Popular player and third-string quarterback Tim Tebow didn’t play one down in the game, leaving uncertainty about his chances of making the team.
Tom Brady started the game and played the entire first half, while the second-string QB Ryan Mallett was at the helm for the second half.
Lions fans chanted “Tebow! Tebow! Tebow!” with about 10 minutes left in the game, and booed when Patriots coach Bill Belichick refused to put Tebow in the game.
“You prepare yourself and be ready for whenever your number is called. There’s nothing else to it,” Tebow said after the game.
Belichick didn’t say why he didn’t play Tebow. The third-string quarterback is left with only one more chance to prove himself in the preseason when they face the New York Giants—that’s if Tebow makes it past an upcoming cut on Aug. 27.
Tebow said he tries not to stress over the cut days but rather prepare himself for any situation.
“You just prepare, and whatever you’re asked to do, you do at 100 percent, with everything you have,” he said. “You want everything to go well, but it’s not. There are going to be ups and downs. That’s what life is, and you just have to handle them as best as you possibly can.”
When asked if he was upset about not playing, Tebow responded by saying he’s a “blessed individual” and said he’s grateful to be a Patriot.
