Tebow's Beard, Continued: Fans Like

Nearly half of readers polled by the Orlando Sentinel's Jeremy Fowler think Tim Tebow's preseason beard looks great. I suspect it will be gone in a week or two.

Mocking Mainstream Tebow Coverage

The bloggers at Sports Hernia noticed Yahoo's top-story coverage of Tim Tebow and Florida opening practice today, led with the headline "Out With a Bang?" Juvenile amusement follows.

Tebow Quote of the Day: First Practice

"It's something that we want. That's not our goal. We're not writing that anywhere. We're not posting that. But obviously when we step on the field, we're going to want to win."

-- Tebow, at today's first practice, on an unbeaten season.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but what nationally contending team DOESN'T want to win every game? Hell, what team ANYWHERE doesn't want to win every game? Obviously, you don't want to look ahead -- or too far ahead -- but shouldn't every team expect to go unbeaten?

Two great details from the report: Tebow had a full beard and is weighing in at 242 lbs.

Breaking! Tebow Sports Beard at Practice

Kudos to the St. Pete Times' Antonya English for putting up a post about Tebow's notable facial hair at today's first practice. Click through to her blog to view the must-see picture.

Tebow: Kryptonite for Fan Cynicism?

I just linked to a provocative column by college journalist Zach Zimmerman of the Stanford Daily that he's tired of Tebow. Made me think. Here is my reaction to his column:

Zimmerman makes a fair point, but he seems pretty cynical for a college kid -- Zach's theory: Tebow's seeming absence of problems doesn't mean he won't have problems in the future.

I guess if you're a college-aged sports fan, your formative sports memories began when you were 10 or 11 and McGwire and Sosa were dueling in '98 -- and it was nothing but disappointment and dissolution since.

They have never known anything but sports in the 24/7, instant-history Internet Era, where hyperbole is the norm and what happened yesterday must be some superlative "greatest. thing. ever." (I made a living off that philosophy for 4 years.)

But isn't it possible -- just possible -- that Tebow's remarkable ability to maintain a consistency of performance (on and off the field) is very real... once-in-a-generation?

Hyperbole and instant history have deadened -- perhaps cheapened -- our sensibilities. I think fans have a hard time separating the sensationalized from the superlative.

Maybe, after hearing "Best. X. Ever." so often, they are rightly skeptical whenever they are presented with a REAL candidate for "Greatest of all time," as Tebow is making the case.

In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, I think the earnest belief in Tebow's superlative ability and character is the antidote to the cynicism and skepticism pervading sports right now.

So now Tebow is single-handedly counterbalancing cynicism and skepticism in sports? One more thing to add to his list of accomplishments.

Or, for Zimmerman, one more thing to get fatigued about.

3:30 Read (Early Edition!): Tired of Tebow?

Want some perspective on Tebow Fatigue (or, "Tebacklash") from a college student from as far from SEC country as you can get? Try Zach Zimmerman's column from the Stanford Daily:

Once again, I’m not trying to make the point that Tebow is secretly a hoodlum. I believe he is a great guy and I understand why he has attracted so much attention from the public. He’s extraordinarily marketable and is a living version of the ideal all-American athlete.

What I am troubled by is the fact that we are so quick to latch on to athletes and label them as perfect.

It is a fair point. Cynical (perhaps a product of the era Zimmerman grew up in), but fair. I have a reaction to this column coming at 1:45.

What Would Define Tim Tebow's Legacy?

The Orlando Sentinel's excellent Andrea Adelson presents a fantastic debate-starter: What would define Tim Tebow's legacy more -- "The Promise" or an undefeated 2009 season?

An undefeated season would be something no other Florida player has ever done. It would put the Florida 2009 team in the conversation for greatest teams of all time, with Tebow as its frontman. And it would secure Tebow's legacy as the single greatest college football player of all time.

But "The Promise" will define him, if for no other reason than the idea that this season -- like the post-Ole Miss run last season -- is fueled by "The Promise." If there is ever a moment of relaxation this season, Tebow or Meyer or anyone can simply point to "The Promise."

Focus restored.

I agree with a few of the observers in Adelson's column: The Promise transcended Florida and became part of college football history. It was the sport's version of Joe Namath's Super Bowl III "guarantee." Because it resulted in a national title, it was arguably the most notable off-field moment in college football history, right up there with the (fictitious!) "Win one for the Gipper."

"The Promise" distilled everything there is to know about Tim Tebow the football player AND Tebow the person. Even how it is referred to -- "The Promise" -- sounds mythological, even evangelical.

The speech sparked a national title. It will be the foundation for a run at a second -- and college football immortality that would come with an unbeaten season and 2009 national title.

In the annals of Tebow Myth -- and they are extensive -- The Promise is the biggest and most important moment. An unbeaten season in 2009 is a direct offshoot of that Promise.

Verdict: Promise > Unbeaten 2009.

First Practice: Tebow 6 AM Wake-Up Call

The Palm Beach Post's Ben Volin is tweeting from practice. Sounds like there are 150 or so people there. In attendance: 2010 early-enrollee Stephen Alli. Not in attendance: Dustin Doe.

BV tweet from 5:51 a.m.: "players running out to field now. tebow is swamped w autographs even at 545 am."

A Little Practice-Eve Evening Tebow Reading

Need one last thing to get you ready for tomorrow's first day of practice? Try this piece from Florida Today by David Jones about Tim Tebow. It's nothing you haven't heard or read before, but it sort of puts it all together for a national (think USA Today) audience.

Money quote from Tebow:

I'm excited. I can't wait to play. It's that time where you're just like, 'Man, hurry up.' I love training, I love lifting and everything but let's go put on the pads. Let's go play. I'm excited. I've never been this excited about two-a-days in my life before.

See you bright and early tomorrow.

Tim Tebow or Matt Leinart: Who Is Sporting News' College Football Player of the Decade?

My colleagues at Sporting News are putting together a list of their "players of the decade" in every sport.

The choice in college football is between Tim Tebow vs. Matt Leinart. (Vince Young fans, you may now commence your justifiable outrage.)

I think it is a little hard to judge -- you have to base your vote on Tebow's FIRST three years versus Leinart's 3-year career. What if Tebow wins another national title, another Heisman or both? Tebow's best year is arguably ahead of him.

But even if we're just comparing what Tebow has done through today versus what Leinart did in his career, I will still go with Tebow. (I'm sure you are surprised.)

I'm not saying it's not close -- right up until that national title game at the Rose Bowl, I thought that Matt Leinart was on track to be the greatest college football QB of all time.

Of course, Tebow's trajectory has eclipsed Leinart's -- with more to come this year.

(It begs a question: If the Gators fall short of a title, will Tebow's legacy be tarnished? Absolutely. And, if we're being fair, deservedly -- just like we've dinged Leinart for losing in that title game.)

Which brings us back to Vince Young. If there was any player to rival what Tebow has done -- and has yet to do -- it is VY.

Let's leave it at this: If Tebow lead the Gators to another national title -- let alone another Heisman -- he is the greatest college football player of the decade.

If he doesn't? After I have finished smacking my head against the wall for a few weeks, I would give "greatest college football player of the decade" to Vince Young.

See my cover story in the Gators Gridiron 2009 preview book -- see the right side -- for more.

3:30 Read: Tebow's Official Gators Bio

What better way to get ready for the start of practice tomorrow -- 6 a.m.! -- than to check out Tim Tebow's official biography on GatorZone. Settle in: It's an epic.

The PB Post's intrepid Ben Volin converted it into Word and reported that the bio clocks in at more than 3,000 words. Honestly, I'd like to see it presented as a dramatic reading tomorrow morning.

Per Volin: "Longest team bio in the history of the world?" Perhaps.

Speaking of Volin, if you're on Twitter, you definitely have to be following him, especially since he'll be Tweeting from practice tomorrow. His handle is @gatorbenPBP

Don't forget to follow TimTeblog.com at, well: @timteblog

Big Tebow Questions for the Start of Gators Practice

The Gators kick off the 2009 season tomorrow with their first official practice, at a robust 6 a.m.

The Miami Herald's Joe Goodman weighs in with his questions.
The G'ville Sun's Robbie Andreu offers his most intriguing storylines, too.

Neither covered questions or storylines related to Tim Tebow. So I'll fill the void:

(1) What is the vibe of Tebow's leadership on the practice field?

The team's psychology may be the biggest X-factor in its attempt to win another national title. Right out of the gate, how vocal is Tebow? How emotional? It has been a long offseason and it's a long regular season -- how "up" is Tebow on Day 1? As the leader of the players (and an extension of Meyer), what tactics does he deploy?

(2) So about those mechanics...?

Does Tebow's throwing motion seem any different now under Scott Loeffler than it was last season?

(3) Whither the I-formation?

Does Urban Meyer really want to establish a power-running game (yes), but is he also capitulating to the conventional (lame) wisdom that NFL folks "need" to see Tebow taking snaps under center (which we already discussed earlier today as inconsequential).

The mantra of the team is "Finish Strong." Tomorrow morning, the operating principle should be "Start Strong." It's a long season, but the foundation of it continues to build tomorrow.

Got any other Tebow-related questions that you have for the opening of practice? Leave them in the comments.

Tim Tebow vs. Vince Young: NFL Potential

On Dan Patrick's show yesterday, Rick Neuheisel compared Tim Tebow to Vince Young.

I agree with the Vince Young comparisons, although consider that no one seemed to think VY should be an H-back or TE in the NFL, like the "experts" do with TT. Vince Young was a Top 3 pick, even with the questions about his ability to translate his game to the NFL.

Why does the comp work? Because VY was a winner and because VY had all the physical tools to be a success in the NFL. The profile is remarkably similar to Tebow's.

It is not VY's fault that he was drafted onto a team where the coach had a very specific (and successful) system that he wanted VY to fit into. But imagine VY on a team where the coaching staff was innovative enough to use him in new ways.

That is the core of the Tebow-NFL question: Will he end up on a team that is innovative enough to use him the right way? That is why -- despite my loathing of the Patriots (although I do like Bill Belichick a lot) -- I would love to see him playing for Belichick.

There are a lot of assumptions about Tebow's NFL future. Neuheisel hit on one: That Tebow has to take snaps from under center.

Really? Like 6 I-formation snaps in live college game situations -- where he more often than not will hand the ball off to a RB -- will reveal anything about his QB potential in the NFL?

As I have said before: Tebow will get plenty of reps under center when the season is over and he devotes himself full time to NFL and NFL Draft preparation. (And, oh by the way, snaps under center didn't seem to be an issue for Tom Brady in 2007, when he ran the majority of his plays from a spread formation and the Pats offense annihilated the record books.)

The other assumption is that QBs who run can't take the punishment, certainly not over the long term -- and certainly if they want to be "franchise" QBs. I'm not sure that Young would have had the problem -- and I'm certainly not concerned about Tebow's ability to take NFL hits.

In the end, Tebow's short-term NFL future should be much like VY's hasn't been (but should be): 10-12 snaps a game from the single-wing ("Wildcat-ish") formation in short-yardage, red-zone and statistically efficient moments.

It didn't happen with VY -- maybe there's still time. It could happen with Tim Tebow -- maybe the innovation isn't that Tim Tebow runs the spread-option in the NFL full-time; maybe the innovation is that one QB for "traditional" downs and one for "statistically efficient" scenarios is a winning combination.

The NFL has been built on the myth of the "franchise" QB -- I think the Dolphins (using Chad Pennington -- hardly a "Franchise" QB -- and Ronnie Brown) helped to debunk that myth, if only slightly.

The evolution of the single-wing in the NFL this season -- and next season, with Tebow (if he's drafted by a team that will smartly use him that way) -- is Tebow's future.

It should have been Vince Young's present. There is still time, but it shows how important "fit" is in a player's ultimate success in the NFL -- especially a QB.

Rick Neuheisel on Tebow's NFL Future

Dan Patrick seems a little obsessed (in a good way) with Tim Tebow's NFL future. He asked Joe Montana about it earlier this week, and yesterday, he asked UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel about it. From DP's blog:

Neuheisel agreed with what Joe Montana said about Tim Tebow yesterday. Tebow needs experience under center and dropping back.

"You have to learn your feet as kind of a metronome," Neuheisel said.

Neuheisel compared Tebow to current Titans quarterback Vince Young. He said that Young [ed. sic-Neuheisel?] was working in the NFL when they were evaluating Young, and realized VY was going to have to use his legs to make plays in the NFL. Neuheisel said that trying to make Young into a drop-back passer was going to be tough. Young didn't want to make plays with his feet and he's run into trouble.

Neuheisel says he thinks Tebow can play quarterback in the NFL, but the transition could be tough.

More on this quote/topic in a little bit.

3:30 Read: Why Florida Is Successful

Is Florida's success because of Urban Meyer? Because of Tim Tebow? Because of Charlie Strong and the defense?

Saurian Sagacity has a must-read post analyzing Florida's success under Meyer, particularly relative to the success before he got to Gainesville. They call it the "One-Man Fallacy."

I think the conclusion will surprise you: Don't correlate Florida's success to Meyer -- or to Tebow.

Instead, the biggest factor in Florida's success under Tebow (and Meyer) was that Florida's location allowed them to successfully recruit Tebow? (And not just Tebow, but some of the most important talent on the roster.)

For comparison, imagine if Alabama was able to have successfully gone into Florida and recruited Tebow out from underneath Florida. David Shula might still have his job. Nick Saban would almost certainly have his national title. Meyer and Florida would not have either of theirs.

If I'm reading Saurian Sagacity correctly, the most important moment of the Tebow Era was not the 2006 jump-pass or the 5-TD game against South Carolina or the 4th quarter against Bama.

The most important moment came when the Florida schoolboy legend agreed to go to Florida, rather than play out of state.

Tebow Quote of the Day: Joe Montana

"It's so hard to figure out how these people put together the criteria for what it takes to be drafted in the first round... You have to get under that center at least a little bit at some point in time."

-- Joe Montana, from his appearance on Dan Patrick's show yesterday, when asked about Tim Tebow's NFL prospects as a QB.

I disagree with Montana that Tebow has to take "pro-style" snaps in actual college game situations. There will be plenty of time for that -- and for teaching him that -- during pre-draft tutorials.

What would a handful of snaps under center this season -- even a couple of under-center snaps PER GAME -- do to change analyst opinion about Tebow's pro prospects at QB?

Oh, sure, it'll be a big story: "Tebow takes under-center snaps -- he's obviously trying to showcase for NFL scouts." It will mean nothing -- a nod, but mostly empty symbolism.

Tebow Quote of the Day: Percy Harvin

"He's probably the best thing other than a pro quarterback."

-- Percy Harvin, on working out with Tim Tebow while waiting for his deal with the Vikings to finalize.

More, via GatorSports (via AP): "Of course he’s not a pro quarterback, but I got the best work in I could do without actually being here."

Oh: And I don't think Percy ever meant to imply that Tebow isn't NFL-worthy; I think he meant that if he couldn't work out with an actual pro quarterback, Tebow was the next best thing.

By the way, if Tebow's ability to deliver the ball to NFL-quality WRs was ever in question, Harvin may be considered a Top 20 NFL receiver by the midpoint of his rookie season.)

Awards: Tebow on O'Brien Watch List

The Davey O'Brien Award goes to the nation's best QB -- Tebow won the award in 2007 and was a semifinalist in 2008, when it was a scrum between Tebow, Bradford, McCoy and Harrell.

Obviously, Tebow would be a 2009 O'Brien "Watch List" name -- 32 other QBs make the list, too. But presumably, it will whittle down to the Big Three. Would be fun to see another, unexpected QB break in, at least as a semifinalist.

(Sign of ultimate respect for USC QB pipeline: USC sophomore Aaron Corp -- a first-year starter -- makes the list, despite having zero track record.)

The Tim Tebow Song Becomes a Thing

Sigh. [Shakes head sadly. It's not even NEW. That's not a knock on EDSBS for doing a post about it. Of all the blogs that posted about it, I'll send Orson the referrals.]

Tebow at Prison: Gainesville Sun's Profile

Off of the Sports Illustrated cover story from two weeks ago, the Gainesville Sun sent its own reporter out with Tim Tebow to cover a session of ministering to prisoners.

On its face, the piece is derivative -- I'm sure it was assigned well-before the SI piece came out -- but it has a lot more of the granular details of Tebow's work than the SI piece had.

"Finish Strong" continues to be the theme of Tebow's evangelizing, vaulting off of the Gators' practice mantra during the offseason.

The piece is chock full of details, but there is one included that has nothing to do with the ministering that is worth pointing out:

One fan/prison employee brings Tebow the SI SEC Preview to sign, the one with Urban Meyer looking over a pair of sunglasses -- which struck me as entirely out of character for him.

Tebow apparently agreed. Per the Sun's Diane Chun, quoting Tebow:

"That has to be the most ridiculous cover photo ever. How'd they convince him to do that?"

(By the way, there's some great video and photos accompanying the piece. The video reaffirms what a remarkably confident public speaker Tebow is.)

3:30 Read: How Tebow Decides The Future Of Your NFL Team

Obviously, we're all gearing up for the start of the college season -- practice begins Thursday at 6 a.m. -- but the long-term undercurrent of coverage includes Tebow's NFL future.

We have talked a lot about it already -- mostly my conspiracy theories -- but watching the Tebow NFL stock vacillate throughout the college season and into draft season (Jan-April) will be fascinating. I'm already on the record that his stock is going to skyrocket into the top half of the first round, perhaps even the Top 10.

MVN has an interesting take -- complete with stats analysis -- of why Tebow's draft stock has a direct impact on your team.

I would say that whether your team will or won't take Tebow, they will be impacted -- if you have your eye on another player at another position, you are rooting for a team ahead of yours to take Tebow off the board.

Bookmark It: Orlando Sentinel Tebow Coverage

To their credit*, the Orlando Sentinel has launched a page entirely dedicated to... Tim Tebow. New articles, archival content, photos, video. It's a very good idea. Check it out and worth a bookmark.

* - Honestly, would you expect any other reaction from someone who maintains a Tebow blog?

Photo of the Day: Air Force Tebow

Found on Flickr, with total credit to the account for dbadair, with the clever caption: "Shands at UF unveils new TraumaOne helicopter, Tim Tebow."



That was taken at Friday's Gator Charity Challenge. Great photo, dbadair.

Insert your own caption for what Maurkice Pouncey (No. 56) might be thinking...

Welcome to Tebow World, Deadspin Fans!

There is nothing like being Deadspin's "DUAN" (Deadspin Up All Night) kick-off topic, as TimTeblog.com and I were last night. The headline is apt: "More Breaking: Blogger Has Crush On Tim Tebow" (by Dash Bennett, Deadspin's designated guy on the Tebow beat).

Deadspin readers are more than familiar with my fascination with Tebow:

*During the 2007 college football season, I wrote a weekly college football column for Deadspin, including this early-season post that ID'ed the breakthrough season Tebow was going to have. (Gotta love the Comments section on that...)

*Back in late October 2008, I put out an open invite to Tebow -- with his notable skills at circumcision -- to serve as the mohel at my son's bris. (There was a game conflict, among other things...) Deadspin weekend writer Josh Zerkle had some fun with that. (Again: It's the comments that add the flavor.)

And so my relationship with Deadspin readers and commenters -- certainly as it relates to Tebow -- is love-hate. Mostly hate.

But it's playful hate. (I'll have to dig into the Comments on that latest Deadspin post and re-publish the funniest ones.)

Tebow Links for a Saturday Morning

G'ville Sun (and others): Rain shortens the Gator Charity Challenge. But, for the record, Tebow's team was winning at the time.

Yahoo's Dr. Saturday: Matt Hinton continues to be all over the "how to stop the Gators" beat, with an update yesterday.

Hinton's formula remains the same: "(a) Hit the Tebow Child and (b) Don't let him touch the ball in the first place."

Sporting News: Jacory Harris says of Tebow's claims of saving-for-marriage: "He's lying."

(Hmm: If I had to pick credibility between Harris and Tebow, I'm going with Tebow on this one.)

Orlando Sentinel: Tim Tebow "Superman" T-shirts... on sale at Publix, no less. (As they are sort of bootleggish -- the school certainly didn't license them -- you won't find them at UF.)

Amy Reinink: The Tim Tebow of amateur distance running?