Tim Tebow: Success for Tebow and Cam Newton Will Plant Seeds for New Era in NFL

There's a new movement afoot among quarterbacks in the NFL. It's slow-moving and subtle, but it's coming on strong.

It's taken hold in Philadelphia, where Michael Vick has resumed his place among the league's elite, albeit for a fledgling Eagles team.

It's seeped into the stands at Lambeau Field, where Aaron Rodgers has emerged as the best quarterback in the NFL while leading the Green Bay Packers to a Super Bowl title.

And it's spread to Denver, Carolina and San Francisco, where Tim Tebow, Cam Newton and Alex Smith have ascended to the top of the depth charts with the Broncos, Panthers and 49ers, respectively.

No, I'm not talking about the Age of Aquarius, but rather the Era of the mobile quarterback.

While everyone's busy marveling over the accomplishments of pure pocket passers like Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Matthew Stafford, a fleet of fleet-footed football players have quarterback-sneaked their way into starting spots on teams across the league.

Vick and Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger have been at it the longest, though nobody has done a better job of melding mobility and athleticism with the NFL ethos than Rodgers, who has one Super Bowl title to his name and may well add another come February.

The prescription for the perfect pro-style quarterback is no longer as simple as picking out a tall guy with a big accurate arm who can stand tall and deliver while under pressure in the pocket. NFL defenses have gotten so good and so complex that successful quarterbacks are now expected to make every possible throw from just about every possible spot on the field.

Granted, it certainly doesn't hurt a passer's chances if he's tall and has a big, accurate arm. The only difference now is that he has to have a reliable pair of legs as well, ones that he can use reliably to escape pressure or scamper for the first down.

The dual-threat quarterback is nothing new to the NFL, with the likes of Steve Young and Randall Cunningham having paved the way over the years. What's changed is that running and throwing is no longer an either/or proposition for quarterbacks to grapple with.

Vick's renaissance is as much about the improvement of his arm as the excitement he creates with his athleticism. Rodgers isn't necessarily thought of as a running quarterback, but he's as capable as any signal caller in the league of making plays on the run when his team needs him to. Meanwhile, Smith has finally shown that there is, in fact, a place in pro football for quarterbacks who played in spread option offenses in college.

Then there's Tebow and Newton. Tebow has yet to show the sort of refined ball skills expected of a statuesque NFL quarterback, but the guy's a fearless leader on the field, though far more benevolent than anyone Boris Badenov ever followed. The second-year star out of Florida sparked the Broncos offense to two fourth-quarter touchdowns against the Chargers on Sunday and nearly added a third as time expired that would've given Denver its second win of the season.

Newton, on the other hand, has spent the entire season silencing the naysayers (like myself) who said he wouldn't amount to much after the Panthers picked him first overall in the 2011 NFL Draft. Newton's only notched one win so far, but his spectacular play has kept Carolina close in each of its four losses, including surprisingly close decisions against the Packers and the Saints.

So while all the football purists out there can marvel Brady, Brees, Manning, Stafford and Jay Cutler, I've planted my feet firmly on the bandwagon of mobile quarterbacks.

Who's with me?