Tebow Draft Watch: Jags a Terrible Fit?

Yahoo's Charles Robinson had an interesting column yesterday, off of Charlie Crist's riff that the Jaguars should draft Tim Tebow and keep him in-state: Robinson argues that the Jaguars shouldn't draft Tebow. I agree that the Jaguars probably shouldn't draft Tebow, as you'll see, but I think Robinson missed some key points and whiffed on others.

(1) Start with the premise: Crist's point actually had nothing to do with Tebow's abilities as an NFL player. I don't think Crist was suggesting that by drafting Tebow, the Jaguars get better.

In fact, most people agree that the Jaguars drafting Tebow has little to do with football, and everything to do with marketing. They are very different.

And though it's rare to consider an NFL team using a 1st-round draft pick on a marketing consideration, the Jags are in a very desperate situation and Tebow is a singularly unique figure.

(2) Robinson says: "I can tell you what will happen if Tebow stays in Florida. Fans will expect immediate greatness."

That's simply not true. Fans will expect a couple of things: (1) The ability to buy a Tebow jersey. (2) The ability for Tebow to get on the field for at least a couple of snaps per game.

They are Tebow fans, but they are not stupid: They absolutely recognize that Tebow's NFL career needs development, perhaps serious development. Contrary to Robinson's point, they will be patient, precisely because they know that Tebow may eventually help.

(It's not unlike Tebow as a freshman at Florida -- he was the most popular Gator by a wide margin, within about three minutes of the first game of the season. But Urban Meyer only used Tebow selectively -- fans still went nuts, in part because he was effective in limited use, but in part because they were merely excited about what MIGHT be, years in the future.)

While Tebow won't be ready to handle 70 snaps per game as a full-time NFL starting QB -- though how many rookies are -- he can absolutely take a limited (but important) role at the goal-line or critical 4th-down situations, just like he did at Florida. And fans will love it.

(3) Then Robinson makes a fairly novel comparison: Doug Flutie playing for the Patriots from 1987-1989. I have never seen that comp, and I actually think there are some analogies.

Here is the key difference: With Flutie in New England, it was "starter or bust." With Tebow in Jacksonville, he can have a limited role -- again, not unlike his role at Florida in 2006 -- and contribute JUST ENOUGH for fans to be really happy with having him.

But the Flutie example is important for one other reason: Coaching.

Robinson cites, then dismisses, the Flutie fan gripe "They're not playing him right!" Tebow is in a similar situation: If he is playing for a conventional NFL coach who doesn't know how to use him, he won't do well -- fans will be frustrated.

Urban Meyer has talked extensively about this: He will dissuade any team from drafting him -- including the Jaguars (and Meyer has a great relationship with Jack Del Rio) -- if he thinks the coaching staff won't use Tebow correctly or try to get him to be something he isn't.

That's why Meyer has implicitly talked about Tebow playing for Meyer's best buddy, Bill Belichick. Belichick would find all the creative ways to unleash Tebow -- whether he is a traditional QB or not. But maybe -- under Belichick -- Tebow would re-define what it means to be a QB beyond being a QB: A guy that can play QB, FB, RB, TE, H-Back, whatever. This isn't Kordell Stewart's "Slash" -- this is Tebow as "Superback."

But that takes an innovative and confident thinker like Belichick. (And Belichick WANTS to get the chance to work Tebow into his schemes.) There aren't many like him in the NFL -- which is why Meyer is so unsettled about Tebow being a "marketing" pick for the Jaguars or Raiders or someone else, stuck on a crappy team with crappy coaching and a crappy career ahead.

Consider that Flutie didn't start to thrive NOT because he was no longer playing close to home, but because he finally was playing for coaches who knew how best to utilize his unique skills.

(More recently, consider that Vince Young didn't thrive because he got away from Texas -- obviously, he had his fair share of trouble in Tennessee. He started to thrive because Jeff Fisher implemented an offense that catered to VY's strengths... it didn't hurt that VY is playing alongside the most dangerous all-around player in the NFL, Chris Johnson.)

Fit matters in the NFL -- especially when you are talking about an unconventional player like Tebow. For Tebow, coaching and surrounding talent fit will matter most of all.

It won't matter if Tebow is in Jacksonville or Seattle or anywhere else -- selling jerseys and season tickets or not -- if he is coached by someone too conventional or insecure to find ways to use Tebow's unique skills.

In Jacksonville, yes, they would cynically draft him primarily for his marketing -- but as long as they used him just enough and innovatively (using his freshman year at Florida as a model), he would thrive, and fans would be thrilled.

It remains a very open question whether the current Jacksonville coaching staff is innovative and secure enough to follow through on that. If they aren't, then Tebow will have that much tougher of a time. If they are, Jacksonville is as fine of a fit as any other possibility.

Personally, I intensely dislike the Patriots and their fans -- although I am a huge fan of Bill Belichick. As a Tebow fan, I can swallow my loathing and hope that the Patriots still find a way to draft Tebow. Between the Jags' interest and the Patriots' pressing needs on defense, I suspect that he and Belichick won't get a chance to be partners. That's a shame.

You can only hope that Jacksonville -- if, in fact, they do draft Tebow -- finds a way to use Tebow creatively and actively.

Tebow Heisman Watch: Meyer's Case

Urban Meyer made the case for Tim Tebow as the nation's best college football player, to my colleagues at Sporting News:

With a high-profile position like quarterback at University of Florida, if you have anyone other than a Tim Tebow -- a high-character, unselfish person -- I am not sure we could have accomplished what we've accomplished since our staff has been here.

Tim is an extremist. He doesn't just lift weights. He wants to break the school record in the bench press. When he takes a snap, he doesn't just want to read the defensive end. He wants to hurdle him, do cartwheels and score a touchdown.

The thing that makes him different than any player I've been around is his drive, his toughness, his competitiveness. Tim doesn't back down from anybody. Tim wakes up every morning and tries to get better at his job. He's as competitive a human being as I've ever been around.

His unselfishness and his mission outside of college football are unparalleled. The impact he's made, it's almost like selflessness is now a cool thing.

Nothing new if you've listened to Meyer about Tebow... well, for four years. But it is a terrific summary of Tebow's best traits from the person who knows him as well as anyone.

Tebow is not going to win the Heisman this year, but it is unprecedented in this era that he is a three-time finalist. And he is for the reasons that Meyer describes.

Tebow Draft Watch: Simms Approves

Phil Simms thinks that Tim Tebow can be an NFL QB -- but there are a couple of caveats.

"It's about the arm. It's about the arm. Let's just get over that. . . . It's not a powerful arm, by no means. It's not quick. He's just really got to control the football better. He doesn't control it as well as he should to really be a top-flight NFL quarterback, but that can change."

And there is this:

"He's going to make it in the NFL as a quarterback. Somebody will take him. I think it's a pretty tough road ahead. I think he has to make some changes as far as how he throws if he wants to be a successful NFL quarterback."

Simms is right: Someone will take him -- I think he probably meant that someone will take him in the 1st round, because no one has ever suggested that Tebow won't be drafted, period.

I don't think anyone disputes that Tebow is going to have to make some changes -- and, to his credit, Tebow is ready to do whatever he needs to in order to make those changes.

That said, I don't think his current skill-set precludes him from making an instant impact next season in goal-line or short-yardage situations, whether he is lined up at QB, RB, FB, TE, H-back or even on the O-line. It just takes a coach willing to be creative enough to use him.

More on that shortly.

(h/t: MDS at PFT. It's like Dan Patrick can't get through an interview without asking whoever he is talking with to give their opinion about Tim Tebow's NFL future. DP gets it.)

Tebow Tears: The Larger Life Lesson

There were a couple of really important takeaways from the tears shed by Tim Tebow as the SEC Championship Game ended.

(1) They were a really big deal. "Tim Tebow crying" displaced "John 16:33" as the No. 1 top trending search on Google.

(2) Fans and media went nuts. Some saw it as the most competitive player in college football history being just that; some thought it was over the top.

(3) Alabama fans and Tebow "haters" (to the extent they hate and don't secretly wish he played for their team) had quite a moment with the schadenfreude.

The blog Tebow's Eye-Black -- which has been a terrific destination all season long and offers a unique complement to strictly secular coverage -- has a wonderfully insightful perspective:

If the fascination and schadenfreude of Tebow's crying is any indication, it's that we as a society know how to celebrate a victory, but do not know how to process and mourn a loss and emerge from it stronger and freer. Hopefully, Tebow and his eye black can be a good example and lesson in this as well.

T.E.B. makes a brilliantly counter-intuitive point -- this isn't blind Tebow partisanship or knee-jerk contrarianism you see in sports media -- and it's this:

Ultimately, Tebow crying had more impact than if Tebow had won and been celebrating. There would be no focus on the underlying message on the eye-black.

That's not to say T.E.B. -- like the rest of us -- wasn't rooting intensely for a Florida win.

But to the extent that losses are a part of sports -- and a part of live -- Tebow comes closer to fulfilling his personal mission, beyond football, by the way he dealt with adversity, not success.

I'm still thinking about the larger meaning of the loss in the game and how it might (or might not) play into Tebow's larger legacy.

But to echo something from my Yahoo column this week -- which had at least one side of my larger take on the game's result, but not the whole picture -- there is something more compelling about "Tragic Tebow" than "Triumphalist Tebow."

However, that's just semantic shorthand -- I don't mean to suggest that losing a game is, in fact, "tragic" in any meaningful way. What I was trying to express is that the idea that the ending to Tim Tebow's Florida story might include NOT reaching his goals seems so out of place.

But it makes his larger story that much more compelling.

Dealing with disappointment is part of life. Sometimes there are tears, sometimes not. But everyone -- even Tim Tebow -- goes through it.

To the extent that Tebow is, simultaneously, someone who is larger-than-life AND someone who is worthy of emulation, that is comforting, whether you are dealing with a football loss or something that actually, ultimately matters.

Tebow NYC Tour: CBS Early Show

Tim Tebow continues his post-season tour, including a multiple-day visit to New York. (Alas, he did not include a stop to visit my family in our apartment on his itinerary.) Tebow was on the CBS Early Show yesterday morning. Here's the video:


Watch CBS News Videos Online

Tim Tebow is SEC MVP, Say SEC Coaches

Tim Tebow won the award from SEC coaches as the SEC's top player, ahead of Mark Ingram.

Not to get into "Who did/didn't vote for Tebow?" controversy again -- remember that from July? feels like years ago -- but it's worth asking if coaches voted before or after the SEC title game.

(It also makes Low's all-SEC team -- which snubbed Tebow at QB -- look like even more of an outlier.)

Tebow Love: DearTimTebow.com

The next month will be a love-fest for Tim Tebow from Gator fans -- Tebow already said yesterday that the reception he got in the Swamp finale was his finest moment at Florida.

A grass-roots movement is trying to capture some of that sentiment: DearTimTebow.com is a simple site that allows fans to write their messages to Tebow. Wonder if he'll check it out.

Tebow NOT All-SEC: Cynical or Just Crazy?

I'm trying to decide if ESPN.com SEC blogger Chris Low left Tim Tebow off his all-SEC team to be intentionally contrarian and get attention or whether he really believes that Ryan Mallett deserves it more than Tebow.

But that means he is either calculating and cynical or earnest and crazy. Neither is good.

I'm inclined to believe he sincerely thinks that Mallett is better -- or had a better season -- than Tebow. I appreciate the novel viewpoint as much as anyone, but his pick doesn't hold up.

(And I'm not saying that as a Mallett-hater: I think that if he declared for the NFL Draft this season -- as he should -- he would be the top-ranked QB prospect on the board, perhaps grading out even higher than Matt Stafford.)

Tebow on Facebook: Crying Fans Top 60K

Tim Tebow is not on Facebook, but that doesn't mean he isn't a big topic on Facebook. There is a new Facebook group dedicated to the topic "Tebow Crying." It has 60,000 fans since Sunday. (h/t: OSgators)

Tebow Re-Tweet of the Day: Archie Manning

via sports social media maven Kathleen Hessert, from the Intercollegiate Athletics Forum, citing Archie Manning's analysis of Tim Tebow's pro potential:

@kathleenhessert :Tebow's determination makes him special player but he's not a franchise SAVER says Archie Manning bring TT along slow.

Tebow vs. Alabama: What Happened?

There are plenty of post-mortems about the SEC championship game debacle, and I had been waiting for Alligator Army's take. Of the many factors, Tim Tebow's performance led the list -- and A.A. had a fascinating theory on the foundations for the failure:

Tebow was pulled in more directions this season. He wasn't just Tim Tebow, quarterback, Florida. He was a missionary, preacher, charity leader, university representative, oh and this was his senior year of college. Everyone is stretched thin in their senior year of school either because of school demands, the pressure of post-graduation or relationships. Tebow had all of that plus everything listed above. The problem is that Tebow wouldn't have it any other way. This season, I have a hard time thinking that everything else surrounding him didn't contribute to his actions on the field.

There's a lot more that A.A. unpacks (read it all) about the Gators' "Fatal Flaws," and by no means does it dwell on Tebow. But the fact that the analysis led with Tebow speaks to his symbolic and literal importance for the team this season.

For what it's worth, I'm not sure I agree with A.A. Tebow had plenty of distractions a year ago, and things went fine. And while others (cough-Dunlap-cough) were plenty distracted, I can't believe that Tebow wasn't close to obsessed with winning the SEC and a national title.

A.A. finds firmer footing in connecting Tebow's trouble to missing Dan Mullen, plus a season-long lack of chemistry with (and lack of direction from) Steve Addazio, whose struggles as offensive coordinator made Mullen look like the most brilliant mind that has ever coached in college football.

Tim Tebow Wins "Academic Heisman"

Tim Tebow won the Campbell Trophy -- widely regarded as the "Academic Heisman" -- last night, presented by the National Football Foundation. (Check out this New York Times piece covering the event, complete with the photo below. It's Tebow-as-Sinatra.)


You can joke about Tebow's course schedule this semester -- one class, consisting of one hour per week -- but no top-end college football player has earned as much distinction for academics as Tebow -- a three-time Academic All-American, including two-time Academic A-A P.O.Y.

Tebow Draft Watch: Jags a Done Deal?

Late-breaking rumors tonight on ProFootballTalk that Tebow going to the Jaguars in the 1st round of the 2010 NFL Draft is a done deal, under the "team needs marketing help" theory.

I have always thought that NFL teams were WAY too competitive to let something like that happen -- what if the Redskins want him? Or the Raiders? They'll abide by some gentleman's agreement?

Much much more on all draft rumors between post-bowl and April, but here's the thing about the Jags: I love the "hometown hero" angle, but they need more innovative coaching to deploy him.

By the way: Charlie Crist is the new Mel Kiper, apparently.

Tim Tebow Writes His Gator Epitaph

"Every time I went out there and played, I played with my heart. I played for my teammates, I played for my coaches and I played for the fans. And every time I stepped on that field I left everything out there and I played with everything that I had, and that’s what I’m most proud about."

-- Tim Tebow, on what he hopes is his Florida legacy.

Tim Tebow's Favorite Florida Moment

It is unsurprising that Tim Tebow says his favorite moment as a Florida football player came two weeks ago in his Swamp finale, as he ran out onto the field for the last time. It was obviously very emotional for him -- even more emotional than the end of the SEC title game.

"The one that stands out to me wasn’t even a play or a game, but it was before the game when I ran out on Senior Day to give Coach Meyer a hug and see my family and look at that Swamp for the last time as a player. And to see the emotion and adrenaline and the support that we had from all those fans really meant a lot, and I think that’s the No. 1 thing I’m going to take from my career from the University of Florida."

There are plenty of other favorite Tebow moments -- I know I certainly have mine, and I'm sure you have yours. Between now and the Sugar Bowl, we will be taking a look at all of them.

Tebow Draft Watch: Willing To Not Be a QB?

"My goal is to play quarterback. I’m going to do whatever it takes and work as hard as I possibly can to be a quarterback.

"If I’m on a team and they want me to go play another position and that’s what they tell me to do, I will gladly go play another position with my whole heart and do it to the best of my ability.

"But my goal is to be a quarterback and I’m going to do whatever it takes to try to reach that goal."

-- Tim Tebow, on ESPN's First Take this morning, on his potential as an NFL QB. I think there's some news there, if not surprising at all: He's willing to do whatever he is asked to do.

Here's what we know: No player will work harder at being a QB in the NFL than Tebow. And no player will do what the coaches ask of him with more diligence than Tebow.

This is why I hope he goes to the Patriots, where Bill Belichick will utilize Tebow creatively, both as a QB and in other ways.

But I suspect that a few more teams saw that quote -- and they will hear it again in personal interviews with him -- and suddenly thought a lot more creatively about his value.

UPDATE: ProFootballTalk's Michael David Smith approves.

Tim Tebow Owns TMZ Ambush

No one -- no one -- handles the TMZ ambush interview better than Tim Tebow. He did it earlier this year, and he did it this morning, when he arrived in New York City for Heisman week. Just watch. All the questions? Shrugs them off with utter calm and composure. Classic.

Tebow: "I Let Some People Down"

"[P]ersonally I felt like I let some people down, and that’s very heartbreaking for me. We had dreamed all year long about winning that SEC championship game and getting that opportunity to go to Pasadena and play for it all. And that was our goal, and we fell a little bit short and that was very disappointing."

-- Tim Tebow, on ESPN's "First Take" this morning, about the SEC championship game.

I don't think Tebow, individually, let people down. You win games and you lose games. Was the loss crushingly disappointing? Absolutely. I suspect that Tebow himself is far more disappointed than any fan ever could be. But to the extent that the fans feel let down by the game's result, it was a comprehensive contribution from everyone -- players, coaches and even fans.

Tim Tebow a Heisman Finalist

Tim Tebow has been invited to New York City as a Heisman Trophy finalist, becoming only the third player ever (and first since Herschel in the early 1980s) to earn that distinction. Still no word on who Tebow himself voted for. Fascinating subplot.

What Is Tim Tebow's Legacy?

It has taken me a few days since Saturday to try to internalize the game's result and its implications. Obviously, "Championship or Fail" is a factor.

I'm not quite ready to pull together everything just yet, but I was going back through some old posts and found this one from early August, riffing on an Andrea Adelson post about what would define Tim Tebow's legacy more: "The Promise" or an undefeated season.

I was surprisingly heartened by re-reading what I wrote then:

The Promise transcended Florida and became part of college football history. It was the sport's version of Joe Namath's Super Bowl III "guarantee." Because it resulted in a national title, it was arguably the most notable off-field moment in college football history, right up there with the (fictitious!) "Win one for the Gipper."

"The Promise" distilled everything there is to know about Tim Tebow the football player AND Tebow the person. Even how it is referred to -- "The Promise" -- sounds mythological, even evangelical.

The speech sparked a national title. It will be the foundation for a run at a second -- and college football immortality that would come with an unbeaten season and 2009 national title.

In the annals of Tebow Myth -- and they are extensive -- The Promise is the biggest and most important moment. An unbeaten season in 2009 is a direct offshoot of that Promise.

Of course, that unbeaten season didn't happen. And the failure in the SEC championship game is acute -- it is part of Tebow's legacy.

But the defining moment was -- and will always be -- The Promise.

Tebow Legacy Hurt By Alabama Loss?

"Some people asked me Saturday night if the loss to Alabama was going to hurt the legacy of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. Not a chance. We will look back at Tebow’s time at Florida, which included two SEC championships, two national championships and a Heisman Trophy, and realize that he was one of the greatest players we have seen. No, he didn’t have the storybook ending with another trip to the national championship game. But that is what we love about sports. You don’t get to write your own ending like they do in the movies. There is a Mount Rushmore of SEC football and it includes Archie Manning (with a notation for his offspring), Herschel Walker, and Bo Jackson. Tim Tebow has now joined them."

-- Tony "Mr. College Football" Barnhart, on Tim Tebow's legacy.

I'm not quite sure I agree with Barnhart's assessment. Oh, I agree that Tebow is on the SEC Mount Rushmore -- hell, I think he's on the all-time college football Mount Rushmore, SEC or otherwise.

And I also agree that we will remember the titles and awards, in the same way we'll remember the other defining moments, like the Jump Pass, or the off-field mythologies that are infused into his larger legacy as a player.

But Barnhart is wrong that fans will simply dismiss Saturday as just another loss. It was a career-defining loss -- not the only career-defining moment in his career, by any stretch, but among them.

And you simply can't discount the "championship or fail" expectations from this season and the related stakes for the game, and how it WAS a failure. Not Tebow's failure alone, but something he will own for the same reason he would have owned the success.

Tebow Heisman Watch: Still a Finalist?

Will Tim Tebow be a Heisman Trophy finalist?

In the initial confirmed vote totals from StiffarmTrophy.com (79 total votes, roughly 8 percent of all votes), Tebow is in 5th place, with 13 percent of the vote.

Clearly, coming off of Saturday's result, Tebow is not going to win the award (anyone else surprised that 13 percent of voters still give him their 1st-place vote?).

I think it remains a foregone conclusion that the Heisman Trust would invite up to 5 finalists to come to the ceremony, if it meant they could include the biggest name in college football: Tebow.

It's a little awkward: A year ago, with three finalists, the 5th-place finisher would not be considered a "finalist," if you define that as "invited to New York for the ceremony."

However, under that definition, Tim Tebow is still projected become the first third three-time finalist in the award's history, the first since Herschel Walker.

At the top of the standings, there is a fascinating development:

Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh is in 1st place, in a virtual tie with Stanford RB Toby Gerhart. Suh seems to have elevated himself in the same moment he seriously hurt Colt McCoy's chances.

Mark Ingram is in 3rd, mere percentage points behind Suh and Gerhart. McCoy is a distant 4th and Tebow an even more distant 5th.

No word yet on whom Tim Tebow himself voted for. I presume someone will be asking as soon as they can.

It will be interesting to see if Tebow goes with a fellow QB (McCoy), SEC solidarity (Ingram), the field's most Tebow-like player (Gerhart) or the novelty of voting for a defensive player(Suh).

Tim Tebow Role in Alabama Loss

From the SECCG post-mortem of the essential Saurian Sagacity:

The best quarterback on the field Saturday wasn’t the 2007 Heisman winner. While Tebow threw for more yards than McElroy (247-234) he wasn’t nearly as effective. Tebow was 20 of 35 for a completion percentage of 57.1%, while McElroy had a 66.7% completion percentage (12-18). By quarterback rating Tebow was 120.14, while McElroy was a sterling 196.54.

Tebow simply didn’t play a very good game. He wasn’t particularly pressured (Alabama didn’t sack him once), but many of his throws were ill advised or seriously off target. He failed to find wide open receivers all day, and his sole interception was a game killer.

It might be heresy, but I’m going to say it - the quarterback of the last 2 seasons wasn’t here this year.

Tebow had a QB rating of 172.5 in 2007 when he won the Heisman, and a rating of 172.4 last year. This season, against far easier opponents than either ’07 or ’08, it was a 155.6. I can see only two reasons –

1. The talent he had around him in ’07 and ’08 made him look better than he was.

2. “Something” happened to account for the loss in effectiveness.

He remains an effective runner, but was much less efficient passing this year than the last two.

In the end, Tebow didn’t lose this game singlehandedly (I believe it was much more on the defense), but he couldn’t bail us out.

Read the whole analysis here.

Tim Tebow Career Finale: Sugar Bowl vs. Cincinnati

Tim Tebow will finish his college football career not playing for a national title against Texas in Pasadena, but playing for pride in the Sugar Bowl against Cincinnati.

Thinking back to last week, last August, last January: This is not how it was supposed to end.

Tim Tebow Crying: The Lasting Image

There is a part of me that will always think that the lasting image of Tim Tebow will be when he did the Gator Chomp in the face of Oklahoma's Nic Harris in the 2008 national title game.

But the lasting image from last night is simple: Tebow crying openly as the game's final seconds ticked away, followed by his teary-eyed post-game interview on the field with CBS.

This wasn't uncontrollable Adam Morrison-style bawling. This was college football's greatest competitor letting his ultimate feelings of frustration and disappointment come through.

I think fans should have not expected any less. It remains the symbol of Tebow's competitiveness.

But, based on the video's viral popularity last night and today, it is also the vessel for other fans' schadenfreude that has been building up for four years.