Tim Tebow: Breaking Down Why Tim Terrific Drives Scouts to Madness

Tim Tebow is not a good quarterback, and anybody who knows anything about watching the NFL will tell you that.

He's undoubtedly a great leader and he may even be a very good football player, but an NFL-caliber starting quarterback he is not. The fact that so many have jumped on his bandwagon drives scouts and NFL experts crazy.

Tebow is a fad, and much like Beanie Babies, boy bands and Justin Bieber, he will fade in time.

He's not built for long-term success as a quarterback.

Fundamentals are absolutely crucial in football. Why do you think coaches preach staying in your lane on defense, having a low pad level at the line of scrimmage or proper footwork?

These are all the building blocks of good football players and football teams, and without those fundamentals in place, the player or team will eventually fall.

You see it in architecture, you see it in life and you definitely see it in football.

Fundamentals are everything, and that is why few NFL scouts trust Tebow as a quarterback. His fundamentals are awful.

For some reason, though, there are many people who still believe Tebow is the real deal.

It's time to debunk that rumor. Here's what most scouts see when they look at Tebow the quarterback:

Throwing Motion

This is the biggest issue most scouts have with Tebow, so it makes sense that we start here. Throwing motion is everything for a quarterback. Not only does it play a huge role in accuracy, but it has everything to do with the timing of release. You can have the biggest cannon in the world, but if you can't get it to your receivers or can't get it there on time, you're worthless to an NFL team as a quarterback.

The big number you'll hear when it comes to throwing motion is 90 degrees. You want your quarterback cocking back and releasing the ball at a 90-degree angle, and all the greats have that down to a science.

Check out the positioning of the ball on a Tom Brady release. He's got his arm cocked at a 90-degree angle, which leads to a good, quick release.

This means that he can get the ball out faster and without any hitches in his throw. The natural release allows him to beat the rush, and it severely limits the window that defenders have to react to his throw.

The same could be said of Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees, and I highly doubt anybody has any problems with their credentials as elite quarterbacks in the NFL.

The problem with Tebow's motion is that he naturally straightens his arm all the way back and behind his head when throwing, which creates a huge arch in his throwing motion. Not only does this drastically impact the time it takes him to throw the ball, but it leaves more room for hitches in his throw and any unwanted adjustments that will impact accuracy.

He's been working to change his throwing motion and his improvements have been documented, but there is one very fundamental problem in that argument.

Muscle Memory

Most scouts will agree that Tebow has worked on improving his throw, but there seems to be a point that many fans of the much maligned quarterback seem to forget.

In sports and in life, whenever you are under pressure you will naturally revert to your fundamentals. It just so happens that NFL defenses make a living by putting quarterbacks like Tebow under pressure—whether it be mental or physical.

As a football player or, more specifically, a runner, he thrives in pressure situations. As a quarterback, though, his fundamentals break down.

When he's faced with pressure he reverts back to his old habits, especially when throwing on the run.

Just look at where the ball is right before this incomplete pass in the Broncos' playoff loss to the Patriots:

It shouldn't come as a surprise that the pass hit his receiver in the knees and bounced away incomplete.

You can say that he's improving or will improve, but any good scout knows that you revert to your fundamentals under pressure. That's why more often than not, Tebow's numbers as a quarterback are abysmal. That leads me to my last point...

Numbers Don't Lie

There's a reason we look at stats in sports—they tell a story. Oftentimes they can help us determine the difference between emotion and reality and, believe you me, there is a huge difference.

In Tebow's case, the numbers tell us that he is a horrible quarterback. He only threw 271 times in 2011 and completed just 126 of those passes. That comes out to a horrid 46.5 completion percentage. While 12 of those passes were touchdowns, six were interceptions.

Tebow fans will point to the eight wins in-season and the stunning playoff win over the Steelers as their crucible of truth, stating that those are the only numbers that matter.

"All he does is win."

I see your saying, and raise you three straight losses to end out the season and an offensively inept 45-10 loss to the Patriots in the playoffs that saw Tebow go 9-of-26 for 136 yards and an NFL rating of 52.7.

If you're hanging on to an 8-8 season that saw Tebow back the Broncos into the playoffs in a horribly inept AFC West division, I have pity on you.

Why Does Tebow Drive Scouts Mad?

Everything we've come to learn about football suggests that Tebow will not succeed in the long term. The tape doesn't lie, and his numbers surely don't help his case.

He may succeed as a situational quarterback, but most likely it will be because of his running abilities out of the backfield.

Sure, you can call him a quarterback, but I would use the more traditional and less flattering H-back terminology when categorizing him.

He's not an NFL quarterback, and that's exactly why scouts cannot stand him. He desperately wants to be a starting quarterback, and his fans are more than happy to cheer him on through his mediocrity on the off-chance that he can accomplish that goal at a very trivial level.

Scouts can't stand Tebow not because he defies logic, but because neither he nor his fanbase seem to be willing to admit that logic exists.

No team will win the Super Bowl because Tim Tebow is their starting quarterback.

Why do you think the Broncos would rather take a chance with a quarterback in his late 30s coming off multiple neck surgeries?

Yes, partially because that quarterback happens to be Peyton Manning, but also because they can recognize that Tebow is not a lasting option at quarterback.

Most NFL scouts and experts will tell you the same.