NFL Week 11: In four weeks we can put TEBOW!!!! in the headline

I thought this was a good read.

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/10128/tim-tebow-and-the-miracles

 

For most of the night, I was looking for a reason why. Why Mark Sanchez (who, for all his problems, has led the Jets to consecutive AFC Championship games) was getting nothing but shade from Plaxico Burress and hot, angry breath from offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer while Tebow, who was playing quarterback with the grace of an ice-skating Bambi, was getting the undying support of his teammates.

For the answer, go back to 3:55 remaining in the fourth quarter. Tebow, barely bothering to look upfield, cradles the ball and takes off like a Greyhound bus driven by a meth head. There on the horizon, he sees the usually unwelcoming vista that is Revis Island. And what does he do? Does he trot out of bounds and save some clock and spare himself the contact? Nope. He barrels over Revis like a hurricane, stays in bounds, and gets that much closer to the end zone.

The Kyle Ortons of the world have never done that. And never will.

Is is that hard to understand why people like watching the guy?

 

Bullcrap. The amount a quarterback is lauded for that kind of play is the significantly caused by how much the quarterback is liked, not the other way around.

If Tebow didn't already have his worshippers, no one would have cared about that play.

 

Flutiemania was not all that different from this. Just without the principal's excessive piety.

And it fizzed out in the NFL after less than a full season in the late '80s and two years at the turn of this century.

 

Bullcrap, really? What NFL qbs actively take on dbs like Tebow did to Revis on that play? And make them look silly in the process?

 

Honestly, none of them. Well, Ben Rothlesberger maybe, but the point is most of them try to protect themselves. Tebow is built like a running back who happens to throw the ball. Most coaches don't want their quarterbacks taking the risk of getting hurt on a play like that, so they don't try. Tebow will either have great success in this style of playing the position or he'll get hurt and the coaches will make him slide or go out of bounds.

 

If Tebows value becomes more as a thrower they will make him slide. Now his value is as a runner. Not sure they day will ever arrive when passer value is higher than runner value.

Tebow's real value now might be in jersey sales.

 

Not for anything, but lets remember that Tebow did not exactly run a pro offense in four years at Florida and the coaches didn't seem keen on changing his style. The lockout also must have hampered his learning curve. He is simply doing what he does best for now and the real test will come next season when he has a full year under his belt and he will be able to put in a full off-season working with his receivers.

 

For starters, I'm not comparing him to John Elway, OK. NOT COMPARING TO ELWAY. But ...


Watching that Jets game reminded me of many a Dan Reeves-Elway game. Elway spends three and a half quarters doing things Reeves' way. And then, just before all is lost, Reeves turns him loose and gives him the ol' "go win the game."

For all the talk about how Tebow is going to get hurt/broken/killed, as someone mentioned previously, heading into the last drive he'd carried the ball all of two times. It was like as long as the game was really close, Fox wasn't going to unleash him. Once it got to last-drive time, all of a sudden he's taking off left and right.

 

For everyone who thinks Tebow is going to get maimed the way he runs, remember two things: a) he's built like a truck and b) it is much less often that the aggressor is the one who gets hurt in a football collision. If he keeps running at defenders the way he did Revis, you'll see a lot more of them trying to protect themselves than the other way around.

 

You are aware he is a second-year player, correct?

 

It's also WHEN he runs. If Tebow sees a lane and the DBs are well downfield (especially if LBs are blitzing or have been sat for more DBs), he's going to run rightnow, not wait until everything breaks down. That way, the receivers can see him and block for him before the DBs have a chance to turn around. Plus, as mentioned, Tebow with a head of steam is going to run over any DB. Even Vick couldn't do that on his best days.

If I'm a defensive coordinator, I'm thinking of NEVER putting extra DBs on the field. I go with my base 4-3 or 3-4, have at least one linebacker as a spy in the middle of the field, never double-team a receiver (ESPECIALLY by the sideline), and make Tebow beat me with his arm. I mean, I overplay him running so much to make him think twice before he goes. If Tebow throws for 300 yards against me, then I tip my cap.

I also would NOT abandon this strategy in the 2-minute drill. Maybe you have some sort of cover-1 with a safety deep, but no blitzes.