Draft Day Debate – Tim Tebow vs. Colt McCoy

Affairs.  Corruption.  Revenge.  Murder.  These are the words used to describe the feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys between 1865 and 1891.  As I was preparing to write this draft day debate article about Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow, I decided to revisit the most famous feud in American history to learn more about McCoy’s possible ancestors.  What I uncovered was truly shocking.

The real person behind the feud - Augustus Tebow.

The feud’s escalation is traced back to a dispute over the ownership of a hog in 1878.  Floyd Hatfield had it, but Randolph McCoy claimed it was his.  The McCoys lost a court case over the ownership rights and the key witness in the case, Bill Staton, was subsequently murdered by two McCoy brothers.  This set off a chain of events that involved numerous a of violence and ten separate murders between the two families.

You would think that would be the end of my research project, but you’d be wrong.  I dug deeper and found the true culprit of the feud – the judge in the case.  You see, the Hatfields had actually stolen that hog and paid off the judge in the case.  Who, you ask, was the judge?  It was none other than the man pictured in this article – Augustus Tebow.  This man is the Great Great Great Grandfather of none other than Tim Tebow.

After this shocking discovery, I knew this draft day debate was going to be fierce.  It proved two things to me.  First, that Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow have a serious score to settle.  Second, that Tim Tebow actually has ancestors.  He was not conceived magically as some may think.  This debate quickly escalated into a feud.

Size

Tebow = 6’3″ 236
McCoy = 6’1″ 216

Tebow has great size for the position.  In fact, he may be a little too heavy, if anything.  Most QBs struggle to put on weight, but Tebow was blessed with a more than adequate height and build combination.

McCoy, on the other hand, is like looking at Drew Brees in a mirror.  He’s shorter than what you’d want to see and doesn’t really have the frame to add much more bulk.  Injuries are going to be a slight concern with his body makeup.

Advantage: Tebow

Production

Tebow = Exceptional
McCoy = Excellent

Tebow’s numbers are off the charts.  Many could argue he’s the best college football player of all time…not the best college QB of all time, but college FOOTBALL PLAYER.  He’s the first Sophomore to have ever won the Heisman trophy.  He’s also the only player to rush and pass for at least 20 TDs in a season.  Add the National Title to 9,285 yards passing, 88 passing TDs, 2,947 rushing yards and 57 rushing TDs playing in the SEC and you have production unmatched by anyone in history.  I am now surprised now, however, he didn’t attend Arkansas to play for the hogs.

Colt McCoy won more games in college than most play – 45.  He’s also the only QB in college history to lead his team to four straight 10-win seasons.  Combine that with 13,253 pasing yards, 112 passing TDs, 1,589  rushing yards with another 20 TDs, and you have quite the college career.

Slight Advantage: Tebow

Arm Strength

Neither player has elite arm strength.  Tebow certainly does have the stronger arm, though.  McCoy’s lack of arm strength would be a bigger deal in a different offense, but it’s still a slight concern.

Slight Advantage – Tebow

Accuracy

Tebow is going to have some major growing pains in this area.  He tends to throw off balance and needs some major footwork adjustments to be a drop back passer in the NFL.

McCoy is adequate in this area.  He has some trouble with deep accuracy, but he’s a very accurate passer in all other aspects.  He can make all the short to intermediate throws with relative ease.  We’re not throwing around livestock on a farm here, so he has adequate strength in this area.

Major Advantage – McCoy

Situation

Tebow = Denver (pick #25 overall)
McCoy = Cleveland (pick #85 overall)

The allure of Tebow was too much for Denver to pass on, and he landed in a great spot.  With only Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn to beat out, coupled with a coach putting his career on the line for him, Tebow should see the field by 2011.  Unfortunately, the weapons Denver used to have (Marshall, Scheffler) have left town, leaving little in the cupboard.  A great scenario for Tebow is to sit the bench for a year, while Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas develop and hope that Eddie Royal has a bounce back campaign.  Either way, Tebow will get his chance sooner rather than later.

McCoy couldn’t have landed in a better spot.  He lacks elite arm strength and is perfect for a Holmgren-esque West Coast offense.  Colt would also do well to sit out and the Browns have expressed a desire for him to do so.  However, what happens if Delhomme plays as poorly as he did last year?  Will the Browns be fine with letting Seneca Wallace keep the seat warm for a year?  Will their disgruntled fan base allow them to do that?  Many questions will plague the Browns next year, but this is a perfect spot for McCoy.  They’re not the Hatfield Browns!

Advantage: Push

Durability

No real issues here.  McCoy’s shoulder injury is overblown and Tebow took a major beating and kept on playing.

Advantage: Push

Character

Crafted by the hands of the Gods in the mold of Achilles and Zeus, Tim Tebow is a poster child for positive behavior.  McCoy hasn’t taken any stands against big picture issues like Tebow, but he’s a good kid and a really good leader.

Advantage: Push

Mechanics

Ahh, this the breaking point for so many.  Tebow has poor mechanics.  It’s obvious.  He has an elongated delivery, poor follow-through and bad footwork.  It’s a problem, but I personally don’t think it’s as big of deal as most since Tebow is such a tireless worker.  He sees this as a challenge and went to a team dedicated to his success.  This will take time, though.  There’s also a realistic chance he does, in fact, fail.

McCoy is pretty close to textbook.  He flutters a ball every so often, but he’s pretty sound otherwise.  He’ll need some work on his dropbacks, too, but nothing like Tebow.

Major Advantage – McCoy

CONCLUSION

The Hatfields and McCoys raged in a feud for years.  While my discovery of the true culprit will likely fuel the fire even more, it’s a debate that was already raging in many fantasy drafts this year.  In the end, I value Tebow as a mid-to-late 2^nd round pick in a rookie draft.  He has the “it” factor and it’s quite possible he’s the “next.”  However, his flaws cannot be ignored.  He has major mechanical issues to fix and will find running in the NFL to be a major challenge.  I see McCoy as a solid mid-2^nd round pick.  He found himself in the perfect position in Cleveland.  While it’s been years since a quality QB has emerged from that part of Ohio, he’ll have every opportunity to do so.

I hope you enjoyed this latest “feud” edition of the Draft Day Dabate.  In the end, go for McCoy and never, EVER put a Tebow in charge of your hog.