How good is Tim Tebow really...

MINORITY REPORT INTRO COURTESY OF DEADSPIN.COM...

With apologies to Slate, the Tim Tebow Messiah Watch is our occasional look at the growing body of evidence — quotes, signs and wonders, excessively fawning prose — that the Florida quarterback is the Lamb of God.

Today's piece of evidence comes from Florida's sloppy 29-19 over Mississippi State, against whom Tebow threw two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns.

Witness: Mark Long, Associated Press
Testimony: "[Tebow] is clearly getting disheartened with his team's offensive woes. He blew off his postgame interview session for the first time in three years in Starkville, Miss."
Pertinent Scripture: Matthew 21:12-17

"Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'"

The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant.

"Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him.

"Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, "'From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise'?"

And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sportynation, we have been told over and over again that Tim Tebow is the greatest college football player of all time and maybe even the greatest college athlete ever. He has phenomenal stats and has been called one of the greatest leaders of all time. In addition to that, he works harder than everyone else and cares more than everyone else.

However, is Tim Tebow really the greatest college football player ever? Could he be the greatest college athlete of all time? I say no, and below I'll explain why.

Before this year, it is beyond reasonable to argue that he was not the best player in his own huddle. During Tebow's freshman year, Chris Leak was the starting QB and the defacto leader. Tebow came in sporadically and vultured TDs away frequently. That same year another freshman on the same team by the name of Percy Harvin won SEC freshman of the year. Not Tebow.



That same Percy Harvin was back and even better his sophomore year and greatly contributed to Tebow's great season and Tebow's Heisman trophy. That year the UF and the Heisman trophy winner went 9-4 and lost to a Michigan team in transition despite being favored to win.

Tebow's junior year, Percy Harvin went absolutely beast mode. He played almost EVERY skill position. He dominated special teams, half back, running back, the slot, and both the "X" and "Z" receiver positions. Harvin was that x factor type guy. His speed and talent was so good he had to be tolerated and pacified no matter what. Harvin had many missteps during his career. In high school he was suspended multiple times one of which was having contact with a referee. Then, in college he was highly suspected and rumored to be smoking reefer quite frequently and fighting with coaches and players. That being said, he started and started all day everyday. However, that Harvin wasn't the only good player during that season. Lesser know, Louis Murphy also played on that same team and made Tebow's life easy. So, that's two count em two starting NFL WRs which means a national championship and another Tebow explosion. Maybe Tebow was the best player on that team and there is an extraordinary argument that he was, but you can argue that he was not the best player in the huddle.



Finally, we have Tebow's senior year. Tebow is clearly by far and away the best player on this year's team, but the team's offense is struggling tremendously. The can't move the ball consistently and the greatest college player of all time consistently has games that look like this 5-10 passing for 123 yards and a TD, and 20 rushes for 50 yards and a TD. UF returned practically the same team which is 18 of 21 starters (two of the players missing are were draftable wide receivers, but the team seems to be worse. Conspiracy theorists would say that perhaps if UF did not have the referees in their backpockets they would have 1 loss this year and maybe even 2 losses, but they do have the refs (as evidence by the entire UF ref crew being suspended a game for its diligent attempts to keep the SEC powers undefeated.

This year, Tim Tebow has not been the best player in the nation, but the media and many SEC fans still want him to be. So, he'll get it over the tremendously deserving Case Keenum and Mark Ingram and Tebow will be considered better than Herschel Walker, Archie Griffin, Dick Butkus, Earl Campbell, Jim Brown, Barry Sanders (ran for 2,628 yards 7.64 yards per carry avg. while scoring 37 touchdowns in 11 regular-season games both of which are still NCAA single-season), Walter Payton, Red Grange, Tony Dorsett, Jim Thorpe, Vince Young, and Charles Woodson. However, he shouldn't be considered the greatest college football player ever for a multitude of reasons.



Sportynation, I'll leave you with this. Can you be the greatest college player ever when there is significant doubt that you can even play your position at the next level. Sportynation, I'm not saying start and be a pro bowler at the next level, I am saying play the same position and
contribute somewhat meaningfully. Quite a few of the Tebow lovers say that he can do it, and the "haters" such as me, pro scouts and people in the NFL say that he cannot or are skeptical.
I'm not sure, but I've never seen this much doubt surrounding the all time greatest player ever or even an all time great in my life. Sportynation, we don't even know if this guy can take a snap from the center and do a 3, 5, or 7 step drop. He hasn't done this consistently in college and maybe never his senior year. It is entirely possible that the Coach Urban Meyer (CUM) and his spread offense and history with QBs is more at play. See Alex Smith and Chris Leak rather than Tebow's supremacy. if that's a word.

Sportynation, I can only think that Tim Tebow is the football's version of Christian Laettner (and probably worse than Laettner) which is to say he is a supremely talented, gifted, special, dominant college player with each and every accolade, but also with a plethora of questions. Laettner won national championships, owns a million NCAA records, and a plethora of player of the year awards, was drafted #3 overall in the NBA draft, and was a part of the greatest professional national team ever, the Dream Team. Tebow has his fair share of accolades as well. Only, time will tell just how successful Tebow is and can and will be.



In closing, Ken Dorsey led the hurricanes to the 2001 national championship, whom was a bad pass interference call from winning two national championships, and had a 38-2 record as starter. He was, like Tebow, a winner. Dorsey was a 2 time Archie Griffin Award winner, the 2 time NCAA QB of the Year, and a 2 time Heisman trophy finalist. However, he played with Willis McGahee, Kelen Winslow, Andre Johnson, and Bryant McKinney to name a few. Perhaps just perhaps, one can not be the greatest player ever because of how decorated he is, and maybe the talent around said player can prop him up too much. It is impossible to know just how much a player is propped up, but we can not overlook this factor.



This is my Minority Report.