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Mike
04-23-2010, 09:39 AM
**Didn't see if this was posted already.

The glittering genius of the Cold, Hard Football Facts is that we admire only numbers and productivity.

We put little stock in a player’s pedigree. And we put even less stock in the “pundits” and their outdated weapon of choice, the opinion, which bounces off the steely armor of our analysis so helplessly, like nothing but little pebbles of pigskin overwhelmed by our M1A1 Abrams tank of truth.

So it is today that we dive into one of the biggest stories of the 2010 NFL draft by looking at the college productivity of six legendary quarterbacks here in the modern pass-happy era.

Six Big-Name College Quarterbacks
Player Comp. Att. Pct. Yards YPA TD INT Rating*
Player A 851 1,354 62.85 11,201 8.27 90 33 100.93
Player B 825 1,232 66.96 8,772 7.12 76 37 95.60
Player C 841 1,383 60.81 10,286 7.44 84 36 93.15
Player D 493 797 61.86 6,625 8.31 52 21 99.04
Player E 564 986 57.20 7,731 7.84 51 33 85.72
Player F 661 985 67.11 9,286 9.43 88 15 120.72

* Using the NFL formula for passer rating, not the NCAA formula

The numbers aren't even close. One player dominates. One player leaps screaming off the list, like Horshack on "Welcome Back Kotter" when he knew the answer to a question: “Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!”

That dominant individual, of course, is Player F. This quarterback:
Was the most accurate of any of these six passers.
Dominated the average per attempt category – our favorite number – by better than 1 yard per attempt over the No. 2 player on the list.
Boasts a passer rating so sky high it defies description, nearly 20 full points better than the No. 2 player on the list.
Elsewhere, Player F was No. 2 in total TD passes – but easily No. 1 in TD pass percentage. Player F threw a TD on 8.9 percent of his pass attempts – easily outpacing Player A, who threw a touchdown on 6.6 percent of his pass attempts.

Finally, Player F protected the ball much better than any of the other quarterbacks on this list. Player F threw an interception on just 1.52 percent of attempts – easily outpacing Player C, who threw an interception on 2.60 percent of attempts. And you know what we've always told you: quarterbacks who throw picks lose games. Quarterbacks who don't throw picks win games.

Dying to know who they are, arentcha? Well, the numbers represent the college career stats of six of the greatest quarterbacks in the modern history of the SEC. Here goes:
Player A is Peyton Manning. He played for Tennessee in the SEC and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 draft.
Player B is Tim Couch. He played for Kentucky in the SEC and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1999 draft.
Player C is Eli Manning. He played for Ole Miss in the SEC and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 draft.
Player D is JaMarcus Russell. He played for LSU in the SEC and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft.
Player E is Matt Stafford. He played for Georgia in the SEC and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft.
And, finally, Player F is Tim Tebow. He played for Florida and the SEC and will be far from the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft.
The list tells us many things.

First, it tells us that the SEC has dominated the draft in recent years, as you probably already knew. But five guys at the most important position on the field taken No. 1 overall in a 12-year stretch is a remarkable accomplishment, even by the lofty standards of the dominant conference in college football.

Second, it tells us that NFL talent evaluators are out of their ******* minds.

Tebow, as you know, is the biggest question mark in the 2010 draft among the pigskin punditistas. He's the highest rated passer in the history of SEC football. He was easily a better passer than Peyton Manning or Matt Stafford or Tim Couch or any of the guys whose ability to pass was never really questioned by NFL talent analysts.

And yet NFL evalautors for some reason aren't sold on Tebow. Couch and Russell are two bona fide NFL busts, even though pro football talent evaluators couldn't usher them into the league fast enough. Yet these same talent evaluators harbor grave doubts about the ability of the greatest and most efficient passer in SEC history to pass the ball at the next level.

Consider, Charley Casserly, the longtime NFL executive turned NFL Network analyst, who was on the air Thursday telling the world that Tebow will go no higher than the fourth round of the draft next month.

Other executives seem obsessed by the trivia over Tebow’s mechanics, while overlooking the rather irrefutable fact that he dominated college football like no player in memory and despite the fact that he was, by any objective measure, a much better passer than Couch, Russell, Stafford, and either of the Manning brothers.

Tebow not only passed the ball far more effectively than any of these No. 1 overall picks. It pays to remember that, in his spare time, he set the SEC career record for rushing touchdowns. Oh, and he won a Heisman Trophy and two national titles. Other than that, he didn't do much.

The anti-Tebow crowd will argue, weakly, that he was surrounded by greater talent than those other passers.

The anti-Tebow crowd, of course, has its head up its ass.

Let’s look at Peyton Manning. Last we remember, he played with not one, not two but three receivers taken in the top two rounds of the draft: Joey Kent, Marcus Nash and Peerless Price. His team was so loaded with talent that it won the national title the year after he left.

JaMarcus Russell played with arguably the most talented teams of the past decade. They won national titles in 2003 and 2007 and he watched as 34 of his LSU teammates were grabbed in the NFL draft.

Stafford? Well, Georgia is a prolific pipeline of NFL talent. Stafford was one of three starting offensive players from the 2008 Bulldogs taken in the first 50 picks of the 2009 draft (Knowshon Moreno, Mohamed Massaquoi).

Ole Miss is hardly the SEC’s best hotbed of talent. But almost the entire offensive line that protected Eli Manning was good enough to earn a shot in the NFL, including not one but two of his centers: Ben Claxton (2003 draft) and Chris Spencer (2005), one of a small handful of centers ever taken in the first round of the NFL draft.

Couch? Sure, he didn't have much around him. In fact, he's one of just three first-round draft picks to come out of Kentucky in the last 25 years. But in any case, his passing numbers pale in comparison to those produced by Tebow.

The anti-Tebow crowd could also throw out the old David Klingler argument. You know, "anybody can put up big stats in the college game."

But Tebow didn't just put up big stats ... he put up supremely efficient stats. He was more accurate, and produced more big passing plays, and was more likely to put the ball in the end zone, and more likely to keep it out of the hands of opposing defenders, than any of the recent collection of No. 1 passing phenoms to come out of the SEC.

Tebow was, by any measure, a better player, a better quarterback and, yes, a better passer than any of these No. 1 picks.

We understand that college success does not translate to NFL success. The long history of Heisman winners turned NFL busts underscores that argument.

However, in the gamble that is the NFL draft, we'll roll the dice on the proven and unmatched passing talent of Tebow rather than on the sorry track record of pro football talent evaluators.

http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/11_3171_A_tale_of_six_quarterbacks.html

Northman
04-23-2010, 09:42 AM
What he brings: This is a stretch. Tebow is a long way from developing into a functional NFL quarterback, and he might never become that. We have concerns about his footwork and elongated delivery, and his struggles at the Senior Bowl only magnified those issues. He has re-worked his delivery, but has only had a few weeks to make those changes. However, he brings intangibles that set him apart from almost any other player in this draft, and if he doesn't work out as a quarterback he showed at the combine that he has enough athleticism, determination and toughness to become an H-back and work as a signal-caller in short-yardage and Wildcat situations. Still, this was a surprising pick. Video analysis: http://assets.espn.go.com/icons/watch.png McShay (http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5114127) | Edwards (http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5127595)
How he fits: Tebow won't be asked to start right away with Kyle Orton (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=8520) and Brady Quinn (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=10466) already on the depth chart. What Tebow will bring is intensity, passion for football and leadership. His willingness to improve and uncanny intangibles are qualities that coach Josh McDaniels does demand. Tebow has his work cut out for him in terms of mechanics, but he will be worked into the offense slowly. Time will have to tell on this pick.

More on Tebow.

Tned
04-23-2010, 09:43 AM
Ok, I'm sold. Tebow is the next Peyton. Woooohooo!!!! ;)

Tned
04-23-2010, 09:43 AM
It is amazing how divided the supporters and critics of Tebow are in the media.

SOCALORADO.
04-23-2010, 09:44 AM
More on Tebow.

Anything by McShay is pure crappola, man.
But i'll read the stuff.

Northman
04-23-2010, 09:45 AM
More


ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Forget Jay Cutler (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=9597).

Josh McDaniels’ legacy in Denver -- and probably as an NFL head coach -- will rest on the boldest in a series of brash moves he has made since becoming the Broncos' coach 15 months ago.

On the day he turned 34, McDaniels rocked the NFL world by wheeling and dealing all night in a cascade of moves that culminated in taking Florida quarterback Tim Tebow (http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2010&id=24889) with the 25th pick.

The story of the 2010 draft is in Denver.

NFL Draft 2010 Coverage

• Sando: Much riding on Bradford (http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/17340/stakes-high-for-rams-bradford)
• Seifert: Lions right to pick Suh (http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/11801/suh-the-choice-of-the-people-and-the-team)
• Williamson: McDaniels' legacy is Tebow (http://espn.go.com/blog/afcwest/post/_/id/12461/mcdaniels-legacy-is-tebow)
• Yasinskas: McCoy big building block (http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_/id/9742/bucs-get-another-piece-of-foundation)
• Graham: Spiller could pay off for Bills (http://espn.go.com/blog/afceast/post/_/id/13001/spiller-pick-risky-but-could-pay-off-for-bills)
• Walker: Browns fail to make splash (http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/12249/haden-solid-but-browns-fail-to-make-splash)
• Kuharsky: Jags may be right on Alualu (http://espn.go.com/blog/afcsouth/post/_/id/11072/what-if-the-jaguars-are-right)
• Mosley: Cowboys happy with Bryant (http://espn.go.com/blog/nfceast/post/_/id/13416/bryant-pick-speaks-volumes-for-boys)
• Clayton: Round 1 winners and losers (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft10/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=5127822)
• Pasquarelli: Wait worth it for Tebow (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft10/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=5127828)
• Wojciechowski: Bradford's journey (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft10/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=5127174)
• NFL Nation Live: Draft discussion (http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/21803/nfl-nation-live-draft-day-discussion)
• NFL Draft 2010 section (http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft)


No player in recent memory has been as polarizing as Tebow. Some NFL scouts think the former Heisman Trophy winner has the right stuff to go with his Disney-esque will and character to become a standout NFL quarterback. Others in the league don’t think he has the right mechanical makeup to succeed, especially after an amateurish performance at the Senior Bowl. Others think he could be a solid H-back. Dallas Cowboys (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/clubhouse?team=dal) owner Jerry Jones said he couldn't get him on the field.

McDaniels?

Well, he has staked his career on Tebow, and traded three picks to draft him.

“He has all the traits you look for,” McDaniels said. “It’s a good pick.”

If Tebow becomes a standout quarterback under McDaniels’ tutelage, both will have long, wonderful careers in Denver. If Tebow fails to become mechanically sound and an acceptable NFL passer, he’ll begin his missionary life earlier than he had hoped and McDaniels will be the guy who was run out of Denver after making one too many risky moves.

Think McDaniels cares? Think again.

Remember, this is the guy who traded Cutler, a Pro Bowl quarterback, after a five-week spat. McDaniels shipped Cutler out of town without worrying about what people thought. He kicked Brandon Marshall (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=9705) out of town this month without worrying that his receiving group is a mess. Ironically, one of the picks acquired from Miami in the Marshall trade was part of the Tebow deal.

Now, he takes Tebow several picks higher than many people think he was worth. Tebow was the call despite Denver having glaring needs at other spots.

Again, McDaniels does it his own way.

He saw something in Tebow. He thinks he can win with him. He took Tebow over Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen (http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2010&id=25716). Clausen was likely higher than Tebow on at least 25 NFL boards. That doesn’t matter to McDaniels, who gushed about Tebow in his pre-draft press conference and who personally worked him out Monday.

Whether you question McDaniels’ methods or not, his ability to coach quarterbacks can’t be denied. Tom Brady (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=2330) broke records under his guidance. Matt Cassel (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=8644) owes a nice portion of his $40 million deal in Kansas City to McDaniels. Cassel went from a guy who hadn’t started since high school to starring under McDaniels in New England when Brady got hurt in 2008.

Journeyman Kyle Orton (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=8520) was solid under McDaniels last year. One of the reasons McDaniels was selected to replace Mike Shanahan at the age of 32 is because he convinced Denver owner Pat Bowen that he is a quarterback guru.

Tebow is his greatest project.

Don’t expect Tebow to start as a rookie although McDaniels said he will play when he’s ready. McDaniels also indicated there could be some packages made for Tebow right away and indicated he could play initially in a Wildcat (Wild Horse in Denver) formation.

Tebow is now McDaniels’ pet project. He is the guy he has been looking for since he came to Denver.

Tebow will be given the full attention of McDaniels beginning at next weekend’s rookie minicamp. Brady Quinn (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=10466) and Tom Brandstater (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=12466)? Thanks for coming.

This is Tebow’s show.

“We need players at that position to be very good players,” McDaniels said. “If we have the chance to make him special, that’s what we’re looking for.”

McDaniels got his man. Now, let’s see what he does with him.

Mike
04-23-2010, 09:47 AM
It is amazing how divided the supporters and critics of Tebow are in the media.

Josh obviously felt that Bronco Nation was too peaceful and that we could use a lightening rod for arguments. :D

In the end, we all think (and I am including the media in this) we know everything. In reality, we are all a bunch of blowhards. :beer:

SOCALORADO.
04-23-2010, 09:49 AM
TIM TEBOW=STEVE YOUNG II.

"Trust me."
http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/02_03/IndyDM_468x331.jpg

Ravage!!!
04-23-2010, 09:56 AM
Seems I've seen a LOT of really good QBs fail in teh NFL level, and most of them were MUCH better passer's than Tebow is.

Denver Native (Carol)
04-23-2010, 10:14 AM
http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?id=09000d5d817b7b9d&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true

NEW YORK -- Tim Tebow, first-round draft pick.

Get used to it.

The great college quarterback that so many pundits insist will be a bust at the position in the NFL became part of some very elite company near the end of the first round of the draft Thursday night. That was when the Denver Broncos sent shock waves throughout the league by using the 25th overall choice, which followed four trades (two down and two up), on Tebow. Tebow came after the second upward move.

Crazy or brilliant?

Time will tell (and by most estimations, Tebow is considered a two- or three-year project), but no other choice is going to be scrutinized as heavily as this one.

If you can get past the fact that some NFL scouts and a number of analysts see the former Florida star as perhaps an H-back or filling some other position other than quarterback, try and wrap your brain around this: He was only one of two quarterbacks selected in the first round. The other, of course, was Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, whom the St. Louis Rams made the top overall pick.

Everyone expected the Rams to do what they did.

No one expected the Broncos, or any team, to take Tebow ahead of Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen.

Conventional wisdom had Clausen as the second-best quarterback in the draft. He was expected to be chosen somewhere in the first round, but that never happened. He certainly was expected to be picked ahead of Tebow.

Crazy or brilliant?

Clausen was supposed to have the sound passing mechanics. He was the one who played for former/current NFL offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and, therefore, seemingly was better prepared than perhaps any quarterback in the college crop for the NFL.

But there were questions about Clausen's personality, whether he could be an effective leader. Many teams were known to be bothered by that, and clearly, enough of them were turned off to allow Clausen to fall right out of the first round.

There were no such concerns about Tebow.

No, the rap on him was, well, poor mechanics. He had that low, looping release that he spent the past couple of months trying to fix. Sure, he was the consummate winner, with a 35-6 record as a starting quarterback. He was tough. He was an excellent athlete. He was big and strong and a man of sterling character.

The only thing he couldn't do, according to the so-called experts, was throw a football well enough to succeed in the NFL.

It's likely the experts haven't changed their mind. That, of course, puts the onus on Tebow and the Broncos to prove them wrong.

Tebow is a supremely confident young man. He has no doubts about his ability to have success in the NFL.

And, if you look at it, Denver is the perfect place for him.

For one thing, although Josh McDaniels still has a lot to prove as a head coach, his credentials as a teacher and developer of quarterbacks are exceptional. He has the skills to give Tebow the necessary instruction to adapt his game to the NFL.

McDaniels has another crucial ingredient: Time.

McDaniels is only in his second season with the Broncos, and he will have the two or three years it might require to mold Tebow into a competent (or better) starter. Meanwhile, Kyle Orton can hold down the job. Orton also has the right personality to handle having a mega-star behind him on the depth chart.

Another reason the Broncos are such a good fit for the former Gators quarterback is that they run a spread offense. That is the scheme that Tebow ran in college while playing for coach Urban Meyer, who has a close connection with New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, for whom McDaniels formerly served as an offensive coordinator.

The Broncos' spread offense is similar to the Patriots' spread offense. And Tebow should feel comfortable in it. He shouldn't face a terribly difficult learning curve because the system will allow him to use his considerable athleticism, along with his strong passing arm.

McDaniels' creativity is one more factor to consider. He will find ways to incorporate Tebow in the offense as a change-up to Orton in certain situations. McDaniels will figure out how to take advantage of the physical talent that the Broncos are able to employ until Tebow has the mental part of the job down well enough to use him more extensively.

Crazy or brilliant?

We'll see. And we'll scrutinize.

CoachChaz
04-23-2010, 10:20 AM
Seems I've seen a LOT of really good QBs fail in teh NFL level, and most of them were MUCH better passer's than Tebow is.

and to be fair some were probably also worse. it will be interesting to see how many of the people that like to make cutler out to be a hall of fame guarantee by comparing his stats in four years to better players will quickly dismiss Tebows abilities.

G_Money
04-23-2010, 10:37 AM
McDaniels has a penchant for passing up projects he inherited with potential but pitfalls in getting there, and taking on his own projects instead.

It's not the projects that he minds, it's apparently that he didn't pick them.

I certainly hope that his hand-picked projects turn out for the best. I need McDaniels to be as smart about personnel and as good at teaching as he thinks he is.

One thing he definitely won't have to worry about with Tebow is his willingness to get 100% behind whatever Josh asks him to do, though. Josh wasn't getting that feeling from Cutler and the rest, and if you're an uncompromising sort of fella (as Josh is) then you'd better have guys who are willing to do it your way and run through that brick wall just because you said so.

Josh reminds me more of Parcells than Belichick. Hopefully he has the Parcells knack for knowing EXACTLY the sort of players who will succeed under him, and is just scuttling the failures as Bill P was known to do.

~G

roomemp
04-23-2010, 10:38 AM
Seems I've seen a LOT of really good QBs fail in teh NFL level, and most of them were MUCH better passer's than Tebow is.

Thanks for that little nugget :laugh:

Krull
04-24-2010, 08:04 AM
I have watched every single snap this kid has taken in his collegiate carreer. If you give him a chance he will deliver, guaranteed. You have one heck of a football player/warrior on your hands. Listen to what Mel Kiper says? Todd Mcshay? What accomplishments have they ever made? They said Jamarcus Russel was going to be a superstar...........still waiting for that. I'm telling you this is a good choice. Don't get caught up in the media bs.
Read this.....
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/kerry_byrne/03/22/tim.tebow/index.html?eref=sihp

mateus
04-24-2010, 09:25 AM
that is a heck of an analysis!
but these are still college numbers, so lets wait and see what he can do before calling him the second coming. give him a chance, he might surprise us all.

gobroncsnv
04-24-2010, 09:56 AM
What did the experts think of Kurt Warner? Tom Brady? Then take it the other way... Ryan Leaf? Couch? When it's all said and done, what do the "experts" really know. AT ALL... Ya gotta love draft day rhetoric, with all of the "measurables", people trying to convince you that this is science, yet time and again, their pronouncements of "sure thing", "mail it in", and "can't miss" just don't translate to what happens on the field, which, um, is where the game is really played.
It's also quite funny to look at teams that go from worst to first in the course of one season to the next... look back at what the experts say about that... When it's all said and done, this game is played on the field, and the games start in September, not now.
I'm anxious to see what Tebow can do, but also to see who among our 4 will rise to the top. If Tebow becomes the starter because he earns it, I'm all for it. If getting Quinn and Tebow push Orton to become better than everybody thinks he could have, I'm all for that as well....

mateus
04-24-2010, 10:03 AM
What did the experts think of Kurt Warner? Tom Brady? Then take it the other way... Ryan Leaf? Couch? When it's all said and done, what do the "experts" really know. AT ALL... Ya gotta love draft day rhetoric, with all of the "measurables", people trying to convince you that this is science, yet time and again, their pronouncements of "sure thing", "mail it in", and "can't miss" just don't translate to what happens on the field, which, um, is where the game is really played.
It's also quite funny to look at teams that go from worst to first in the course of one season to the next... look back at what the experts say about that... When it's all said and done, this game is played on the field, and the games start in September, not now.
I'm anxious to see what Tebow can do, but also to see who among our 4 will rise to the top. If Tebow becomes the starter because he earns it, I'm all for it. If getting Quinn and Tebow push Orton to become better than everybody thinks he could have, I'm all for that as well....

what matters is the Broncos record at the end of the season. :cool:

Tebow4Ever
04-24-2010, 04:23 PM
http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/11_3171_A_tale_of_six_quarterbacks.html

Lonestar
04-24-2010, 04:25 PM
http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/11_3171_A_tale_of_six_quarterbacks.html

A tale of six quarterbacks
Cold, Hard Football Facts for March 19, 2010

(Also see "the tired old story of Tim Tebow's mechanics")

The glittering genius of the Cold, Hard Football Facts is that we admire only numbers and productivity.

We put little stock in a player’s pedigree. And we put even less stock in the “pundits” and their outdated weapon of choice, the opinion, which bounces off the steely armor of our analysis so helplessly, like nothing but little pebbles of pigskin overwhelmed by our M1A1 Abrams tank of truth.

So it is today that we dive into one of the biggest stories of the 2010 NFL draft by looking at the college productivity of six legendary quarterbacks here in the modern pass-happy era.


Six Big-Name College Quarterbacks
Player Comp. Att. Pct. Yards YPA TD INT Rating*
A 851 1,354 62.85 11,201 8.27 90 33 100.93
B 825 1,232 66.96 8,772 7.12 76 37 95.60
C 841 1,383 60.81 10,286 7.44 84 36 93.15
D 493 797 61.86 6,625 8.31 52 21 99.04
E 564 986 57.20 7,731 7.84 51 33 85.72
F 661 985 67.11 9,286 9.43 88 15 120.72
* Using the NFL formula for passer rating, not the NCAA formula

The numbers aren't even close. One player dominates. One player leaps screaming off the list, like Horshack on "Welcome Back Kotter" when he knew the answer to a question: “Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!”

That dominant individual, of course, is Player F. This quarterback:
Was the most accurate of any of these six passers.
Dominated the average per attempt category – our favorite number – by better than 1 yard per attempt over the No. 2 player on the list.
Boasts a passer rating so sky high it defies description, nearly 20 full points better than the No. 2 player on the list.
Elsewhere, Player F was No. 2 in total TD passes – but easily No. 1 in TD pass percentage. Player F threw a TD on 8.9 percent of his pass attempts – easily outpacing Player A, who threw a touchdown on 6.6 percent of his pass attempts.

Finally, Player F protected the ball much better than any of the other quarterbacks on this list. Player F threw an interception on just 1.52 percent of attempts – easily outpacing Player C, who threw an interception on 2.60 percent of attempts. And you know what we've always told you: quarterbacks who throw picks lose games. Quarterbacks who don't throw picks win games.

Dying to know who they are, arentcha? Well, the numbers represent the college career stats of six of the greatest quarterbacks in the modern history of the SEC. Here goes:
Player A is Peyton Manning. He played for Tennessee in the SEC and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 draft.
Player B is Tim Couch. He played for Kentucky in the SEC and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1999 draft.
Player C is Eli Manning. He played for Ole Miss in the SEC and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 draft.
Player D is JaMarcus Russell. He played for LSU in the SEC and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft.
Player E is Matt Stafford. He played for Georgia in the SEC and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft.
And, finally, Player F is Tim Tebow. He played for Florida and the SEC and will be far from the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft.
The list tells us many things.

First, it tells us that the SEC has dominated the draft in recent years, as you probably already knew. But five guys at the most important position on the field taken No. 1 overall in a 12-year stretch is a remarkable accomplishment, even by the lofty standards of the dominant conference in college football.

Second, it tells us that NFL talent evaluators are out of their f*cking minds.

Tebow, as you know, is the biggest question mark in the 2010 draft among the pigskin punditistas. He's the highest rated passer in the history of SEC football. He was easily a better passer than Peyton Manning or Matt Stafford or Tim Couch or any of the guys whose ability to pass was never really questioned by NFL talent analysts.

And yet NFL evalautors for some reason aren't sold on Tebow. Couch and Russell are two bona fide NFL busts, even though pro football talent evaluators couldn't usher them into the league fast enough. Yet these same talent evaluators harbor grave doubts about the ability of the greatest and most efficient passer in SEC history to pass the ball at the next level.

Consider, Charley Casserly, the longtime NFL executive turned NFL Network analyst, who was on the air Thursday telling the world that Tebow will go no higher than the fourth round of the draft next month.

Other executives seem obsessed by the trivia over Tebow’s mechanics, while overlooking the rather irrefutable fact that he dominated college football like no player in memory and despite the fact that he was, by any objective measure, a much better passer than Couch, Russell, Stafford, and either of the Manning brothers.

Tebow not only passed the ball far more effectively than any of these No. 1 overall picks. It pays to remember that, in his spare time, he set the SEC career record for rushing touchdowns. Oh, and he won a Heisman Trophy and two national titles. Other than that, he didn't do much.

The anti-Tebow crowd will argue, weakly, that he was surrounded by greater talent than those other passers.

The anti-Tebow crowd, of course, has its head up its ass.

Let’s look at Peyton Manning. Last we remember, he played with not one, not two but three receivers taken in the top two rounds of the draft: Joey Kent, Marcus Nash and Peerless Price. His team was so loaded with talent that it won the national title the year after he left.

JaMarcus Russell played with arguably the most talented teams of the past decade. They won national titles in 2003 and 2007 and he watched as 34 of his LSU teammates were grabbed in the NFL draft.

Stafford? Well, Georgia is a prolific pipeline of NFL talent. Stafford was one of three starting offensive players from the 2008 Bulldogs taken in the first 50 picks of the 2009 draft (Knowshon Moreno, Mohamed Massaquoi).

Ole Miss is hardly the SEC’s best hotbed of talent. But almost the entire offensive line that protected Eli Manning was good enough to earn a shot in the NFL, including not one but two of his centers: Ben Claxton (2003 draft) and Chris Spencer (2005), one of a small handful of centers ever taken in the first round of the NFL draft.

Couch? Sure, he didn't have much around him. In fact, he's one of just three first-round draft picks to come out of Kentucky in the last 25 years. But in any case, his passing numbers pale in comparison to those produced by Tebow.

The anti-Tebow crowd could also throw out the old David Klingler argument. You know, "anybody can put up big stats in the college game."

But Tebow didn't just put up big stats ... he put up supremely efficient stats. He was more accurate, and produced more big passing plays, and was more likely to put the ball in the end zone, and more likely to keep it out of the hands of opposing defenders, than any of the recent collection of No. 1 passing phenoms to come out of the SEC.

Tebow was, by any measure, a better player, a better quarterback and, yes, a better passer than any of these No. 1 picks.

We understand that college success does not translate to NFL success. The long history of Heisman winners turned NFL busts underscores that argument.

However, in the gamble that is the NFL draft, we'll roll the dice on the proven and unmatched passing talent of Tebow rather than on the sorry track record of pro football talent evaluators.

Tebow4Ever
04-24-2010, 04:27 PM
sorry about that...Should have copied the text.

Tned
04-24-2010, 04:32 PM
Was it coach that listed the stats of 8 or 10 college QBs (no names, just stat lines) and asked people to rank them? There was one thread in draft, and one in the college football forum, I think. Need to dig those up.

Tebow4Ever
04-24-2010, 04:35 PM
Was it coach that listed the stats of 8 or 10 college QBs (no names, just stat lines) and asked people to rank them? There was one thread in draft, and one in the college football forum, I think. Need to dig those up.

not sure Tned, I'll try and find them

honz
04-24-2010, 04:35 PM
Tebow is a lefty so isn't this really a left up on Tim Tebow?

Tebow4Ever
04-24-2010, 04:43 PM
Tebow is a lefty so isn't this really a left up on Tim Tebow?


Nice one Honz