The Football Fan Spot

            Tim Tebow is college football’s golden boy. With 2 “National Championships” and a Heisman at the prestigious University of Florida, Tim Tebow is the model football player, and also a model citizen. He is one of the best leaders in the game and does so simply with his work ethic and his will to extend the play and fight for the extra yard. Despite the fact that he doesn’t play in a pro style offense, many scouts, including me, have high hopes for his NFL career because of his ability to extend the play, lead a team, fight for the extra yard, and all around will his team to victory.

            Any one who has ever seen Eric Berry play and can produce coherent thoughts has said that there is just something about him, that he’s a natural football player. Starting since week 1 of his freshman year, Berry has 12 picks, 3 returned for touchdowns, in just over 2 seasons at age 20 years old. He has that Ed Reed esque instinct and Ed Reed esque ability to make a play on the ball. He is only about 190 pounds, but he hits like a linebacker. There is simply nothing he does wrong. He has the ability to go in the top 5 in the 2010 NFL draft, something extremely rare for junior safety.

            When #1 Florida plays conference rival Tennessee this week, more of the focus will be on the growing feud between Florida coach Urban Meyer and Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin. However, more of the focus should be on the matchup between safety Eric Berry and quarterback Tim Tebow. Tebow and Berry are probably my two favorite college players. Berry gobbles up quarterback’s throws for breakfast with his natural football instincts. Tebow destroys defenses with his natural instincts. Both are incredibly talented and seem to be able to do no wrong. Something has to give. We’ll see what does. In my opinion, this is the best matchup in College Football this week. 

Tim Tebow has won a Heisman trophy and 2 national championships in his 3 seasons at Florida. He is the only player in NCAA football history to win the Heisman in his sophomore year. He is the only player in NCAA history to rush for and throw for 20 touchdowns in the same season, with 29 passing touchdowns and 22 rushing touchdowns. He holds the University of Florida's all-time for most rushing touchdowns in a career, despite the fact that he is a quarterback, he is still a junior, and the University of Florida was attended by Emmitt Smith, the man who holds the record for most touchdowns, as well as rushing yards, in NFL history. Smith is also the man who babbled on Monday Night Countdown every week, but that's beside the point. However, despite all of these things, Tebow did not declare for the NFL draft after his junior season because he was told by the NFL advisory committee that he would likely not be a first day pick. Whether it be his lack of a true position (is he a quarterback, running back, tight end, wildcat, linebacker, or, as some scouts fear, just a nice goal line back or fullback?) or the fact that he ran the same spread offense at Florida that famously inflated Alex Smith's stats at Utah, causing the Niners to take Smith #1 overall, only to see him benched 4 years later, for some reason scouts don't like Tim Tebow. I wouldn't call myself a scout, but I like Tim Tebow. I think he can play quarterback at the next level, in the mold of Ben Roethlisberger.

Both of them are big, Ben 6-5 244, Tebow 6-3 238, and both are tough to bring down. Both have big arms and make strong throws. Both of them can run with the ball, but don't have great speed. They can get by with their quickness, ability to break tackles, and ability to throw on the run. Both are incredibly tough and have that desire to win. They are great leaders who lead by example and action and both often play hurt. Both are incredibly versatile. Teams are looking at Tebow to play a lot of different positions in the pros, including quarterback, running back, full back, tight end, and linebacker. Roethlisberger played wide receiver in high school and also played punter in college. Both played in shotgun offenses in college. Roethlisberger played in a shotgun offense at Miami of Ohio, proving to be the exception to the rule that shotgun quarterbacks can't translate to the pros. Tebow should be able to do that too, as he often does not stay in the shotgun and thrives when he is moving around and improvising.

I'm not saying that Tebow is going to win 2 Super Bowls and 2 Super Bowl MVPs in his first 5 season like Ben Roethlisberger has. Big Ben has been fortunate enough to have an excellent supporting cast around him, from Hines Ward to Jerome Bettis to James Harrison and that has helped him tremendously. However, if Tebow were put into a similar situation as Pittsburgh, he could thrive. Minnesota is the most intriguing option. Even if they get Brett Favre, they still don't have a franchise quarterback of the future. They would be picking in the mid 20s next year likely and they would be a great fit for Tebow. They have a great running game with Adrian Peterson, an excellent offensive line, a great run defense, and an improving group of receivers. If they get Tebow late in the first next year, they could be setting themselves up to make multiple runs at the Super Bowl, possibly even winning a few.