Mechanics 101: Breaking down Tim Tebow's throw

From the moment Tim Tebow’s college career ended, the Broncos’ rookie quarterback’s name has often been followed by “mechanics.”  

A recent Sports Illustrated story on the Broncos’ quarterbacks delved into how Tebow is trying to improve the way he throws the ball (the word “mechanics” appears six times). In the offseason, Tebow’s father Bob recruited coaches to work on his son’s delivery. Two of the coaches who worked with Tebow, former NFL coach Sam Wyche and longtime NFL offensive coordinator and coach of the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes Marc Trestman, discussed what goes into a quarterback’s mechanics.

“It’s an entire body process,” Trestman said.

Feet

One of the basic fundamentals for a quarterback is finishing with his front foot (in left-handed Tebow’s case, his right foot) pointing toward his target. Wyche said if the lead step is correct, a quarterback eliminates most misses to the left or right of the target. Trestman said an important part of that footwork is making sure the step forward is short – preferably about 6 inches.

“A shorter step produces a shorter motion,” Trestman said. “The rest of the body has to compensate with a larger step. The weight has to transfer.”

Hips

Wyche compared a quarterback’s hips to golfers, baseball pitchers and karate punchers. In all cases, the hips need to rotate all the way through. A quarterback wants his hips square to the target when he releases, otherwise he will throw across his body and accuracy might suffer. Velocity is largely dependent on a quarterback’s core strength and rotating through the hips.

“’Arm strength’ is a misnomer,” Trestman said. “It’s more about torque.”

Chest

The chest is one of the easiest mechanics to master because the preferred act is natural. Trestman compares it to weightlifting, and the bench press, saying nobody bench presses with their chest inward. Likewise, a quarterback throws with a “puffed chest,” as Trestman puts it.

“If the chest is in, there will be no power,” Trestman said.

Shoulder

While the shoulders have to rotate with the hips when a quarterback throws, the placement of the shoulders and arms is also important during the dropback. Wyche said the throwing shoulder should be dipped, with the ball carried at the sternum when a quarterback drops. That creates speed. If a quarterback carries the ball too high, his dropback will be slow.

“You don’t run a 40-yard dash with your hands at your ears,” Wyche said. “That’s where you get your speed.”

When a quarterback finishes his drop, his non-throwing shoulder then has to dip, to transfer weight and get in position to throw. That also takes the front shoulder out of a quarterback’s line of vision.

Elbow

The elbow should be about as high as the shoulder during the throwing motion, Trestman said. This is one thing Tebow had to fix. He had a tendency to dip the ball, sometimes all the way to his hip, as he threw the ball. That long windup made his delivery slow and easier to read. When he worked on his mechanics before the draft, he made his throwing motion more compact, keeping the ball high throughout his motion. Tebow said he threw the ball harder after making changes to his motion.

Wyche wasn’t too worried about arm placement. He used Indianapolis’ Peyton Manning (comes way over the top), former Steeler Terry Bradshaw (relied on his wrist, like he was throwing darts), and former Redskin Sonny Jurgensen (threw sidearm) as examples of different but successful motions. He said even a long delivery can be overcome, citing former Eagle Randall Cunningham. Wyche thought consistency was key.

“Whatever his starting point is, start there every time,” Wyche said. “Same with follow through. Anything in between is your own unique style.”

Hand

To throw a tight spiral, the index, middle and ring fingers have to spin the ball. Then the quarterback needs to snap his wrist, so the thumb is pointed down as the throw is completed. The follow through is important. In left-handed Tebow’s case, his left hand should end up at about his right hip.

“Pulling change out of your right pocket, so to speak,” Trestman said.

Head

Another minor mechanical issue for Tebow transitioning from a shotgun quarterback in college to a being under center in the pros is his head placement. A quarterback needs to keep his head steady and eyes up as he is sprinting into his dropback, to see the defense.

“That’s where you have to get experience,” Wyche said.