Why has Tim Tebow's comeback become more than a roster issue?

 By Tony Mangia

The news that Tim Tebow had a familiar new neighbor move in next to him came as no shock to many who know that the the Jacksonville native has always had a close relationship with his former University of Florida coach Urban Meyer. But, after that happy news made the rounds, reports that the new Jacksonville Jaguars head coach was giving Tebow a shot with the team as a tight end hit social media and the controversy began.

Suddenly there was less chatter about Meyer borrowing a leaf blower and more noise about fanning the flames of division, politics and conspiracy.

It didn’t take long for the pundits, prophets and naysayers around the NFL including most fans to voice disbelief that Tebow signed with the Jaguars. The Christian footballer doesn’t have a prayer they say.

Many considered it a publicity stunt and don’t expect someone who hasn't played in a regular-season game since 2012 to even have a chance at making the team. 

It wouldn’t be the first time Tebow — a Heisman winner and one of the greatest college quarterbacks of all time — was considered a gimmick or some sort of marketing one-trick pony. Who could forget Tebow replacing Denver Broncos starter Kyle Orton in 2011 and making the term “Wildcat Offense”  almost as popular as the "Tebow Kneel.”

Tebow’s legendary, but brief, NFL career was diminished after an uneventful year with the New York Jets and then spending five years as a minor leaguer with the New York Mets where he was one of Triple-A’s biggest names — albeit without ever getting called up to The Show.

He heard the same derisive screams as an average home run hitter …  but with exceptional gate drawing power.

Besides being a devout Christian, philanthropic do-gooder and all-round nice guy, Tebow is blessed with the size, physical abilities and mental toughness to compete and thrive in many sports.  And the last time I heard, those were all excellent attributes for a professional athlete to have.

So why all of the hate for Tebow?  Isn’t a feel good story about an athlete getting another shot the basis of almost every sports cliche?  How many sports movies would be made if this wasn’t the case?

The question for Tebow seems to be less about if he'll make the cut on Jacksonville's 53-man roster than why is he even getting a shot. It’s like when the name Tim Tebow pops up in various training camps, the social media trolls come out.

It’s one thing to shake your head about someone playing out-of-position, their time away from the game or even his advancing age of 33, but is there some other underlying reason people turn Tebow into a lightning rod of doubt and ridicule?

Maybe it's his Billy Graham homilies or the P.T. Barnum aura — which seemed to have surrounded Tebow his whole life in professional sports — riling people up? Or, more reasonably, the argument that he is taking the roster spot from a younger, position-ready player. 

Some, like ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, have gone as far as signaling it as white privilege.

Smith suggested that Meyer bringing Tebow to the Jags is just another example of “someone of a different ilk, a different ethnicity, getting opportunities that we know we would never get.”

“That’s where the words white privilege come in,” he tried to explain before exclaiming, “There’s no way to eradicate white privilege without white individuals giving up some of their privilege.”

The talking head quickly backtracked by mentioning that he didn’t believe Tebow was signed because he was white, but that race still played a role in how it even happened.

“I’m not saying he did it for Tim Tebow because he was white or anything like that. It has nothing to do with their race in regards to that. I’m simply saying when you see an opportunity like that happen, it is clear that it happens for white folks, and it doesn’t happen for everybody else,” Smith said, continuing to stir the flames of division.

Smith insinuated the same thing about the Brooklyn Nets hiring neophyte head coach Steve Nash last year.

“There is no way around it,” Smith said. “This is white privilege. This doesn’t happen for a black man.”

Smith’s point of view might work in the real world, but not in the pre-pandemic, already bubble world of professional athletes.

When was the last time LeBron James was chastised for anything? James seems to get a pass on everything from breaking NBA’s COVID safety protocols, threatening police officers on Twitter to being a complacent shill for the NBA's partnership with Communist China.

Former NFL great, Eric Dickerson, also voiced his opinion of Tebow's comeback as, "Bullshit."

After a gossip site reporter compared Tebow's opportunity to another kneeler's, Colin Kaepernick, the Hall of Famer steamed.

"Of course [Kaepernick] is getting punished," said Dickerson. "He's black."

But how many rants did you hear when 32-year-old malcontent Dez Bryant signed with the Ravens after his layoff?

If anything, Tebow’s comeback should be inspiring.

Even Brandon Jacobs wants to make a comeback … as a defensive end. The former Giants running back tweeted the announcement last week.

"I am really serious about coming back as a defensive end," he posted. “I can still run, I am strong and there's no way Tebow is a better athlete than I am. I just need a shot that's it!! If I can't cut it I'll take it like a man. Just give me one chance that's all!!"

Despite the politicization, who knows where this could lead? Maybe we’ll see a few more 40-something quarterbacks in the Super Bowl?

And all the ranting in the world won’t squash the fact that Tebow has already signed a contract and gained a spot on Jacksonville’s 90-man roster this spring. The next question becomes whether he’ll land on the 53-man team this season.

One NFL player who is excited to see Tebow on the practice field is rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

"I never met Tim until last week, so I didn't really know him," said the new Jaguars QB. "But I was intrigued by his character, his work ethic and what he's been able to do throughout his life on the field and off the field." 

It is doubtful the once Friar Tuck- coiffed Tebow (Bet y’all forgot that timeline) will take any snaps from under the center this summer, but his experience and guidance could only help the rocker-haired rookie. 

The presence of Tebow, a two-time National College Champion, will also draw some of the media spotlight away from Lawrence, a one-time champion at Clemson.  

That could end up being Tebow’s biggest contribution to the team.

Did Drew Brees Have To Apologize For Having An Opinion?

By Tony Mangia

The notorious one-two punch of cancel culture and social media has once again shamed and bullied another prominent public figure onto the canvas by dismissing his first amendment rights and, at the same time, bring a good man to both knees for speaking his mind.

These technological beatdowns are all too common in our country these days and always seem to be in retaliation for anyone whom the Twitter social justice warriors deem to be in denial of one of their causes or gripes.

This time it’s family man and all-around good guy Drew Brees who has been cyber-bullied into an apology for voicing an opinion which didn’t jive with the Issue du Jour during an interview with Yahoo Finance — namely kneeling during the national anthem.

Submit or be condemned seems to be the norm nowadays.

Kneeling protests — started by former NFL player Colin Kaepernick four years ago — are once again a controversial sports talking point after the tragic, unnecessary police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis —even though no pro athletes are even suited up and may not be for a long time due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

On Wednesday, Brees, the perennially liked and respected quarterback for the New Orleans Saints — that’s until he voiced his opinion — was overwhelmed with criticism for having the audacity to say he doesn't agree with anyone kneeling during the pre-game playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” out of respect for the servicemen and women who have sacrificed their lives for our country.

Brees said:

“I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country. Let me just tell what I see or what I feel when the national anthem is played and when I look at the flag of the United States. I envision my two grandfathers, who fought for this country during World War II, one in the Army and one in the Marine Corps.

"Not just those in the military, but for that matter, those throughout the civil rights movements of the ‘60s, and all that has been endured by so many people up until this point. And is everything right with our country right now? No, it is not.

"But I think what you do by standing there and showing respect to the flag with your hand over your heart, is it shows unity. It shows that we are all in this together, we can all do better and that we are all part of the solution.”

Brees cited the military — a general reference to the men and women who have sacrificed their lives for our rights, including freedom of speech, during the Revolutionary War which our country was borne, the Civil War which helped abolish slavery, the World Wars ending genocide and every battle under our flag up until this day. He mentioned his grandfathers who served and praised the protestors of the civil rights movements who fought their own struggles as Americans as well.

The line, “I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America” from the interview is what seems to hit a sore spot with his critics. It suggests Brees considers anyone who kneels disrespectful of the flag and our country. It's hard to think a person like Brees meant it to be anything like that but, on the other side, it’s just as easy to  assume angry players are kneeling just to show contempt of all police — most of whom don’t deserve it — too.

Later, Brees apologized for his remarks by saying, "I will do better."

But how could all of the offended groups and individuals — including some teammates and fellow athletes who know Brees and played alongside him for years — twist Brees viewpoint into an anti-black sentiment and then spread it like a pandemic all over social media?

It’s easy with the power of mob mentality and a far-reaching social media following like LeBron James has.

WOW MAN!! 🤦🏾‍♂️. Is it still surprising at this point. Sure isn’t! You literally still don’t understand why Kap was kneeling on one knee?? Has absolute nothing to do with the disrespect of 🇺🇸 and our soldiers(men and women) who keep our land free. My father-in-law was one of those https://t.co/pvUWPmh4s8

— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 3, 2020

That's the same LeBron who, among numerous NBA players, threw his support behind China and tossed the freedom-fighting protestors in Hong Kong under the corporate bus.

Brees is a family man, the father of four children who was front and center helping victims of Hurricane Katrina and is a long-time and well-known charitable member of the mostly black New Orleans community. Brees has probably done more for the city than any other player on the team and deserved to be given a chance to explain his thoughts —  if they weren't  clear enough in the interview — prior to being publicly chastised and before the same people who probably accepted his charity in the past started chanting, “F—k Drew Brees“ during a protest in NOLA the other night.

Malcom Jenkins, Brees’ teammate of five years before joining the Eagles and re-signing with the Saints in March, gave an emotional and honest rebuke of Brees first amendment rights by comparing playing football to a war and battle field. 

“The same brothers you break the huddle down with every single game,” he said on a Twitter video. “Guys you bleed with, go into battle with have to go home to communities that have been decimated…”

I recorded a few videos when thinking of how to respond to Drew Brees, I don’t take any of it back-I meant what I said-I removed the 1st video because I knew it be more about the headlines. I want people to understand how those of us struggling with what’s going on feel pic.twitter.com/T054qt0YEz

— Malcolm Jenkins (@MalcolmJenkins) June 3, 2020

While Brees was recognizing the sacrifices of real service men and women as his motive to not kneel and salute the flag during the national anthem, Jenkins was using that tired, old sports war cliche comparing playing a game where 22 grown men line up to push a ball across a field to actual combat and how it seems he might not want Brees back in those million dollar pigskin trenches. Maybe there’s some deep rooted animosity there? I doubt it and haven’t heard anything to the contrary but, I have definitely never heard a word about Brees being racist before all this.

Brees’ philanthropic efforts go far beyond the ordinary man, or most NFL players for that fact.  His passion for giving back to the fans includes all races and Brees has nothing to prove otherwise. The NFL star's extracurricular actions have already spoken louder than a few misconstrued words. Being strong-armed to apologize — especially by teammates — was basically an insult to the man's character as a whole.

But a couple of black Saints players did come to Brees’ defense.

Former Saints wide receiver Joe Horn, who told The Athletic’s Jeff Duncan that Brees “has done a lot to help black families and the black community in New Orleans” but still said he needs “a chance to think about what he said and come back and make this right.”

And current Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport tweeted that although people don’t have to entirely agree with Brees, he wasn’t talking about the “current protest, the riots or anything besides HIS feelings on kneeling.”

Joe Horn: People like LeBron James criticizing Drew Brees don't know him https://t.co/CQ4GrHmnXh

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) June 4, 2020

It’s a topsy-turvy world we live in these days where only a week ago law-abiding citizens were arrested for opening up their gyms or cutting people’s hair to pay their bills while law-breaking punks ran free looting, rioting and running amok in our streets. And when a couple of Ivy League lawyers only get charged with causing damage by fire and explosives after handing out molotov cocktails to rioters and tossing a lit one into an occupied police cruiser, you know perspectives are askew.

Kneeling prompts a brittle and fine line between what is considered a symbol of anti-police brutality or just plain police hatred that we sadly must decipher in these times.

So, down the road, will standing with your hand over your heart during the national anthem be considered racist? Does kneeling mean you are disrespecting the police, the military or the flag? 

What about what you say or tweet?  It’s hard to tell what passes for a political “dog whistle” these days. 

There are many players and personnel who have been rightfully cut or fired for outright racist or threatening tweets or remarks but when Sacramento Kings broadcaster, Grant Napear, is canned for tweeting “all lives matter” when asked by NBA player, DeMarcus Cousins, about his opinion on the Black Lives Matter movement, it leaves you wondering where that signal starts and ends. Napear was fired after a controversy-free, 32-year career.  

Drew Brees should not be the scapegoat for all that angers many of us. He didn't condemn anyone for kneeling during the national anthem in addressing that hot button question. Brees plainly said he will stand during "The Star-Bangled Banner" to honor our military. And he deserved better than getting caught up in this whirlwind of protests, agitation and symbolistic politics.

We all do.

If you want to kneel during the national anthem, kneel. If you want to stand during the national anthem, stand.

But don't apologize for it.

Colin Kaepernick or Carli Lloyd: Who's more likely to wear an NFL uniform this year?

By Tony Mangia 

Now that the NFL's 53-man rosters have taken shape, there are still a couple of interesting pubic relations roster conundrums left swirling around the front offices which could rear their heads soon. Namely the possibility of Carli Lloyd becoming the first women ever to play in the NFL and the return of Colin Kaepernick — who many consider the first qualified man to be denied playing in the league.

Both are intriguing issues for both general managers and owners alike, and the signing of one could become a PR dream or nightmare depending on a single foot or a knee.

Both athletes have created controversy in their own regard, Lloyd with her excessive, over-the-top goal celebrations for the US team during the USNWT's 13-0 rout of Thailand in the Women's World Cup and for Kaepernick for his ... well, lack of enthusiasm honoring the country during pre-game National Anthems.

Unlike Kaepernick, Lloyd was lucky enough to actually step onto an NFL practice field this summer and memorably kicked a 55-yard field goal for fun during a joint practice with the Ravens and Eagles.

The kick was recorded on video and created a lot of buzz.

Thank you to the @Eagles for having me out! Thanks to @JustinTuck @jake_elliott22 @MayorRandyBrown for the good time and tips! 🏈 🎯 #55yd pic.twitter.com/owZ16f46Th

— Carli Lloyd (@CarliLloyd) August 20, 2019

The FIFA Player of the Year split not only the uprights in the highly publicized video, but divided the debate of women kicking in a man's sport into two separate parties. Interesting concept was how some saw it, while others cited Lloyd's size and lack of football experience more than gender as major obstacles to overcome.  She also took two extra steps to the ball before nailing the kick. Age is also a factor. Thirty-seven years old is also pretty old for any NFL player ... even kickers.

"Is there a female that possesses all those qualities and is good enough to be there, sure, why not?," she said afterwards. "I'm not trying to be a running back or a quarterback," Lloyd told the NFL Network. "That would be an epic fail. But I do know I can kick a ball very well."

A couple of unnamed teams reportedly had conversations with Lloyd regarding the opportunity to try out as a kicker. She declined due to previous soccer game engagements, but it doesn't sound like she's given up or doesn't have the support to pursue this challenge.

Last week, NFL Hall of Fame kicker Morton Anderson posted a video to Lloyd saying, "I'd love to work with you." Not many people get the chance to train with the Great Dane and the offer is still on the table. Sooo ...

There were a lot of naysayers on Twitter, but one of the most viewed tweets was by Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen who wasn't as accommodating: "Sound sweet til somebody block kick and all of a sudden she on defense" he began, with a few hysterically laughing emojis for emphasis.

Sound sweet til somebody block the kick and all of a sudden she on defense😂. Would be like the stampede scene in the lion king movie 😂😂 . She do got a boot tho! https://t.co/K8VxnHp6gB

— Keenan Allen (@Keenan13Allen) August 27, 2019

As for Kaepernick, the NFL pariah can't even get a job as a sideline water boy. According to collusion conspiracies, the former 49er still remains a free agent solely for his role in igniting a anti-police brutality movement during the 2016 season, but even President Trump, who criticized the activist quarterback as "unpatriotic" in the past threw in his own extra point about NFL owners.

 "If he's good enough, I know these people, they would sign him in a heartbeat," he said. They will do anything to win games."

You wouldn't know it by the current rosters of the NFL. The Broncos, Cowboys, Jaguars, Vikings, Browns and Bills all have unproven backup quarterbacks or nobody at all. It will be interesting to see if any team breaks the so-called invisible wall.

As always, it's a game of musical chairs with kickers in the NFL. The Jets, Buccaneers and Bears are just a few of the teams who are desperate for a reliable kicker, and there will probably be at least another half-dozen teams looking for replacements before the end of the season. Is Lloyd the answer to a legitimate problem or a public relations freak show? There are probably a hundred men's college soccer players who could kick a 55-yard field goal in a practice setting with nobody bearing down from the scrimmage line. Bigger, stronger guys who don't need two extra steps to push it through.

And of Kaepernick? Well, two years is a long layoff despite all of his workout videos and his days out of the NFL clock.

These are two individuals with probably a 50/50 support along divided battle lines who could make or break a team's fan base. One representing experience, but building a wall between politics, the other untested, but breaking down barriers.

So who is more likely to don an NFL uniform this season?

I'm guessing neither.

MLB rears its hypocritical PC head during World Series

A lot was made this week of Houston Texans owner Bob McNair comparing kneeling NFL players and team ownership after blurting out the common and often used expression, “Inmates running the prison.” (McNair later distanced himself by explaining that he meant players and the NFL Commissioner’s Office)

Many called it racist, reinforcing a stereotype and unfair to lump millionaire NFL players in with domestic abusers, violent felons, drug users, and even murderers walking the penitentiary yard — all criminal character flaws which we know that saintly and law-abiding NFL players have over the years proven to be just plain untrue. 

And Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Ray Lewis, Josh Gordon, Adam Jones, Joe Mixon, Dalvin Cook… have a bridge to sell ya.

Anyway, now along comes the World Series and Major League Baseball’s chance to throw shade over the NFL fallout from the kneeling controversy … and they are blowing it. 

Don’t let the exciting fall classic between the Dodgers and Astros fool you. While commissioner Rob Manfred is publicly banging his drum about that tired, age-old PC diversion — doing away with the Indians’ Chief Wahoo mascot — as a smoke signal smokescreen, MLB is sweeping some their own dirty issues under the Astroturf (they still have that at Minute Maid Park right?)

On Saturday, Manfred announced a five-game suspension without pay for Astros slugger Yuli Gurriel after cameras caught the first baseman making a “slant-eyed” gesture and saying the Spanish word “chinito,” a slang term for “little Chinese guy,” in reference to the Japanese-born Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish after hitting a home run.

Yuli Gurriel under fire after gesture made in dugout after homering off Yu Darvish: https://t.co/CoY4gEYRDG pic.twitter.com/TmF1HJNUTo

— Deadspin (@Deadspin) October 28, 2017

Manfred’s punishment was quick and decisive.

Too bad it will be served next year at the start of the 2018 season.

Manfred said it was important not to penalize the Astros’ other players for Gurriel’s inappropriate gesture and there was always that roadblock known as appeal but, just like his justification, the punishment was weak and self-serving.

“I felt it was unfair to punish the other 24 players on the Astros roster,” he said. “I wanted the burden of this discipline to fall primarily on the wrongdoer.”

So, instead of sending a real message to players right now, the whole incident will probably be a forgotten Astro burger by next season.

Gurriel went on to apologize to Darvish, the Astros, the Dodgers, MLB and fans and— more sincerely and likely — secretly thanking the commish. 

Darvish took the higher road and said on social media: 

“No one is perfect. That includes both you and I. What he had done today isn’t right, but I believe we should put our effort into learning rather than to accuse him. If we can take something from this, that is a giant step for mankind. Since we are living in such a wonderful world, let’s stay positive and move forward instead of focusing on anger. I’m counting on everyone’s big love.”

Which brings me back to the kneeling.

Bruce Maxwell was the only player in MLB this year to take a knee during the national anthem to protest racial injustice — which is within his rights. But it seems the Oakland As catcher took it to another level when he used his political stance to claim an Alabama waiter last week denied him service at a restaurant for taking that knee during the anthem. 

Maxwell said the waiter recognized him for being the only MLB player who knelt and then claims that the waiter then said he voted for Donald Trump, supported the President's views and would not serve the athlete before asking the manager to have another server handle the group.

A story the waiter, Matt Henry, says was completely untrue.

“He is outright lying. This is really upsetting as he was given full service, I didn’t even know who Bruce Maxwell was," Henry said.

And now fresh off that public display, Maxwell has been arrested after a female food delivery person alleged he pointed a gun at her.

Scottsdale police said officers went to Maxwell’s home Saturday night after getting a call about a person with a gun. Maxwell was booked on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and disorderly conduct. Now he'll be taking a plea.

I don’t know if the inmates run a prison in the NFL but they just might run the burgeoning asylum in MLB.

Let's see how warden, I mean, commissioner Manfred handles this.

Cam Newton gets iced while Jourdan Rodrigue skates free from criticism

The theory that two wrongs don't make a right is especially true if you are Cam Newton but apparently not if you are the other wrong.

Newton, no stranger to criticism after he takes the podium, is being drawn and quartered and sort of put back together after his mean spirited response to Charlotte Observer reporter Jourdan Rodrigue at a presser Wednesday afternoon. 

Unless you live in a wi-fi-less cave, you are aware that the Carolina Panthers quarterback's snarky — sinister? — grinning answer to a female NFL beat reporter's question about players' routes was, "It's funny to hear a female talk about routes," with a distinct emphasis on the word "routes."

It definitely was not a good answer and called sexist in most circles.

Cam Newton: “It’s funny to hear a female talk about routes.”

Uh, that’s a really, really bad way to answer a legitimate question. (video via https://t.co/NOdIiKyJCb) pic.twitter.com/MaS4KVjuSV

— Max Marcilla (@MMarcilla98) October 4, 2017

On the other hand, Rodrigue’s offenses are some nasty tweets dug up by Black Sports Online where the 25 year-old extolled the humor of her father’s “super racist” jokes and used the N-word a few years ago. But not before she called out Newton after the presser and demanded respect face-to-face. 

And while Newton’s seemingly humble and heartfelt apology 24 hours later made him a news and talk show hot topic for another day, Rodrigue’s feeble “I’m sorry” tweet or remarks were barely footnotes in these heated conversations. It was all about Cam and the fallout on him that was quick and costly.

pic.twitter.com/Rwxzcu883T

— Cameron Newton (@CameronNewton) October 6, 2017

The Dannon Company dropped the NFL star faster than you can say Oikos and before Newton had any chance to explain or apologize. Another sponsor Gatorade also issued a statement Thursday, saying, "Cam's comments were objectionable and disrespectful to all women and they do not reflect the values of our brand.” 

Also piling on Newton were his Panthers front office, the NFL,  ESPN and Sports Illustrated all who blistered Newton to the point he had no choice but to call an audible and make the apology video.

Meanwhile Rodrigue, who has been an NFL reporter since 2016, was set upon a pedestal as some sort of feminist darling and not the racist pariah she just might be as her dirty crumbs got swept under the rug like there was an racist expiration date on the vile posts.

So it begs the question: If Newton's lousy attempt at humor is perceived as sexism, why aren't Rodrigue's equally distasteful remarks and racial slurs seen just as offensive? I'm guessing the media, the NFL and most political groups are all just afraid of the yogurt eaters.

Newton has a history of verbal gaffes and surly behavior at the podium starting with his sometimes colorful and outlandish wardrobe. Whether it’s a twisted sense of humor or plain out disdain for the press, Newton must learn to censure himself when he is the center of attention.

The media has shown a history of crucifying then pink-slipping reporters and sports personalities for their racist remarks — whether the offending words are intentional or just perceived as such and this seems no different.

We all know the stories behind the age-old firings of Jimmy the Greek and Al Campanis but just recently, Terry Frei, a sports reporter for the Denver Post, sent a questionable tweet shortly after Japanese race car driver Takuma Sato hailed victory in the Indy 500 over Memorial day and was immediately canned.

Just last year Emily Austen, a 27 year-old Fox Sports reporter, was fired after making insensitive remarks about Mexican, Jewish and Chinese people.

And none of them even used the N-word!

Mike Persinger, Executive Editor of the Charlotte Observer, hinted to BSO that any discipline regarding Rodrigue's tweets would be handled internally — probably meaning we'll never know if there is any at all. She was reportedly at the Panthers training facility on Thursday.

On Thursday, the Pro Football Writers of America condemned Newton's comments, saying in a statement that the NFL player, "crossed the line."

I'm beginning to wonder who draws that line... the media or the sponsors? And maybe there is a second one... a line which represents a double standard.

Eli Manning and Tom Brady postgame chat has fans thinking of third Super Bowl rematch

Eli Manning and Tom Brady are a couple of NFL warhorses who share a pair of epic Super Bowl match-ups on their distinguished resumes. The two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks also seem to possess a mutual respect for each other after the Giants' two dramatic victories.

Once again they met on the field — albeit a more serene environment — after they both sat out Thursday's preseason finale at Gillette Stadium, but it was their little postgame chat which has fans seeing something bigger.

"I didn't tell you this summer, but congrats on last season on the championship," Manning told Brady in the exchange. "It was awesome. It was a great game. Fun to watch. I'm proud of you."

And it was what was said as the two players headed to their respective Giants and Patriots locker rooms that has fans envisioning a third Super Bowl meeting in the future.

"See you down the road, I hope," Brady said.

"See you down the road," Manning replied.

#RESPECT @Bose pic.twitter.com/2yTwdbRlpI

— New York Giants (@Giants) September 1, 2017

The two teams do not meet in the regular season leaving only one option at seeing you down the road — meaning Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis. 

Talk is cheap but, whether or not you believe Manning's optimism or Brady's sincerity, a third meeting is quite a possibility for the two contending squads.

See you in February?

Travis Rudolph is a NY Giants signee everyone can root for

Travis Rudolph was not picked in the NFL draft this year but is one of 17 undrafted players to be signed by the New York Giants. And if the wide receiver never ends up being a Giant on the field during a game, it's nice to know that the 21-year-old is way bigger off of it.

Rudolph, you may remember, is the Florida State player whose photo of him sharing lunch with a lonely autistic boy in a school cafeteria went viral and warmed the hearts of many.

And it appears that Rudolph and the young boy, Bo Paske, are still pals.

Rudolph posted an Instagram picture of the pair hanging out during the NFL draft this past week.

The relationship started last August, when the football player visited Tallahassee's Montford Middle School along with four other players to speak with students.

He saw Paske, a sixth-grader who is autistic, by himself at a table in the lunch room, and asked if he could sit with him.

He said the two had a great conversation, calling Bo a "cool" person who he would hang out with any day.

The pair even met up a week later at FSU so Rudolph could give Bo a jersey emblazoned with the name PASKE on the back.

Leah Paske, Bo's mother, was moved to tears upon seeing a photo of the gesture and said she is grateful for the kindness Rudolph showed her son who often eats lunch alone.

In a Facebook post in which she shared a of the lunchroom encounter, Paske said her talked about some of the challenges Bo faces with his disorder including the solo midday meals.

Rudolph led Florida State in receiving the past two seasons and forfeited his final season of eligibility to enter the NFL draft. And now, on a team loaded with receiving talent, the former Seminoles player might be a long shot to make the team.

But if there is anyone worth rooting for it's Travis ... and his buddy Bo.