Tim Tebow vs. Cam Newton: Which Unorthodox QB Has a Brighter NFL Future?

Up has become down and right has become left at the quarterback position in the National Football League, with one signal caller leading his team to first place in the division running a college offense while another rewrites records at his position as a rookie...running the ball.

There have been innumerable arguments this season about Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, but if there's one thing you can't argue with, it's the results he's generated, rallying the Broncos to five consecutive victories and into first place in the AFC West while running the read-option offense.

However, Tebow's long-term viability as an NFL quarterback is still very much in doubt, as sooner or later, much like with the Wildcat offense, NFL defensive coordinators are going to figure out the read-option (and how to defend it), while the second-year pro's throwing motion is so long and unorthodox that he may never be that effective as a passer.

Meanwhile, a few thousand miles east of Denver, rookie quarterback Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers has been another of the biggest surprises of the 2011 season, setting an NFL record for rushing touchdowns in a season by a quarterback with 13 after scoring three times in Carolina's Week 13 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

There are questions surrounding Newton as well, as although the rookie has posted gaudy statistics at times this season, those numbers haven't translated into wins for the 4-8 Panthers, and his 14 interceptions demonstrate that Newton's decision-making with the ball still has a ways to go.

2011 may be the year of the Tebow, but if I'm going to choose one of these scrambling eggs to be my quarterback of the future, Cam Newton would be the choice fairly easily, for one very simple reason.

At some point, you're probably going to want your quarterback to be able to throw the ball effectively, and Newton has shown to be able to do so much more consistently than Tim Tebow.