The Tim Tebow debate continues to rage, and it’s quickly becoming the most polarizing issue in the NFL.
ESPN’s Merril Hoge took to Mike & Mike in the Morning on Thursday to make a compelling and detailed case against Tebow’s ability to succeed at this level.
Hoge told Mike Greenberg and Adam Schefter that Tebow “had no business” being drafted as a quarterback, and that he should have been a sixth-round or seventh-round draft pick at best. Hoge focused on the issue of Tebow’s looping delivery, which continues to emerge in moments of stress and duress.
“Just that alone drove Byron Leftwich to a backup position,” Hoge said. “Tim has that issue. It’s never going to change.”
Hoge also pointed to accuracy problems, which he said become even worse when Tebow is on the move, and which becomes even more pronounced when coupled with the looping delivery. “Those two are major, major issues, I have never seen overcome,” Hoge said.
Hoge also wisely pointed out that the Broncos, by making Tim Tebow a first-round pick in 2010, now have a “political nightmare.”
Then there’s the issue of Tebow’s physical style of play. Hoge fears that, in the NFL, Tebow won’t survive 16 games, given his belief that, for example, when the Broncos are near the end zone “nobody runs the ball but me,” as microphones captured Tebow telling coaches last year against the Chargers.
At one point, Hoge pointed out an interesting comparison between Tebow and great college player turned NFL bust Brian Bosworth. Hoge said that the hype surrounding guys like that will prompt opponents to play even harder against them.
Hoge acknowledged that Tebow could be a situational player, or a quarterback who could be hidden by a great defense and running game, but that Tebow could never be the guy who leads a team to a title.
Regardless of how it all plays out, Tebow’s NFL fortunes will continue to be one of the hottest topics in the NFL, probably until Tebow retires.