in ’09. Should be able to help immediately on special teams.”
6 » Back to Tebow, where ESPN AFC East blogger Tim Grham speculates that the makeover of his mechanics has significant undertones because all four of his coaches have ties with the division.
Photo Credit: John Raoux/Associated Press
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The only thing in the Schad article that got my attention is Moody given the chance to be the workhorse…does he think Demps who started last year is going to the bench?
I would never suggest Tebow should have refined his delivery for NFL prospects, but if this refined delivery has him throwing better, seems it should have been institutued long ago. Hopefully this NFL delivery gets him where he wants to go.
Two things:
1) Tebow had one QB coach at a time at UF…he is currently working with a staff of four or more.
2) There is a limited amount of time players can practice in college. Tebow is now working (I’m assuming) all day on these things.
Drew – Where is Moody mentioned in the Schad article?
It’s a tough transition to the NFL, frail accurate QB’s are what the NFL is after. The fact that intentional grounding no longer really exists means you don’t need a tough quarterback, just a guy who reads defenses quickly and then throws it away. That’s why Peyton Manning has done so much better in the NFL. If he gets beat he can just toss the ball to his coach. It’s BS.
What about Roethlisberger, Favre, Rodgers, Rivers, McNabb, etc.? Not so frail.
This thing about Tim not being coached to play in the NFL, what are we an NFL farm team now?? I did not realize that Urban Meyer was being paid 4 mil simply to develop players for the NFL! Somehow, in my misguided thought process, I thought he was hired to win games for the University of Florida!! Boy, am I stupid!! And gosh, it’s not like Florida players dont get their chance at the NFL. How many have just been invited to the NFL combine?? I say, shame on you if you don’t maximize your opportunity. As for me, I’d rather see players be a Gator because they want to be a part of an elite, winning program that offers a top flight experience and degree rather than have the mentality of “just get me to the NFL”.
Adam..it was the Cris Low blog
Shanks…you make some good points and they are protecting the QB’s too much but they still have games when then get destroyed…did you see the shots Favre took in the Saints loss…you have to be tough enough to stand in the pocket and look at a blitzer coming free and put the ball on the money knowing the hit is coming….Peyton is probably the biggest exception in that he does throw the ball away and doesn’t take many big hits…but mabye that’s why he puts up huge numbers in the regular season and only has one ring to show for it…..toughness is probably Brady’s biggest assett and it’s worked for him fairly well
Roethlisburger, Farve, and McNabb not frail, Rogers and River are certainly not “tough”. I’m a fan of Roth, even though he plays for the Steelers. The players you mention are interesting as they are all criticized at one point to another for not throwing the ball away and trying too hard to make a play. Tim isn’t being compared to those players though, as they are not the current model for a pro QB. Manning, Brees, and Brady are. Tim stacks up very well to Roth and McNabb, his ratings would be more positive if his qualities were compared to them.
Rogers is very tough, I will disagree with you on that one. Maybe not a big body, but the dude is tough. You can also throw Steve Young in there.
I am talking about the current generation QB’s, Young played when intentional grounding was still in effect, so I’m not faulting any of those players. Farve is from that era as well and still plays like it. He has not adopted the single read and throw it away like Manning has. I haven’t watched a lot of the Rogers, I’ll look for it. I don’t understand Brady as tough, although he has taken hits during his release. They pretty much invented the nothing belows the knees rule just for him. I don’t recall him running for a first down on a broken play, or shaiking off tacklers like Roth/Tim do. Again I’m speaking to what he is being compared to. I think he will be a success provided he gets picked up by a team that’s looking forward instead of a team trying to be the Colts.
Not trying to argue with you, John. Just pointing out that there are plenty of exceptions to your opinion. Being tough and not being hit are mutually exclusive. The NFL is doing everything in their power to protect and baby the QBs in the league, no doubt about it. And any team that signs a QB to a $100+M contract with a huge signing bonus WANTS their QBs to be babied by the rules. However, you said “frail, accurate QBs” are what the NFL is after – that is not the case. Accurate, yes. No one is after a frail QB, though I understand what you are saying. Tebow was very accurate in college and, if he can utilize his new mechanics without flaw while keeping that same mindset and discipline, he will be a success in the league. If Tebow had the same fundamentals as say Bradford, combined with his intangibles and toughness, he would be drafted No. 1.
The tebow thing kills me. I think we all need to take a step back and look at this very subjectively. Tebow is a gator, we all want great things for him. But, if he goes off to the NFL and make 750,000 or more for 5 years or longer, he will be set for life. Also knowing that the NFL pension sets in after 5 years, thats all we should be hoping for, for Tim. If he is an all pro great, a pro bowler even better, a super bowl winner, any of that is gravy. What he did at FLORIDA is stuff kids dream about. It is what he dreamed about as a kid, being like or better then Danny Wuerrful. Wow….not a bad life. IMO I could careless if Tim Tebow ever completes a pass in the NFL. He will always be one the best I have ever seen. Just like Tommy Frazier. Just like Danny, Just like Rexy. They were all amazing. NFL…not so much.
Tim Tebow is a winner…plain and simple. Let them pick him apart all that they want. If they want him to have better mechanics, fine…he’s fixing that. I didn’t hear anyone criticizing his mechanics in “The Chosen One” documentary. All I kept hearing was how great of a kid he was, how tough he was (played with a broken leg), and that he was a winner. Yes, his “mechanics” changed, but his heart, football intelligence, leadership, integrity, motivation, following, etc has only grown by leaps and bounds. Let all the haters continue to drink their haterade while Tim sips his Gatorade next year with whatever billiant team decides to take a “risk” on him in the draft. Why do we continue to care about what idiots like Kiper and McShay even say? Have they ever even played football? Why is it that coaches and real men who have played or coached have said that this guy is the real deal?Enough of this already. Good luck Tim in whatever you do and wherever you go. The Gator Nation will never turn on you and never forget that these past four years were the best four years that we have ever seen and I would really love to know how many schools in the modern era have had a better run than Tim and the rest of the boys just put together.
Go Gators
Ripley- Tebow is set for life whether or not he is even drafted. Between speaking engagements, the adoration of the Gators fans and promotional opportunities, he could easily earn six figures each year without breaking a sweat. Florida fans want to see him succeed not only because he is a representation of the school but because they want good things for him as a person. Many would say that it would be heartbreaking to see Tebow fail at the NFL – for unselfish reasons.
My “frail” comment was meant to be a jab at Manning and his supportive lot, I’m not drafting a legal argument or anything. I personally have disapproved of the way the NFL has handled the QB and sacrificed the game to protect a small portion of their investement. Watching a player throw the ball to no one because the defense beat him on a play, and suffering no penalty, isn’t football it’s a videogame. All the other expensive athletes endure the contact and abuse, so should the most highly paid, IMO of course. Thanks for the site you do a great job.
Fair enough. I understand where you are coming from. I just don’t think all NFL GM’s are closed off to a more physical QB. No problem, thanks for the compliment.
But Adam will it lessen your opinion of this coaching staff or Tim Tebow if he doesnt succeed to great lengths? Not mine. Thats what bothers me, is the thought that Urban or Addazio or Mullen or Loftler let him down. That is crap.
No, of course not. The stuff about Meyer is absurd.