LISTEN: Tim Tebow says new QBs are more prepared to play but still need time to develop and grow

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Welcome to On Football with me, Rob Maaddi. Week five starts. Some of the byes in the NFL. We’ve only got 14 games instead of 16 games this week. The Eagles and the Bills remain unbeaten. The Saints, the Jets and the Titans are still winless. Our guest this week, two-time national champion quarterback Heisman Trophy winner, first-round pick in the NFL, Tim Tebow. Everyone knows Tim. Stay tuned for that conversation. I wrote a lot about injuries this week. I write a lot injuries, it seems every week. Tyreek Hill and Malik Nabers went down. Season-ending knee injuries. Back to back days. So many key players across the league, around the NFL, are getting hurt and it seems like offensive linemen are going down week in and week out and it stinks. You hate to see it. You hate to see it. The Ravens seem like everybody on that team. Half the defense are injured. Football’s a violent sport. Injuries happen and some of these are just noncontact freak things. Sometimes it’s not the best team that wins in the end. It’s the healthiest.

MAADDI: Tim Tebow is one of the most decorated college football players in the sport’s history. He was a first-round pick by Denver. Went nine and seven as a starting quarterback in the NFL. Won a playoff game but didn’t get much of an opportunity after that. Hey Tim, the landscape of college football has changed with NIL deals but it also seems some of the quarterbacks are more NFL-ready. Why do you think that is?

TEBOW: I feel like in certain areas there are quarterbacks that are coming into college more ready at times because of I think all of the seven-on-seven in middle school and high school and then the offenses that are being run in high school. I think they’re developing faster a lot of the times, plus there’s so many different quarterback coaches out there doing different things that I think are also helping. These young quarterbacks develop and I think the systems that they’re running in high school are closer to the systems in college so I think a lot of times that can help and so you’re seeing a lot guys but also even though they’re ready to come in and play, there’s still a growth that happens once they get to, get to the FCS or get to the FBS or get to the, you know, these levels are still a growth and maturation process that happens even though they’re so good like you look at Bryce Underwood and you’re like holy cow that is a specimen but even though he comes in and he’s ready to play you can still see he’s developing week in and week out and growing even though he’s got such a high skill level his you know knowledge of the game and experience is growing and so I think they’re, although they’re coming in ready to play, there’s still a level of growing that really can only take place in practices and games.

MAADDI: That happens at every level right Tim? From high school to college, college to the pros, and in the NFL sometimes it seems some of these guys are getting only one or two years to develop, some of the first-round picks, and then teams get rid of them if they don’t have instant success. We live right in an instant gratification kind of world. But then you see guys like Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Geno Smith, they get another opportunity, they get another chance and they make the most of it. Do you think sometimes some players are just not getting enough time to develop or not getting that opportunity?

TEBOW: That’s a good question. I don’t know if to me it’s as much about that next opportunity as it is finding that right fit. The right fit in a coach-player relationship, the right fit in scheme, the right fit with the right weapons around them. You just see so many of these quarterbacks go to certain teams and all instantly you see they’re at a certain team and it’s just, you know, doesn’t look like a fi,t doesn’t look like they’re developing and then they’re at a different team and all of a sudden they come alive right because not everybody has the same skill set. Not everybody can do the same thing and you need to find the right fit to bring out. One of the ways that like we’ll talk about it when bringing people on our team is it’s not just the right people on the bus, you have to be there in the right seat on the right bus to really be able to flourish as a team. And, I think you see different examples like you mentioned, that get out of a certain situation into another and they just look totally different, almost look like they can play free. And I think that’s a sign of good coaching, good relationships, a quarterback that feels comfortable and also the right tools around him.

MAADDI: Tim how cool is it, in a era of NIL and really in a society, a culture where it’s “look at me, look at what I’ve done,” to kind of see what some of these athletes are doing and how they’re getting recognized by the Allstate Good Works team for their off-the-field accomplishments?

TEBOW: Yeah, it’s why it’s absolutely one of my favorite awards in college sports or in sports in general because there’s so many that take place for what they do on the field, but this is one of the few that celebrates what they do off of the field. And I love that we have the Allstate AFCA Good Works team and these 22 young men and coach Venables as the coach that we celebrate them and highlight them and that we get to talk to you about them because the world needs to hear their stories and I would encourage all of the listeners to go to ESPN.com/allstate and go check out their stories because I believe they’ll be an encouragement and inspiration to you. But, I also want to encourage you to go vote on who you believe should be the team captain, who will also receive the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy and we really want you to go and be inspired by their stories and go vote on who you believe should be the team captain. Because when you look at their stories, I believe it will impact you. Doesn’t matter if it’s Michael Taaffe from Texas or Josh Kattus from Kentucky or Richie Leonard from FSU or Adam Randall from Clemson or so many of these young men, you pick a story and read it and it’s going to impact your life because in a time in their life when people are putting pressure on them when it’s all about them when it’s about their season when it’s about you know the — all of this — they’re saying it’s not just about that and they’re making it about other people and serving. And so many of them have gone on mission trips to Argentina or South Africa or around the world and some just in their community but the impact they’re making, not just the games that they’re playing. And I’m just so grateful we get to celebrate this because it’s one of few that really celebrates the impact and the heart posture and the love of their community and that’s what Allstate’s doing and that’s why I love being a part of it.

MAADDI: It’s Pro Picks time. We went 3-0-1 straight up last week in the four pack and 3-1 against the spread. Overall the four-pack is 11-4-1 straight up, 10-6 against the number. My best bet, I’ve got 1-3 Houston at 1- 3 Baltimore. The Ravens, I just mentioned, they’re decimated by injuries. Now Lamar Jackson has a hamstring injury. His status is uncertain as of this recording. C.J. Stroud and the Texans. They saved their season last week. Baltimore has half of its defense probably not going to play. Both teams need this one but it’s going to be hard for the Ravens to overcome all those injuries. If it’s Cooper Rush instead of Lamar, that’s a major drop off. Texans 23-17. For my upset special I’m looking at another pair of 1-3 teams. 1-3 Carolina getting one and a half points at home against the 1-2 Dolphins, who got their first win but lost Tyreek last week. The Panthers routed Atlanta and then they were blown out by New England. They’re a team that’s hard to figure. This is an important bounce back game for coach Dave Canales and quarterback Bryce Young. They’re facing a team that’s coming off short rest. Panthers 23-20. Speaking of short rest, the Broncos destroyed the Bengals on Monday night but they got to hit the road, quick turnaround. Face the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Eagles are winning though. The vibe that I saw around that team after they beat the Buccaneers in the locker room was a negative one. Jalen Hurts needs to find a way to get the ball to A.J. Brown, someway, somehow, and A. J is going up against AP Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain this week. I have the Eagles winning. They’re at home. If the Broncos weren’t coming off of Monday night, I might have looked at it different. But I do have Denver covering the three and a half. 24-23 Eagles. Last of the four-pack. I’m going Monday Night Football. Kansas City Chiefs, three and a half point favorites on the road at Jacksonville. The Jaguars are 3-1. They’re playing good ball under first-year coach Liam Coen. The defense already has 13 takeaways in four games. They had nine all of last year. But the Chiefs have turned it around. Xavier Worthy has kind of ignited, sparked that offense. Patrick Mahomes had four touchdowns against the Ravens. I like the Jags but not in this spot. 24-17 Kansas City.

That’s it for this week. Thank you to Tim Tebow. Thank you for listening to On Football and thanks to Haya Panjwani for producing this episode. Please check out apnews.com for the full Pro Picks, On Football analysis and more NFL news.

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