Quarterback gurus are lining up to take credit for "fixing" Tim Tebow's elongated delivery now that he's on the New England Patriots.
After spending three days with the former New York Jet in early February, independent quarterbacks coach Steve Carlson claimed in April that he had fixed Tebow's accuracy issues by correcting a footwork problem that led to his looping throwing motion, Newsday reported.
ESPN's Trent Dilfer tweeted Monday night that Dennis Gile of The Q] Quarterback Academy, "one of the true ROCK STARS" in quarterback development, had made "[real changes" to Tebow's delivery after working out for three and a half months.
Former Carolina Panthers quarterback Chris Weinke, who worked with Tebow at IMG Academy in Florida, said Monday that Tebow now is throwing with "great accuracy, great velocity" after fixing a major foot alignment flaw.
"Do I think he can play the quarterback position in the NFL? Yeah, no question," Weinke told USA Today. "Like I told Tim when I found out that he signed, 'You're locked and loaded, ready to go.'"
The common sentiment from all of Tebow's tutors is that the Patriots will be pleasantly surprised at the new and improved Tebow. It's one thing for Tebow to show the streamlined throwing motion in passing drills. It's quite another to resist sliding into old habits once the bullets start flying in the pocket. This is not the first time coaches have attempted to fix Tebow's delivery or crowed about his new, compact throwing motion.
As Cam Newton and Jake Locker can attest, maintaining proper footwork in the face of defensive pressure is an ongoing battle. Forgive our skepticism that the latest fix will be more than temporary for the owner of the lowest completion percentage among active quarterbacks.
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.
