Syracuse Football: Tim Tebow gives some NFL advice to Eric Dungey

Former Syracuse football QB Eric Dungey is trying to live out his NFL dreams. Heisman winner Tim Tebow has some quality NFL advice for Dungey.

It’s been a long road for former Syracuse football quarterback Eric Dungey. There were no guarantees he would even get a shot in the NFL after his medical history, going undrafted, and the constant questions about Eric even playing quarterback.

That last point is something Tim Tebow battled throughout his five year NFL career.

Although obviously there are some stark differences in their paths to the pros:

• Tebow was the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Dungey went undrafted.
• Tim wasn’t forced to miss college games due to injuries (he played in 55 games in his four-year career at Florida). While Dungey missed nine games.
• He has won a Heisman trophy (2007), two National Championships, and just better numbers overall across the board. Dungey was 21-18 as a starter with one bowl appearance.

Despite all of those achievements, NFL teams still questioned the wonky throwing motion and footwork of Tebow. Serious questions remained if he could legitimately play the quarterback position at the game’s highest level.

Dungey is in the same boat after signing with the New York Giants. He wasn’t signed as just a quarterback, he was also listed at tight end. Giants head coach Pat Shurmur even mentioned Taysom Hill (utility player for the New Orleans Saints) in an answer regarding how Dungey could be used in the pros.

But after playing a few years at quarterback Tebow was faced with an ultimatum, switch positions or else. Tim picked or else and changed his pursuit to baseball and now he’s in the New York Mets farm system with the Syracuse Mets chasing his dreams.

In his open media opportunity, he was asked to give some advice to Eric Dungey who is chasing his NFL dreams:

"“Although you might not have been drafted where you wanted, don’t let that define you. Just continue to work, put your head down, show ‘em,” Tebow said to Lindsay Kramer of Syracuse.com. “You’ll get your opportunity in camp and OTAs. Make the best of that. Whether it’s one play, it’s six plays, it’s 10 plays in practice when you get your chance you’ve got to be able to shine, especially when you’re someone that you weren’t drafted in the early rounds. So I just encourage him that when he gets his chance try to make the most of it. But be ready for it.”"

Speaking of being ready for it, Dungey wasn’t ready to give up his dream of playing quarterback when I spoke to him at his Pro Day in March.

I don’t blame him either, after spending four years at the collegiate level playing the position then dedicating the majority of his offseason to improving his mechanics and footwork, why would he entertain throwing all of that away to learn a brand new position?

But after sifting through all of his NFL offers following the 2019 NFL Draft, Dungey was more open to being a utility man. Tebow encountered those same issues later in his NFL career and shared some more advice via Lindsay Kramer of Syracuse.com:

"“It just depends what’s on his heart. If he’s open to it, then be open to it,” Tebow said. “Be great at whatever you’re called to do. I think when teams asked me to do other things and I was on their team, I did it to the best of my ability. That was different than choosing to go sign with a team when they wanted me to be a full-time H-back, tight end, running back, whatever, because that wasn’t on my heart. But once I was I was on the team, I gave them everything.”"