Don’t you love it when you’re shocked by a piece of
news? 

Since the late eighties, I have been a die hard Buffalo
Bills fan (partially because it’s a law for anyone born there) and have watched
them almost succeed four times in the early nineties.  The Jim Kelly years, the time of the no
huddle K-Gun offense, wide right, and the greatest comeback in NFL
history.  I watched four Super Bowls in
four years, only to see the Bills walk away empty handed each time.  They were the kings of the AFC back then, almost
like the Patriots these days, but all that disappeared as time wore on, and the
Bills haven’t been to the playoffs since the Music City Miracle ended their
last attempt during the ’99 season.

That means there hasn’t been a whole lot to get excited
about in Western New York in over a decade.

Now, living in Gainesville all these years later, I’ve spent
these last few months writing and following the Gators quest for perfection,
their search for a third National Championship in four years, and the
maturation of their golden god, Tim Tebow. 
It’s been different than what I’m used to, being in a town that expects
to win, that’s used to winning, and that has the confidence to believe that
they will be playing for that third title. 
Much of it is due to Urban Meyer, but it would be moronic to think that
this would have all played out the same way had Tim Tebow decided on Alabama
rather than Florida.

It’s amazing how one person can affect an entire Gator
Nation, isn’t it?

That one decision, that moment when Tim begged off the
Tide’s kool-aid in favor of the Gatorade that UF was pushing, that paved the
road for everything Gainesville has experienced in the last four years.  Imagine football without Tebow here…Go ahead,
try and imagine it…I mean, I don’t even know what people would be wearing, let
alone how the team would be faring. 

It was because of that fork in the road that history was
made here in Gainesville, as each year we watched the record books rewritten by
a boy who we watched become a man.  Four
years, gone like that, and now we watch our winner ready himself for the NFL,
as eager as the rest of the country to see which team will take the chance on
him, will throw the pundits’ opinions back in their faces, and utilize his
talent and will to win.  Jacksonville
came out gushing over him a month or so back, but that seemed like a ticket
selling venture more than a serious pursuit, and no one has really been hanging
out “Welcome Tim Tebow” signs in the NFL or even spoken of him in any positive
way.

Jimmy Johnson came out this past week to say that he thought
Tebow wouldn’t work out as a pro quarterback, Mel Kiper Jr has repeatedly come
out and said that Tim would be best suited to play tight end or fullback in the
NFL (so have numerous others), and no one is even considering him as one of the
top QB prospects in the 2010 draft.

No one, except ex-Bills QB Jim Kelly, who this week said to
USA Today:

It's time to find somebody who is the future of the Buffalo
Bills. If I'm the owner, that's what I'm thinking. Whether it's Tim Tebow, whether they'll have a shot at him when draft
time comes ... you have to look at the top three quarterbacks in the
draft, really study them. And you look
for a guy with good character, good leadership ability and good arm strength
— and a guy who doesn't come from California.

The Bills haven’t done much at QB since Kelly, especially in
the draft, so it came as kind of a surprise to hear one of the most vocal and
involved ex-Bills come out and be so open about his desire to see Tebow in
Buffalo.  Kelly played his college ball
down here in Florida (Miami), but has called Buffalo his home since game one
here and the fans and people here treat him as their own adopted son.  To have a man so beloved in the Queen City
come out get behind Tebow on a national level will have the whole city looking
south the next few weeks, trying to familiarize themselves with a player many
of them only know from Sports Illustrated covers and ESPN spotlights.

The Bills are at a point right now when a risky move seems
right up their alley.  Currently they are
searching for a new head coach, who will have to implement a whole new system
anyway, and, after looking over the past few seasons, will probably want to
start rebuilding from the ground up. 
They’ve tried so many different ways to win since the early nineties,
from Flutie magic to Terrell Owens, and here they are, bottom of the AFC East
again this season, ready to draft high, so it seems the perfect time to put
themselves all out there and try to find that new flagpole to rally around.

Plus, we haven’t had a winner here since…well, since the
Kelly years and Tebow is, without a doubt, a winner.

Jimmy Johnson’s comments this week were predicated on the
fact that he didn’t think a team would create a system for his strengths, but
would try and use him as a pocket passer which would ultimately bring about
Tebow’s failure at the NFL level.  The
Bills?  They don’t have much of a system
to speak of right now, you tend to run into that problem without a coach, so
they could take the time to get their new head coach (Mike Shanahan?  Bill Cowert?) and their new QB on the same
page from day one, ready to build some new greatness in Buffalo.

The Bills have a powerful running game with Marshawn Lynch
and Fred Jackson, a few receivers whose talents have been overshadowed by the
T.O.’s mouth and greed, and an offensive line that needs some work, but they
haven’t had a real identity since Kelly was strapping on his pads.  This, then, is their opportunity to do
something that will grab the attention they got when they signed Owens this past
year, only in a way that could lead to something great rather than disaster and
chaos.  Keep in mind that owner Ralph
Wilson passed his Golden Years long ago and his love for the Bills isn’t shared
by his family, so the looming devil of relocation is brought up every year that
Buffalo tanks another season.  There are
only so many miles left in the old man, so, as with Owens this season, he is
looking to ensure that the Bills remain a Buffalo franchise.

Jim Kelly is dedicated to the same idea.

Tim, I know it’s cold up there, but the city itself is a
thing to behold, much like it is here. 
Art.  Music.  Independently owned mom and pop businesses.  Great food. 
And we’ve got Niagara Falls in our back yard. Above all, though, are the
fans, who have weathered so much more than snow and subzero temperatures to
cheer their Bills every year, without fail, and who deserve some excitement to
reward all these years of patience.  With
Tebow, win or lose, Buffalo may have something to cheer for again.

Here’s hoping, from a Florida fan who still calls the snows
of Buffalo home sweet home.

Joshua Bauer is a Columnist for GatorTailgating.com