NFL NEWS & RUMORS

• Rams release Marc Bulger on Monday. Someone should tell Sam Brafford he needs to get himself a real estate agent in the St.Louis area because this is a slam dunk. Bulger was scheduled to make $8.5 million next season and was never expected to be with the team, heading into training camp.

• The Seahawks and Detroit Lions made a few trades today: Seattle sent guard Rob Sims to Detroit for a fifth-round draft pick. Sims was a 4th round pick for the Seahawks back in 2006 and started 14 games for Seattle last year. The Lions also traded away Robert Henderson for a 7th round draft pick in this years draft.
• Defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove has signed his tender offer, and the team announced that he’ll be back in New Orleans in 2010.
• NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora reported that the Redskins already have buyers remorse after signing Albert Haynesworth to such a huge contact. Rumors were that the big man was on the table when McNabb trade talks were commencing. Eagles had no interest.
• We had DT Jared Odrick high on our draft boards but not as high as the Cleveland Browns. PFT.com is reporting there is a lot of love for the big man in Clev-town
• Tim Tebow Signs A Deal With Nike

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Unpredictable Tim Tebow

Predicted anywhere from a first-round franchise savior, to a mid- round fullback/tight end prospect, Tim Tebow definitely offers the most intrigue and curiosity in this year’s NFL Draft. How he produces at the highest level becomes another question.

Questions lay abound for the 6-2 236-pound star out of Florida who played with his heart on his sleeve every down of his college career. Most NFL decision makers are centering their concerns around his throwing motion (which he has revamped and will unveil at Florida’s Pro Day), his ability to escape pressure and whether he can succeed as a dropback passer in the NFL.

Don Banks of Sports Illustrated, projected Tebow to be picked 26^th, by the Arizona Cardinals. ESPN.com graded him at a 71, which would put him toward the end of the third round. Some analysts believe he’d be a good fit for a Wildcat team, while others think he’s too big and not quick enough for the formation.

Whether Tebow becomes the next Peyton Manning, Lorenzo Neal or Jim Sorgi (Manning’s lightly used backup for the past seven years), there should be no doubt that Tebow will be around the league for a long time. He is a natural leader who will offer much more than an accumulation of stats to a franchise, its city and surrounding area.

More importantly, Tebow is a man who feels he cannot lose. While he’d surely love to be a first-round pick and a starting quarterback in the league, he has the tools and beliefs to succeed at more than just football. He appears to be the type of guy who could be just as satisfied being a missionary, a corporate spokesman or a pizza delivery guy. That intangible alone should endear him to a football franchise looking to create or continue a positive image.

The running cliché that rings truest is that it will only take one team to fall in love with Tebow to make him an early pick. That team could prove to be Jacksonville, Buffalo, Oakland or Washington, to name a few. Those teams seem to have the most need and should be most willing to take a high-risk, high-reward gamble.

Teams that take a shot at Tebow will get a winner, one way or another. He’ll surely be a winner off the field. But, it remains to be seen whether he can win on it.

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Tim Tebow UFL Star Or NFL Backup?

It’s a fair question. And quite honestly, based on Tim Tebow’s decision to return for his senior season at Florida, one that actually warrants a careful response. We will undoubtedly have to wait until next April’s NFL Draft to find out for sure, but the question remains: Would it be better for an under-hyped college football star to take the short route to pro stardom and join the UFL, or take his chances in the NFL Draft and be a back-up?

Or worse—possibly not even make an NFL roster?

While Tebow is a household name (and not just in Florida) you may be surprised to learn that some draft experts pick him as a mid-rounder, at best, and some even say he won’t get drafted as a passer. The trick with the NFL is if you don’t make an impression immediately, you will likely go one of two routes: you’re either a project, or you’re a pre-determined failure.

See: Eric Crouch

See: Jared Zabransky

See: Any other option quarterback, or running back under 5’10″.

Whether we like it or not, the NFL is famous for profiling players. Whether it’s size, speed, race, or size of school, every player is held under a microscope, and even for guys with names like Tim Tebow, the tiniest of flaws are sometimes blown into insurmountable mountains. But before we get into the flaws that could see Tebow elect for a league like the UFL (despite Jacksonville’s claims) let’s look at the good.

1. Is he big/tall enough to see over defenders?

Um, yeah. Tebow is 6’3” and 240 pounds, and at only 22 years old, already possesses the size, strength, and experience that most future NFL starters at the same position only wish they had. Compare those (get ready, Al Davis) measurables to guys taken in the first round before him (Eli Manning, Mark Sanchez, etc.), and Tebow looks like a mammoth of a man towering over grade-schoolers.

2. Does he have the numbers to back up the hype?

Where do we start? Tebow has three Bowl Championships, including two of the last three BCS Titles. Not impressed? In 2007, Tebow put up 3,286 yards passing and 32 touchdowns to only six interceptions, while also running 210 times for 895 yards and another 23 touchdowns.

Tebow followed up that impressive sophomore season with 2,747 yards passing, 30 touchdowns to only four interceptions, while rushing for 673 yards and 12 touchdowns off of 176 carries. Again, in comparison with other NFL star quarterbacks (we’ll go with Eli Manning), Tebow measures up quite well. In four seasons at Ole Miss, Manning only topped 30 touchdown passes once, and while he beats Tebow in yardage, only had a career completion percentage of 60 percent, while offering very little in the athleticism department.

Plain and simple: Tebow makes plays, can air it out, and keeps the turnovers to a minimum. Oh, and he can run the heck out of the football.

3. But is he accurate?

Considering he plays in the SEC, one of the toughest conferences in NCAA football, and averages just over 65 percent for a completion rate, it’s safe to say the answer is an emphatic “yes”.

4. So, then, what’s the problem?

Just a few minor details, really. The league (outside of Steve Young and Mark Brunell) has traditionally been anti-lefty quarterbacks, at least in the last 15 years. Tebow is also looked down on due to a bit of a slow and unorthodox release.  Moreover, he plays in an offense that doesn’t necessarily prepare him for the NFL. And there is the “senior” rule. Just like with the NBA, the NFL unknowingly discriminates against senior players on the offensive side. Without much truth to it, teams generally view seniors as less athletic because they stay an extra year.

The truth is, another year in the SEC can only help Tebow, and should inevitably help his draft stock. The problem is, it won’t.

So, after four questions we see that Tebow is more than capable of being drafted and starting in the NFL, yet there still exists the possibility that NFL teams take a pass, and his pro career could remain “up in the air”. If that were to happen, or if Tebow’s draft stock appears too low, could we see a future with Tebow manning the Florida Tuskers? For all of these questions, only time will tell. But for all those Florida fans who would love to see Tebow stick around in the “Sunshine State”, you can keep holding onto that dream.

As of the date this article was written, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers switched starting quarterbacks, the Miami Dolphins lost theirs, and the Jacksonville Jaguars are still interested.

As for the Tuskers’ interest? Take a wild guess.

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Tim Tebow even better for 2010

Every year there are a handful of college juniors that declare for the NFL draft, who probably should stay for their senior year of school. The early jump to the pros usually results in a slide in where they’re drafted, whether it’s from being too immature, a lack of experience, or the fact that they could return for a bigger year that could prove their real value. Tim Tebow has accomplished more than enough to brag about, winning two national championships and winning the Heisman Trophy in 2007. Tebow was the first underclassman to have ever won the Heisman Trophy, he finished the regular season as the only player in FBS history to rush and pass for at least 20 touchdowns in both categories in the same season. He had 32 passing touchdowns and 23 rushing touchdowns; he was in essence two players, a running back and a quarterback. Not to mention the endless awards including the Maxwell Award (2), Wuerffel Trophy, Davey O’Brien Award and countless player of the week and year awards. Tim Tebow has won or has been in the running for almost every college player accomplishment there is.

So with such an impressive college resume, why would Tim Tebow return for another college season? While Florida fans could care less for the reason, experts think he could use his senior season to not only win it again, but improve his skills for the next level. Believe it or not, even with all of his awards and touchdowns, Tebow isn’t an NFL quarterback prototype. The spread offense is staple of the college game, but it’s not used much at the pro level. History has shown that players entering the NFL draft with the spread offense as their main knowledge of the game have either fallen deep into the draft or have been asked to convert to a receiver. Experts had projected Tebow to be drafted in the late second to early third round of this year’s draft.

The decision to stay is a wise move for Tebow; he can finish any remaining school, as well as show scouts that he is mature enough to realize his potential at the next level, and he can continue to grow into more of a pocket passer. The only problem will be trying to convince his coaches that he wants to throw more.

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