The Disciple Led Astray
If you are a college football fan, you are no doubt aware that this week is the NFL job interview process known as the Senior Bowl camp. In the past, this week was used primarily as a way to practice as a team before the big showcase game this Saturday. Now, however, it is seen as a way to judge the players in a pre-combine combine kind of way. No player has fallen under more media scrutiny during this practice week than Florida quarterback Tim Tebow.
Tebow's professional prospects were already polarizing coming into this week and nothing he has shown has changed that perception. Some "experts" feel he can be a productive quarterback in the NFL...others feel he'll only be successful in an offense that runs the Wildcat offense frequently...while still others feel he'll need to change positions (tight end or linebacker) to have a legitimate shot at a career in the NFL. His detractors point to his long throwing motion that starts with the ball somewhere below his waist and his lack of accuracy (even during drills). This week's Senior Bowl practices have also brought to the forefront his struggles with handling snaps under center, since his college career has almost entirely been out of the shotgun formation.
At a school like Florida, isn't it Urban Meyer's job to prepare Tebow for the NFL? Shouldn't Meyer have tinkered with his mechanics and had him at least run drills in practice as a traditional dropback passer? I spoke with ZJ, our resident college football expert here at DSB, about this and here's what he had to say on the matter:
I understand ZJ's very salient points...for example, USC had the most players drafted (21) in the last two NFL drafts, yet that still accounts for less than 10% of their team being drafted each year. So I understand that you can't cater your system or coaching to only those players moving on to the NFL. And I agree that winning is clearly the driving force behind every decision at a high-profile footballfactory school
But I can't help to still think that Meyer did Tebow a disservice all these years using his talents to win two National Championships, yet did nothing to help him become more NFL-ready in the process.
Thanks for coming and suckling Daddy's Sugar Ball...
"I miss you so damn much. I miss being with you, I miss being near you. I miss your laugh. I miss your scent. I miss your musk."
At a school like Florida, isn't it Urban Meyer's job to prepare Tebow for the NFL? Shouldn't Meyer have tinkered with his mechanics and had him at least run drills in practice as a traditional dropback passer? I spoke with ZJ, our resident college football expert here at DSB, about this and here's what he had to say on the matter:
My take is that colleges don’t care about the NFL. They just want to win, and therefore make money. Preparing a 20-year-old for a chance to play in the NFL does not generate money for the college and thus is not in their best interest. The college administrators say they are preparing students for life after college, but college coaches can’t cater their system to fit the players. The players the coach gets have to fit the system that the coach has put in place. Ultimately, though, it’s the player’s responsibility to play for a coach who will prepare him for the next level, if that’s what the player is shooting for.
I could go on and on, but it boils down to: college likey money; coach likey money; player should give himself best chance to make money.
I understand ZJ's very salient points...for example, USC had the most players drafted (21) in the last two NFL drafts, yet that still accounts for less than 10% of their team being drafted each year. So I understand that you can't cater your system or coaching to only those players moving on to the NFL. And I agree that winning is clearly the driving force behind every decision at a high-profile football
But I can't help to still think that Meyer did Tebow a disservice all these years using his talents to win two National Championships, yet did nothing to help him become more NFL-ready in the process.
Thanks for coming and suckling Daddy's Sugar Ball...
Posted by Max Power at 1/27/2010 2:00 PM 
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: NFL Senior Bowl Urban Meyer Tim Tebow
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: NFL Senior Bowl Urban Meyer Tim Tebow
Football ready? Tebow was taking only one class last semester…Ball Room Dancing. For all intents and purposes he had already graduated. He had an entire semester where he did not have any of the burdens of actually keeping up the appearance of being a “scholar” athlete yet he still could not develop the most basic skill of being an NFL QB; the under center snap? The college football system is a feeder program by default for the NFL but how many times do you hear of players getting drafted and then they need to be “coached up?” The college football system is there only to generate cash for the schools. Some (and far too few) players use the system in order to get a tuition check or into a school that they otherwise would have no business attending. Good for them. But any one who thinks that college coaches are somehow expected to care about what happens to players after their eligibility is over or their bodies give out only needs to look at the likes of current college coaching ranks. These are men who will say anything and promise the moon just so they can sign a player. With today’s football coaches you should always assume that they have one foot out the door for another job or to extract a contract extension. Their contracts are worthless once they find a more worthy suitor they bail out with parachutes so golden Wall St. is jealous. You think Urban Meyer cares about Tebow’s draft ranking other then the ability it will give him on the recruiting trail? College coaches only care about two things. First is winning football games. Why because winning football games equals money. The first thing brings them their most favorite thing…Money.
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