With the Jets cutting the highest profile back-up in the NFL, Al Dannity is quick to quash any belief that Tim Tebow might succeed north of the border. Here’s why Tebow won’t cut the mustard in the CFL.
Tim Tebow wasn’t all hype; he just isn’t a pro-level quarterback. For four years under Urban Meyer, Tebow was exactly what the Florida Gators needed to win. During that time he won two national championships, firstly as a spot man for Chris Leak and then as the unquestioned starter. What made Tebow great for the Gators was his ability to improvise. This was an athlete who could also make some throws. With Percy Harvin as a twin-threat both in the running and receiving game, Tebow had the perfect complimentary asset to execute Florida’s spread. The problem was he could only make some throws and his speed, while sufficient in the NCAA ranks, wasn’t enough to make up for his poor mechanics.
Supporters of Tebow will point to his big game over Pittsburgh in the playoffs and his penchant for winning. Detractors can simply look at his stats and they are ugly. The Jets paid too much for him by surrendering fourth and sixth round picks to Denver. After an ineffectual time in New York, Tebow finally got cut today. The Onion, in the way it only can, joked about how he might end up in the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Tebow better not have his hopes up too high. The problems that made him a liability in the NFL make him untouchable in Canada. Andrew Bucholtz described it best in a column for 55 Yard Line. Important as the passing game is in the NFL, it’s over even greater importance in the CFL. With a bigger field, one fewer down, and more motion, this is a game where a quarterback has to have pro-level mechanics to succeed. The era of dual-threats getting it done in Canada has long since passed. If you can run, well that’s a bonus, but you’d better be able to throw first. Teams will look at him, consider the promotional buzz, and then consider the headaches, before finally reminding themselves that he isn’t the right kind of player for this league.
Of course this may not be the end for Tebow in the NFL. Marc Trestman, former coach of the Alouettes and current head coach of the Chicago Bears, has been known to work wonders with project quarterbacks in the past. Could making Tebow a competent passer at the NFL level be his next project? It’s not beyond the realm of possibility.
