Adrian Gonzalez has picked his team for this Sunday's showdown between Bill Belichick's boys and the Broncos.

"I'm actually rooting for the Patriots because the Broncos need to lose three in a row and the Chargers need to win three in a row to get into the playoffs," said the San Diego native, and Red Sox first baseman. "I'm rooting for [Tim] Tebow to have a great game, but the Chargers need some help."

Truth be told, it's rare for Gonzalez to root for the Patriots. But it's not rare for him to cheer for Tebow.

"I always keep track of how he's doing," said Gonzalez via phone. "I think everything that's going on, if you just turn on TV or sports radio, he's being talked about, which is great. I followed him in college, also. Personally, I'm the type of person who prefers to watch a Tom Brady-type of game, but Tebow is a guy I'm always going to follow and wish the best for him and pray he continues to do well and stay healthy."

For Gonzalez, this isn't just about the excitement the Broncos' quarterback brings to the field, or how his propensity for late-game heroics has kept the Sox' slugger on Tebow's bandwagon. No, this is personal.

Tebow has become an inspiration for Gonzalez because of something that has entrenched the QB as one of the most polarizing sports figures in the nation: his faith.

"He's great," Gonzalez said. "He's really what a guy who loves Jesus is supposed to be doing. He's really living out his faith and not letting outside influences get in the way of it. He's playing his heart out, he's playing every game and giving it all he's got on the field like you're supposed to and not letting anything redirect what he knows we're on Earth for."

While Tebow's willingness to put his demonstrations of spirituality on display in some of the most public of settings has led to some criticism, Gonazalez -- who became a Born-Again Christian eight years ago -- views the approach as something that has been a long time in coming.

Gonzalez hears the naysayers, yet -- like Tebow -- those noises do nothing to sway his perception of the situation.

"Not at all because in the Bible it says if you're for Jesus, and you're going to be a disciple and you're going to talk to people about him, you're going to have opposition," said the 29-year-old when asked if the criticism of Tebow has irked him. "That's the devil working. That's going to happen. That's part of the process. What he wants from us is to be faithful and keep doing it, and [Tebow] is a prime example of not letting the opposition or the people who are against him and against his ways get in the way of what he's really trying to accomplish."

Gonzalez isn't nearly as demonstrative as Tebow when it comes to exhibiting his faith. Much was made of his statement after the Red Sox' crushing, season-ending loss to Baltimore when he said, "I'm a firm believer that God has a plan and it wasn't in his plan for us to move forward." But there were examples of his devout nature even before he put it on public display via his post-game comments.

He regularly discussed religion with fellow Christian teammates, such as J.D. Drew, and made sure to carry a reminder of his priorities each time he went to bat. Inscribed on the barrel of Gonzalez' bat is 'PS 27:1' which is short for the Bible verse Psalm 27:1, a passage that reads: "The Lord [is] my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord [is] the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

"It's going to help anywhere you're at. It isn't limited just to a place like Boston," he said. "Obviously being able to take your work ethic, and your preparation, and just trusting in it, that's what it comes down to. I watch Tebow play and he doesn't get fazed when he doesn't make a throw because he knows at the end of the day that work ethic and that preparation and everything he has prepared for is going to pay off. He just has to stay faithful and trust in it. I think that's the approach we all should have. Just work. God gives us an ability and we have to glorify him by it and do the best we can and work as hard as we can and be the best we can."

But, interestingly enough, Gonzalez admits to sometimes wanting to take the approach chosen by Tebow instead of the sometimes often subtle displays he has often settled on.

"That's what we're here for, to talk about God and allow to hear about God so they don't have an excuse when they do pass away and say they never heard about it," he said. "In our faith, that's what we're here on Earth to do, is pass the rod, talk about Jesus and spread the good news about him. We should be more outspoken about it. I think he's going to bring out a lot of new players who have that faith who have been keeping it to themselves because of being scared by the public scrutiny. They're going to be more outspoken about it now."

Asked if it was somewhat surprising someone so young as the 24-year-old could have the conviction and confidence to not give into public scrutiny, Gonzalez said, "I don't think it's rare. I think it's awesome. His whole life has been dedicated to God. He's been at it since he was born. He's a perfect example of what everybody should be like. I really admire him and really think he's doing things the right way, and that's how things should be done. At the end of the day, it's a shame on everyone, including myself, for not being more outspoken about it."

Gonzalez has never met Tebow, although the quarterback did visit the Sox first baseman's church in San Diego recently. Still, Gonzalez feels a kinship to his football-playing counterpart. Both are living what can be a challenging existence -- Christians in the middle of a professional sports environment.

"It can be," said Gonzalez when asked if it was difficult to live a Christian existence as a major leaguer. "I think at the end of the day it comes to how strong your faith is. When I first became a believer it was pretty difficult to stay grounded and not fall into what people were saying, or what people were doing, or what they wanted out of me. But over the years you grow into your faith and you realize it doesn't matter what people say or do or talk about you. All that matters is what Jesus thinks about you and how God feels. If you were to die at this minute, how would you be taken into Heaven? It's all about perspective. As you grow in your Christian faith, it isn't about what people say, it's about how God wants you to be."

Two athletes. Two sports. One priority.