TheOak

Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots signing Tim Tebow is, to me, an all-time puzzler.

I know Belichick is one of the smartest people in the game. He's a very thorough person who does not fly by the seat of his pants; he thinks about things. I have the utmost respect for Belichick. However, I can't figure out why the Patriots made this move.

One obvious possibility might be converting Tebow to another position, such as H-back or tight end, in order to utilize his athleticism, which I've advocated for previously. But Tebow is supposedly in line to play quarterback in New England -- and only quarterback. The problem is, I just don't think he's quarterback material.

I know the success he had at Florida and with the Denver Broncos in 2011 sticks with people. The production he had as a Gator -- and in high school, for that matter -- led me to believe he would be a pretty good player coming out of college, though I did have concerns about his decision-making skills.

As it turned out, there are plenty of flaws in Tebow's game, as I documented back in November . But one of his biggest issues is that he just isn't accurate. After completing 66.4 percent of his passes in college, his completion percentage really nosedived -- through 35 NFL appearances, he has a career completion rate of 47.9 percent.

You'll hear people talk about fixing that aspect of Tebow's game , and perhaps Belichick has a plan for doing so. But in my experience, that's a tricky task. As legendary Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry used to tell me -- and I put a great deal of stock in what he said -- you can make a guy stronger, you can make a guy faster, but you can't make him more accurate. Someone is either accurate or they're not.

I'm also still worried about his decision-making abilities. I've seen him hold on to the ball and run when he could have easily completed a throw; I've seen him bounce the ball on the ground or throw it over guys' heads.

Of course, we have to remember that Belichick will study every angle of a given situation. Perhaps he's looking to take advantage of Tebow's skill at converting in third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 situations. Still, I can't see going to Brady and telling him he's coming out in those crucial junctures; Brady is just too good.

This could be linked to the advent of the pistol offense. I think there's a feeling out there that the pistol is going to be something big. I talked to two different college coaches recently, and both of them said they think the pistol is going catch on around the league like the Wildcat did a few years ago. So I can see a team preparing for that, with Tebow perhaps being a part of those preparations. But I can't see the Patriots ever taking Brady out of a game so that they could have Tebow run the pistol.

We might all just be reading too much into this whole thing. After all, he didn't get a signing bonus . The Patriots have nothing to lose.

In that way, this reminds me of something late Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis might have done -- he used to like to scoop up former first-round picks who had been cut. His thinking was that if someone saw something in a player that made him worth a first-round pick, why not take a chance and see if the guy can still turn into something? That's how the Raiders ended up with Jim Plunkett, a first-round pick who laid an egg in New England and San Francisco before leading Oakland to two Super Bowl s.

Ultimately, though, the question is this: Can Tebow become a more accurate quarterback?

Maybe he will; maybe Belichick can see something nobody else can. Myself, I can't see him playing at that position and winning.

If this move were being made by anyone but Belichick, I'd say there's a 100 percent chance that it won't work out. But Belichick has accomplished so much, and he's so smart, that you have to think this can turn out well for New England in some way.

Still, knowing about all of the issues Tebow has had as a pro, expecting him to take off now is like hitting on 18 in blackjack -- the odds aren't in your favor.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap100...-headscratcher

Jamessr

Just another old fart trying to get "hey look I'm still relevant attention"

Good read though.

TheOak

Gil is one of the few that I truly listen to when he talks. He is fair, honest, and very knowledgable.


Except for when he is blowing Romo ... Gil is a Cowboy lover.

Dallas, not broke-back.