The New England Patriots were expecting the story about signing quarterback Tim Tebow to dominate trainig camp this summer after the way he was treated by the media when the Jets signed him last year, but with the Aaron Hernandez murder situation, the normally in the spotlight Tebow can relax a bit as he figures out his role on the team.
According to the Boston Globe, during training camp Tebow has endeared himself to the fans, who have found him very nice and one of the more popular players on the team. In Foxborough some players stay after practice to sign autographs and while a handful of players do it, Tebow has done it nearly every day so far for fans that travel to watch the team. The report says that Tebow stayed an extra 45 minutes after working out with the team at Gillette Stadium last Saturday night and he has continued to be one of the top players that fans want to meet.
Tebow said that he likes to bring joy to people, even for just a minute and compared the feeling to when he got autographs as a kid from Danny Wuerffel and Emmitt Smith. Justin Wallace, a 19-year-old from North Attleborough who wore a Tebow Broncos jersey on Tuesday said to the paper that Tebow didn't have to sign autographs like he has been doing and the report also details a time when he stayed after practice again last week to meet and greet fans, signing footballs and posters.
Tebow also posed for photos with fans and it is a stark comparison to when he was playing for the Jets, as the team treated his presence differently and it appears that he is much more comfortable I New England. Head coach Bill Belichick has said that Tebow will remain mostly a quarterback, although he did work out and catch passes at one point in training camp. It also remains to be seen how much he will play in the preseason.
"It's a very little thing that can go a long way," Tebow said. "I know, because when I was a young boy and I got Danny Wuerffel's autograph, or Emmitt Smith's autograph, what it meant to me. You want to be a good role model, someone that a young boy or young girl can look up to."
