Tim Tebow did not fundamentally change the world during his first day at Patriots mini-camp.
But there's always Day 2.
That second day of Patriots' mini-camp (Wednesday) is also the day the Bruins' begin their battle with the Chicago Blackhawks for the Stanley Cup.
And a day before the new Superman movie, " makes its midnight premiere.
Super guy, super team and "Superman" all in the same week.
Guess who was winning on Tuesday?
"Man of Steel" was trending on the Internets thanks to the character's parallels to Jesus.
Thankfully, the Bruins drew a healthy crowd at their farewell appearance at TD Garden before they headed to Chicago Tuesday. And Stanley Cup media day was a well-attended event. Tebow, if he's lucky, will be the third-string QB and the 53rd player on the Patriots when play begins for real in three months. But that didn't keep the story from being reported on the "TODAY" show, ABC, CBS and Fox News.
The current version of the Bruins are four victories away from their second Stanley Cup in three years and a spot among the best two or three Bruins teams of all-time.
Even the first-place Red Sox are smokin' hot, with John "Headhunter" Lackey actually being accurate enough to plant one on the back of Matt Joyce. That's progress, a couple of years ago Lackey would have aimed for a batter and hit Josh Beckett's Popeye's bucket in the clubhouse.
But so much of the talk was about Tebow. The "Tebow" question even came up at the Bruins press availability Tuesday.
Someone get Tebow a Dit Clapper jersey.
Is that the fault of the click-hungry digital media, the ratings-hungry broadcast media, their audiences, Tebow lovers, Tebow haters, the Patriots' marketing department, or all of the above?
Going with all of the above.
The media was late to the party when "Tebowmania" first became all the rage. And it's not really about football, it never has been. Tebow is not the first QB at Florida to win a Heisman or national title, but he was the first one with 2 million plus followers on Twitter, the first to inspire hundreds of songs and marriage/date proposals on You Tube and invent "Tebowing."
You can't blame Tebow for this week's hypefest. He just showed up looking for a job.
Not all eyes were on Tebow Tuesday, it just seemed that way.
And it's not just the folks in Boston who are infected with this outbreak of Tebowmania.
Jor-El launched his only son from Krypton to escape its demise and, in the process, save the people of Earth from themselves. The Patriots, unlike Tebow's previous team, are not facing complete annihilation in the AFC East.
Tebow would likely have more impact as a tight end given Rob Gronkowski's iffy status that as a QB. But from all appearances in Foxborough today, he was working out with the quarterbacks and that is likely where he'll end up as a Patriot.
Tebow will wear No. 5 if and or when he ever plays with the team. No. 5 will soon become the second-most popular selling Patriots' jersey, especially given the departure of No. 83. The presale for the jerseys is well underway - $99.95 plus shipping and tax.
Among other notable No. 5s in Boston sportsdom: Clapper, Kevin Garnett, Nomar Garciaparra and legendary Patriots' punter Pat O'Neill.
Tebow's already a legendary Patriot and all he's done was work out with the third unit, and throw a few passes.
Then he floated over to the assembled media throng and spoke.
“First and foremost, I just want to thank the Patriots for giving me an opportunity. I'm very thankful. It's such an honor to be a Patriot and play for Coach Belichick and Coach [Josh] McDaniels, and learn under Tom [Brady], and be a part of this great franchise and very successful franchise. I found out first-hand; I lost to them several times.
"It's going to be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to working hard every single day and getting a lot better and learning under some great people. That's all I got. Thank you all so much and God bless. I?m sure we'll be talking more soon."
Surprisingly, his presence did not cure world hunger, solve the deficit problem or get the government out of your smartphone.
Certainly, he was fully briefed by Belichick, Josh McDaniels and Friends on the Patriot Way, which includes saying as little in possible in as few words possible. Watching Belichick's brief press conference Tuesday only whetted our appetites for the regular season.
"We've gotten good work on the field...we're better than we were a few weeks...we have a long way to go...we're taking it one day at a time."
He said all that - and more.
"Anything we do is in the best interest in the team. Tim's a talented player who's smart and works hard."
For the rest, you can watch this clip:
Pure Patriots porn.
Or you can recreate it yourself right here.
At least we know the coach is consistent.
Tebow's words were also a far cry from his most-famous speech. It came after Florida's shocking loss to Mississippi on Sept. 27, 2008, ending UF's hopes for an undefeated season. It would be Tebow's only regular-season loss for two seasons.
The speech has taken on a legend of its own. It is referred with reverence across the Sunshine State (except for places like Tallahassee and Coral Gables) as "The Promise."
No doubt there are some Gator fans who teach their children those words as soon as they learn the Pledge of Allegiance, the Lord's Prayer and the lyrics to "Free Bird."
There are guarantees, then there are guarantees.
This was like a blood oath out of "Game of Thrones." Imagine if an NFL player ever made such a pronouncement like that after a loss during the regular season? He'd be laughed off the internet. Of course, in Tebow's case, this was college and the Florida Gators won their next 22 games, including a BCS championship victory over Oklahoma.
It's hard to imagine a situation with Tebow having a major impact on the Patriots as a quarterback without it including an injury, or worse, to Tom Brady.
If that happens, the Patriots are toast. If Tebow is thrust into the starter's role, not even all of his divine support and the prayers of every orphan he's ever touched, would be enough to keep this team viable without Brady.
The current surrounding cast is no where near as good as the squad that surrounded Matt Cassel in 2008 that went 11-5 after Brady got hurt in the first quarter of the season.The 2013 Patriots won't have Wes Welker as a third-and-eight escape valve. And Rob Gronkowski may not return until he becomes a virgin again.
There's been loads of speculation about Belichick's motivation in bringing Tebow to Foxborough. It was easier for the Allies to decode the German and Japanese secret codes in WWII that it is to figure out what Belichick is really trying to say.
Belichick either: wants to do Urban Meyer a favor; feels bad for dissing Tebow; wants to help Tebow land with another team; is sticking it to the Jets; finally starting to cede power to McDaniels or trying to reclaim his lost soul.
Deciphering the Hoodie is just one of the fun aspects of being a Patriots' watcher. The best part is watching this team win and then spending the entire offseason trying to figure out how they'll get better.
This is all coming as the Bruins prepare to play in the Stanley Cup Finals. It will be Boston's 11th bid at a championship in the past 11 years. Its teams are 7-3 in those title games/series, with a pair of those losses coming to the Giants and one thanks to Kobe and the Lakers.
The Patriots are all about championships in this era. Losses in the Super Bowl or AFC championship game are considered catastrophic failures. Each year without "the next one" means one more lost year of Brady's greatness.
Tebow's presence will not change that. It can't, unless he were able summon the Almighty and get Him to draft Brady on the Heaven's Eleven fantasy league team.
But Tebowmania will make all that time in-between a lot more interesting.
At least until the Bruins start playing hockey in Chicago.
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