Belichick on Tebow

[pheenix11]

Anyone else get the feeling BB is hyping this kid up a little so some dumbass team will piss away a first round pick on him? LOL


Belichick says, “To win in the NFL you have to be able to throw the ball.” And that is unquestioned. However, the complexity and athleticism of NFL defenses challenge the passing game in such ways that smart offensive minds are constantly trying to find a means to make the quarterback a more effective and dangerous player. They all would love to find a quarterback who is a threat to pass or run on every snap. All of them.

Gruden Says Tebow Could Revolutionize the N.F.L. - The Fifth Down Blog - NYTimes.com

"There aren't many players who can run and throw," says Belichick. "Tebow, obviously, is a special one. But you've got major questions because if you're going to run him 15 times a game, how long will he last before they break him in half? But he is obviously special, and it's going to be very interesting to see what happens when he comes into this league. Do you just run your regular offense and let him scramble when he scrambles? Do you put in a few plays just for him? Or do you really build an entire new offense around him?"

Never has the game circled around to its beginnings?Pop - 12.01.08 - SI Vault

 

[Marley]

hope BB draft another bust...would be epic

 

[Aerobahn]

reading this forum people believe that Belichick will be that dumbass :O

 

[Badluck]

i wouldnt want to use no more than a 3rd for him and since we dont have one ill pass

 

[carolinatony]

We won't take him. Not many of our Florida picks have turned out well.

 

[Nonentity]

These are old quotes too. Belichick has also pointed out this: why would we ever want to take Tom Brady off the field?


We are not drafting Tebow.

 

[pheenix11]

I hate Teblow, I just think BB is screwing with people to sucker them into a crappy draft choice. Tebow has horrible mechanics and will be nothing in the NFL.

 

[upstater1]

hope BB draft another bust...would be epic

Ignore list

 

[Badluck]

These are old quotes too. Belichick has also pointed out this: why would we ever want to take Tom Brady off the field?


We are not drafting Tebow.

i think that was kraft

 

[holyredeemer]

Why all of the hate for Tebow? I may never understand it. The kid has guts, and gives it his all every game. Not to mention he is one of those athletes that all he does is win. Always coming up big.

Though I wouldnt want to see the pats use a first rd pick on him, I still believe that if he is part of a good organization, in 2-3 yrs. he's going to be a very fun player to watch. I hope for his success.

 

[farn]

Ignore list

I agree... do people actually think someone out there is 100% spot on every single draft ? Frig. What is the percentage of NFLers that were undrafted free agents ? On the Pats, isn't that group the single largest group ?

If we were to list all the undrafted Pro Bowlers out there...

 

[Kontradiction]

hope BB draft another bust...would be epic

Why would you hope for that? Good God you're a dumbass.

Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing a second or third round pick (should we get one) used on drafting Tebow. IMO, he would be a really good H-Back.

 

[SammyBlueCat]

Wow! People really blow things out of proportion. This is a simple case of an older coach being nice to a young player. Maybe some posters could try being a little nicer to each other and the team for that matter...

 

[Ochmed Jones]

Why would you hope for that? Good God you're a dumbass.

Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing a second or third round pick (should we get one) used on drafting Tebow. IMO, he would be a really good H-Back.

I would take Tebow as a third QB and have my QB coach revamp his entire throwing game, mechanics, footwork,etc. and then teach him how to read defenses.

If he ever got into a game as a QB, I would use him like Cassel, if he sees nothing, pull it down and run.

 

[mayoclinic]

I would take Tebow as a third QB and have my QB coach revamp his entire throwing game, mechanics, footwork,etc. and then teach him how to read defenses.

If he ever got into a game as a QB, I would use him like Cassel, if he sees nothing, pull it down and run.

But how high would you take him? With a mid-round pick, sure. But not in the first 2 rounds, please.

 

[Clonamery]

But how high would you take him? With a mid-round pick, sure. But not in the first 2 rounds, please.

Especially if the desire is to trade up to pick playmakers or fill as many "now" holes that you have. Someone tell Tebow to go on a BYU-style mission and come back for the 2012 draft.

 

[Simkin]

Special favor to Tebow and Meyer . BTW, when we trade up for Ron Brace, 90% of Pats fans and media are close sure about Pat White being a Patriot.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Special favor to Tebow and Meyer . BTW, when we trade up for Ron Brace, 90% of Pats fans and media are close sure about Pat White being a Patriot.

That's because they didn't know about Edelman.

 

[mayoclinic]

FWIW, here's a review of Tebow from KC Joyner at ESPN's Draftlab:

One of the most difficult areas for a scout to grade is intangibles. Character, leadership and other traits of that nature can impact a player's professional prospects, but a scout's main job is to determine how much weight to place on those attributes.

This quandary is doubly tough when it comes to someone like Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow. His speech after the Ole Miss loss in 2008 already has taken its rightful place alongside Knute Rockne's famous 1928 oratory at halftime of the Notre Dame versus Army game as one of the greatest rallying cries in college football history.

As impressive as Tebow's leadership skills are, they have made him something of a polarizing figure. Tebow's most ardent supporters include Tony Dungy, who recently said he would take Tebow with a top-10 draft pick if he were running a team. His detractors, including many scouts, are of the mindset that Tebow is vastly overrated and should go as a third- or fourth-round pick.

The Draft Lab's take on intangibles stems from statistician Bill James' comments on the subject throughout the years. Leadership is valuable, but the best leaders on a team are typically the best players. Being a good person carries some weight in the NFL, but players by and large want to follow the lead of top performers. That means Tebow's leadership is valuable only if he is able to land a starting job.

So what do the scouting and metric eyes say about Tebow's readiness to play in the NFL? They paint a mixed story.

Let's start with the numbers. Here are Tebow's pass metrics by route depth for the 10 games I reviewed (versus Tennessee, at Kentucky, at LSU, versus Arkansas, at Mississippi State, versus Georgia, versus Vanderbilt, at South Carolina, versus Florida State, versus Alabama in the SEC title game):

No. 15 By The Numbers
Let's get a handle on Tebow statistically.

Route Depth Pass Attempts Completions Yards TDs INTs YPA
Short 130 106 867 2 2 6.7
Medium 41 24 578 2 1 14.1
Deep 8 4 120 3 0 15.0
Bombs 13 4 183 3 0 14.1
Other 16 0 0 0 2 0.0
Totals 208 138 1748 10 5 8.5

The Draft Lab takes the tack that a top-level draft prospect should be able to post metric totals at the collegiate level that are as good as -- or preferably better than -- what the top professional players post. An 8.5 yards per attempt mark would be an elite showing in the NFL, so this area is in his favor.

Another valuable quarterback metric set is vertical passing, which is passes thrown 11 yards or longer downfield. In that category, Tebow is 32-for-62 for 881 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception. His yards per attempt is 14.2.

Anything more than 10 yards is considered solid in the pros, and a 14.2 rating would rank at or near the top of the league in a typical season.

As strong as the YPA total is, this metric isn't entirely in Tebow's favor because of the lack of pass volume. He averaged only six vertical passes per game; if that rate were applied to a 16-game NFL season, it would equal only 96 pass attempts. To put that into perspective, consider that even the vertically pass-challenged Buffalo Bills teams of the past few years made it into triple-digit territory here.

That isn't the only reason to think that Tebow's vertical game might not be all the numbers say it is cracked up to be. For example, his totals on individual vertical routes were a mixed bag. He was 4-for-16 on go routes, but two of those completions came via blown coverages. Those don't happen anywhere nearly as often in the pros as they do in college, and a 2-for-14 non-blown-coverage showing on that route type simply wouldn't cut it at the next level.

Tebow also fared very poorly in the bad-decision metric. This metric gauges how many times a quarterback makes a mistake with the ball that leads either to a turnover or a near turnover (dropped interception, fumble that his team recovers, etc.). Tebow's 3.4 percent rate here isn't quite in Jay Cutler territory, but it would rank near the bottom of the league in most seasons.

Even if the numbers overall argue in Tebow's favor, the scouting eye notes argue almost completely against him. The negatives here include:

1. Tebow has a really elongated throwing motion that hasn't improved even with extensive coaching.

2. He tends to lock onto receivers.

3. He usually doesn't look off the safety.

4. He doesn't read blitzes or other pass-rushing tricks very well.

5. The step forward he takes on play-action fakes is something he almost certainly will not be able to do in the NFL.

6. He is very uncomfortable working in a pocket environment.

Any one of these on its own is a significant weakness, but six are simply too much for anyone to overcome in a single offseason. Unless a team is willing to change its offense to fit his current skill set (and risk losing him to injury with the heavy dose of running that would entail), it is unrealistic to expect him to be a significant contributor immediately. He has the talent to learn how to be a pocket passer, but it would take a Tony Romo-like apprentice period for this to happen.

The Football Scientist lab result: The most apt comparison for Tebow is the Michael Vick of a few years ago. They have three things in common:
1. Superior physical skills.
2. Some really bad passing habits.
3. Huge PR value.
Unfortunately for Tebow, he lacks Vick's speed, and that is what allowed Vick to succeed in the NFL despite his lack of pocket-passer development.

Tebow's charisma and ticket-selling abilities may cause some team to draft him higher than his current skill set says he should be taken. Take that out of the equation, and he is a third- or fourth-round pick and quarterback project. If he goes any higher than that, his selection will be worthy of the TFS overhyped label.

NFL Draft 2010 - KC Joyner: Tim Tebow's intangibles are incredible, but his NFL prospects might make him look like Michael Vick - ESPN

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

Tebow can only wish that he has/had Michael Vick's arm....

I would cry if the Pats drafted Tebow, especially before the 5th round.