What The ‘Girl With Just Her Sox On’ Thinks About Tim Tebow

Do you ever sit back and wonder what a woman thinks about sports? Too bad, we’re going to let you know anyway. Kaitlyn Saunders Rhonehouse runs Girl With Just Her Sox On and will be a contributor to The Herd’s Word. We’ll get her opinion on the major stories in the world of sports for a fresh perspective from the opposite sex.

I’m no college football guru, that’s my husband’s department, but even I know a thing or two about Tim Tebow. Who doesn’t? The man is a God in the world of college football. Just don’t let him hear you say that, it’s blasphemy. Record breaking seasons. Heisman Trophy winner. Top heavy girlfriend.

Not Tebow's Chick

For the record, that woman (the “gifted” brunette that pops up when you Google “Tim Tebow’s girlfriend”) isn’t even his girlfriend. She’s just some girl that took a picture with him and ended up all over the Internet. But I think we can all agree she’s bringing something to the table. And it’s not her book smarts. Ok, what were we talking about again?

There’s been a lot of scrutiny about Tebow’s ability to transition into the NFL and become a successful quarterback. You’ve heard the trash talk, “He doesn’t have the arm, the accuracy or overall skill set. All he can do is play in the spread offense. He’s the next Vince Young.”

Isn’t that a bit harsh? Aren’t we getting a little ahead of ourselves?

My thoughts on this are simple: WHO CARES? We get one more season to watch him thrive in the college setting. We have fourteen chances to watch possibly the greatest college football player ever compete for yet another national championship. Can’t we leave the trash talking and speculation alone until at least after the 2010 draft?

The upcoming season has ridiculous potential. The Gators are returning all 11 defensive starters this year, including All-American linebacker Brandon Spikes. They are currently sitting pretty atop the AP’s preseason Top 25, are favorites to win the SEC Championship in 2009 and are expected to repeat as BCS National Champions.

A second Heisman Trophy for Tebow doesn’t seem that far off either. Tebow will likely be up against 2008 winner Sam Bradford from Oklahoma and Texas QB Colt McCoy. How about this for a scenario: This will be first time in college football history where the last two Heisman winners are competing in the same season. How can we even talk about his NFL career yet when we have the makings of an unforgettable college season at our fingertips?

Tim Tebow alone is enough to plant you on the couch for 3 hours on a Saturday afternoon. The guy is a freak of nature. I heard from a friend that he lifts with the offensive line and set the leg press record at Florida for a quarterback that will never be touched. The man runs his own play action fakes. Who does that? He’s fun to watch, has entertaining press conferences and is a genuinely nice guy. Sure there are better pure QB’s out there, but nobody has been able to replicate Tebow’s passion, leadership, or poise.

When asked why he decided to forego the NFL draft and stay for his senior year, Tebow said, “Overall, I just felt loyal to this place. I feel like I’m a role model, and a lot of times people start things and don’t finish them. I didn’t want to be like that. I wanted to be loyal to the university. I wanted to finish what I started and play another year.”

He wants to finish what he started. You can’t say that about too many men. Outside of the bedroom, of course.

So chide him for “saving himself for marriage.” Make fun of him for his GQ spread (did we really need to capture him doing crunches or pretending to throw a pass in only his Gator-blue spandex pants?). But let’s save the NFL talk for now and enjoy another historical season before we start analyzing his arm strength and predicting his draft position.

Besides, with the way the game is evolving, I think Tebow can still be an impact player on most NFL teams because of the new offenses that are…..uh, I mean…Go Gators!

- Kaitlyn Saunder Rhonehouse