I have made it no secret in my life and in my blogging that I am a football fan. Doesn't matter what type of football I love it. I like high school, college, pros, little league, backyard, so on and so forth. So Saturday's and Sunday's around our house have become quite the football watching place. My wife in her love for me has learned to and appreciates football now. She is always asking me questions about the the game and I am always happy to answer her with the answer IF i know it.
Now I started this way because I just finished watching the SEC championship game. I also make it no secret how much I dislike Florida. Urban Meyer has taken over the top spot on my crap list away from the "old ball coach" Steve Spurier....no surprise they are both tied to Florida. But with that said I must congratulate Florida and also say how impressed I am with Tim Tebow. This is a special college player. He absolutly beat Alabama on his own. He accounted for close to 80% of the offense. This is amazing.
Now I have praised him enough(and being that i HATE florida that is about to end) it is time to debate a serious topic. Does Tebow have a future in football? He is a double threat in college. He can beat you with his legs and his arm isn't to bad either. My brother-in-law and I had a debate about this and if you know either of us very well you know this was a "spirited" debate to say the least. Jeremy thinks that Tebow is going to be a great pro quarterback. I do not. Let me give a couple of reasons why i think this and then i will let the discussion take over.
1) Who was the last great "mobile" quarterback in the NFL? let me throw out a few names people might be thinking. Michael Vick, Steve McNair, Donavan McNabb, and more distant past, Randell Cunningham. These are all good names in the pros and all had nice careers in the pro BUT not a one of them has won the Super Bowl. The ONLY elite quarterback to be considered elite without a Super Bowl was Dan Marino and lets face it....Tim Tebow is no Dan Marino. If you think so then this post isn't for you.
2) Mobile quarterbacks don't win in the NFL. Every thing in the pros is bigger, faster, and stronger. Mobile QBs have to change their game to win in the Pros. Tim Tebow is a brusing runner which I will confess is different than the others mentioned above but lets think about this....you have Tim Tebow running the QB draw and Ray Lewis is the Middle Linebacker. Im sorry my money is on Lewis. Matter of fact I am pretty sure that Tebow might last two or three hits like that but it wouldn't be many more. His game would have to change to the likes of McNair or McNabb to be successful and to be honest I don't think he has the pocket presence to be like either of them.
3) What makes Tebow so great in college? I would argue his legs. Ask any SEC coach about Tebow and I promise none of them are going to say he is going to beat them with his arm. His threat to run is what makes him GREAT in college. The option doesn't work in the Pros either so he can't run that in the pros.
4) Tebow is a product of the spread option. This is probably the one point people can argue with but it is how I feel. Place Tim Tebow at another school and his numbers aren't even close to what he is at Florida. He has HUGE running lanes because Meyer spreads the field so much that you might only see 5 in the box and 1 safety over the top. This is very successful in college but not in the pros
5) Tebow isn't Michael Vick. Of all the names listed above Vick is probably the only mobile QB to be successful staying true to his game. Vick however is lightning fast and elusive. Tebow is a bruiser. He isn't light on his feet and he doesn't have any moves to fake out people. He trys to run over them and that is easy in college when the average backer is probably 225 lbs. The average pro backer(minus my Colts) is around 250 to 260. You don't run over people that come in at 250lbs.
I think Tim Tebow is an AMAZING college player and quite deserving of the Heisman he got last year and is equally deserving of it this year but I do not think he will be an elite level QB in the pros. I don't even think he is a first round draft pick for the reasons listed above and because pro teams only draft a QB in the first round if they think that guy can be their franchise QB(ie Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Aaron Rogers, Philip Rivers). Does anyone here think Tebow is a franchise pro qb and if so Why?
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Monday, December 01, 2008
...im as giddy as a school girl!!!
I was going to wait to make this post until after the press conference today but I can't wait especially since the AD of UT said they are announcing the Lane Kiffin hire!!! I am very excited about this hire. He was the coach I thought UT should go after. He is a young, resourceful, motivator, and one heck of a ball coach. Let me give a couple of quick notes as to why this was a good hire.
1) National NAME! - Call is the whole "there is no bad press" ideal but he is nationally know because of what happened at Oakland. Im not saying he is Nick Saban at all BUT to get a name known nationally IS HUGE! Lane was a good recruiter at USC and UT needs someone that can recruit west of the Mississippi and Lane can and will.
2) Bright Young Coach - Kiffin was heralded by many of the anaylist on TV for being a great coach and for how he handled the Oakland job. People want to point out his record there but the comments of other coaches means alot to me. Check out what Jeff Fisher said about Lane. Comments Kiffin had Oakland playing tough and competing each week. Look what they have done without him.
3) All-star staff -
DC - Monte Kiffin, Lane's Father, is one of the leading DC in the game of football. He is the architect of the Tampa 2 defense, sorry Tony Dungy. ESPN has talked alot about the elder Kiffin. Monte wanted to go to Oakland with his son but Crazy Al wouldn't let him on account that he, Al Davis, is Nuts. Can you imagine the Tampa 2 at UT. We have the speed and we get the talent. This could be just sick. I would like to see Urban Myer crapping in his boots to think that the /Tennessee 2 is coming to the SEC.
OC and Recruiting - Ed Orgeron is widely consider one of the BEST recruiters in the nation. Look at the talent he brought to Ole Miss. I know what Ole Miss's record was under him but look what he has done as a coordinator and look at what Nutt is doing with the same players!
4) Probably the most important point I can make is the nature of the college football player has changed. Most great high school football players have one goal in mind.....get to the NFL. They don't care where they are all they care about is the possibility of going NFL. SO to compete nationally we got to get some of those players and UT can! Lane Kiffin is thought of highly in the pro circles and coached a number of current pro players at USC . His fathers record speaks for itself. Player are going to want to come play for UT because it will present them a good shot at the pros especially on the D side of the ball where the cover 2 style defence is competing with the 3-4 as the most used and hardest to beat defensive scheme's in the pros.
****One Draw Back**** Can Lane Kiffin translate his coaching style and the coaching style of his OC and DC to the college game. That point could be argued all day long but only time will tell. I for one think it will. GO VOLS!!!!
1) National NAME! - Call is the whole "there is no bad press" ideal but he is nationally know because of what happened at Oakland. Im not saying he is Nick Saban at all BUT to get a name known nationally IS HUGE! Lane was a good recruiter at USC and UT needs someone that can recruit west of the Mississippi and Lane can and will.
2) Bright Young Coach - Kiffin was heralded by many of the anaylist on TV for being a great coach and for how he handled the Oakland job. People want to point out his record there but the comments of other coaches means alot to me. Check out what Jeff Fisher said about Lane. Comments Kiffin had Oakland playing tough and competing each week. Look what they have done without him.
3) All-star staff -
DC - Monte Kiffin, Lane's Father, is one of the leading DC in the game of football. He is the architect of the Tampa 2 defense, sorry Tony Dungy. ESPN has talked alot about the elder Kiffin. Monte wanted to go to Oakland with his son but Crazy Al wouldn't let him on account that he, Al Davis, is Nuts. Can you imagine the Tampa 2 at UT. We have the speed and we get the talent. This could be just sick. I would like to see Urban Myer crapping in his boots to think that the /Tennessee 2 is coming to the SEC.
OC and Recruiting - Ed Orgeron is widely consider one of the BEST recruiters in the nation. Look at the talent he brought to Ole Miss. I know what Ole Miss's record was under him but look what he has done as a coordinator and look at what Nutt is doing with the same players!
4) Probably the most important point I can make is the nature of the college football player has changed. Most great high school football players have one goal in mind.....get to the NFL. They don't care where they are all they care about is the possibility of going NFL. SO to compete nationally we got to get some of those players and UT can! Lane Kiffin is thought of highly in the pro circles and coached a number of current pro players at USC . His fathers record speaks for itself. Player are going to want to come play for UT because it will present them a good shot at the pros especially on the D side of the ball where the cover 2 style defence is competing with the 3-4 as the most used and hardest to beat defensive scheme's in the pros.
****One Draw Back**** Can Lane Kiffin translate his coaching style and the coaching style of his OC and DC to the college game. That point could be argued all day long but only time will tell. I for one think it will. GO VOLS!!!!
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