Two days ago, I heard that Tim Tebow has finally found a team after being cut by the Jets in April. I'm really happy for him because I think he's a talented player who's gotten a pretty raw deal in the NFL. His bouncing around kind of reminds me of myself. In college, I had to try out an assortment of clubs and activities before I found where I fit in. And I too have had commitment issues when it comes to NFL teams.
Living in a state that has no professional football team (or pro teams of any kind) has its perks; you aren't a leper if you don't root for the home team (that's reserved for college sports). When I was very young (around 4-5 years old), I had a set of 49ers pajamas. By the time I was in 3rd grade, Brett Favre had come along. That meant a Packers jersey and sweatsuit. I've been a baseball and hockey fan for most of my life and those became my passions after Brett retired from the Packers.
When I was in high school, I discovered my favorite college team: the Florida Gators. I'm not especially religious, but I developed an immediate fondness for their quarterback Tim Tebow. He stands up for his beliefs and seems like a genuinely nice guy (not to mention he's pretty cute). I followed his career closely and adopted the Broncos as my favorite team when he was drafted into the NFL.
When the Broncos decided to replace him with Peyton "career-ending, life-altering neck injury imminent" Manning, I took my loyalties to the New York Jets. My parents grew up about an hour from the Jets' home base of East Rutherford, so I had kind of an attachment to them anyway. Rex Ryan also coached football for a season at my alma mater. However, Mark Sanchez's ineptitude and Rex's stubborn refusal to bench him ground away at my nerves. Passing Tebow over in favor of the even-worse-than-Sanchez third-string QB was an insult to the first sophomore to win a Heisman. I severed ties with them when he was released.
And now Tebow has found his way onto the New England Patriots' roster. As glad as I am that there's a head coach that appreciates what he has to offer, I still have mixed feelings. New England was the last place I expected (or wanted) him to end up. Something about Tom Brady has always rubbed me the wrong way. I think it's either his smug "I'm God's gift to football and women" attitude reinforced by his Victoria's Secret model wife, his bizarre metrosexual fashion choices (Uggs? Really?), or both.
My best friend is from Massachusetts and is a lifelong, diehard Pats fan. His reaction to the Tebow decision was one word: "yuck." We gave each other all kinds of crap over our respective favorite teams last season. He finds it hysterical that I'm now having to trade in my hunter green and white for blue, silver, red, and white.
Regardless of my feelings about Brady, I'm still excited about the upcoming season. Tebow helped turn the underperforming Broncos around and led them to the playoffs in the 2011-2012 season. He probably could've done the same for the Jets if the upper management staff hadn't just been using his name to sell tickets, something they've basically admitted to doing. And don't get me started on Rex Ryan's mismanagement. Imagine what Tebow could do for a team that's already good.
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