While many fans and members of the media are skeptical about the Patriots’ level of interest, former wide receiver Troy Brown, who knows a thing or two about versatility, wouldn’t be surprised to see Bill Belichick draft Tebow.
"He’s shown he can be versatile, he’s shown he can lead a football team in many different ways. He can do things you really can’t teach players to do," Brown told the Boston Herald. "He’s proven he’s a winner. And Bill’s probably seen all that stuff. Then, on top of that, he has a great attitude. He’ll do anything the team asks him to do.
"The thing I like about him," Brown continued, "is he wants to be good. He obviously wants to be a quarterback in the NFL, but I’m sure he’ll do whatever it takes to help his team win. So, yeah, I can definitely see him with the Patriots given that kind of attitude."
Belichick hasn’t made much of an attempt to hide his interest in Tebow. He treated the 22-year-old prospect to dinner in Boston’s North End a couple weeks ago and then spoke highly of him last week during a news conference. However, there is still a widespread belief that Belichick is merely setting up a smoke screen, according to the Herald.
Brown, who played offense, defense and special teams during his 15-year career with the Pats, is taking his former coach at his word, though.
"It’s intriguing. I mean, can you tell me they have a proven backup [quarterback] on that roster?" Brown asked the paper. "The bottom line is Bill just likes football players. And Tebow is a football player. If you put Tim Tebow on the roster as a backup quarterback, I’m sure he’d be on the field doing other things for that team.
"I think he has that kind of ability to do different things. He’s one of those guys, he’ll do anything to help his team win. … Then you throw in his work ethic, someone who is going to work as hard as he is, wherever Bill puts him, I’m sure he’ll attack it with everything he has."
Like everyone else, Brown has heard all about scouts’ concerns with Tebow’s mechanics. That wouldn’t stop him from pulling the trigger, though.
"They can work on his mechanics and teach him to reach defenses. He seems to be a pretty smart guy," Brown said. "You can teach people like that. It’s hard to work with guys who don’t want to learn or do things the right way. He seems to be willing to prove everyone wrong."
