The Tim Tebow 'winner' myth

Now that he's ready to officially take the reins for an NFL team -- not merely for season mop-up duty, but as the possible long-term answer for an ailing franchise -- we're used to seeing this scouting report. In fact, if you're a believer in Tim Tebow, have been in an argument or two, or felt you've made your case for him to be in this position (I have), you probably just roll your eyes at the description. Yeah, we know about the wind-up, the incessant critiques of what he can't do, the breakdowns of his throwing motion that would have you believe every dump-off pass is being delivered by Hideo Nomo. We've seen it. And as all defenders know, the fallback is always to focus on that last point: "This guy is a winner."

Those arguing on behalf of Tebow have always had it good in one sense -- they've always had the trump card, the option to ditch exasperation and simply point up and say "Scoreboard."

But it might be time to retire the phrase, as odd as that sounds. After all, that description above wasn't delivered last week, or on draft day, or even a week after Tebow showed off his tweaked delivery to scouts at his pro day. It was his high school scouting report. And when it comes to the NFL, the reality is the "winner" argument simply has to be left behind. That's because you have to consider the company.

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Chris Sprow

ESPN Insider

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Chris Sprow is a senior editor for ESPN Insider. He reports on the NFL and other sports, works year-round with Mel Kiper on NFL draft coverage and also oversees ESPN's Rumor Central. He's been a frequent guest on ESPN TV and radio.