As The Tebow Spins, Day 341: What is a college coaches job?

Okay, it hasn't really been that long.

But it certainly feels like it.

I will come right out and admit I am somewhere between neutral and negative on Tim Tebow, and that's a visceral reaction more than anything else.

I have only been able to observe him through magazine articles and television interviews but my gut reaction is somewhere between indifference and mild dislike. Something about him rubs me the wrong way, much like Jimmy Clausen.

I can't put my finger on it.

But I'm not going to impugn him as a person. Instead I want to use him as a jumping off point.

On Sunday, I was watching in split screen the NFL combine QB/RB/WR day and the gold medal game.

As soon as I turned on the tv, there was Marshall Faulk, Mike Mayock and Charles Davis arguing over the merits of Tim Tebow and how Urban Meyer may (or may not) have failed him. Faulk thinks that Meyer needed to do more to prepare Tebow for the next level; Mayock and Davis think that Tebow has potential to be a next level talent.

Oh, and the name Alex Smith was invoked as a quarterback that Meyer had gotten to the NFL.

Yeah, and Danny Wuerffel, Shane Matthews, Jesse Palmer and Doug Johnson all got run with NFL teams. No one would ever say that Spurrier developed NFL talent at QB, right?

Tebow claims that Meyer has his charges NFL ready as far as preparation goes and being ready to work week in and week out.

But it's hard to look away from the throwing motion (aka "The Frittata", as the hilarious blog Every Day Should Be Saturday calls it).

Tebow unveils Tim Tebow throwing motion 3.0 at the Florida Pro Day on St. Patrick's Day.

It is a dilemma, though: What is a collegiate coaching staff's responsibility when it comes to their players?

Is it to develop and nurture the natural talent of these players and get them ready for potential pro careers?

Or is it to win games first and, if it fits within the program, develop players to get better?

My inclination is to say that college coaches need to focus on winning. That is what they are paid to do and that is what should come first.

Now, this doesn't mean that a coach can't get a player ready for moving on to the NFL.

I just don't think it should be the primary goal for a couple of reasons:

1) If the player needs to be radically rebuilt from a skills perspective, then it will be difficult to have that player not appear robotic as the new skills become second nature.
2) It could—could!—serve as a distraction because the focus can get taken off of the team goals for that current season.

Now, this doesn't preclude the player trying to get better on their own and seeking the input from their coaches.

But I think, given the practice limits (ahem) by the NCAA, it's difficult to smoothly work in concepts for next level improvements while installing the current week's game plan.

Urban Meyer's job is to win games for Florida.

Nick Saban's job is to win games for Alabama.

If they can improve on a player's skills, great.

But that should not be their sole focus.