So the NFL Draft was held on Thursday, and let's be honest, there were really no surprises with Bradford, Suh and McCoy going 1-2-3 respectively. The most talked about draft pick the day after seemed to be the Denver Broncos first choice, taking Florida's Tim Tebow in the very first round.
Tebow has come under much scrutiny and has been the subject of speculation and criticism as to when he would be drafted (predicted 3rd of 4th round at the earliest) and if he would be a success in the NFL. With Kyle Orton and newly added Brady Quinn added to the roster, Tebow is placed third on the depth chart. I do feel, however, that the battle for "second" is very much within Tebow's grasp. Still doubtful? Let's take a look at the statistics.
1) College Statistics. Taking a look at the three seasons they each played all 12 games at QB (Sophomore, Junior and Senior). For Quinn, that is seasons 2004-2006 and for Tebow 2007-2009. As one can see, Tebow outplays Quinn in almost every category including:
- Career Touchdowns (only category that counts all four years): Tebow 88 > Quinn 86
- Completion Percentage: Tebow 66.4% > Quinn 60.3%
- Yards per attempt: Tebow 9.28 yards > Quinn 7.79 yards
- Overall QB rating: Tebow 169.67 > Quinn 143.64 (as provided by ESPN)
2) Tebow knows how to win. Two BCS National Championships, one Heisman Trophy, Tebow is a champion. He commands the attention of the room and people listen when he opens his mouth. A born leader, a winning attitude and an unmatched work ethic are why Tebow will succeed in the NFL.
Now it's unfair for me to not give ANY credit to Brady Quinn. The man went to Notre Dame and has managed to survive his beginning years in the NFL, but the odds do not seem to be in his favour. In terms of work ethic, leadership and locker room presence, Tim Tebow will surely command the respect of his teammates.
Look, I also get the point that a QB needs a good offensive line and needs receivers to catch the ball, but if a QB cannot adapt to his players to some extent, that's like me saying I could win 22 games in a major league baseball season except I don't have the New York Yankees behind me to make plays and score runs for me. Tebow had nine fewer career interceptions and was sacked 20 fewer times than Quinn during their time in the NCAA.
If Quinn cannot lead the Browns to better than a 5-11 season, do you really think that moving him into a backup position on a team that went 8-8 last year is an answer to Broncos' fans prayers?
Get ready Denver, you've got a third string answer to your prayers.
Until next post
Live.It.Up.
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