Character is Contagious, On and Off the Field

When the 2011 NFL season began in September the Denver Broncos were hoping for a fast start with veteran Kyle Orton at quarterback. Fan favourite and college standout, Tim Tebow, was the clipboard-toting third stringer on the Broncos’ depth chart and just hoping to get a few snaps in practice and the odd special team assignment in games. However, after a dismal 1-4 start a heavily criticized John Fox, Denver’s head coach, benched Orton and gave Tebow the ball. In the 8 games that Tebow has started, the “Mile High Messiah” has gone 7-1, including 6 fourth quarter comebacks, with 3 of these coming in overtime. For the most part these wins have not been pretty, but hey, a win is a win. (NOTE: Tebow did not take this title on himself…zealous fans have coined the phrase)

Tebow’s critics have been lining up faster than kids to see Santa. Everyone has an opinion, it seems, yet nobody has an explanation. The heavy hitters that have gone down (the high-flying Jets, the arch-rival Raiders, and the latest, Da Bears) have all made pathetic excuses for how THEY LOST, and not how TEBOW (and the Bronc’s) WON. They point out that his quarterback rating, slightly south of pedestrian at 83.9, is not NFL durable and his college game won’t cut it in the pro’s. Tell that to Tim Tebow, and to John Fox and the rest of the Denver players. Tebow has risen above the constant sting of bone-picking scrutiny and established himself as a leader, both on and off the field. Oh, and for the record, he is deflecting a lot of the praise for Denver’s success to the rest of his team and coaching staff.

Criticism isn’t anything new to the former Heisman Trophy winner and Florida Gator standout. When he and his organization purchased an expensive commercial spot at the Super Bowl to promote his pro-life stance (his mother, against all odds, risked her life and chose to carry Tim to term instead of having an abortion), the rats all came out of the sewer to declare how inappropriate this was. It’s ok to sell beer in bikinis at the Super Bowl, but don’t you dare promote the sanctity of life. His constant references to the Lord in post-game interviews have also raised the ire of the press. Many feel that he should leave his faith at home and just stick to doing what he’s paid to do, play the game of football. Tebow doesn’t see it that way. He feels that if you love someone, you tell everyone at every opportunity. That is what this young professional is doing with the copious airtime afforded him since the Broncos’ meteoric rise to the top of the AFC West standings. It’s Jesus Christ prime time when the microphone’s in Tebow’s face.

Everyone, it seems, has a comment about Tebow, good or (mostly) bad. Brett McMurphy, college football beat writer for CBS Sports.com, wrote an article recently about the upcoming bevy of NCAA Bowl games. Tongue-in-cheeking ESPN, he says that the reason for so many meaningless Bowl games is due to a sports slowdown during the holidays. He then goes on to say that “the four-letter network is in the developing stages of a Tim Tebow channel: Tebow all day, all night. What? They already have that? Never mind.” Tebow’s former coach at Florida, Urban Meyer, has also thrown his hat into the comment ring. Although he agrees that Tebow’s style is not prototypical of today’s NFL quarterback, nevertheless he is winning games. “And Doug Flutie was small and Sonny Jurgenson had a gut. What else ya got?” quipped Meyer.

Sports writers and broadcasters across the nation have weighed in on Tim Tebow, and now it’s my turn. In a day and age when professional football players are constantly getting caught with their pants down and their blood alcohol level up, it is downright refreshing to follow a man of character who actually practices what he preaches. And yes, he preaches. So what! We endure useless drivel from the lips of overpaid prima donna’s and some journalists hang on to their every word. Someone once said that your gift can take you where your character can’t keep you. We are all too familiar with this scenario being played out in the crash-and-burn episodes of sports professionals who are thick in contract and thin in character. I say the NFL could use a fresh influx of the likes of Tim Tebow and his brand of honest, humble, “practice what you preach” role modeling. Even this Cleveland Browns fan is saying, Go Broncos!