Hernandez On Tebow: 'Very Unique Person'
FOXBORO (CBS) - The search for those who know Tim Tebow is on and for the New England Patriots, they have to look no further than Aaron Hernandez.
The Patriots tight end played with Tebow in college, and was one of his favorite targets for the three years they played together. Between 2007 and 2009, Hernandez caught 111 passes and 12 touchdowns from Tebow.
Because he saw it first hand, Hernandez understands all the hype that surrounds the quarterback.
"He brought a lot of energy to the game," said Hernandez of their Gator days. "When you have a player with energy, I think everyone [feeds off that energy]. He's a popular player. A lot of people like him. He gets a lot of media... He's a very unique person."
Hernandez Talks Tim Tebow
When it comes to leadership, Hernandez said that Tebow and Tom Brady are different players and they lead in different ways. He said he still keeps in touch with Tebow from time to time, but after that, he stuck with the company line.
"He's a good player. He can do a lot of things. You have to prepare for him to run the ball and pass the ball. But it's a team game. Their team is playing great," said Hernandez.
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After all the Tebow talk was over Hernandez was asked about his season so far. The 22-year-old has already eclipsed last season's totals for receptions (59) and yards (607) and feels like he is getting better in his second NFL season.
"I'm getting better, getting better every week. That's how it needs to be. It's getting closer to crunch time," he said.
With Rob Gronkowski catching all the touchdowns, Hernandez was asked if he was amazed at the performance his fellow tight end is giving every week.
"I'm actually not amazed; he did it all camp, he did it all year," Hernandez said of Gronkowski. "We knew he was a freak of nature and he's kind of impossible to guard because (he has) so much size and everything. i'm not shocked at all, and no one on this team is."
Hernandez On Rob Gronkowski
As for Gronk sharing some of the touchdowns, Hernandez is just worried about the passes that come his way.
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"I just have to worry about catching them," he said, making light of his recent problems with drops.
Tune in to the Patriots-Broncos game Sunday on WBZ-TV and 98.5 The Sports Hub at 4:15pm. Pregame coverage begins Sunday morning at 11:30am on WBZ-TV with Patriots Gameday; pregame coverage on the Hub begins at 1pm. After the game, tune in to The Postgame Show on 98.5 and Patriots Fifth Quarter on MyTV38.
