Tim Tebow is a good guy, but giving him the actual award isn't required to confirm his influence.
According to Orlando Ledbetter of the Journal-Constitution, Tebow won the Pro Football Writers Association "Good Guy" award this week:
Tebow, the eighth Good Guy Award winner, is the fifth consecutive quarterback and first member of the Broncos to receive the honor from the PFWA.
And although Tebow's certainly the epitome of a positive role model, he's not the only NFL player who deserved the award.
So to that end, let's look elsewhere in pro football and see who should have been considered a "Good Guy."Â
Calvin Johnson: WR, Lions
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The Madden '13 cover athlete, Detroit receiver Calvin Johnson may be nicknamed "Megatron" but he's a good guy at heart.
For one, he plays extremely hard on every down when on the field and is always looking to improve. In an article by Anwar Richardson of MLive.com, Johnson is never satisfied:
"There's always more room for growth," Johnson said. "If you feel you've reached the point where you don't have anything work on ... I'm at a loss for words right now. Just knowing me, just myself, I always feel like there is something I can work on every year.
Considering that Johnson has played with six different quarterbacks and been named an All-Pro the past two years, his attitude is what everyone wants to see from a professional athlete.
An ideal teammate with a great personality, Johnson's humble demeanor regarding his dominant career (albeit still young) is most impressive.
When the Lions were 0-16, he never complained. When the Lions were thrashing in 2012 he never boasted. As a person, we can all learn something from Megatron.
Jared Allen: DE, Vikings
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Jared Allen has one of the best, if not the best personality in the NFL.
He's a player any fan can quickly learn to appreciate, because Allen goes all out on the gridiron and presents a fascinating persona.
The man even wrote his own cookbook, which in and of itself is quite interesting.
A player motivated to be the best, Allen gives life to the Vikings. And according to the Associated Press via FOXSports.com, Allen wants the sack record:
''Once you realize it is possible, then it sinks into your mind this is an actual, capable goal,'' Allen said. ''It's something I can hopefully reproduce again.''
''But when you start working out again, it's motivation. It's how can I push myself just a little bit further?''
As for production, Allen has recorded 105 career sacks and 11-plus in six of the last seven seasons. He's only missed three regular season games during his career and is simply a player everyone loves to watch.
Larry Fitzgerald: WR, Cardinals
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Along the same line as Calvin Johnson (before Matthew Stafford), Larry Fitzgerald never had a standout quarterback tossing him the rock (Kurt Warner was already old).
Still, Fitz has crushed each season in the pros with 1,000-plus receiving yards and 80-plus receptions in six of the last seven years.
A six time Pro Bowl selection, Fitzgerald is among the few elite receivers in the game and still has a solid five-to-six seasons of dominance remaining.
His personality isn't as overzealous as Jared Allen, but Fitzgerald has been an influence off the field as well. In an article by the Associated Press via the Sporting News, Fitzgerald has been on the road:
"A lot of it is just to try to give back. We're extremely fortunate. I'm not talking about me or football players, as Americans we're fortunate to be able to turn the water on every day, be able to drink clean, healthy water and healthy food. There are a lot of places in the world where they don't have that same comfort."
Now yes, many pro football players have charities and give back to the world in some way. However, Fitzgerald is also one of the league's top players each year and this kind of action must get recognized.
Troy Polamalu: Safety, Steelers
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Troy Polamalu is one of the few defensive players in the NFL that is well-known across the country.
Still, with pro football being a pass-happy league and oriented more toward offense, it's easy to overlook any defensive back. Polamalu on the other hand, has been a consistently elite player his entire career with seven Pro Bowls and three Super Bowl appearances.
2011 was also one of Polamalu's best seasons with 91 tackles, 14 defended passes, and seven run stuffs. Off the field, Polamalu has displayed his personality with commercials and the Samoan heritage meaning of his hair.
Not to mention, he also went back to school and received his degree during the 2011 NFL lockout.
Looking ahead to 2012 and Polamalu has appeared in Pittsburgh's OTAs to simply keep improving. In an interview with Michael Bean of 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh via Sports Radio Interviews:
It’s nice to be around the team, obviously it’s another opportunity to get better. I’m not able obviously to train as well as I could out in California, but it’s just good to be here with the team.â€
Acting as an influence on the younger defensive players and trying to keep the Steelers AFC title contenders, Polamalu is the definition of a good guy.
John Rozum on Twitter.
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