Tim Tebow's mobility helping defense prepare New England Patriots defense for NFL's mobile QBs

Since signing with the New England Patriots, quarterback Tim Tebow has yet to make a strong enough impression to put any real pressure on Ryan Mallett for the No. 2 spot on the quarterback depth chart.

While his arm has yet to impress, Tebow's legs have been a significant change of pace from the more conventional pocket passers that have been present in recent years, and could provide some value to the team in the long run. The unit that would benefit from Tebow's mobility, though, isn't the offense. It's the defense.

With quarterbacks like Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III popularizing the option-based rushing attacks, the Patriots is more and more likely to have to face off against dual threat QBs.

When asked about his impact in practice, defensive tackle Vince Wilfork talked about how facing a player like Tebow on a regular basis helps prepare for those types of threats under center.

"There might be some times where we might have to face a quarterback like that and he brings a whole different aspect to the game for us," Wilfork said. "Being able to practice against a guy that can basically run that type of offense is a plus for this team. Tim being here is a plus for this defense, because we have to be able to stop some teams that can come out and do that to us.

"He gives us great looks. I'm pretty sure in the future he'll be able to give us even better looks once he gets everything and gets settled in and we get into the season. I think it's a good thing for us."

When evaluating Tebow's value for the Patriots, much of the focus on been whether he will be able to catch on as a third-string QB. However, having a player like Tebow able to emulate that type of offense on the scout team can be a valuable asset for the Patriots defense, especially during the week of practice leading up to a game against a mobile QB.

The Patriots' 2013 schedule is largely devoid of teams that have shows signs of having a QB heavily involved in the rushing attack. The most likely candidates to shift to such a scheme would be the Bufallo Bills and New York Jets, both of whom drafted mobile QBs in the 2013 Draft. Those QBs, EJ Manuel of the Bills and Geno Smith of the Jets, are known more as pocket passers with mobility as opposed to running QBs, so it remains to be seen whether they'd end up running that type of offense.

Of course, both Manuel and Smith must first win the starting quarterback job on their respective teams.

Source: http://blog.masslive.com/patriots/2013/07/tim_tebows_mobility_helping_de.html

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