madd futher
Footballguy
I truly had planned on writing this article regardless of whether the Broncos won or lost to Pittsburgh in their first play-off game - at least if Tebow did not come out playing not to lose. Please understand that this is from one who was NOT a fan of Tebow coming out of Florida. After reviewing his performance during Senior Bowl week two years ago, I really didn’t thing he would have an NFL future as a quarterback. He simply had too much to overcome: absolutely no idea of what he was doing in the pocket, bad footwork, elongated delivery, locking on to receivers, no reads to the right side of the field….the list went on. Yes, some scouts were impressed by his leadership skills and his work ethic, but he just did not have the skills to be an NFL QB.
I know there are many of you who believe he still has too far to go to ever be elite or maybe even adequate, but I believe you are wrong. If you heard or saw anything from that Senior Bowl week, you would appreciate how far he’s already come even considering his regression in the games leading up to the contest with the Steelers.
Let me digress. I remember the first time I ever saw the Eye of the Tiger. I was coaching a 6th grade basketball game (my son was one of the guards on that team). A big heavy kid who had taken a few weeks off from the football season joined the team late just in time for our first tournament. He obviously would be a force for us in the middle, but he hadn’t had any practice time at all with us. I picked spots where I worked him in, but with the game on the line, I pulled him for the players who had been practicing together for three weeks. That was over 25 years ago, and I can’t remember any more whether we won or lost that game, but I’ll never forget the angry piercing stare of disgust the kid gave me when he got subbed out. He never said a word, but I knew right then that I should have kept him in there with the game on the line. The icy glare said it all for a kid that young. That kid went on to play 8 seasons in the NFL.
The NFL is more than a tough business. Everybody who gets there is talented. Not everybody who gets there has the prettiest game. Few see instant success. And seldom are the most polished and talented ones among those who make it the biggest, especially at the QB position. But what the elite quarterbacks have in common is the Eye of the Tiger.
Consider Aaron Rodgers. I’m going to quote extensively from Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal here, but as a Packer fan I was generally aware of his progression. It wasn't always real pretty.
McGinn: “As a rookie (2005), Rodgers' six substantial outings included a scrimmage against Buffalo, four exhibition games and the fourth quarter of a December night game in Baltimore. He was brutal every time out.
In each of the exhibition games, Brett Favre started before turning it over to Rodgers. Until his 20th and final series, when the Packers scored a touchdown in Tennessee with the aid of a 33-yard penalty for pass interference, Rodgers had not generated a point. Sixteen possessions ended with punts, two on interceptions and one on a fumble.
Against the Ravens, Rodgers threw an interception, fumbled twice and was sacked three times.
A month before the 2006 draft, a panel of 18 personnel men were asked to compare Rodgers against that year's quarterback pool led by Matt Leinart, Vince Young and Jay Cutler. Not only didn't Rodgers draw any first-place votes, he had only one second and three thirds. Eleven scouts put him fourth, and three others even had him behind Brodie Croyle and Charlie Whitehurst.
There was considerable optimism after Rodgers turned in his best performance up to then in the exhibition opener against San Diego. But he was very average in the second game, not very good in the third and awful in the fourth."
One scout said "After his second preseason, if they had released him, I don't know that anybody would have been shocked. I mean, he wasn't a very good player. He couldn't make a play."
McGinn: "In his only meaningful regular-season appearance, Rodgers played the entire second half against New England. Once again, he played poorly, holding the ball for three sacks and missing several open receivers.
According to many personnel people, Rodgers didn't have much feel in the pocket. Either he would bolt prematurely or he would hold the ball too long. His timing was off, his running was rather ineffective and his accuracy was disappointing, too. He also kept fumbling the ball, seven times (four lost) in his first three exhibition seasons.”
But no-one worked harder at his game than Rodgers.
"Today, Rodgers' arm strength is superior to what it was. That didn't just happen. He worked with experts on the biomechanics of throwing while working to strengthen the small muscles of the shoulder.
...he drilled and drilled until his out-of-pocket game became extraordinary and his progressions perhaps beyond compare. Ever mindful of turnovers, he trimmed his interception and fumble totals to the barest of minimums.
One of his few remaining flaws - holding the ball too long - at last went into remission a year ago, disappointing opponents to no end. "That used to be our thing. . . we knew we could sack him," a personnel man for an NFC North team said. "Now he doesn't get sacked much anymore."
I’m using Aaron Rodgers as an example here. But I’m old enough to have seen it with Bart Starr, who was never supposed to be the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. I saw it with Dave Kreig from my hometown, who started as a 7th string QB at tiny Milton College, made the Seattle SeaHawks as an undrafted free agent and still ranks among the top 15 in most all-time passing categories. You could also point to Tom Brady. He didn't have a great arm. He was undersized weak and skinny. But he had " it" and worked on the rest.
The Eye of the Tiger. It doesn't have to be a Michael Jordan, an Aaron Rodgers or a Tom Brady. It could be a handicapped Special Olympics athlete who refuses to give in to his handicap or it could be the 6th grade kid I benched over 25 years ago - a kid who busted his ### to over-achieve.
But it contains the ability to literally succeed through shear willpower until the skills catch up. The ultra competitiveness, the mental and physical toughness to overcome failure and flourish later.
Someone posted on amother board - "Stuck with Tebow another year..."
I say get used to it. I'm betting that Tebow will be around for much longer than that. The Eye of the Tiger? Tim Tebow has it.
I know there are many of you who believe he still has too far to go to ever be elite or maybe even adequate, but I believe you are wrong. If you heard or saw anything from that Senior Bowl week, you would appreciate how far he’s already come even considering his regression in the games leading up to the contest with the Steelers.
Let me digress. I remember the first time I ever saw the Eye of the Tiger. I was coaching a 6th grade basketball game (my son was one of the guards on that team). A big heavy kid who had taken a few weeks off from the football season joined the team late just in time for our first tournament. He obviously would be a force for us in the middle, but he hadn’t had any practice time at all with us. I picked spots where I worked him in, but with the game on the line, I pulled him for the players who had been practicing together for three weeks. That was over 25 years ago, and I can’t remember any more whether we won or lost that game, but I’ll never forget the angry piercing stare of disgust the kid gave me when he got subbed out. He never said a word, but I knew right then that I should have kept him in there with the game on the line. The icy glare said it all for a kid that young. That kid went on to play 8 seasons in the NFL.
The NFL is more than a tough business. Everybody who gets there is talented. Not everybody who gets there has the prettiest game. Few see instant success. And seldom are the most polished and talented ones among those who make it the biggest, especially at the QB position. But what the elite quarterbacks have in common is the Eye of the Tiger.
Consider Aaron Rodgers. I’m going to quote extensively from Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal here, but as a Packer fan I was generally aware of his progression. It wasn't always real pretty.
McGinn: “As a rookie (2005), Rodgers' six substantial outings included a scrimmage against Buffalo, four exhibition games and the fourth quarter of a December night game in Baltimore. He was brutal every time out.
In each of the exhibition games, Brett Favre started before turning it over to Rodgers. Until his 20th and final series, when the Packers scored a touchdown in Tennessee with the aid of a 33-yard penalty for pass interference, Rodgers had not generated a point. Sixteen possessions ended with punts, two on interceptions and one on a fumble.
Against the Ravens, Rodgers threw an interception, fumbled twice and was sacked three times.
A month before the 2006 draft, a panel of 18 personnel men were asked to compare Rodgers against that year's quarterback pool led by Matt Leinart, Vince Young and Jay Cutler. Not only didn't Rodgers draw any first-place votes, he had only one second and three thirds. Eleven scouts put him fourth, and three others even had him behind Brodie Croyle and Charlie Whitehurst.
There was considerable optimism after Rodgers turned in his best performance up to then in the exhibition opener against San Diego. But he was very average in the second game, not very good in the third and awful in the fourth."
One scout said "After his second preseason, if they had released him, I don't know that anybody would have been shocked. I mean, he wasn't a very good player. He couldn't make a play."
McGinn: "In his only meaningful regular-season appearance, Rodgers played the entire second half against New England. Once again, he played poorly, holding the ball for three sacks and missing several open receivers.
According to many personnel people, Rodgers didn't have much feel in the pocket. Either he would bolt prematurely or he would hold the ball too long. His timing was off, his running was rather ineffective and his accuracy was disappointing, too. He also kept fumbling the ball, seven times (four lost) in his first three exhibition seasons.”
But no-one worked harder at his game than Rodgers.
"Today, Rodgers' arm strength is superior to what it was. That didn't just happen. He worked with experts on the biomechanics of throwing while working to strengthen the small muscles of the shoulder.
...he drilled and drilled until his out-of-pocket game became extraordinary and his progressions perhaps beyond compare. Ever mindful of turnovers, he trimmed his interception and fumble totals to the barest of minimums.
One of his few remaining flaws - holding the ball too long - at last went into remission a year ago, disappointing opponents to no end. "That used to be our thing. . . we knew we could sack him," a personnel man for an NFC North team said. "Now he doesn't get sacked much anymore."
I’m using Aaron Rodgers as an example here. But I’m old enough to have seen it with Bart Starr, who was never supposed to be the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. I saw it with Dave Kreig from my hometown, who started as a 7th string QB at tiny Milton College, made the Seattle SeaHawks as an undrafted free agent and still ranks among the top 15 in most all-time passing categories. You could also point to Tom Brady. He didn't have a great arm. He was undersized weak and skinny. But he had " it" and worked on the rest.
The Eye of the Tiger. It doesn't have to be a Michael Jordan, an Aaron Rodgers or a Tom Brady. It could be a handicapped Special Olympics athlete who refuses to give in to his handicap or it could be the 6th grade kid I benched over 25 years ago - a kid who busted his ### to over-achieve.
But it contains the ability to literally succeed through shear willpower until the skills catch up. The ultra competitiveness, the mental and physical toughness to overcome failure and flourish later.
Someone posted on amother board - "Stuck with Tebow another year..."
I say get used to it. I'm betting that Tebow will be around for much longer than that. The Eye of the Tiger? Tim Tebow has it.
when you have a career completion percentage of just 
