If any team in the NFL not named the New York Jets would have reason to gripe about Tim Tebow, it's the Pittsburgh Steelers. Instead, the Steelers are on a very short list of NFL personnel singing his praises.
Tebow led the Denver Broncos past the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23 in overtime during the 2011 wild-card round of the AFC playoffs. Tebow threw for 316 yards and connected with Demaryius Thomas on an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime.
A reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review this week asked players on the current Pittsburgh Steelers squad if they'd like to have Tebow as a teammate.
Veteran linebacker Larry Foote sounded as if he was Tebow's agent.
"If (GM) Kevin Colbert says so, I'm all for it," the Tribune-Review reported him as saying. "Why not? Tebow, just from what I see, is an awesome guy and a talent."
"He won some games, had some success. We know it first-hand. I think he should be somewhere at least competing for a job. I think he's earned that."
Backup Steelers quarterback Bruce Gradkowski said he was surprised that Tebow has been unable to find work as a fellow backup QB.
"The ultimate goal out here is to win, and he won football games, so I'm a little surprised," Gradkowski told the Tribune-Review. "But I know how it is. It happened to me. I was on the streets for a while. I think something will break for him, but it's a tough business."
Fellow veterans in cornerback Ike Taylor and defensive end Brett Keisel at first said they didn't care about the Tebow situation.
When pressed for answers, both were pro-Tebow.
"Tim Tebow is real decent," Taylor said. "But (his future) isn't up to me. You gotta ask the owners and coaches and GMs. As far as being a competitor, he's one of the best competitors I've seen."
"He beat us. You have to give him credit for that," Keisel said. "I think he'll get another shot."
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