The scoffers will be out today. On sports talk radio, around the internet and at the water cooler, the naysayers will be riding high on 4/20.
Why? Because their favorite punching bag is back in the news. That’s right, Tim Tebow is an NFL quarterback once again.
Yesterday, the Philadelphia Eagles ended the former Heisman Trophy winner’s exile from the NFL after two full seasons, signing him to be a part of Chip Kelly’s cutting-edge offense. It’s a bold move by a head coach who has proven that he’s willing to be unconventional in a league filled with copycats, one that will certainly generate plenty of snickers around the country as word spreads about Tebow’s return.
And that’s where the problem arises, as there’s absolutely no reason to bash the quarterback. Tebow gets more grief, criticism and overall ill will than almost any player in the league, despite the fact that he’s done nothing to deserve it.
During his time at the University of Florida and in the NFL, Tebow has done zilch to warrant the type of vile reaction that he generates from a large portion of the population. All he’s done is win games on the field and conduct himself in an upstanding way off of it; typically, those traits are touted, not mocked.
But the anti-Tebow crowd doesn’t see it that way. They’re turned off by the 27-year-old quarterback due to one of three reasons.
A lot of people don’t like Tebow because of his religious beliefs. The quarterback is a Christian, something that he’s very public about; he wears Bible verses on his eye black, says “God bless” after interviews and speaks at churches around the country. Somehow, that’s offensive to some people; of course, this is typically the same group that is preaching (pun intended) about how everyone else needs to be tolerant of various views, opinions and beliefs.
I don’t agree with all of Tebow’s stances. That said, I certainly believe he is entitled to have his viewpoint, as well as the right to express them however, whenever and wherever he wants to. It’s up to me to decide if I want to agree with him or not. But to not like him because he has a different religious belief seems like the height of bigotry; imagine if that stance was taken on a non-Christian athlete. How would that go over?
A lot of people also believe that the quarterback is overhyped. They think he received too much credit for the Gators victories during his college days, riding a great roster to victory after victory and taking most of the credit for himself. There’s a “fairness police” out there that is bothered by this supposed injustice, outraged by what they perceived as unworthy praise being heaped upon Tebow.
Of course, the quarterback never asked for the credit; it was others who gave it to him. Those who select All-American teams deemed him to be a viable selection. Those who vote for the Heisman decided that he was a good choice. And those who produce SEC games on TV felt he was worthy of camera shot after camera shot. The same can be said for almost every marquee quarterback in the past 50 years; it’s the nature of the position.
And a lot of people don’t like Tebow because they don’t think he’s very talented. They see him as a guy who has poor throwing mechanics, bad footwork and an inability to read defenses. He’s not a prototypical quarterback; he doesn’t boast the skill set that most experts believe are necessary to be a successful signal caller in the NFL, so a certain group is aghast at the notion that anyone would suggest he’s capable of excelling at the highest level.
To some extent, the evaluation of Tebow’s talents is accurate; he’s not a particularly polished passer. But to suggest that as a reason why he shouldn’t be given a chance to play in the NFL, when he’s already proven to possess other abilities that make him able to win games in the league, seems a little close-minded.
Given the unfair manner in which the former Broncos quarterback is treated, I’ll be rooting for Tebow. But that’s not the only reason that I truly hope that he finds success in Philadelphia.
In today’s NFL, there’s a shortage of nice guys finishing first. In a league where a former 2,000-yard rusher was suspended for whipping his four-year-old son with a switch, a Super Bowl winning running back has been booted for punching his fiancé in an elevator and another much-hyped former Heisman-winning quarterback just spent a stint in rehab, it certainly doesn’t feel like someone who conducts himself in an honorable manner would be a bad addition to the game.
I also like the fact that Tebow is different. It gets boring watching every team run the same system, trying to win the same way. Personally, I find it entertaining to watch someone try to succeed in a manner unlike everyone else; breaking from the norm is how genius is revealed. The quarterback and his new head coach could potentially fall into that category, which will be fascinating to watch; it’s certainly more fun than watching another mediocre retread behind center.
And finally, it’s because Tebow created some of the greatest memories in the history of Denver sports. The Broncos 2011 season – in which they rebounded from a 1-4 start to finish 8-8, win the AFC West and beat the Steelers in the playoffs – was a storybook journey. The stretch of games in which Denver won seven of eight games, many in improbable fashion was just a joy to behold; so too was their upset win over Pittsburgh in the team’s only postseason victory ever recorded by a quarterback drafted by the orange and blue.
That said, I’ll be in the minority today and this season; far more people will be rooting for Tebow to fall flat on his face, rooting against him at every turn. I suppose that’s just the way of the world today, where it’s more entertaining to watch someone fail than to succeed. But that’s seems like a bitter way to go through life; to openly root against someone who has done nothing wrong seems like the behavior of a petty, angry, malicious, intolerant person.
Welcome back to the NFL, Tebow. And good luck in Philly. There are plenty of people in Denver who will be rooting for you!
