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Lonestar
08-20-2010, 03:33 PM
Tebow's ferocious physicality could need taming in the NFL
By Mike Klis
Denver Post
POSTED: 08/20/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT


Hit heard 'round Broncos Nation: Tim Tebow takes a blast from two Bengals defenders in the end zone. (Joseph Fuque II, The Cincinnati Enquirer )
Taming Tim Tebow has begun.

For a second consecutive day, while the Broncos were finishing up training camp Thursday, the rambunctious rookie quarterback was locked up inside the trainer's room, the wild stallion equivalent of the barn.

All quarterbacks eventually learn bone-jarring contact is detrimental to present and long-term health. Breaking Tebow of his ferocious physicality may well be the greatest of challenges.

Though no one questioned the wisdom of Tebow's full-body hurdle into a two-tackler sandwich, and touchdown, on the final play of the Broncos' preseason game Sunday at Cincinnati, the play encapsulated the overriding concern of how the 245-pound quarterback is willing to put himself in harm's way.

"You've got to choose between smart decision and toughness," Broncos cornerback Andre Goodman said. "But when it's in you, it's in you. It's hard to run it off. I would imagine it's going to be tougher for him to learn that than most quarterbacks. I was watching him pace the sideline for the first half. You should have seen the look he had. He couldn't wait to get in the game."

Tebow's gallant first professional touchdown left him with bruised left ribs, courtesy of an unintentional but full-force helmet blast from Bengals linebacker Abdul Hodge. As Tebow's ribs absorbed the impact of Hodge's blow, the quarterback- turned-ball carrier was almost simultaneously struck on the right side by safety Kyries Hebert.

The touchdown was signaled, and Tebow slowly got up. Hebert was considerably slower to rise.

"Had he not tried to get it in on the last play of the game, I'm sure that would have been a bigger story," Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said. "Now, if it's the first quarter and you get a first down on a scramble, yeah, you try to preserve your body. I think that's the smartest thing to do. He hasn't been in that situation yet, so to judge him on what happened the other night in terms of being reckless,

I would say, is very unfair."
Safety vs. hard-core zeal

McDaniels' policy is to not make any injured player available to the media. No exceptions were made for the NFL's most well-known third-string quarterback.

Not that Tebow hasn't already been confronted with questions about his contact-seeking preferences. In October 2007, a story in the Palm Beach Post was headlined: "Hits on Tebow Worry Players."

A few days earlier, Tebow suffered a right shoulder injury during a 45-37 victory against Kentucky and linebacker Wesley Woodyard.

"We'll be like, 'Coach, you might need to chill out with Tebow,' " Florida receiver Percy Harvin said at the time. "They'll look at us and say, 'Yeah, we're going to start (giving more carries to the running backs), but in the heat of the moment, when we need those three yards, we've got to go to him.' "

Said Tebow then: "You have to be responsible for your teammates by staying healthy and not taking too many hits."

Tebow, thus, understands he needs to slide after crossing the first-down marker, or go out of bounds rather than take on an uncoiling safety.

But these self-preservation tricks are in contradiction to his genuine zeal for sacrificing self for team's sake.

"Of course, you want him to protect himself," Woodyard said. "But, honestly, as a defensive guy, we feed off it when you see your quarterback go out and track down people, show a hard-nosed mentality. We like that spirit from your quarterback."
Going on instinct


Post Poll - Broncos QBs

Which quarterback do you wish to see take the majority of snaps as the starter this year for the Denver Broncos?

Total Votes = 20316
Kyle Orton: The incumbent will flourish in his second season under coach Josh McDaniels.
43.14 %
Brady Quinn: Given a second chance in a new system, his vast potential will be realized.
22.55 %
Tim Tebow: Why wait? He has proven himself a winner at the highest levels of college ball.
34.29 %


Although there is no serious damage to Tebow's ribs, he is questionable to play Saturday night in the Broncos' second preseason game against Detroit.

He might play, because as a raw, talented rookie, he needs every preseason snap possible. He might not, because it appears the Broncos need him healthy for the regular season, starting with the opener Sept. 12 in his hometown of Jacksonville.

"The fella's got a nice game to him," Broncos linebacker Mario Haggan said. "He changes a defense like Vince Young and Michael Vick does. You can't sit back and play a lot of coverage — you've got to have a spy. So that opens up a lot of things when he's in there."

Case in point: Tebow's touchdown run at Cincinnati. He threw low for an incompletion on what should have been a touchdown pass with three seconds remaining. On the next and final play, he dropped back to pass again, only to see nobody between him and the end zone.

"Maybe in your eighth, ninth, 10th year, maybe you don't go headfirst into the end zone in the preseason," Broncos safety Brian Dawkins said. "But then again, when your juices get going, and you see that lane open up, your first instinct is to get going."

Cincinnati's defenders closed too late to stop Tebow from scoring; not too late to deliver a punishing blow. It's a swap Tebow's history suggests was worthwhile.

"I think what he did the other night — I hope all of our guys would have done," McDaniels said. "I'm sure he'll learn either the easy way or the hard way that you want to try to stay in this league as long as you can. And we'll help him do that."

Mike Klis: 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com

http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_15834758?source=rsssimplepiebroncos

BroncoNut
08-20-2010, 03:41 PM
interesting. He seems to love the contact, that's for sure. I'm not too worried at it really., I think he'll adjust fine to learning when and how to avoid the hit. We talked about this yesterday. I think you all know where I stand.

nice read, thanks.

Jagsbch
08-20-2010, 03:55 PM
Come on Mike this is rediculous.

Taming Tebow?

Tebow, thus, understands he needs to slide after crossing the first-down marker, or go out of bounds rather than take on an uncoiling safety?

There was no time left on the clock. Sliding into the endzone?:D:D

I can't imagine Tebow doing anything else if given the same opportunity during the regular season. Anyone with any such delusions is only fooling themselves.:salute:

Lonestar
08-20-2010, 04:02 PM
personally I suspect that he will put more hurts on the LB and DB's than the other way around.

I remember DB's not taking on hillis head on after doing it once. IN fact put 3 of them out a one game.

I Eat Staples
08-20-2010, 04:05 PM
personally I suspect that he will put more hurts on the LB and DB's than the other way around.

I remember DB's not taking on hillis head on after doing it once. IN fact put 3 of them out a one game.

Tebow may have been able to run over LBs and DBs in college, but this is the NFL. Tebow isn't going to be putting hurt on Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Troy Polomalu, etc.

If you remember Elway's first years in the league, he rarely slid. He got the hang of it after a while, and Tebow is going to have to as well. There's no shame in sliding AFTER you pick up the first down yardage.

Lonestar
08-20-2010, 04:12 PM
Tebow may have been able to run over LBs and DBs in college, but this is the NFL. Tebow isn't going to be putting hurt on Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Troy Polomalu, etc.

If you remember Elway's first years in the league, he rarely slid. He got the hang of it after a while, and Tebow is going to have to as well. There's no shame in sliding AFTER you pick up the first down yardage.

Elway 215-220 Tebow 240-245 huge difference.

Will he learn to slid or take glancing blows no doubt but FEW DB are going to try and take him head on. They alos learn that fast in the NFL.

As for him not being in college.

many if not all college pundits say that the SEC is the closest thing to playing in the NFL. He dominated there as one of the IF not the best college player ever.

He took an odd shot on SUN that in fact left one of the DB on the field. I suspect with the additional flack jacket he will be sporting from now on he is still not going to shy away from hitting someone if he can get extra yards if he can get them.

I Eat Staples
08-20-2010, 04:17 PM
Elway 215-220 Tebow 240-245 huge difference.

Will he learn to slid or take glancing blows no doubt but FEW DB are going to try and take him head on. They alos learn that fast in the NFL.

As for him not being in college.

many if not all college pundits say that the SEC is the closest thing to playing in the NFL. He dominated there as one of the IF not the best college player ever.

He took an odd shot on SUN that in fact left one of the DB on the field. I suspect with the additional flack jacket he will be sporting from now on he is still not going to shy away from hitting someone if he can get extra yards if he can get them.

Your points are all valid, however the SEC is known for the speed of it's defense, not the size or physicality. No matter how good they are, it's nothing like the NFL.

The point about his size is true, he even looks like a FB running the ball. But you don't want your QB to get banged up like RBs do. His running style will lead to injuries, even if he gets the better end of most collisions. If he doesn't "tame" his running style, as it was phrased, then we're going to need a serviceable backup when and if he becomes our starter.

dogfish
08-20-2010, 04:18 PM
Tebow's ferocious physicality could need taming in the NFL

horseshit, and likewise dogshit. . .

you don't tell a raging bull to calm down-- you get out of the way. . .

:werd:


he got some bruised ribs, BFD. . . he comes into the league with a unique skill set, and everyone's rushing to change him and try to make him play like everyone else. . . and while i obviously don't object to tweaking his throwing motion, leave his menality alone!

if he didn't go for it in that situation, he wouldn't be the player he is-- wouldn't have had the overwhelming college success. . . he's not some shrinking violet who's going to get broken in half if he takes a couple hits. . .

Lonestar
08-20-2010, 04:22 PM
Your points are all valid, however the SEC is known for the speed of it's defense, not the size or physicality. No matter how good they are, it's nothing like the NFL.

The point about his size is true, he even looks like a FB running the ball. But you don't want your QB to get banged up like RBs do. His running style will lead to injuries, even if he gets the better end of most collisions. If he doesn't "tame" his running style, as it was phrased, then we're going to need a serviceable backup when and if he becomes our starter.

could be wrong but the vast majority of starting LB and DL players are from the SEC.

I also suspect that they did not fatten up before being drafted.

but then I could be wrong there.

I Eat Staples
08-20-2010, 04:24 PM
could be wrong but the vast majority of starting LB and DL players are from the SEC.

I also suspect that they did not fatten up before being drafted.

but then I could be wrong there.

But the majority of starting LB and DL players from the SEC are not playing in the NFL, making your point irrelevant. Tebow has never played a game against 11 NFL defenders.

Jagsbch
08-20-2010, 04:26 PM
Case in point: Tebow's touchdown run at Cincinnati. He threw low for an incompletion on what should have been a touchdown pass with three seconds remaining.

I take exception to this comment as well.

If Broncos 2009 UDFA TE Marquez Branson hopes to replace Tony Scheffler‎, he better learn how to catch the ball with his hands rather than try to cradle it into his chest like he did when he inadvertently dropped the would be TD pass from Tebow, who threw it on the run while running right after buying time when the pocket collapsed.

dogfish
08-20-2010, 04:28 PM
Your points are all valid, however the SEC is known for the speed of it's defense, not the size or physicality. No matter how good they are, it's nothing like the NFL.



terrence cody? rolando mcclain? eric berry? dan williams? micah johnson? eric norwood? greg hardy? chad jones? jasper brinkley? robert ayers? tyson jackson?


the SEC competition that tebow faced was littered with big, physical, NFL-caliber defenders. . .

I Eat Staples
08-20-2010, 04:37 PM
terrence cody? rolando mcclain? eric berry? dan williams? micah johnson? eric norwood? greg hardy? chad jones? jasper brinkley? robert ayers? tyson jackson?


the SEC competition that tebow faced was littered with big, physical, NFL-caliber defenders. . .

You named 11 players, and I agree all of them are very good. He didn't face them all at once. In the NFL, all 11 guys on defense are of that caliber.

dogfish
08-20-2010, 05:00 PM
You named 11 players, and I agree all of them are very good. He didn't face them all at once. In the NFL, all 11 guys on defense are of that caliber.

well, clearly he's never faced an actual NFL defense, since he hasn't played in the NFL yet. . . :lol:


same could be said about every other player who's ever come out of college. . . but let's not act like he didn't play against some very good competition in college, where he consistently competed and won on the sport's very biggest stages. . . the alabama defense that he went against multiple times will probably produce half-a-dozen plus legit NFL talents if not more. . .

there's no reason to believe that tim can't handle NFL punishment. . . he's a big hoss in the mold of an elway or rothlisberger. . . obviously no one expects him to log 200+ carries running between the tackles, but i see exactly zero reason to think he can't survive taking on some defensive backs in the open field. . .

Lonestar
08-20-2010, 06:05 PM
well, clearly he's never faced an actual NFL defense, since he hasn't played in the NFL yet. . . :lol:


same could be said about every other player who's ever come out of college. . . but let's not act like he didn't play against some very good competition in college, where he consistently competed and won on the sport's very biggest stages. . . the alabama defense that he went against multiple times will probably produce half-a-dozen plus legit NFL talents if not more. . .

there's no reason to believe that tim can't handle NFL punishment. . . he's a big hoss in the mold of an elway or rothlisberger. . . obviously no one expects him to log 200+ carries running between the tackles, but i see exactly zero reason to think he can't survive taking on some defensive backs in the open field. . .

Outstanding post. There are others that he has competed agianst over the years and like you said he will indeed cause some damage to DBs if they are foolish even to take him head on.

I also know he will moderate his style somewhat in the future.

But he doubtfully ever be a shrinking violet on the field.

Some things are so ingrained that olny being on cructhes will stop them from happeining.

I'm also guessing the the DUKE will have a chat with him and give some advise.

Then it is up to him to craft his play on the field. Whatever he decides is what it is.

If it is for one year or 20 I will enjoy them all.
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I Eat Staples
08-20-2010, 06:08 PM
well, clearly he's never faced an actual NFL defense, since he hasn't played in the NFL yet. . . :lol:

Exactly. So there's no way of knowing how he'll hold up.


same could be said about every other player who's ever come out of college. . . but let's not act like he didn't play against some very good competition in college, where he consistently competed and won on the sport's very biggest stages. . . the alabama defense that he went against multiple times will probably produce half-a-dozen plus legit NFL talents if not more. . .

there's no reason to believe that tim can't handle NFL punishment. . . he's a big hoss in the mold of an elway or rothlisberger. . . obviously no one expects him to log 200+ carries running between the tackles, but i see exactly zero reason to think he can't survive taking on some defensive backs in the open field. . .

I don't think there's ever been a QB who ran over defenders in the NFL. Most mobile QBs get injured one time or another, and aren't very successful.