too much tebow
Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 6:35 am
One of the cardinal mistakes novelists make is to fall in love with their lead character as they write their book. That lack of objectivity can skew what happens the rest of the way and destroy the author's original intent, with the most vibrant personality hijacking the plot-line while everyone else fades into the background.
What does that have to do with football? In Florida's case, coach Urban Meyer and offensive coordinator Dan Mullen need to heed that literary lesson because they appear to be committing the same mistake with sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow.
They look at Tebow and see a leader who gives everything he has on every down, in every practice and in every team meeting. They see a big, strong guy with a live arm, even livelier legs and a will to win almost unparalleled in recent Florida history.
Their eyes are not deceiving them. Tebow rocketed to the top of some Heisman Trophy watch lists by the middle of September because he is an extraordinary play-maker with an incredibly bright future.
But he can't beat good teams by himself. Florida's game plan the past two weeks, or at least the play-calling, has asked him to do just that.
It is almost as if Meyer and Mullen believe nothing can go wrong when the ball is in Tebow's hands, so they are reluctant to give it to anyone else.
Through three SEC games, Tebow has 64 carries. His teammates have combined for 55 carries, and UF's second-leading rusher, starting tailback Kestahn Moore, has less than half as many (25) as Tebow.
The plan worked against Ole Miss as Tebow rushed for a school-record 166 yards on a school-record 27 carries, but the Rebels have been lousy defensively. Tebow kept the ball six times on UF's second touchdown drive, gaining 40 yards and carrying a defender into the end zone on a 9-yard run up the middle to cap the series.
After Ole Miss cut a 27-9 deficit to 27-24 at the end of the third quarter, Tebow rushed 12 times in the fourth quarter, holding on to the ball for 11 of UF's final 14 plays.
The same plan failed against Auburn, which is faster and tackles much better than Ole Miss. Tebow rushed 19 times, more than double the total of everyone else (nine). UF's basic play involved him taking the snap and running straight into a crowd near the line of scrimmage, with no fakes or misdirection. Excluding a 1-yard score, the Tigers stuffed him for three yards or less on 13 of 18 attempts.
When Florida torched Tennessee for 59 points a few weeks ago, the running game was much less reliant on Tebow. He carried 18 times, but his teammates rushed 28 times as UF varied its approach.
In the preseason, we kept hearing about the plethora of playmakers in Florida's lineup. Percy Harvin still is a huge factor. Cornelius Ingram plays a positive role every week, and Andre Caldwell would if he were healthy.
The rest have disappeared. Wide receivers Louis Murphy (three catches, 21 yards), Riley Cooper (one catch, nine yards) and Jarred Fayson (three touches, 15 yards) were non-factors against Auburn. David Nelson, who played extensively against Ole Miss and started against Auburn, has one catch for five yards in those two games. Moore has carried the ball six times in the last five quarters.
It's been all Tebow, all the time.
A hot rumor during Tennessee week was the Vols' scout-team quarterback wore a Superman cape to emulate Tebow, but that's a reversal of reality. I have pictures that show UF's coaches putting the cape on Tebow before each of the Gators' practices.
I'm joking, of course. They'd never let me see those photos.
More telling is Meyer's reaction to a question about supporting a Heisman campaign after Tebow's third career start. Meyer said it was his job and UF's job to promote Tebow at the appropriate time.
When he was asked the same question about Chris Leak exactly a year ago, Meyer said he would immediately stop any interview if he heard Leak or a reporter talk about the Heisman.
Tebow still can lead Florida to its second consecutive SEC championship. He has the third-highest passing efficiency rating in the nation. He is the seventh-leading rusher in the SEC, averaging more yards per carry than Ole Miss workhorse BenJarvus Green-Ellis.
He can't do it alone, though. Meyer and Mullen have to diversify the offense and start trusting more of the skill-position players around him.
If those guys aren't good enough, the Gators won't win the East, but they definitely won't win the East if they try to beat LSU, Georgia and South Carolina with the same Tebow-centric approach they used against Auburn.
Football is a team game. As wonderful as Tebow is, Florida would be better off if the coaches had a little less faith in him.
What does that have to do with football? In Florida's case, coach Urban Meyer and offensive coordinator Dan Mullen need to heed that literary lesson because they appear to be committing the same mistake with sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow.
They look at Tebow and see a leader who gives everything he has on every down, in every practice and in every team meeting. They see a big, strong guy with a live arm, even livelier legs and a will to win almost unparalleled in recent Florida history.
Their eyes are not deceiving them. Tebow rocketed to the top of some Heisman Trophy watch lists by the middle of September because he is an extraordinary play-maker with an incredibly bright future.
But he can't beat good teams by himself. Florida's game plan the past two weeks, or at least the play-calling, has asked him to do just that.
It is almost as if Meyer and Mullen believe nothing can go wrong when the ball is in Tebow's hands, so they are reluctant to give it to anyone else.
Through three SEC games, Tebow has 64 carries. His teammates have combined for 55 carries, and UF's second-leading rusher, starting tailback Kestahn Moore, has less than half as many (25) as Tebow.
The plan worked against Ole Miss as Tebow rushed for a school-record 166 yards on a school-record 27 carries, but the Rebels have been lousy defensively. Tebow kept the ball six times on UF's second touchdown drive, gaining 40 yards and carrying a defender into the end zone on a 9-yard run up the middle to cap the series.
After Ole Miss cut a 27-9 deficit to 27-24 at the end of the third quarter, Tebow rushed 12 times in the fourth quarter, holding on to the ball for 11 of UF's final 14 plays.
The same plan failed against Auburn, which is faster and tackles much better than Ole Miss. Tebow rushed 19 times, more than double the total of everyone else (nine). UF's basic play involved him taking the snap and running straight into a crowd near the line of scrimmage, with no fakes or misdirection. Excluding a 1-yard score, the Tigers stuffed him for three yards or less on 13 of 18 attempts.
When Florida torched Tennessee for 59 points a few weeks ago, the running game was much less reliant on Tebow. He carried 18 times, but his teammates rushed 28 times as UF varied its approach.
In the preseason, we kept hearing about the plethora of playmakers in Florida's lineup. Percy Harvin still is a huge factor. Cornelius Ingram plays a positive role every week, and Andre Caldwell would if he were healthy.
The rest have disappeared. Wide receivers Louis Murphy (three catches, 21 yards), Riley Cooper (one catch, nine yards) and Jarred Fayson (three touches, 15 yards) were non-factors against Auburn. David Nelson, who played extensively against Ole Miss and started against Auburn, has one catch for five yards in those two games. Moore has carried the ball six times in the last five quarters.
It's been all Tebow, all the time.
A hot rumor during Tennessee week was the Vols' scout-team quarterback wore a Superman cape to emulate Tebow, but that's a reversal of reality. I have pictures that show UF's coaches putting the cape on Tebow before each of the Gators' practices.
I'm joking, of course. They'd never let me see those photos.
More telling is Meyer's reaction to a question about supporting a Heisman campaign after Tebow's third career start. Meyer said it was his job and UF's job to promote Tebow at the appropriate time.
When he was asked the same question about Chris Leak exactly a year ago, Meyer said he would immediately stop any interview if he heard Leak or a reporter talk about the Heisman.
Tebow still can lead Florida to its second consecutive SEC championship. He has the third-highest passing efficiency rating in the nation. He is the seventh-leading rusher in the SEC, averaging more yards per carry than Ole Miss workhorse BenJarvus Green-Ellis.
He can't do it alone, though. Meyer and Mullen have to diversify the offense and start trusting more of the skill-position players around him.
If those guys aren't good enough, the Gators won't win the East, but they definitely won't win the East if they try to beat LSU, Georgia and South Carolina with the same Tebow-centric approach they used against Auburn.
Football is a team game. As wonderful as Tebow is, Florida would be better off if the coaches had a little less faith in him.