Where Tebow goes from here is up to him

By Adam Silverstein
October 26, 2009

Senior quarterback Tim Tebow admittedly (I am assuming, considering he has decided not to speak to the press) had the worst passing performance of his Florida Gators career Saturday in Starkville, MS. Completing only 12 of 27 passes for 127 yards and throwing two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns by the Mississippi State Bulldogs, Tebow was limited all game long.

In fact, it was only the second time in his career as a starter that he did not throw a touchdown pass; it was also the second time in his career that he threw two interceptions in a game. Tebow’s frustrations are understandable and are being duly noted by his coaches and teammates.

“[Tim’s] very frustrated,” head coach Urban Meyer said. “He’s used to playing at a certain level. A lot of guys are frustrated.” Tebow’s frustrations are justified – he is supposed to be (and is) the best player in the country and played like anything but.

More after the jump…

Meyer goes on to place some of the blame on his shoulders. “I did not coach very well. I put Tim in some tough situations in the red zone.” That he did. Yet Tebow’s struggles cannot be chalked up to Meyer’s coaching alone. Tebow made his share of mistakes, regardless of what plays were called.

Meyer even went so far as to say that while Tebow is comfortable with his group of receivers, he is concentrating too much on tight end Aaron Hernandez and wide receiver Riley Cooper. “There is no chemistry issue,” Meyer said. “We just need to do a better job spreading it around. I’m not worried about Tim. He’s a very secure grown man.”

No matter how hard his coaches try to shoulder the blame or his teammates attempt to deflect the offense’s struggles as simple hurdles because the team is winning, Tebow must improve for the Gators to have a legitimate shot at the title in 2009.

This is not meant to throw all of the blame for the offense’s struggles on Tebow. Let’s face it – the play calling leaves much to be desired, whether Meyer wants to take the blame for it himself or put it where it belongs – on offensive coordinator Steve Addazio and wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales. I am also not throwing out Tebow’s unmatchable and irreplaceable dedication, leadership, teamwork, talent and ability. Everyone has bad games, and Tebow had the worst of his career on Saturday.

Throw out the first seven games of this season. Tebow need to realize that he starts with a clean slate Saturday in Jacksonville, FL, at the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party against the Georgia Bulldogs. Where he goes from here is up to him and him alone. And if history is any predictor, Tebow will rebound in a big way.

10 Comments

  1. ReptilesRule says:

    Tim will be fine. 50% of all that was play calling and protection, or lack of it. There are so many things we could be doing to take the load off of Tim, like utilizing our backs more in a short quick passing game. Tim will come back more determined and focused than ever. Maybe not talking to the press is not such a bad thing, maybe David Nelson could try a few less quotes and a few more catches (though I will applaud him for his excellent play on the fake punt).

  2. Funny you mention Nelson – I always wonder why he is the one being quoted. Maybe because he is one of the more eloquent guys on the team so he represents the receivers? As you said, Tebow should come back more determined and focused than ever.

  3. Pingback: Tweets that mention ONLY GATORS Get Out Alive - Florida Gators college football, basketball, sports, recruiting, news, commentary, blog, message board, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer -- Topsy.com

  4. Daniel M. says:

    Tim does seem a half step off to me. It’s probably a result of the oline not getting it done lately. They aren’t pass protecting like we’re used to seeing. UGA thinks they have a shot. CRUSH THEM LIKE BUGS!

    (I always thought you “chalk it up” not chock it up)

  5. Drew 4 Orange and Blue says:

    It is clearly more than just Tim….protection schemes….play calling…..WR and TE running routes in the same area of the endzone…..there is a lot of blame to go around…..let’s hope we get this staight before we go to South Carolina

  6. Have to take care of Georgia first.

  7. Pingback: uberVU - social comments

  8. Mr2Bits says:

    Here is a question. Do you think the pressure of being #1 is starting to get to our boys? They seem real vanilla and heard this the other day and thought, yea maybe it could be all the pressure the fans, media, coaches are putting on these players.

  9. There is pressure to be the first undefeated team in the history of the university. Players, the media, coaches and fans all expect these guys to play at their absolute best every time – because they have been told to expect that. I don’t place a lot of stock in “pressure” getting to players of this caliber on this level. They’ve played in title games already, won on the road in Death Valley, etc. That’s pressure.

Leave a Reply to Adam Silverstein Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Top
WordPress Appliance - Powered by TurnKey Linux