Boomer Esiason on D&C: Tim Tebow ‘not going to be a long-term solution’ for Broncos

Boomer Esiason

CBS Sports NFL analyst Boomer Esiason made his weekly appearance on the Dennis & Callahan show Monday morning to discuss the state of various NFL teams following their Week 7 performances.

One of the hottest topics Monday morning was Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, who engineered a late comeback against the Dolphins Sunday. Denver rallied from a 15-0 deficit with just five minutes left to tie the score at 15-15, then won the game on a field goal in overtime.

Despite the miraculous comeback, Esiason still does not believe Tebow has what it takes to be a long-term quarterback in the NFL.

“If you pick apart the game and you really look at it, you’d see that all the things we would have a concern about are there,” Esiason said. “The lack of accuracy, the inability to pick up blitzes the way you’re supposed to pick up blitzes as opposed to running out of everything. And the way that he generally plays the game. It was a stimulating finish. No question about it. He deserves all the credit for it. But at the end of the day, in my estimation, the way he played yesterday is not the way you’re going to win a lot of games in this league.

Esiason said that it has been difficult to criticize Tebow because of his popularity, but fans need to realize that criticism of Tebow is not meant as a slight on his character.

“People are misconstruing the criticism of Tim Tebow as personal attacks and things of this nature, which is absolutely asinine,” Esiason said. “It’s basically a real live criticism of the way he plays football. He has a very slow release. He’s extremely inaccurate.

“He’s a great player. He’s an intangible leader. All of those great things. But people don’t want to hear that. They want to look and see what they want to see. But in reality, if you really break it down, while he’s a great kid and all that other stuff, he’s not going to be a long-term solution for the Denver Broncos as their starting quarterback, or at least I don’t believe that.”

Following are more highlights of the conversation. To hear the interview, go to the Dennis & Callahan audio on demand page.

On if Tebow’s current success has any potential to last in the NFL: “I’ve said this a thousand times already that as much as I’d love for him to be my son-in-law, I don’t want him to be my starting quarterback. That’s all there is to it. He’s got a lot of work to do. Yesterday was proof positive of that. If you watch, you break it down, to run around on the field and run out of the craziness of the pocket, that’s not the way it’s done.

“The New England Patriots know that better than most. You’ve watched one of the greatest quarterbacks in his era pick apart defenses the way that you’re supposed to. And that’s by sitting in the pocket, reading the defense, and getting rid of the football. That’s the way the NFL was built. When you watch all the best quarterbacks week-in and week-out, whether it be Drew Brees last night or Aaron Rodgers yesterday, they all do it the right way. And then when you watch Tim Tebow, you see a flurry of activity that usually is in the pocket, that is not the way that you’re supposed to be playing the game.”

On the importance of the Jets’ win over the Chargers Sunday: “I think it was a really important game for them yesterday. I started the “NFL Today” off by saying that I thought that Mark Sanchez has really regressed over the last three or four weeks due in large part to the beating that he took at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens. … He played really well yesterday. The second half, he outplayed Philip Rivers. And maybe more importantly for the New York Jets, their running game got on track and their defense shut out the San Diego Chargers in the second half.

“It was their best win of the season. There’s no question about that. But I’m telling you right now, the thing about Mark Sanchez is you’re never going to see him in the top 10 of passing statistics week in and week out. He’s just not that type of quarterback. I think we all have to come to realize that he’s not going to be throwing for 300 yards and three touchdowns like Ben Roethlisberger did yesterday or Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees. It’s going to be a different kind of game for him.

“As long as they recognize that and they can play to that strength, then they’ll be a good football team. I still think that they have a lot to be desired on offense. I don’t want to overreact to the success Plaxico Burress had last night, but it was certainly a very good game for him and for Mark Sanchez.”

On the Carson Palmer trade costing the Raiders a first-round pick in 2012 and either a first- or second-round pick in 2013: “It’s insane, and if you know anything about watching football, really the meat of your football team has got to be from your draft. And the higher the picks, the better that they have to be and they have to be your long-term solutions. You can fill in with free agents every now and again like a Darren Sproles for New Orleans, but they can’t be the end-all, be-all for your football team or you’re not going to win.”

On whether Bill Cowher would coach the Dolphins should Tony Sparano get fired: “Yesterday I was sitting next to Cowher when Peter King was on NBC saying that ‘Bill Cowher is going to the Miami Dolphins.’ I’m sitting next to Cowher and I said, ‘You are? What’s going on there?’ He was like, ‘I don’t know where this stuff comes from. I don’t know where Peter King got that from.’ It could be a friend of a friend of a friend. Who knows?’ He just laughed at it.

“I’ve worked with him for many years. He is not going to say anything publicly about any job as long as there is a coach in place at that job. I don’t know if Tony Sparano is going to make it through the week here, guys. But the fact of the matter is that Bill Cowher is not taking a job in season. There’s no way that that’s happening.”