Chargers choose Mike McCoy as head coach. Is Tim Tebow far behind?
NFL.com Greg Rosenthal and others report that Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy is all-but-signed as the next head coach of the San Diego Chargers. Let the Tebow to Chargers rumors begin.
The Chargers swept away GM A.J. Smith and Head Coach Norv Turner at the end of the season and seem ready for big changes, which could include a move to Los Angeles. New GM Tom Telesco listened to entreaties from coaching retreads like Andy Reid, but tapped 40-year-old McCoy, one of the brightest coordinators you've probably never heard of.
McCoy the QB puppet master
McCoy worked magic with Kyle Orton in the 2009 season when Jay Cutler bolted after refusing to work with new Broncos coach Josh McDaniels. Orton passed for over 7,000 yards, 41 TDs against 21 INTs over the 2009-2010 seasons. It was the best two-year stretch in Orton's career.
Denver receiver Brandon Marshall was not happy with the trade that sent Cutler to Chicago, and he was battling demons of his own. The Broncos moved him to Miami in 2010, but McCoy replaced Marshall's production with Brandon Lloyd, the league-leading receiver that year.
Lloyd never flashed such performance (1,448 yards, 11 TDs) prior to his time with McCoy and McDaniels. He has yet to repeat it after following McDaniels to the Patriots.
Then, McCoy delivered the magic that convinces me that he is Oz, the Great and Powerful, when he coordinated the 2011 Broncos to the playoffs with a quarterback, Tim Tebow, and an offense said not to work at the pro level. In defiance of logic and laws of nature, Tebow was 8-6 as Broncos starter.
McCoy's next assignment was a plumb, to work with the great Peyton Manning after his recovery from the neck surgery that caused him to miss the entire 2011 season in Indianapolis. Manning and the Broncos closed the season with an 11-game winning streak before their shocking playoff loss to the Ravens last Sunday.
The loss meant the Chargers could pounce on McCoy a week or two sooner. The Cardinals, Eagles and Bears hinted at interest in McCoy. Of that group, only the Bears had a quarterback competitive with the Chargers' Philip Rivers.
Success as head coach calls for more than X and O skill. Norv Turner is an excellent X and O man. Partnership with the GM and owner, executive leadership, commanding presence and player motivation are big parts of the formula. McCoy must prove himself there.
He has already shown the nimble thinking to use scheme to get the most from his players. He is the only man proven successful with Tebow at quarterback. I'm not too proud to troll for readers by starting a speculative, completely unfounded rumor or two.
Tim Tebow, pack your bags, son. You are headed west.
Enjoy this story? Like it on Facebook and Tweet it to your followers,
Tebow is a football player that needs to sign with a team running an offense that uses the H back often in their offense. In addition to the Wild Cat formation, tebow's size, versatility as a runner and passer, and drive and determination as well as a team player should make him attractive to another team. He suffers from too much media hype and being oversold as an Athelete but what a wonderful example to us all as a person. He should sign with Miami Dolphins whi need a spark and some excitement as they are building a good team for the near future now and want to make major stadium improvements right away. What better way to attract Florida and Tebow fans to the stadium than to sign Tebow and create a productive way to use him effectively without destroying team chemistry and creating another quarterback controversy. Hopefully the Dolphins will consider Tebow as a player, if not maybe Jacksonville will.
@Nahila Thanks for the comment, Nahila.
The Dolphins have to WANT Tebow, who is not free to chose another team unless the Jets release him from his contract. I don't think teams want him. Tebow just went through the Jets experience where Woody Johnson wanted him for the buzz he created rather then any useful football reason. I doubt he wants to go through another experience where the team sees him as a marketing ploy instead of a football asset.
Tebow is not athletic. He is buff (there is a difference), he is determined, and he is sincere. A team has to commit to the NFL version of the Georgia Tech offense for Tebow to peak. No team shows aninclination to do that.
Are you sure Tebow is not both athletic and buff?
As for commitment to the spread option offense... the spread option is hot in the NFL just now, which favors Tim, but he is working hard on his passing game and I believe he intends to master the traditional QB role too. Don't underestimate him or put him in a box.
Thanks for the comment, Joey. Sorry, no. I see Tebow as buff only. I've heard too many other NFL athletes say as much, with Mark Schlereth describing him as the worst athlete in camp when Tebow was with the Broncos.
The hot trend in the pros is the read-option offense, not the spread option. Read-option has been successful with the arrival of duel-threat QBs RGIII and Russell Wilson who can burn you with a pass as well as a run. Before them, QBs were good passers, or good runners (Tebow), but not good enough at both to defeat DEs and linebackers with the scheme. I have to see improved passing skills from Tebow before believing he's a fit for the read-option.
As the Jets learned, Tebow is a threat to run in the Wildcat, so that's how to defend him. He is a low-risk passing threat.
That doesn't mean I dislike Tebow. I dislike the adulation from those who say he's a great quarterback because of his evangelicalism. It annoys me both because it's the wrong venue, and because it ignores that the majority of NFL players are devout Christians who deserves their adulation as much as Tebow does. Core belief in God seems to be part of the formula for NFL success. Tebow is not special in that way.
I do think he's getting a raw deal. Tebow should get a a shot on a team with a coach who believes in him. No such NFL team or coach exists. McCoy got the best from Tebow, but has made no move for him. Andy Reid opted for Alex Smith. The Viking picked up Matt Cassel. The Jets have no idea how to use him. Urban Meyer is at Ohio State. Writing on the wall, my friend.
