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Tim Tebow Good for Eagles Locker Room Culture

By Phil Naegely

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The Philadelphia Eagles were already making headlines this offseason. Then the unexpected happened as they announced the signing of QB Tim Tebow. This sent the Twitter world into pandemonium and allowed ESPN to have a field day covering the news.

This isn’t the first time the Eagles have found themselves at the center of attention and controversy in recent history. First, Andy Reid gave Michael Vick a second chance after time spent in jail for his role in dog fighting scandal. He was signed as a free agent to a one-year deal with $0 guaranteed and his 2010 team option was then picked up a year later. Vick was a back-up behind Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb before earning the starting job. Then, part way through the 2012 season he lost it to Nick Foles.

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From the first day in town, his signing brought with it many haters and many pro-animal rights groups protesting the signing. Yet, Vick was a changed man after being mentored by former NFL coach Tony Dungy and earned the respect from his teammates within the locker room. This respect from his peers was shown when he was named the team’s Ed Block Courage Award unanimously. He had his ups and downs in the City of Brotherly Love and was selected to one Pro Bowl before being cut by the team after the 2013 and signed by the Jets in 2014.

Right before his final season in an Eagles uniform, one of his passing threats Riley Cooper was in the middle of his own controversy. During a concert Cooper decided to start spewing racial slurs. His actions led to much national media attention and he and the Eagles were plastered on every NFL related show. Many questions and concerns were raised on if the locker room could stay united with an alleged racist among them. Cooper apologized, which didn’t help out the general public at all, but based on events since then it appears his teammates have forgiven him and moved on from that incident.

Now the Eagles are at the for front of controversy yet again. This time thought it isn’t because of something their players did off the field, but rather that they signed one of the most talked about NFL players in Tim Tebow. The confused and bewildered fans took to Twitter to try to make sense of signing.

Well, the Eagles smartly signed him to a contract with $0 guaranteed just like Vick. Granted, Tebow won’t be the starting QB like Vick was, but he could become a main contributor to the team on and off the field.

There are many theories floating around how Chip Kelly could implement Tebow into the offensive scheme. Likewise, Tebow’s maturity is beyond his years. Since his high school days, Tebow showed leadership and character that was contagious. Likewise, his humility and servant leader attitude have inspired many across the nation. Lastly, his courage and bold faith is something that Christians and non-Christians alike.

The Eagles could use a person like this in the locker room. Last season, it appeared that the Eagles had many stars on the team, yet none of them wanted to stand up and take the blame themselves for a loss. Tim Tebow would do that whether he had the best game of his career or the worst game ever. Tebow’s historic college football career never truly translated to the NFL and there are many reasons for that. Yet, those reasons aren’t the point of this article.

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Tim Tebow is the last to take the field against the Houston Texans Sunday December 26, 2010 at Invesco Field at Mile High. Photo by Joe Amon, The Denver Post

Rather, Tebow’s inclusion on the Eagles roster for mini-camp and at least part of training camp will be a good thing. Obviously, he provides another quarterback to use during drills and such. More importantly, he can become a leader within this organization and help change a locker room culture that has well not been the best or most advantageous towards having a winning team down the stretch. In fact, Tebow does have one more playoff win than the Eagles since 2011.

Tebow wasn’t signed for his skill, but rather his personable personality and leadership that can help the Eagles grow together off the field and succeed on the field. His lovable personality, public faith, and being mature upon his years are a few of the many reasons why he has endorsements with top companies, worked as a college football analyst for ESPN last season, and lastly why he was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this week.

Next: Breaking down the Baltimore Ravens 2015 Schedule

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