Tebow's Last Stand

Yes, I'm a Tebow fan. For me, he is the epitome of what we humans could be if we set our minds to it.

But, half of the people who express an opinion about him tend to see him in a negative light. They say that he is pretentious. They think that he's a choir boy. They bet that there's a bad boy just waiting to break out someday.

And, that might be true. He may be putting on an act for the media, the fans, his peers and his family. But, I don't think so. He's the real deal, imho.

Many express negative opinions about his probability of success as an NFL quarterback. They say that he holds the ball too low when he initiates his windup. He's too slow to run the Wildcat. He can't throw deep. He can't run pro offenses because he has always run plays from the shotgun formation.

That might be true. He might not have the physical skills to be an NFL quarterback. He is slow. His throwing technique needs to be cleaned up a bit.

But, if I'm an NFL GM, I'm taking him in the first round if he's available. His upside potential is infinite right now. We don't know how good he can become if he is tutored correctly and is entrenched in an environment that is conducive to bringing out his native skills.

I look beyond his physical skill set because I feel that his overall potential, including those mysterious intangibles, is as high as any QB coming out this year. The draft is a crap shoot anyway. Who knew going into the draft that Joe Montana would play at the level he did in the NFL? Tom Brady was picked in the seventh round. Tony Romo was undrafted.

There are a few undeniable things we do know about Tebow. He's a leader. His peers admire and respect him as a teammate and a friend. His coach treats him like a son. Brandon Spikes, an All-American linebacker for the Gators, told a story about a recruiting trip he made to the University of Alabama. He met Tebow during that trip. Spikes said that after meeting Tebow and being around him for only a few hours, he decided that he would enroll at whatever college Tebow selected. Tebow decided to become a Gator. Spikes signed on the same day.

He has the passion to be the best at whatever he decides to do. And, he has the personality to cajole and convince his teammates to join him on the ride to the top. We've all heard last year's Old Miss speech where he said that there wouldn't be anybody else who would try harder than he and his Gator teammates would try after that loss. And, he lived up to that declaration. The Gators went on to win the national championship and then won their first twelve games this year before being upended by Alabama in the SEC championship game.

He might not be an All-Pro QB in the NFL, but I think that he has that potential. He has the intangibles that you can't teach. He has the leadership abilities and the burning desire to be the best. You can't learn that on the practice field.

No, he's not going to accept being a tight end. He's not going to be satisfied with coming into the game for two or three plays to run from the Wildcat formation. Instead, he'll try his best to be an NFL caliber drop back passer who can make all of the throws he needs to make, call all of the audibles that are required and be the best leader that the NFL has ever seen.

And, if he fails, he'll say that he enjoyed the experience, he'll thank everyone who gave him the opportunity to be successful and then he'll get on with his life's work, whatever that may be.

But, I don't think that he's going to fail. He is going to be a starter and he's going to be a star. I just wanted to go on record with that prognostication on the eve of his last college game.

But, hey, I've got to cut this short. The FSU-West Virginia game is coming on. Ah, Bobby Bowden...now he was a football coach. I remember the time when he went down to Florida to...