I have never and will never understand the NFL talking heads. They are so sure about their draft analysis, and yet you get guys like Tom Brady- not exactly an under-the-radar prospect, considering he came from Michigan.

Since Tim Tebow has left Florida, the anti-Tebow (as an NFL QB) sentiment has grown louder- and probably will continue to grow louder over the next several years.

Critics point to his mishandling of snaps during Senior Bowl practices, and his elongated delivery. Let's explore what we really learned from the Senior Bowl, and how it should effect Tim Tebow's NFL Draft Stock.

Here's a small list of some things we knew about Tim Tebow as a quarterback:

1. Unparalleled leadership skils, work ethic, and &intangibles&.
2. Elongated throwing motion and otherwise non-traditional throwing mechanics.
3. Inexperience playing under center- meaning footwork and snap-handling needs work.
4. Inexperience throwing NFL routes, as Florida's (efficient, dominant, pick your word) offensive system is not used in the NFL.

And here's what we know about Tim Tebow as a quarterback after a week of practice at the Senior Bowl, and after the game yesterday:

1. Work ethic: ESPN's Todd McShay- among others- have suggested that Tebow would have been better served NOT taking this opportunity to work with an NFL snap, and to improve his game. Anyone who has followed Tebow over the last 4 years knows that this was not an option. The argument for drafting Tebow has been, and continues to be, that the skills he possesses are things these other quarterbacks will never get, while your projection of Tebow as an NFL washout is a bet against his work ethic. Put simply: if you're familiar at all with this player, this is not a bet you would make.
2. Throwing mechanics: My goodness, did you see that throwing motion? It was long! It was sort of sidearm! It was NO FUCKING SURPRISE as it was exactly what we've seen for the last several years. At least until you view this video of Tebow throwing in high school. Some have taken that video and pointed to it as a regression- not an improvement. I look at it and say it means there is something there for an NFL coach to work with. If they are worth anything as a coach, and really think the throwing is an issue, is this really all that uncorrectable? This isn't a diminutive college player that's faced questionable defenses. This is 240 lbs. of concrete cyanide- plenty of size and mobility to find a way to make either this motion work, or to improve it some but STILL MAKE IT WORK.
3. Playing under center: Tebow exhibited problems with footwork, etc. playing under center. He played in the shotgun almost exclusively at Florida. This was news? Mike Leach thinks NFL guys ought to be able to teach quarterbacks to run backwards. He went on to call it &the most pitiful NFL cop-out of all&. As an aside, I need someone smarter than me in regard to this non-innovative NFL offense everyone must be running to explain something: what's the argument against the shotgun? Look at this play-by-play, Peyton Manning seems to be in the shotgun fairly often- against a &dominating& defense that many of you NFL fans thought would carry the Jets to the Super Bowl. In fact the (shotgun) designation appears quite often in this play-by-play as well. And these were the most important games involving (in Minny, Indy, and N'awlins) a few of the best offenses in the No Fun League. Seriously, what gives?
4. Inexperience with NFL routes: Again, something we saw this week, which was IN NO WAY UNEXPECTED. How this could negatively impact a draft stock is beyond me. I may be a huge Gator homer, but I know Tebow doesn't always hit guys in stride, or is not 100% accurate- though I will stand up for him and note his completion percentages, and the way he has been able to complete ridiculous numbers of passes in a row when locked in. Anyway, I know this wasn't the best aspect of this game- but I saw improvement in this over his time at Florida! The Alabama game, when it got away from us early, was in no way his fault. He was nailing guys in the chest (notably Jeff Demps, on a play I am convinced would have gone for a TD), and otherwise came out on fire. It seems the rest of the guys weren't up for that huge stage (or, weren't feeling the all-white look. I still blame the unis.) And again in the Sugar Bowl, his accuracy- in the NFL tight-window sense, not in the merely completing-the-pass sense- got better. Something to work with, something we've known, and not something the Senior Bowl should have negatively impacted.

So where does all this leave us in regard to Tim Tebow's NFL Draft Stock, post-Senior Bowl? Right where it was, pre-Senior Bowl. If ANYONE who has ever cashed a check evaluating NFL talent saw something from the Senior Bowl they DID NOT ALREADY EXPECT, they should immediately be forced to find a new career. That sort of ineptitude wouldn't be accepted in a business outside of the sports world, why should the scouts and draft gurus be held to a lower standard?

I am also furious at the NFL, in general, for their disregard of things that work in the college game- until they are adopted and we all get beaten over the head with this &new& offensive philosophy (see: Wildcat (noun)).... but I'll save that vitriol for another time. I've touched on it before around these parts. The reason it's relevant here? I'm also, from a &we're supposed to be running our sports teams as the multi-billion enterprises they are& stand point, angry about the way NFL teams evaluate QBs in general.

I tried to make the central argument here: If your job (being a &franchise QB&) is so difficult that only 12-15 guys out of thousands (how many draft-eligible QBs a year, for the last 15 years or so?) can complete this job- and that job is so intimately tied with the success of your team/business... well, you something has to give. The executives (and coaches) of these teams should be held to a higher standard, and be able to generate a consistent, winning product independent of whether or not they hit the lotto with one of these &few in a decade&-type QBs that fit into their prototype. Note to NFL guys: if Tim Tebow, the ultimate winner/leader, with the ultimate work ethic, is a square peg in a round hole... well, I'd start making my hole a square.

I tried to make that last point several different ways without leaving you an opening to crack jokes about my hole. Oh well.