Here's a bit more detail on the week long session. Sorry, I can't post links yet. Tim Tebow works with Tom House LOS ANGELES -- New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow has been working out with a throwing guru on the campus of the University of Southern California for the past week. Tebow, the Jets' big offseason acquisition, has spent the past five days making adjustments to his throwing motion under the tutelage of Tom House, a former major league pitcher now working as a volunteer pitching coach at USC. The workouts have been conducted at USC's gated-off Howard Jones Field, and media have not been allowed to watch per Tebow's request, House said. Tebow had his last mechanics session with House on Friday and plans to fly back to New York this weekend. The Jets begin training camp on Thursday in Cortland, N.Y. House has worked with a number of other prominent NFL quarterbacks this offseason, including Tom Brady, Alex Smith and Carson Palmer. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees was the first quarterback to visit with House, in 2003, when Brees played for the San Diego Chargers. The typical quarterback's schedule is a weeklong program at the Rod Dedeaux Research and Baseball Institute on the USC campus, where 3D video analysis is used in coordination with traditional drills to break down individual motions to a thousand frames per second and discover small inconsistencies or errors. House said Friday he believes Tebow benefited from the week's worth of workouts. "I think he's getting better, but the proof is in the pudding," House said. "Being out here at USC is different than being with the New York Jets." Tebow and USC coach Lane Kiffin share the same agent, Jimmy Sexton of L.A.-based Creative Artists Agency. Sexton originally arranged for Tebow to work out on the school's campus last month, and the controversial third-year quarterback began throwing on his own then and using the university's weight room. A Trojans' program source told ESPNLosAngeles.com that Tebow has used USC receiver Marqise Lee as one of his targets during throwing sessions. Lee is a talented sophomore expected to be a top pick in the 2014 NFL draft. Current Jets receiver Patrick Turner, who also played at USC, has caught passes from Tebow, as well.
He needs to stop making changes to his motion, enough already, he needs to play instinctively especially from a run first red zone offense (sigh)
Its not him, I am sure he is being told by coaches etc... that in order for him to be a starter in the NFL (longterm) he needs to address it. I agree with you, he needs to be what he is and be ok with it at this point.
Eh he needs to work on it. I wish we could just assume that he was, and weren't reading a story a month about how he's doing it in secret. Any improvements in consistency will yield big results for the jets, and Tebow as a player.
Because they are just refining or making minor adjustements to good motions and quick releases. Tebow is doing a major overhaul. He needs to refine what he has and live with it. Think of it like Brees, et al ... are painting their house. Where Tebow is doing a complete tear down and rebuild.
Just for clarity's sake, can someone specify all of the stuff that constitutes his "throwing motion" that he's working on?
I don't know, either. And I somewhat agree that a complete overhaul seems too high of a mountain to climb, but I actually think if that's his plan, this may be a good time to do it. If he were still with the Broncos and going into TC as the starter, I'd say "no major overhauls" would be smart, but assuming he's at least a year away from a starting job, he's got time to do more extensive work.
maybe he should just meet with RA Dickey, and save some travel time. He already throws a pretty good knuckleball.
I think number one it's his footwork, how to place his body and feet for all of the throws (quickly). Number two, I think his wrist still needs work. I hear Tom Brady obsessing about making a "C" with your hand during the throw, not a "U." A C helps you stay on top of the ball and generate spin, and keeps the ball from being able to flop because your wrist can't bend in the direction of flight when your hand is making a "C." When you place your hand under the ball, like a "U," like you're holding a pizza box, the nose of the ball can waiver. And you can snap down and generate as much spin. But you can't just "decide" how to hold your wrist and the ball. It starts with the carry, and the pre-load, and everything. The whole motion has to be conducive to it. Everything needs to be firm, inside, and quick. Nothing flopping out there.
Word. Thanks for the detailed explanation; I've never heard that about the "C" and "U." Good stuff. Is he also working on the speed of his release?
I think he's already done the "complete overhaul" back before he was drafted and he's continued to work on it. There's still some hitches to be worked out, and that's what he's doing now. The bigger thing is that these changes haven't been totally committed to muscle memory, which is why he would revert back to his old motion late in games. Ironically enough, that's when he was more productive as well The again, his stroke looked pretty good against the Steelers, which leads me to believe that if/when these mechanics do become ingrained, and he no longer has to think about them, he might just be pretty good
Yep, you can be more productive reverting back to your old ways when learning new ones. The question is, are you willing to go through a painful period of looking and performing even worse, for a time, in the confidence that you can make the changes you seek permanent? Which is why I think if he really wants to commit to seeing a complete overhaul all the way through, now is the time to do it, when he's not the starting QB.
His throwing motion is fine, but I think there is a lot of utility in seeking to improve no matter who it is and how good they are.
Thats not what House said in ESPN's First Take interview. House said because of Tebow's intangibles most people left him alone and never bothered to teach him the basics purely because he found a way to win. He didn't say he had to re-work everything. He said he was never tought to begin with. If true, then starting with a blank canvas is actually far better than trying to re-work Brady's motion.
Thanks Whichfan. That was a good listen. House didn't sound like "coach speak." Sounded optimistic that the mechanics could be fixed. But cautioned that the application of the mechanics with footwork in a game scenario was outside his realm of expertise and that it was all up to "the kid."
No prob. And yeah I would imagine footwork is something that should be left up to the offensive coordinator because it's directly tied in with whatever offensive plays they plan on implementing. House sounded like he knew what he was doing.
