ORLANDO, FLA. — There are almost as many opinions about Tim Tebow’s prospects of being an NFL quarterback as there are people talking about Tim Tebow’s prospects of being an NFL quarterback.
But at least one guy who knows a thing or two about NFL quarterbacks, who has seen a few make it in the league, scooted over to Gainesville, Fla., this past weekend to form his own opinion.
Redskins coach Mike Shanahan led the team’s delegation, which visited the Florida campus Saturday to hold a private workout with Tebow. A former Gators assistant, Shanahan certainly didn’t need directions to Ben Hill Stadium.
In the wake of a difficult week at the Senior Bowl and almost continued questions about his NFL worthiness since his collegiate career ended, Tebow has tried to fix things.
He has tried to repair his throwing motion, has tried to improve where he carries the ball during his dropback from center, tried to reconstruct his footwork and tried to convince any and all scouts he’s ready to learn more about being a professional quarterback.
By all accounts, Shanahan enjoyed talking with Tebow during the visit. If the Redskins remain interested on draft day, they are likely to bring Tebow in as a backup to starter Jason Campbell.
Shanahan likes his quarterbacks smart, he likes them mobile and he usually likes them with a little more arm strength than Tebow has shown. But Shanahan also believes in the intangibles of the quarterback position — how a guy works, how a guy leads, how a guy reacts with the game on the line and the pressure on his shoulders.
And in Tebow, there aren’t many scouts who don’t like all of that. They don’t question his character or his willingness to put in the time.
For this reason, several teams will follow the same route the Redskins did and go take a look for themselves.
Jeff Legwold: 303-954-2359 or jlegwold@denverpost.com
