Uh, I'm just speechless. J Randy From: gatortalk@googlegroups.com [mailto:gatort...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of ke...@baldwinnc.com Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 5:41 AM To: gatortalk googlegroups Subject: [gatortalk] RE: [gatornews] [csnwashington.com] Redskins Draft Prospect: Tim Tebow Whenever Tebow is mentioned now I think back to this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfQm1Lg_8oA and start laughing my big ol hairy butt off -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [gatornews] [csnwashington.com] Redskins Draft Prospect: Tim Tebow From: Badrish <dbadr...@gmail.com> Date: Tue, March 23, 2010 11:57 pm To: gatorn...@googlegroups.com
<http://www.csnwashington.com/common/global_images/feed_headers/site/102/fee d_272.gif> Redskins Draft Prospect: Tim Tebow Tuesday, March 23, 2010, 8:21 PM By Rich Tandler Redskins Correspondent CSNwashington.com Is the Washington Redskins' interest in Tim Tebow real or is it a smoke screen? After sending only a regional scout to the March 17 Florida pro day, an event attended by many NFL head coaches, Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen went to Gainesville last Saturday <http://www.csnwashington.com/03/22/10/Redskins-Aware-Of-Haynesworths-Plans- Vis/landing_redskins.html?blockID=201870&feedID=272> to put the former Heisman Trophy winner through a workout. Such a session is more valuable for a team than is a player's pro day. The team can have the player go through its passing tree and see how he performs other fundamentals of the position that the team values. Up until the Florida pro day, many NFL personnel folks were talking of Tebow as a long-term project, a possible tight end and gimmick, Wildcat quarterback. Maybe, just maybe he could be a regular starting NFL quarterback, but not for at least two, maybe three years. The problem was his throwing motion. He had a long, looping windup before releasing the ball, resulting in a very slow release time. It worked for him at Florida since he wasn't facing NFL-caliber cornerbacks every week. If he telegraphed his throws like that in the NFL, he would have great difficulty completing a pass. The perception that Tebow is a tight end in waiting may not have gone away completely during his pro day. But all of a sudden, his prospects for being able to make a living as a pro quarterback seemed much brighter, in the eyes of some. At the Senior Bowl in January it became apparent that Tebow had a lot of work to do on his footwork as well as on his throwing motion. He operated almost exclusively out of the shotgun with the Gators, so working from under center was a foreign concept to him. Between the Senior Bowl and his pro day, Tebow put in the work. Quarterback guru Zeke Bratkowski and former NFL head coach Jon Gruden both worked on contracting Tebow's throwing motion and on polishing his dropbacks. Whatever Tebow and his agent paid Bratkowski and Gruden for the consulting was worth it. "From the Senior Bowl to now, the improvement is ridiculous," NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said. "I was blown away." His release was much faster if still a bit awkward, and his footwork was almost flawless. Many analysts have elevated him from a projected late third- or early fourth-round pick to someone who is likely to be picked by the middle of the second round at the latest. That is where the Redskins come into play. If Shanahan has decided that Jason Campbell is not his quarterback of the future-and we don't know one way or the other since the coach isn't about to tell us-it is likely that they will be looking for a quarterback in this draft. It seems more and more likely that Sam Bradford of Oklahoma, thought by many to be the best quarterback in the draft, will be picked first overall by the Rams. That would leave Jimmy Clausen as the only quarterback on the board with a first-round rating in the eyes of most scouts. However, most think he would be a huge reach a No. 4. Add into the equation that Oklahoma State offensive tackle Russell Okung is likely to be available when the fourth pick comes around. He's an outstanding prospect who would fill the very pressing need that the Redskins have at left tackle. Okung seems to be the logical pick with the fourth selection if Bradford is indeed off the board. So that would mean that the selection of a quarterback would have to wait until the Redskins' second-round pick rolls around at No. 37 overall. Quarterback prospects likely to be available there, and at a decent value include Colt McCoy of Texas, Tony Pike of Cincinnati and, apparently, Tebow. Just because the Redskins worked out Tebow doesn't mean that they will select him in the second round. Shanahan and company will visit other players for workouts, and will host one or two-dozen prospects at Redskins Park for physicals and interviews. They only have five draft picks, so they will kick the tires on many more players than they will select. There are many reasons to avoid selecting Tebow in the draft. His "golden boy" image is not one of them. Neither is the fact that he was one of the most hyped players in NCAA history. True story: At the NFL Combine, the P. A. announcer jokingly said, "Some guy named Tebow is at Podium 6," and virtually every one of the few hundred media types present descended on Podium 6. That prompted some present to write that teams might want to shy away from Tebow because all of the media attention he would draw. Think about that for a second. The suggestion is, that a team should bypass a player--even if it thinks that player is a good fit and a good value where it's picking--just because a few more reporters and cameras might be present at training camp, and because a portion of the fan base is tired of hearing about him. Is that really a good way to run a football team? Certainly, there are legitimate reasons to stay away from Tebow. As noted, his delivery could use further improvement. The fact that his throwing motion looks better in shorts and a t-shirt does not mean that he will not return to that loopy motion when he has 300-pound defensive ends breathing down his neck. Teams have no way of knowing if that will happen before writing his name on a card during the draft. Tebow certainly has his share of critics. Chad Henne, the second-year quarterback of the Miami Dolphins, said last week that: "My judgment is that he's not an NFL quarterback." (Henne later backtracked on his comment to an extent). Tebow's former teammate, wide receiver Deonte Thompson, who still is playing for the Gators, said that it was good to play with John Brantley, Tebow's replacement at quarterback for the Gators, because Brantley was "a real quarterback." But when it comes to the Redskins, the opinion of exactly one person matters, Mike Shanahan. If he thinks that he can develop Tebow into a starting quarterback in a year or so, he just might pull the trigger and draft him at No. 37. If not, the Redskins will go in another direction. In Tebow's words: On being the golden boy: "The scrutiny is just something you've got to get used to. It's just a little bit more motivation added on the top. For that many people to take an interest, it's just a blessing because it means they at least care what you're doing. At least I'm doing something right." On suggestions that he'll need one or two "redshirt" seasons in the NFL: "To be honest, I don't listen to too many things in the media right now, so I don't necessarily take that in. Whenever I get with a team, I'm going to do whatever that coach asks me to do. If that's work on what I need to work on for two years, then that's what I'm going to do. But that's not going to be goal. I want to be the best player I can, so you tell me what I have to do to do that. And then I'll start working on that." On the need to fight the instinct to tuck the ball in and run in the NFL: "I think it's just being smart. It's obviously something I'd have to work on. I couldn't take all the hits and do what I did in college. I'd try to be smart and learn how to slide and get out of bounds when I could, too." On overcoming challenges and exceeding expectations: "Along the way, from Pop Warner to high school to college, there's been a lot of times I've had to overcome things, and that's one of the great parts of sports: overcoming obstacles and barriers and hurdles along the way. In high school, they said I couldn't be a quarterback. I've come a long way since then. I'm just excited about all the opportunities and the blessings in my life. I'm just trying to handle it as best I can." Rich Tandler has been following the Redskins since 1966, and he blogs about the team at <http://email05.secureserver.net/void(window.open('http:/realredskins.com/') );> RealRedskins.com. He has written three books on the team including Gut Check <http://email05.secureserver.net/void(window.open('http:/richtandler.com/ric h-tandlers-library/gut-check/'));> , The Glory Days of Coach Joe Gibbs Washington Redskins 1981-1992. For details on this and on Rich's other available titles, visit <http://email05.secureserver.net/void(window.open('http:/richtandler.com/')) ;> www.RichTandler.com. You can reach Rich by email at <http://email05.secureserver.net/void(window.open('mailto:rich.tandler+...@g mail.com'));> rich.tandler+...@gmail.com. -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us To unsubscribe from this group, send email to gatornews+unsubscribegooglegroups.com or reply to this email with the words "REMOVE ME" as the subject. -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us To unsubscribe from this group, send email to gatortalk+unsubscribegooglegroups.com or reply to this email with the words "REMOVE ME" as the subject. -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us To unsubscribe from this group, send email to gatortalk+unsubscribegooglegroups.com or reply to this email with the words "REMOVE ME" as the subject.
