There are many different types of quarterbacks.  There are runners who can throw and throwers who can run.  There are passers who can scramble and those that are immobile.  What is the difference between a passer and a thrower?  In my opinion anyone with a strong arm and decent accuracy can throw a football, he’s a thrower.  A passer is something similar but different.

What is a passer?  A passer can put touch on a pass, can put air under a ball to get it over the linebacker but under the safety.  A passer puts the ball away from the defender where his receiver has the best chance at it.  A passer can tell where the holes are in a defense either before the ball is snapped or within a few seconds after the snap.  A passer knows where his receivers are going to be in any particular play.  A passer knows how far to lead his receivers so they catch the ball in stride.  Being a passer is more than just physical, it’s also a mental state.

In Tebow’s freshman year he was a running quarterback.  In his sophomore year he became a running quarterback who could throw the ball.  In his junior year it seems he’s being treated as a passer by the coaching staff much to the detriment of his and the team’s productivity.  So what is going on?

After his freshman year Tim Tebow spent a lot of time working on his fundamentals.  He worked on his footwork and even changed his throwing motion.  The time and dedication he put into reshaping himself as a throwing quarterback ended up earning him a Heisman Trophy.  But between his sophomore and junior years he has regressed.  I believe there are two main reasons for this regression.

Tebow has always been a spontaneous quarterback who puts as much pressure on a defense with his legs as with his arms.  Throughout his career he’s been a playmaker who hasn’t been taught to read through defenses and go through his progressions.  Tebow isn’t a “passer” he’s a thrower.  Tebow has a strong arm but his most dangerous weapon is still his legs.  This year though he’s been told to run less and throw more by his coaches - much to his detriment.

Instead of scrambling down the field or to the sideline he’s being taught to buy times with his legs in the pocket.  This year we have seen Tebow give ground to buy time and then hit Aaron Hernandez or Percy Harvin in the endzone.  Great plays in which the extra seconds bought by dropping further back allowed the receiver to get to the spot.  But what happens to a quarterback who practices throwing a pass while fading backwards?  To his footwork and mechanics?  Simple . . . they go to hell.

When Tebow drops back to buy precious seconds he has to throw off his back foot.  This means the throw is entirely with his arm and doesn’t have any force from the torso.  While Tim has a strong enough arm to make many of these throws it is poor quarterback technique.  You play as you practice and it’s looking as if Timmy’s mechanics have declined since last season and I believe his being taught to buy time and throw off his back foot is giving him bad habits.  As hard as Tebow worked to IMPROVE his form his sophomore year, it is easy to develop bad habits at any level and we are seeing this come to fruition.

Many of Tebow’s poor passes this season have been directly attributable to his mechanics.  Either he is not stepping up into his passes or not following through with his throwing motion.  These mistakes degrade his accuracy.  Without a solid follow through his balls tend to go shorter than intended while not stepping to the target causes the pass to go left or right depending on where his arm is when he releases the ball. 

Tim DOES have solid mechanics on most of his throws but if you watch his completions versus incompletions you will see the huge correlation with poor mechanics and inaccurate passes.  I’ve also seen him throw poor passes on rollouts when he fails to square his body to the target.  All of these can be corrected with repetition.  You play as you practice so the coaches need to spend time working with him on his mechanics so that he throws correctly by habit and doesn’t have to think about his technique during the game.

The other problem I see Tebow having is his mental progression as a quarterback.  Last year all the stories on Tebow were about his working hard in the offseason to improve his motion and technique for the season.  This year all the stories have been about his missionary trips overseas and speaking engagements on behalf of his father’s ministries or the Heisman trophy.  Where is the time Tim needs, as a quarterback still learning his trade, to focus on improving his knowledge and understanding of the game?

Tim Tebow was born into a missionary family.  His father, Bob Tebow, is president of the Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association which runs a number of missionaries in East Asia.  The Tebow ministry is undergoing unprecedented growth and financial success and the main reason is simple: Tim Tebow.  Tim has become a huge marketing bonanza for the Tebows.  Even back when Tebow was a high school phenom who became one of the first to gain national recognition on ESPN the Tebows hammered out a deal with the National Sports Network to show the family’s faith in Jesus as a large element of the show.

While not necessarily looking for a platform to reach people at the time, the Tebow family felt that football was a vehicle delivered unto them to reach the masses.  And so it has continued to this day.  Between the 2007 and 2008 seasons Tim Tebow has preached in both Europe and Asia and several prisons.  He recently delivered a sermon to over 3000 youths in Starke, Fl.  With Tim Tebow promoting his families organization donations and press requests for Bob and Pam Tebow are coming in like Gangbusters.  Bob Tebow is speaking at football clubs around the country while Pam has become a top target for many pro-life organizations among other groups.

This unprecedented fame has no doubt turned into a record level of donations to the Ministries.  A cash flow directly correlating with the success of their prodigal son, Tim Tebow.  The expectation was that this would be Tim’s last season at Florida.  Was it because Tim felt he had nothing left to accomplish or no longer enjoyed college life?  Not at all.  The fact was that the Tebow family felt that quite frankly Timmy would be able to speak to a larger audience and reach even MORE people from an NFL pulpit than by remaining in college at Florida.  It had nothing to do with football.  Even Meyer and Mullen tried to help Tebow get to the next level by turning him into a Tom Brady style pocket passer to help him at the next level.

When you include the additional obligations of winning the Heisman Trophy, the typical press obligations of a star college athlete and the HUGE responsibility of being the face and marketing arm of a religious ministry driven by donation . . . is it any wonder if Tebow has been focused on things other than football?  Now I’m not saying Tebow hasn’t been working with the team when he is around.  God knows he looks like his time in the weight room hasn’t been cut down much.  Tebow, always a weightlifting fanatic, looks bigger, stronger and, unfortunately, slower and less fluid this year.

The struggles that Tebow has had thus far this season greatly diminish his chances of jumping to the NFL.  But when his football future is being determined at least in part with how much he can benefit his family’s business (however praiseworthy that venture might be) instead of being based on his personal growth and advancement in the sport . . . something is seriously wrong.  We’ve seen a number of parents who are able to catapult themselves to a modicum of stardom based on the exploits of their children, how is this any different?  Bob and Pam Tebow have gone from lesser known ministers into international stars because of the accomplishments of their youngest son.  Tim Tebow has become their “cash cow” so to speak.

Now I don’t wish to suggest that Tim’s parents are purposely trying to damage their son.  I believe they are doing what they feel should be done to promote the best interests of their faith.  God comes before anything else for the Tebow’s and God has delivered unto them an incredible platform upon which to grow their ministry and spread their word.  But what about Tim?  Has anyone given much thought about how much responsibility he should have to shoulder?  Not only is he singlehandedly being counted on by his coaches and teammates to deliver the Gators to the promised land but he’s also now the single biggest factor in the success of his parents Evangelical organization.  An organization he was raised to respect and honor above everything else.

So here’s poor Tebow being asked to do what very few people could ever hope to do.  He’s a national icon, a role model, a spokesman for football, religion and his family’s ministries.  Tebow is expected to lead not just his team but also everyone he meets into the greater glory of God.  He travels around the country speaking for multiple interests and when not he’s in the weight room, watching football tapes or practicing with his teammates.  And at the same time he’s being expected to learn new things, advance his knowledge overnight and perform as if he’s a polished NFL caliber quarterback.

Tim Tebow is one of the most outstanding athletes of his era.  Not just because of his physical ability but because of everything else he does.  And it seems most of what he does he does for others, not for himself.  So maybe it’s time for Florida’s coaching staff, the Tebow family and the obsessive fans to back off this kid for a bit.  Not because he is asking you to but because it’s the right thing to do.  I suggest Coach Meyer and Mullen stop trying to turn Tim into something he is not yet ready to be.  I suggest the Tebow family stop viewing their son’s success as a gift from God to be exploited to push their own agenda and I suggest we fans begin to realize that Tim Tebow is not perfect in every way but is indeed human and capable of being overwhelmed with responsibilities.

Tim Tebow might be the closest thing to Superman that we have seen in recent ages but even Superman wasn’t invulnerable.  There were times when Superman, though try as he may, couldn’t do everything or save everyone by himself.  And Tim Tebow isn’t yet a man, in many ways he is still a boy.  Let Superboy fly and learn at his own pace and before long . . . perhaps Superman will fly again