Tim Tebow Striving To Become More NFL-Ready

NFL News - February 22nd, 2010 - Written by John Ritter

The lightning rod that is Tim Tebow is doing all he can to weather the storm.

Easily the most controversial player heading into April's NFL Draft, the former Florida Gator quarterback has apparently heard the critics loud and clear, and is working on his mechanics to become a more NFL-friendly quarterback.

"I'm not changing who I am or how I approach football," he told ESPN's Adam Schefter. "But there are things that I can get a lot better at -- my fundamentals. I've never been asked to shorten or quicken my release and not have a loop in it. The changes I'm making have gone very well and it's becoming more and more natural to me."

For the moment, he's adjusting everything from how he holds a football, to how he squares his shoulders. Instead of working out of the shotgun, he's being coached how to take three- and five-step drops at a Nashville football center. And his progress will be observed on March 17th in Gainesville during UF's pro day.

Tebow had a miserable Senior Bowl in January while battling through a sickness. He fumbled his very first snap during a Monday practice, and had trouble handling the exchange throughout the day. His passes were accurate, although were significantly less crisp than his counterparts', and he ended up fumbling twice in the game.

Since then, forecasters have howled on various programs about his deficiencies, and warned against taking him anywhere earlier than the third round.

"I want to get better," he told Schefter. "I want to be around people who will push me. I will do anything to get better. Without hearing the criticism, I would have done it.

"It's made me more confident, more accurate. And that's not to say I haven't had this type of coaching in the past. I just have had different coaching than this NFL style."

Tebow's trainers are former NFL offensive coordinator Zeke Bratkowski, Montreal Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman, Arizona State offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone and former coach Sam Wyche.

"You're not looking at the same quarterback," said Bratkowski. "To say we're there 100-percent where we want to be, no. But we'll be more improved come pro day than we are at this point in time now."

Of the significant changes they've made is a higher starting point with the football above the shoulders, along with rigorous footwork drills that train him to have his feet underneath at all times. Tebow completed over 65-percent of passes over his career, but his low, winding delivery have many fearing fumbles from long-armed defensive ends.

"The ball is coming out a lot faster now," Trestman said. "As a result he has been able to quickly adapt and make corrections in his throwing motion and footwork that will allow him to get the ball out faster and improve his accuracy. He has more than enough arm strength and shown he can make all the throws at the next level. He has only been at it for a few weeks so I can only anticipate he will continue to improve."

The Jacksonville Jaguars have been tabbed as the most-likely team to roll the dice on Tebow in the first round, deservedly so or not. The quarterback played football at nearby Nease High School, and would be a large draw for fans in the area. The Jaguars consistently had the lowest attendance of all NFL teams in 2009, and could use a dramatic revitalization if they want to avoid relocation in Los Angeles.

At the moment, however, sportsbooks aren't optimistic. Bodog has Jacksonville as a mere 55/1 favorite to win the 2011 Super Bowl, according to NFL Betting Lines.