By MK Rob
MK Rob is a featured blogger for 312Sports.com. Find more of his work on his Sports Blog at www.mkrob.com
Will Tim Tebow be successful in the NFL? I personally believe that the odds are against him for many reasons. Here they are:
#1 He’s a lefty- There are about 96 quarterback jobs in the NFL and there are only five lefties in the entire league, Matt Leinhart, Mark Brunell and Chris Simms. None of them are stars let alone, starters on their respective teams.
#2 He’s a Heisman Trophy Winner- Everyone knows about the Heisman Jinx….but for those who don’t know, here’s a brief explanation, they say if you win the Heisman your chances in the NFL are very slim.
#3 History- In the history of the NFL, there have only been two really successful left-handed quarterbacks, Ken Stabler and Steve Young. Two out of the thousands of quarterbacks that have played in the NFL, not very good odds if you ask me.
#4 Florida Gators- How many Florida Gator QB’s have really been successful in the NFL? Not many. He also plays in a system that is made for his talents, in the NFL, he will have to adjust to their style of offense.
#5 College Recruiting- When colleges recruit offensive lineman, the left tackle is considered the pass blocking tackle because 95% of the quarterbacks that are recruited are right-handed. Having a right-handed quarterback means you need a great left tackle to protect his blind side.
The right tackle is more known as the run blocking tackle, with Tebow being left-handed, he needs a right tackle to be a great pass blocker. This simply isn’t the case anymore, pass blocking right tackles are one in a million.
Example: Anyone remember the great right tackle from Texas named Mike Williams who was drafted #4 overall by the Buffalo Bills in the 2002 draft? Where is he now? That’s right, nowhere. The Bills drafted him based on his potential to be a left tackle in the NFL because he protected the blind side of left-handed quarterback Chris Simms.
When Williams got to Bills camp, they said he had decent run-blocking skills but bombed in pass-blocking. It is very tough to switch from right to left tackle in the NFL. You go from blocking the run-stuffing defensive end in college at right tackle to blocking the best pass rushers in the NFL at left tackle. That is a very big adjustment.
I watched Tim Tebow in person at the Florida High School Football Championship and have seen him on TV as a Gator and he looks like the same quarterback to me. Tebow runs the ball alot and that’s due to the lack of blocking on the right side, just ask running lefty quarterbacks like Steve Young and Michael Vick. Coincidence? I think not. My prediction is he will make a roster but he won’t be a Steve Young caliber player.
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