As widely reported (there’s a good summary at Sporting News Today), former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow had a rough go in his first day of football practice under the watchful eye of an NFL coaching staff, and many NFL scouts.
Sure, they’ll likely go a bit more easily on Tebow because the head coach for his first foray into the NFL, Miami’s Tony Sparano, is represented by the same agent whom Tebow has selected, Jimmy Sexton. Still, Sparano can’t do the work for Tebow -- such as receiving a snap from a center without fumbling it.
If Tebow is going to struggle with the conventional center-quarterback exchange, Tebow might never pick up the other more difficult nuances of backpedaling while reading the defense and looking for open receivers. And he can forget about ever mastering the play-action pass.
That’s the real benefit of shotgun formation. Once the snap is caught, the quarterback can just stand there and watch the play unfold. Guys who operate under center don’t have that luxury.
And that’s where intangibles like desire and attitude no longer matter. At some point, “want to” yields to “can’t do.” It’s the line that every NFL scout is looking for, as to Tebow and every other player.
Meanwhile, we’re hearing that multiple executives are concerned about the spossibility that Tebow will polarize his pro team. As one source explained, “It might not be an issue with 18-to-22-year-olds, but in a diverse NFL locker room, this outspoken ‘preaching’ won’t fly.”
The better move? Stay quiet, at least until after the draft.
And work on that center-quarterback exchange.