Bet you never thought you’d read that here, did you?
Full disclosure – I’m not terribly religious. I believe in stuff, but I’m as organized in my religion as I am in everything else in my life, which is to say not much at all. So I don’t love Tim Tebow because he’s the second, third or fourth coming of anything.
I like him because he’s a winner. He’s a quarterback who wants to win. This scene from The Replacements shows what a winner is – he’s the guy who wants the ball when it’s all on the line.
Tebow wants the ball. He’s a winner. He’s not afraid to put the entire team on his back and carry them across the goal line. He did it at Florida, and I remember watching him in a press conference where he was so fired up about losing a game that he basically promised not to do it again. And he didn’t. On his way to a record-setting college season and another national championship, he put the Gators on his back and carried them to the title.
I don’t think he’ll do that in Denver this year. I don’t know if he’ll ever win a Super Bowl. Dan Marino didn’t, and is still considered one of the best of all time. And I don’t think Tebow is a Dan Marino, a perfect passer and field general with a Hall of Fame career. But I think he’s a winner.
And I think he’s a nice guy. Everything I’ve seen about him says that he’s a genuinely nice, respectful human being. And he’s pretty unlikely to commit a felony, unlike certain other starting quarterbacks I could name in the league. My point is not that Tebow is a better person than Mike Vick, I don’t know either of them. My point is not that Tebow is a perfect quarterback, because he certainly isn’t.
But if I couldn’t have Cam Newton and had to take a QB that entered the league in the past two years, I’d take Tebow over any other rookie or sophomore QB. I’m certainly not going to trade Newton for Tebow, because I think Newton is amazing now and will be an elite QB in the next few years.
But Tebow is one of my favorite quarterbacks in the league right now. Because he wants to win. He knows how to win. And he gives a lot back to the community. He’s a sports star that kids can look up to, and I really hope that it stays sincere and he doesn’t get caught up in the cult of personality that we can create. Because it’s awfully fun to watch a nice guy win now and then.
Tim Tebow is the kind of guy I can root for. As long as he’s not playing against the Panthers. 🙂
Disclaimer: New England fan, and it’s not yet Saturday.
I don’t know much about Mr. Tebow. What I read prior to Denver’s heroics last weekend hasn’t been particularly flattering, but I don’t follow sports at all.
What will impress me, more than Denver’s outcome this year, is if Mr. Tebow can put all the media hype behind him, deal with being a celebrity in just the way you describe, and not become crazed by it.
I hope that for him.
And victory as long as it’s not the Pats! 🙂
Thanks for sharing.
I just read an article about him – how he finds a person that’s just in the pits in their life and brings them and their family to his games. He sets them up in a nice hotel, makes dinner reservations for them, and spends time just talking with the people. For nothing at all he makes someone’s life happier, brighter for a few days. It’s amazing that someone in a career like his would care so much. I don’t know much about all the players, but it seems like the only time you hear about them (outside of the game) is when they’re doing something terrible. It’s nice to know there’s good ones in the sport. Hell, it’s good to know that such a great person is just around.
I sincerely hope the fame doesn’t get to him, it would be a real shame to lose a good person.
Love football and Tebow is ok but as of now his stats are decidedly average for the NFL. That many option plays will just not cut it in the NFL for long. I love Tebow’s the full steam ahead put it all on the line running style from a fan standpoint but Quaterbacks in the NFL slide feet first for a reason and Tebow will not be healthy for long if he does not take care. In any other division the Bronco’s would not have made it to the playoffs, and while Tebow was a good Collage QB right now the NFL game is a little to fast for him. In time his game may improve and perhaps he will be great but as we saw last weekend Tom Brady he is not.