According to numerous sources (see link below), Tim Tebow scored the lowest score on the Wonderlic test of all the top draft eligible QBs at the combine. This test determines how much a football player understands about the game (Xs and Os).
This is certainly newsworthy because it means not only did Urban Meyer fail to correct Tim Tebow's loopy, long delivery in Tebow's FOUR years at Gainesville, but he also apparently failed to impart any Xs and Os football knowledge either.
I've heard Joe Theismann (a total jerk off), in recent weeks, announcing that no star high school QB is likely to sign with the Gators in the future after watching this Tebow ordeal. I have to admit that he has a point.
As a matter of fact, not only is he spot on with his criticism of Urban Meyer's failure to prepare Tebow for the next level, but this logic also applies to just about any top offensive prospect. If you look at past UF wide receivers, their NFL bust rate is well above average (some might guess upwards of 90%, depending upon whether Percy Harvin is WR).
Further, if you look at past QBs (Tim Tebow soon to be included), Florida's NFL bust rate is nearly 100%. Florida's most successful NFL QB to date is Jessie Palmer, who had more success picking up a couple dozen fame-crazed skanks on The Bachelor than he did picking up any NFL offenses.
While defense is defense, a college's offensive scheme can seriously handicap a top prospect if it fails to prepare him for the next level. It has got to be just about every single year that two or three of the nation's best college quarterbacks are downgraded by scouts for playing in a spread offense.
Even worse, many of these quarterbacks never successfully make the transition from spread offense to taking snaps under center (see Pat White/ Brian Brohm). Similarly, many top WRs struggle to transition from a spread offense, with only a few simple routes run, to a complex pro style offense that demands mastery of many complex routes (see Taylor Jacobs/ Jabar Gaffney).
Thus, if a high school player is really serious about going to the NFL, they are far better served going to a school with a pro style offense (i.e., Alabama, USC, LSU, Georgia, etc.). Hell, look no further than ND this year.
The Charlie Weis's experiment was a complete flop, yet Golden Tate (a 5'10" WR) is expected to be a first round pick this year, and Jimmy Clausen, who never won big games as a starter, is expected to be a top 10 pick and possibly the first QB taken in this April's draft.
The reason Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate are considered such safe picks is that both of them played in a pro style offense and scouts have few questions about how their games will translate to the next level.
One would think coaches are smart, way smarter than Joe Theismann, and if Joe can connect the dots, you have to think some of these coaches (think Nick Saban) will be saying the same things to top offensive recruits in years to come. If Tim Tebow flops at the NFL level, as many pundits expect him to do, this counter-recruiting pitch will be that much more effective.
http://www.realgmfootball.com/src_wiretap_archives/16222/20100311/bradford_has_highest_wonderlic_score_for_qbs_tebow_lowest/
Good insight except that Meyer recruited Tebow despite the failure of Alex Smith at the NFL level. Maybe that has something to do with Tebow's lack of intelligence you describe above. I disagree that Meyer failed, though. His goal is to win championships, not act as a farm league for the NFL. He recruits a certain type of quarterback regardless of his NFL potential. And I also don't think he can be held responsible if a player is not intelligent enough to do well on the Wonderlic test. That has more to do with the underlying intelligence of the player in general. Having said this, I love the Gators and Tebow and hope that we continue to pull in #1 recruiting classes like we did this year (and yes, I know we didn't get a marquis quarterback).
ReplyDeleteThanks for being the first to post a comment. No counter arguments here.
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