A few hours ago, we looked at the case for the Dolphins to go after the (possibly) available former Hesiman Trophy winning quarterback Tim Tebow. Now, we look at some of the reasons to leave him alone.
Tebow has an extremely long delivery. For a fan base that is used to Dan Marino's quick release, watching the looping, pass-rusher-saliva-inducing would be unbearable. His motion leads to late passes, and can very easily allow pass rushers to strip him as he winds up.
It's something he has worked on, but in the midst of a game, he reverts back to his natural motion. Maybe after another year or two of working on it, he will finally have the muscle memory to avoid dropping the ball down to his hip, but that's a lot of time to hope he develops. It's a lot of time to have a player eat up a slot on your 53-man roster and your salary cap space.
The presence of Tebow on the Dolphins roster would cause problems as well. The Dolphins currently have Chad Henne as their starting quarterback. If Miami signed Tebow, how long would it take fans to abandon Henne for a desire to see Tebow? The media had a field day when some fans at a Dolphins practice chanted "We want Orton," refering to the Dolphisn near trade with Denver Broncos to acquire Kyle Orton. Can you imagine what could happen if the rock star ambiance of Tebow's arrival - especially being back in his home state - came to Miami?
Tebow wants to be a quarterback. At 6'3", 245 lbs., he has the potential to develop into a good tight end of running back. He rushed for 2,947 yards and 57 touchdowns while at the University of Florida, along with the 227 yards and 6 touchdowns he gained last year with the Broncos. He has said he would consider a position move, but he want to be a quarterback first. Would he consider the failure in Denver as a sign that he needs to change positions?
How long would it take Tebow to learn another position? Asking a player to go from quarterback after a year in the NFL, to a fullback/tight end/H-back type role is a dramatic change. Plus, how soft are Tebow's hands? Would he be a pass catching threat at all?
Tebow is a first round draft pick, at the quarterback position. The salary of such a player is typically higher than most teams can afford - especially for a third string QB, or a fullback/tight end. Would Tebow either restructure his contract, allowing teams to not be completely strapped for cash, or sign for less money as a free agent.
And, if the Broncos don't release Tebow, but look for a trade, what would be the asking price? The Dolphins are supposedly shopping defensive end Phillip Merling for a tight end right now. Would that be enough to get Denver to give up one of their 2010 first round draft picks? Would they want more to offset the cost of, not just a first round pick, but a first round selection they traded back into the round to get?
Finally, where there are a ton of people who love Tim Tebow, there are just as many who hate him. Bringin in the hatred for Tebow could be worse than what the Eagles went through brining in Michael Vick. The passion of fans, on both sides of the Tebow fence, could alienate some fans, while it could even bleed over into the locker room.
I hope through both of these two threads, I covered all of the pros-and-cons for the Dolphins pursuing Tim Tebow. As I said in Part 1, everything here is speculation. Nothing says Denver will actually move Tebow. Nothing says the Dolphins would actually go get Tebow. But, it's an interesting idea, with positives and negatives. As we get closer to the start of the regular season, keeping an eye on Denver will be a lot of fun, especially as the future of Tebow is decided.