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Applied Theology by James T. Bartsch The Bible and Contemporary Topics |
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Seldom
has there been a more polarizing figure in the NFL
than Tim Tebow. Tebow was good enough as a college player to win the Heisman
Trophy as a combination passing / running quarterback. But
his awkward throwing
style and demonstrable inaccuracy on the professional level have made
him an easy
target for criticism. But Tebow is also polarizing because of his
outspoken
faith in Jesus Christ. Still,
in his partial year of starting, he was a winner. He
led the Denver Broncos to the playoffs, where they upset the Pittsburgh
Steelers. But they lost the next game, and Tebow’s inaccuracy didn’t
help the
Broncos any. General Manager John Elway traded Tebow to the New York
Jets. Last
year Tebow had a less than remarkable season as a
back-up QB with the Jets. When starting QB Mark Sanchez was injured,
the coach
leap-frogged over Tebow and named the 3rd string
QB to fill in.
Finally, this spring the Jets drafted a college QB, and dumped Tebow.
No other
NFL team even made a move for him, and some wondered if his playing
days in the
NFL were over. But
Tebow had at least one fan. Robert Kraft, the owner of
the New England Patriots, appreciated Tebow’s work ethic, character,
and even
complimented
him on his spirituality. “I find that very appealing about
him,”
he remarked. So the Patriots offered Tebow a contract as a backup QB.
But there
were hints that he might need to prepare for other positions as well. The
Patriots possess perhaps the best tight end tandem in
all of football. But cracks have appeared in the dam. Rob Gronkowski
has had three
surgeries on his forearm this past off-season. But just recently, he
was forced
to undergo back surgery. He probably won’t even be able to practice
during training
camp that begins in July. But
then, out of the blue, the other tight end, Aaron
Hernandez, has come under a cloud of suspicion. It didn’t help any when
he
fired a gun in the face of a friend. The friend lost an eye and has
filed a
civil
suit against Hernandez. But the Patriots’ world has really been rocked in the last couple of
days with word that
Hernandez
is being questioned about the death of another man. If
Hernandez is
apprehended with murder charges, it is unlikely he will be playing
football any
time soon. No
one can predict the future. But it looks strangely as
though God may be providing Tim Tebow with at least an opportunity to
play
tight end with the New England Patriots. “The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry." Psalm 34:15 |
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