Tim Tebow is our only hope for this season. Best case scenario: Tebow works his magic and we start winning games! Worst case scenario: we keep losing... which is the most likely scenario if the Jets keep trotting out Mark Sanchez. They NEED to shake things up! If neither Tebow or Sanchez work, then on the bright side the Jets will finally draft a better QB in next year's draft.
Part of what Tebow has used in his career to win is the concept of staying "on schedule." If you can chip 3 yards every time you snap the ball, you end up in 2 and 7, 3rd and 4, etc. It makes the potential for a first down a more high percentage proposition. If you let him spread it out, and have a little bit of power to audible in and out of run pays and QB keepers, he can be very annoying to a defense. It's basically what he did to the Jets last year on that last drive. Chip, chip, throw. Chip, chip, throw. Jet sweeps to McKnight would be a good addition -- because defenses eventually start really keying on Tebow, putting a 4-man "mush rush" contain package on him in the pocket. A speed merchant like McKnight can punish them around the outside with toss sweeps or bubble screens. (It's what the Broncos were trying to do with Eddie Royal with that bubble screen out of the endzone against the Jets last year, almost blown up). One strength: Shonn Greene can absorb a lot of carries to keep the defense honest. One weakness: Shonn Greene is not a good "cutback runner." That zone read stuff generates a lot of potential for a "one cut" style of runner. You flow with the lineman until you see an opening and cut through it. Greene tends to just run ahead into traffic, without much vision.
One thing that gets overlooked is Tebow's ability to extend plays. most "anti Tebow" folks here demonstrate this when they say he is a "run first" QB. If you go back and look at last year, many, if not most, or his big pass plays came when he found open receivers while scrambling. I understand Sparano's quest for getting the ball out quickly, BUT, the longer a QB can hold on to the ball, the better chance receivers have of getting open. It's just very difficult for DBs to cover guys that long. Additionally, many of us think that a "smart" coach would run Spread Option out of the shotgun with Tebow. That would give you 4 or 5 receivers out on every play. When you run a "conventional" offense with 2 WRs and a TE, teams can cover that with their #1 and #2 CBs and a cover safety or LB. Most teams have 2 good CBs. Not "Revis level", but good enough against young receivers. What most teams don't have is depth down to #3, #4 and #5 CB. Younger receivers who have difficulty against good veteran CBs will have an easier time against #3,#4 and #5 DB. Now, I've heard people say that Tebow can't go through progressions with 3 WRs, and that he'd be lost with 5 of them out there. This is a false notion. Tebow would make decisions based on the pre snap read. Look at and see what the coverage is, identify the matchups that are favorable for us. THAT becomes your progression. Don't know if most people understand this or not, but even "elite" QBs don't go through all 5 WRs when operating from the Spread formations. 2 or 3 of those receivers are out there just to move guys into being out of position on the other receivers. Their "progressions" are based on how the defense lines up to defend the play. From the same formation, one time your progression might be #1, #3, #4. Another time it might be #5, #1, #2. Or #3, #4, #2 It all depends on how the defense lines up.
Good snag on a great article OP. I was reminded of many fun football games. And some great comments too, or they read like they are great. You guys sure know a lot more about football than me. Mostly I just like watching good football games and when the team I'm pulling for wins, that makes it 'the best'.
Just to reenforce what you said - it is even harder for a DB to cover for several more seconds if they have to keep an eye on the QB to make sure he isn't about to pop a run especially if they see him scrambling. A pick your poison moment. P.S. We do need to keep in mind that it isn't likely Tebow will ever be a starter if he isn't able to sustain a very good ability to make plays from the pocket. I just don't think you can make that call yet with the way he has been used in the NFL to date.
That still doesn't address how the receivers work in that system. Is it just god mode play that makes them better?
You need to either pay more attention when reading, or learn how to comprehend what you have read. I.e. young receivers not being able to get open for Sanchez, no separation: -extending plays makes it harder for CB/DBs to cover, coverage breaks down, receivers get open. -putting more receivers on the field and spreading them out stretches the defense and forces them to play #3,#4 and #5 CB/DBs who aren't as good in coverage. Take the jets for example, when Revis is healthy. Great, we put Revis on the opponents best receiver. We then put Cromartie on their second best receiver. Who do we put on their #3, #4 and #5 receivers ? Trufant ? Wilson ? Teams don't have that kind of depth at DB/CB. Sure, hey have guys on the roster in those positions, but they aren't as good in coverage. If the defense stays in a "heavy" package, then you have created mismatches where they'll have LBs trying to cover speedy receivers. So yes, I have in fact addressed the point that was raised.
well said, but you can say it 1000 times, backwards and forwards and put it in neon lights and the T-Hater cult will ignore it .
Powell seems like he's got some potential for this style. What little we saw of him when Greene came out with the helmet to helmet hit.
Name me a solid QB who won a SB in the last 10 years? When a coach does not trust his QB to throw the ball why would u want him as ur starter?
additionally, it gets defenses in their sub packages, putting more corners and less linebackers on the field, reducing the defenses ability to tackle a strong runner
This is a real issue , you hit the nail on the head, Tebow needs to be trusted or it won't work and Sparano and Rex don't want Tebow throwing the ball ( based on what I have seen). I don't think it was a stupid question , I know he probably meant to imply Tebow is just a game manager but the truth behind it is that Sparano and Rex need to trust him or we are back to Denver 2.0
The question he actually asked was stupid. People keep saying that you have to have an elite QB to win a SB and they point to the last 10. What they continue to fail to understand is that Eli wasn't "elite" when he won his first SB. He was competent overall, flashed some elite-ness now and then, but also flashed some serious suck as well. Matter of factly, Ben Roethlisberger was much the same when he won his first SB. Hell, Brady wasn't even elite when he won his first one. Didn't feel like mentioning it, but since he asked about the last 10 SBs, that list would include Brad Johnson as well. So, in the last 10 SBs, AT THE TIME THE GAMES WERE PLAYED, 4 of them were won by teams that did not have "elite" or "great" QBs.
Wow! Quite a few comments on the ESPN article already at their site, lots of funny one, too. Thanks for sharing. Suspect our local comics will be sharing here shortly. :rofl:
You're saying it like if they just deployed this system, our receivers would get open. None of our receivers do a consistent job of getting open regardless of how many are out there. Just because you stretch the defense it doesn't mean Kerley isn't getting dry humped up and down the field whether it's a LB or CB. You talk about creating mismatches against "speedy receivers" but who are you talking about? Hill? Guys who have a hard time keeping their fingers on a tight throw trying to catch Tebow's ducks? That's what I'm talking about. If you send the receivers out and tell them to just run around until they get free it's a nice idea but doesn't work if the receivers can't get free and when they do they can't hold onto a catch.
Stephen Hill isn't going to drop every pass that comes his way. He'll get there. And yes, when you start sending 4 WRs out, some of them will have a better chance of getting open. As I said, once you get passed the top 2 CBs on a team, their coverage ability starts to suffer.
I returned to the OP's link to read the comments because of your comment. It's like rereading all the Tim detractors here in this forum. Our local comics have been posting just not as much as before the 49er game. Wonder why???
Over 1,000 comments, and moving like a ticker tape. And people wonder why there's so much Tebow coverage. You hit on the dirty little secret on the negative commenters -- they like to act like it's a wave of "cult worshippers" that they must be vigilant in defending the world from. But the real numbers are in the ardent detractors. It has the opposite effect -- it makes average joe kind of identify with Tebow when they see him hanging in there, despite all the negative. It's kind of a metaphor for life.
Nice article. The only problem is he left out a lot of the absurd things he has said about Tebow just trying to get attention. I used to be the biggest Skip fan because he didn't just spout off whatever happened to be the consensus media talking points and actually had rare insight even if it meant going against the grain. In other words, him going against the grain was a byproduct of his trying to find an angle that nobody had looked at. This is the way it started with Tim Tebow and at first he was right. Unfortunately at some point in his Tebow/Lebron infatuation he switched from trying to present a different opinion to simply looking for ways to go against the grain just to get a reaction. Now he is basically just trolling I can't even stomach first take anymore because he clearly is just a pot stirrer. I feel very misled by Skip
