The Many Voices Inside Tim Tebow's Head - Wall Street Journal

By CHRIS HERRING

When Tim Tebow was leading the Denver Broncos to the playoffs in January, he was under the tutelage of Adam Gase, the Broncos' quarterbacks coach.

In February, after Denver was eliminated, Tebow went to California and worked out with his longtime quarterback guru, Noel Mazzone, before going over his mechanics with Steve Young, the Hall of Fame former San Francisco 49ers quarterback.

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Tim Tebow with Jets offensive coordinator Tony Sparano. Observers have begun to wonder whether Tebow has too many advisers.

In March, after being traded to the Jets, he got a new mentor in Jets quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh. Then, in July, Tebow returned to California to elicit input from throwing guru Tom House.

The whirlwind of coaches and specialists that Tebow saw in that span illustrates just how much the 25-year-old is trying to refine his throwing motion, which has been dissected more than any other quarterback's in recent memory. But the amount of help that Tebow has sought raises a question: How much feedback is too much?

"Having too many voices in your head can definitely be problem after a certain point, and I think it's fair to ask if he's reached that point," Young said. "And with Tim, I think it could be happening because he's so eager to improve as a passer."

While Tebow has become one of the NFL's most recognizable players, whether he can become a productive passerâ€"and thus a worthwhile quarterbackâ€"remains an open question, as it has since he became a star at the University of Florida. There is a school of thought that Tebow simply is a winner, based on how he took the moribund Broncos to the divisional round of the playoffs last seasonâ€"that he manages to raise his level of play in clutch scenarios. But then there are his shortcomings as a thrower.

Those knocks include his elongated delivery, which played a part in his league-high 10.9% sack rate; and his inconsistency, which was a factor in his league-low 46.5% completion rate. The reverse, left-handed spin on his balls may have been an issue, too. Denver wideouts dropped 11.4% of catchable passes thrown to them last year, according to Stats LLC, the second-highest rate in the league.

Since last season, and since the private off-season sessions, reviews of Tebow's mechanics have been mixed. A number of analysts say they have seen little or no change thus far in his throwing style, while Jets coaches insist he has made stridesâ€"even though his 36.1% completion rate during the preseason was down considerably from 2011.

"The numbers don't look like it because of his percentage, but I can tell you this: I think his mechanics are improving," said coach Rex Ryan, adding that he felt the Jets' preseason deficits, and obvious need to throw, played a role in Tebow's lackluster passing numbers.

One thing is clear: Tebow has had plenty of specific instructions to keep in mind over the past eight monthsâ€"enough directions to make the average person's head spin.

Cavanaugh, the Jets quarterback coach, has worked extensively with Tebow on setting his feet in the pocket. Young showed Tebow film of New England Patriots star Tom Brady's throwing motion, imploring him to "unknot" his windup in his delivery, which he says comes back too far behind Tebow's head.

House said Tebow's release, when broken down on film, showed that the quarterback had a bad of habit of letting his arm come across his body when throwing instead of going straight forward.

Tebow's roster of advisers provides a glimpse into the proliferation of private off-season workouts among NFL players. Still, a number of analysts said that working with so many different specialists seemed odd.

"I can't even keep up with how many people he's worked with," said Phil Simms, a CBS analyst and former Giants quarterback. "It makes it seem like he's trying to find a magic oil or a silver bullet."

Tebow said that having multiple coaches and gurus is a plus, and that it hasn't been counterproductive to his development. "A quote I've always loved is, 'In a multitude of counselors, there is wisdom,'" he said, paraphrasing Proverbs 15:22. "You can take wisdom from a lot of different people and find exactly what works for you."

He added that he does his best to keep his coaches in the loop about what he is taught, and that Cavanaugh is "the main voice" he hears.

But Tebow's other coaches expressed some discomfort with the notion of private tutoring. Asked about Tebow's off-season workouts, Ryan said "you'd like to have some idea" concerning what Tebow and his other players are being taught privately. But he acknowledged "you really have no control on where they go, if they want to lift at this place or have this guru."

Jets offensive coordinator Tony Sparano was more pointed, saying that it was unclear as to what outside help might yield:"I always felt like the best place to get the answers was in your own building." He said it's far more common nowâ€"with a new collective bargaining agreement and more stringent rules limiting off-season contact between teams and their playersâ€"for athletes to seek the advice of private coaches and trainers.

House, the ex-pitching coach, said he had never received any negative feedback from teams or coaches, but acknowledged that the private help was a delicate balance.

"It isn't as if we're doing anything covertly. It's always been full disclosure," he said. "So am I unteaching what other people are telling him? I don't know. I only know what I'm telling him."

Write to Chris Herring at chris.herring@wsj.com

A version of this article appeared September 11, 2012, on page A17 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: The Many Voices Inside Tim Tebow's Head.