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