Broncos vs. Cardinals: 4 Things Tim Tebow Still Needs To Prove

Although Tim Tebow has put up some decent numbers this preseason, he's mostly played against backups (at best), as well as other players fighting for roster positions.

The heat is still on him, and the bull's-eye remains on his back for scrutiny and criticism.

Make no mistake about it, there is a place for him in the NFL, but the longer he takes to transition into becoming a pocket passer, the less playing time he will receive.

All that said, there's a lot of work needing to be accomplished, so here's what Tebow must improve on in Denver's final preseason game.

Snaps Under Center

Out of all his issues, taking snaps from under center will take Tim Tebow the longest.

A big reason is because on pass plays, he must obviously take the snap, but then go through his progressions as he's dropping back.

Regardless of whether it's a three, five or seven-step drop, keeping his eyes down-field while moving backward with man-beast defensive lineman coming at him must become second nature.

Also, getting the ball in position to throw instead of holding it at his waste or in one hand.

So, there's about four different things Tebow must get acclimated to doing from under center.

In addition, don't forget about pre-snap reads, which are more difficult from under center.

Medium Range Accuracy

If there's one thing Tim Tebow is pretty solid at when it comes to passing, it's his deep ball accuracy and arm strength.

His arm is as strong as it comes, and we've seen, on more than one occasion this preseason, that he can hit targets downfield.

However, when it comes to anything in the medium level (ten to 15 yards), he tends to struggle.

Whether it's overthrowing a target, or not having the confidence to gun the ball into a small window, improving in the medium passing game is crucial to Tebow having success.

Sure he's done it before against the second and third stringers this preseason, but when he goes up against a well-established defense, that won't happen unless his mechanics improve.

Which, by the way, is a great segue for the next slide.

Mechanics

For a well described explanation of Tim Tebow's mechanics, check out this article by Doug Farrar of Yahoo! Sports:

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"There is concern in some scouting circles that no quarterback with Tebow’s throwing motion—an extended wind-up that starts around his hip and runs sidearm to the throw—will ever be successful against NFL defenses that run tight coverages and advanced blitzes that Tebow never had to read in college."

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It simply just takes him too long to release the ball once he decides on where to throw the ball.

If that's the case, Tim Tebow should just try out for baseball instead, because his windup-esque release will suffice on the mound.

Additionally, he tends to throw off his back foot more often than not.

Now, obviously every QB who's played in the NFL at some point has thrown off their back foot.

But, those who succeeded still make an effort to throw the football as mechanically sound as possible on every pass.

Getting that "feel" for that aspect of playing QB in the pros is just another thing Tebow must intangibly learn.

Patience

The last thing Tim Tebow can greatly improve is his patience.

And of all this areas of this list, patience could be learned the quickest (as contradictory as that sounds).

Get out of the huddle, make his pre-snap reads, take the snap, regardless of whether it's in shotgun or under center, and just relax.

Poise in the pocket here is the key, because continually having "happy feet" will mentally block him from feeling the rush while reading through his progressions.

Even if it's a roll or spring out, having that third-eye of awareness is beyond imperative.

The quicker Tim Tebow learns to be patient and not take off running, the quicker those other areas will improve.

Thus, it increases his odds of becoming an established NFL QB.

Be sure to check out John on Bleacher Report.

And you can follow him on Twitter @ Sportswriter27.