Tebow and Bradford Face Quick Decisions on N.F.L. Draft

NY Times ^ | 1-9-09 | Pete Thamel, Thayer Evans

[STARWISE]

After spending the season as college football’s marquee stars, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford now hold the biggest off-season question in their hands.

One N.F.L. scout said that Sam Bradford is a "no-brainer" overall No. 1 pick in the draft.

[Hot Tabasco]

he can get away with it against college defenses, but he will get punished in the NFL.

Its all relevant. His college offensive line vs. another college defensive line. His NFL Pro-offensive line vs. a NFL Pro-defensive line.

He'll do just fine.......

[dfwgator]

Since the integration of the NFC and the AFC...please give me 6 names of players who have left college for the NFL and have gone back to complete their college degrees.

Emmitt Smith, for one.

[saganite]

If I were Bradford I would delay. Who wants to play for Detroit?

[AGreatPer]

I have no clue where Tebow would fit in the Pros. Oh, he is great and probably won that game himself. He isn’t going to be able to do that in the pros.

[dfwgator]

Since this the last year without a cap on rookies it would be wise that they all go this year.

Are you sure about this? Everything I've read suggests that the NFL has no such plans.

[o_zarkman44]

It has already been predicted in the Missouri Media that the 3rd pick overall for KC will probably be a QB.
Granted, they need some Offensive line for better QB protection. Thigpen survived the season because he can scramble and yes, he has a shot at next season.
And the team overall was much better the last 8 games than the 1st 8. They just need a little more beef on both lines.
Probably we are talking about improving 3 key positions. DB SS OL. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Defensive player from Alabama as a 1st round, but he may not be around by #3 pick.
Frankly, I wanted Carl Peterson to go a year ago.
And Larry Johnson can go too. He is a big disappointment.

[AGreatPer]

"If I were Bradford I would delay."

Nah, not a chance. He would lose $10 million because of the new rookie cap. I think Bradford will do great in Detroit.

[death2tyrants]

Rothlessburger would have a field day with those college defenses. He’s made the Pro-Bowl, won the Super Bowl, and this year he’s swept Baltimore, one of the best defenses in the league.

[Be_Politically_Erect]

I can’t disagree with you. If I was faced with the choice, at 20 years of age, to spend another year in college or sign my name and get 20 million immediately I’d have a damn hard time refusing that.

Tebow’s life story is inspiring. If helping others to Christ and being the absolute best they can be then it seems to me that he owes it to the people he’s trying to reach to stay in college and get his degree.

My point being that spending a couple of years in college and jumping to the pros instead of staying and earning your degree sends the wrong message.

How many athletes have the talent and the timing to make it big in the pros? The odds are massively against the aspiring high school athlete.

If there is someone like Tebow or Bradshaw that inspires kids by their play...then by their decision to stay and get the degree might have an impression of importance as well.

However, I know I’m in a minority when college football coaches make more than chancellors or chaired individuals.

I’m a HUGE college football fan...just seems a little out of kilter to me, but then again, I’m old. ;-)

[petitfour]

Joe Namath

[STARWISE]

Aha .. a new twist ....hmmm ... I’d LOVE to see him at Chicago .. the Bearz jest can’t get it together.

~~~~

Douglass sees tough Tebow as a good fit in Chicago

###

When Bobby Douglass watches Tim Tebow he is reminded of the past. Or is it the future? Is Tebow, who led Florida to its second national championship in three years with a 24-14 win over Oklahoma on Thursday night, a throwback or a prototype?

There’s one thing Douglass, the former Bears quarterback best remembered for his bruising running style, knows for sure: Tebow would become Chicago’s version of Paul Bunyan if he ended the Bears’ decades-long quarterback drought. If someone is to become the Bears’ long-awaited franchise quarterback, who better than Tebow, who looks more like a middle linebacker?

Imagine how popular a 240-pound quarterback who doubles as a short-yardage back could be in a town that prizes physical play?

“In this town, people love toughness,” Douglass said. “It’s why people still remember me. You still have to win but he would certainly be welcomed.”

Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said stabilizing the quarterback position is his No. 1 priority this offseason.

Kyle Orton may or may not be the answer. Angelo may opt to sign a free agent, make a trade or draft a quarterback, in which case Tebow would be the most intriguing candidate of all.

Despite Tebow’s championship pedigree, and despite him being one of the most decorated quarterbacks in college football history, some NFL scouts site his left-handed, side-armed delivery and lack of accuracy as reasons why the junior will be only the fifth or sixth best quarterback available if he declares himself draft eligible.

Others worry that he runs too much and doesn’t have enough experience in a pro-style offense to succeed in the NFL.

At least one ex-Bear quarterback disagrees.

Not only does Douglass, whose record of 968 rushing yards in a season by a quarterback stood for 34 years, believe that Tebow is NFL ready, but he is convinced he can usher in a new era that may have already dawned with the popularity of the “wild cat” formation this season.

“I’d love to see him here,” said the Lake Forest resident, who has fully recovered from oral cancer diagnosed two years ago. “If he drops into the second round and Angelo doesn’t take him I’d be very surprised.”

Tebow’s ability to run around and over defenders coupled with his passing ability would make him the ideal candidate to run a potentially high-octane version of the “wild cat,” which typically demands a running back take a direct snap before either running and throwing, which not only gives an offense an element of surprise but a man-advantage in the running game.

Such a dual threat could give a creative offensive coordinator a lot of options on third-and-short and in red-zone situations.

“From what I can see right now, he has the ability to throw the football and that’s his only question mark,” Douglass said. “Athletically, he gives you what you want. He’s got a lot of those things called intangibles.

I’m not keen on intangibles. I like athleticism and he’s the best athlete out there.”

It’s not as if the Bears have had much success with traditional offenses in recent decades. Why not try something bold?

That Tebow is built more like Dick Butkus than Cade McNown undermines the argument that running quarterbacks are too prone to injury to be effective in the NFL.

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops called Tebow “Bronko Nagurski” at the quarterback position. Couldn’t that be interpreted as a sure sign from the football gods that Tebow is destined to become a Bear?

“I’m convinced he should go in the top ten picks,” Douglass said of Tebow, who most project as a second-rounder. “He’s too good of an athlete to go below that. Maybe I should call Jerry Angelo and tell him that.”

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hayes/1370010,hayes-tebow-bears-010909.article

******************

Thursday, December 18, 2008
Tim Tebow, curious to see where he’d go in draft

###

Quarterback Tim Tebow, who’s already won a Heisman Trophy and a national championship during his career at Florida, will request a projection from the NFL advisory committee on where he could expect to be selected in April’s draft.

Tebow, who hopes to win a second national title with the Gators when they take on Oklahoma on Jan. 8 in the FedEx BCS National Championship Game, told reporters Wednesday he’s not leaning one way or the other.

“I have no clue. I haven’t been thinking about it so far,” said Tebow, who won the 2007 Heisman Trophy as a sophomore and finished third in the voting this year.

Tebow said he won’t sit down and make a decision until after the national title game. He plans to submit his paperwork before Christmas.

It doesn’t sound as if winning a second national title, this one as a starter, would necessarily push Tebow toward coming out early for the draft.

“Win or lose, there’s going to be a lot to come back and play for,” he said. “There’s a chance to go for three out of four [national championships], which isn’t bad. If you lose, you have a chance to come back here and get your second. Either way, it would be fun.”

Tebow passed for 2,515 yards and 28 touchdowns and threw only two interceptions this season. He also rushed for 564 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Most NFL analysts do not believe Tebow will be a high pick in the draft, regardless of when he comes out, because he’s not considered a prototypical NFL passer.

ESPN’s Todd McShay, director of college football scouting for Scouts Inc., said recently that he doesn’t believe Tebow will be drafted in either the first or second round if he leaves Florida.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/blogentries/index.html?bbPostId=B3004UYTDKA0B3P3Bot2oCuoB1axgUU5HKKKB1RYoVeSigT6&bbParentWidgetId=B7hKffsuorcGDKIZK9SoYtK

[o_zarkman44]

“A final year of college football could result in a career ending injury with no payout other than a degree.......”

Isn’t that the point of a college education, the degree??
But winning the lottery can change people forever.
Can’t say I would blame Tebow or any other prospect for moving on.

[Non-Sequitur]

It has already been predicted in the Missouri Media that the 3rd pick overall for KC will probably be a QB.

Yeah. The next time Jason 'Nit' Whitlock correctly picks the Chief's first round pick will also be his first. The Chiefs averaged over 20 points when Thigpen started and they won one game. They need defense.

[Flycatcher]

Crabtree is set to make an announcement next week.

ESPN just announced that Crabtree looks to be coming out.

As for Tim Tebow, Mel Kiper Jr. was just on saying Tebow would probably be a third or fourth round pick if he came out. He thought he would make a great "wildcat" quarterback -- but he also thought he would be a fine H-back.

I doubt Tebow is coming out though.

[saganite]

Yeah, the money will be great. But Detroit?

[AGreatPer]

I can't explain the salary cap but I understand most of it. It takes a good attorney to really weed it out. A good place to understanding it is:

Askthecommish.com

Go to salary cap. You will get more than enough.

[dfwgator]

ESPN just announced that Crabtree looks to be coming out.

Funny, he doesn't look gay. ;)

[RckyRaCoCo]

Yep, warning to all those looking to opt out early...THE DETROIT LIONS HAVE THE #1 PICK...(there, that should get them back to school)

Remember the Lions are the most pathetic organization in sports, they've also had everything from paralysis on the field(Mike Utley)to actual death on the field(Chuck Hughes).

One playoff win in 50 years, perhaps the best running back in the history of the game(Barry Sanders)quitting still in his prime due to the ineptitude of this crap organization, one coach(Bobby Ross) "jumping ship" halfway into a season for(mental)health reasons.

63 yard fields goals against them, 0-16 season, their defensive coach(Joe Cullen)caught going through a drive-thru with no cloths on his tool....must I go on?

So be cool... stay in school...or Mr. Ford will turn you too into his FOOL!

(RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!)

[STARWISE]

Florida coach Urban Meyer awaits QB Tim Tebow's decision on NFL

*snip*

When a junior seeks his advice on whether to enter the NFL draft, Meyer typically puts the player in touch with his top NFL contacts, including coaches Bill Belichick, Jack Del Rio and Jon Gruden.

*snip*

Meyer said his affection for Tebow is like that of his 10-year-old son Nate. "I love Tim. He's family. He's everything," Meyer said. "At some point I'll get blasted for it, but I think he's one of the best players ever to put on a helmet. I don't know if he's the best quarterback. That's all relative and in people's eyes, they can choose whoever they want.

So rest assured, and Gator Nation needs to know, that Tim will make the right decision. I have no idea what it is, and out of respect to Tim and his family it hasn't even been discussed."

[Flycatcher]

Funny, he doesn't look gay. ;)

LOL. A $10 million signing bonus can make anyone merry and high-spirited...