[stormer]

Yeah, I know all this stuff. I guess my point is that A) anybody playing QB can execute a shovel pass, and B) the read option is only effective if the QB is a legitimate threat to throw downfield. Tebow may be able to do a pitch-out or run the ball himself, but downfield he couldn’t hit a barn with a handful of rocks.

[pepsi_junkie]

But Tebow is not like, say, Kaepernick in that he has fullback type power. In the red zone or short yardage situations, defenses have to commit to stopping him. And not just with a spy; he'd bulldoze a single spy. But if they over commit to stopping him, he goes shovel pass. It's a flip on the read option; generally there the plan is to run first but if the QB reads overcommitment to defending the RB, he keeps it himself and takes off. This is sort of the inverses scenario.

Some speculate that this is one reason Tebow has value to the Eagles, as a 2-point conversion specialist. However I doubt it as the Eagles generally don't dress their 3rd string QB. I think Tebow could make it just because Matt Barkley stinks so why not keep a guy like Tebow who can at least be a threat to plow through a defense personally? Nothing to lose, if 3rd string QB is starting games the season is over anyway.