Philadelphia Eagles: Grading Tim Tebow’s debut

By Robert Brewer | Aug 17, 2015

Tim Tebow made his preseason debut for the Philadelphia Eagles this past Sunday afternoon against Indianapolis. Everyone’s favorite backup quarterback completed six of 12 passes for 69 yards and scored on a seven-yard quarterback keeper. Playing most of the second half, it was Tebow’s first time on an NFL field in nearly two years.

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Tebow’s debut started out very well as he completed his first four passes. Tebow’s much publicized work with world renown pitching coach Tom House looked to have paid immediate dividends. Since the last time we saw Tebow in 2013 with the Patriots, his throwing motion is more compact, and his passes looked to be more accurate as well. I was particularly impressed with a 15-yard Tebow completion on a 3rd down and 12 situation during this run.

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For all the work that Tebow has put into his craft to enhance his throwing motion, his field vision still leaves plenty to be desired. From my vantage point, Tebow still appears to struggle when working through his progressions if the first receiver is covered. After his first four completions, Tebow connected on just two of his final eight attempts. In addition to his unsteady debut from the pocket, Tebow also took three really bad sacks, one of which was negated by a defensive penalty.

These sacks were particularly alarming because I thought Tebow had plenty of time to get rid of the ball each time. By comparison, Philadelphia’s other backup quarterback Matt Barkley looked very comfortable from the pocket during his time in the game. The former USC standout completed 12 of 20 passes for 192 yards with an interception. Between the two of them, it is easy to see that Barkley’s overall pocket awareness is light years ahead of Tebow’s at this point.

Jun 17, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tim Tebow (11) throws the ball in front of quarterback Matt Barkley (2) during minicamp at The NovaCare Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Although Tebow’s shortcomings as a passer are still very evident, I think featuring a Tebow package in short yardage and goal line situations remains an intriguing proposition. Whenever Tebow ran the zone read play, I noticed that the Indianapolis defensive ends usually did not crash inside to support the run. This tells me that Tebow’s presence as an athletic quarterback can actually influence defenders to stay at home.

When the Colts’ defensive ends pursued the running back in the Tebow zone read formation, the former Florida Gator great kept the football and ran seven yards for a touchdown. Granted, the Eagles’ rushing totals were not awe inspiring numbers by any means. As a team, Philadelphia rushed 16 times for a measly 38 yards with Tebow in the game.

Dec 20, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly looks on against the Washington Redskins during the second half at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

I give Tebow a D+ for his efforts because I saw progress in his throwing mechanics, but I also saw plenty of sloppy play as well. Making matters worse for Tebow, his main competitor as Philadelphia’s third quarterback looked great. That being said, why can’t the Philadelphia Eagles just cut bait with Tebow now? After all, who needs some marginally talented quarterback taking up an extra roster spot?

Aside from the Tebowmania phenomena, the fact of the matter is that Tebow’s skill set is essentially a Rubik’s cube that Philadelphia Eagles’ head coach Chip Kelly is still trying to figure out. I am interested to see if the offensive minded Kelly can add some new wrinkles to this Tebow package while working out the kinks in the preseason. I understand that plenty of NFL fans are sick and tired of Tebow, but I think this experiment should continue, at least until the end of the preseason.

Next: Philadelphia Eagles: Will Tim Tebow make the final cut?

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