Does Tyler Hansbrough's Professional Fate Correlate with Tim Tebow's?

I should start by pointing out this comparison was made by friends of gatorsfirst.com.

But before I give them too much credit, let me say I think the comparison holds little water past these points: they are both four-year guys at their respective schools, they both received hype from the major media outlets beginning with their respective freshmen years, and, uh, they are both white? Not sure what else, because I think there is very little similarity. I guess their last names rhyme, so maybe there is something to it.

Sure, they both have people questioning their future as professional athletes. But when you consider WHY people are questioning them, the difference between these two becomes clear.

 

I like Tyler Hansbrough fine.  I don’t believe he should have been a 4-time All-America, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think he’s a good player.  Those questioning his transition to the NBA point to his size: he lacks size, and in a college game largely lacking true big men, he is able to use his incredible passion and hunger for the game to outwork people and put up the numbers.  Hansbrough, they argue, won’t be able to do that in the NBA, and will get dominated by guys like Dwight Howard, and Tim Duncan of the world.

And I’m not going to argue against that.  But from a Gator point of view, David Lee and Udonis Haslem are also undersized—while Lee is a cult hero in NYC and accused of violating the 24 second clock in an RV’s bathroom, and Haslem started for an NBA championship team.  There is precedent for undersized guys to succeed in the NBA, so I don’t think you can argue Hansbrough will be a total flop.  The only argument is that his physical limitations will not allow him to be an NBA all-star, or among the league elite.

Now to Tim Tebow.  The man is concrete cyanide.  He’s as big as Big Ben, if not bigger—and they nicknamed that guy “Big."  He’s got a cannon.  His character, work ethic, and passion should face as few questions as anyone entering the draft, ever.  But, he is a quarterback in a system not used in the NFL—and one that has resulted in 2 National Titles in 3 years.  He returned to school for his senior year—a move some people call smart as he can ‘learn to be a better NFL QB.'  That’s not going to happen, as he’ll continue to run the prolific offense.  Those NFL guys should go get their own minor league system if that’s what they think of college.

The point is, the doubt showered on Tebow’s pro career says nothing of physical limitations.  To borrow a phrase from Mike Leach, NFL coaches might have problems teaching Tebow to run backwards.  And the doubt about Hansbrough’s potential is not about ‘running a different offense.'  His physical shortcomings will keep him from entering that top tier of NBA talent, say people who promote that theory.

So, no, I don't think there is any correlation between the two.  If either or both succeed—or fail—it will be for very different reasons.

Now that I’ve covered the differences between their respective perceptions, let me expand on why I think NFL teams should give Tebow a shot.  We don’t know if he can or cannot run an NFL-style offense.  We only know that he hasn’t.  Isn’t that preferable to someone like Matthew Stafford, who has proven only that he can use play-action to hit wide open receivers (2007), and that he can throw it (extremely hard—look at that arm!)  to the wrong colored shirts (2006-2008)?  Betting against Tebow at the NFL level is a bet against his desire to get better, and his work ethic to make it happen.  He needs to learn some new things, but how do we know he can’t?  I, for one, will not be betting against his ability or desire to improve.

In closing, the main point I’m trying to make (other than exposing the differences between these two athletes—and showing why I don’t think it’s a fair comparison) is that I find these anti-Tebow arguments to be pretty lazy.  “Tebow is Michael Vick or Vince Young,” some say.  To leave the obvious differences in character aside, Vick passed for 3,279 yards over 2 years, with a career 56.3% completion percentage and 1.75 TD/INT ratio.  Young passed for 4,885 yards over 2 years, with a 62.6% completion percentage and a 1.81 TD/INT ratio.  Tebow currently stands at 6390 yards, 65.8%, and a whopping 6.01 TD/INT ratio.  It’s also worth noting those guys were top picks, so where is the love for Tebow?  The two traditional arguments against college QBs succeeding in the pros are physically limited QBs (Danny Wuerffel strikes close to home, and it pains me to type it) or run-oriented QBs (Vick, Young, etc.) not being able to adapt.  While no prospect is ever a lock to succeed at the next level, Tebow is well equipped to make the necessary adjustments.

What are your thoughts on this comparison?