Tim Tebow said naysayers ran rampant.
Why in the world would a talented high school sophomore pick up his shoulder pads and books and transfer to Nease (Ponte Vedra, Fla.), a school with minuscule football prowess, they all wondered?
The Panthers were 2-8 the previous season and 1-9 the year before that. They hadn’t had a winning campaign in a decade.
Tebow accounted for 12,996 yards and 157 TDs at Nease.
Photo by Gray Quetti
“The critics said it was a dumb decision,” Tebow said. “They asked ‘what are you doing?’"
But Tebow wanted to play quarterback and Nease Coach Craig Howard loved to throw the ball. So, Tebow got his chance not only to run and throw and have a good time, but turn around the downtrodden.
Just how maligned was Nease?
“We had six road games my sophomore year and we were the Homecoming game for all six of them,” Tebow said. “Talk about embarrassing.”
But Nease wasn't embarrassing that season. The Panthers were a respectable 5-5 in 2003.
“And it got even better after that,” Tebow said.
The next season, Nease went 11-2 and lost in the third round of the state playoffs. Tebow was named Florida’s Player of the Year.
“It was exhilarating,” Tebow said.
It wasn’t even the best. That came Tebow’s senior year when the Panthers won a state crown with a 44-37 win over perennial power Armwood (Seffner, Fla.). He threw for 3,302 yards and 31 touchdowns. He ran for 1,163 and 21 more scores.
He repeated as Florida’s Mr. Football and finished with 9,810 career passing and 3,186 rushing yards. He accounted for 157 touchdowns, including 95 passing, during his prep career at Nease.
“To turn that program around. … To be a part of the change, that process of overcoming adversity. … Being with coach Howard and all those guys. … That was one of the proudest moments I’ve ever had in sports,” Tebow said.
Up there with winning the Heisman?
“Right there with winning the Heisman,” he said.
Fueling the fire
So, fast forward four seasons that included two BCS championships, two first-team All-American campaigns and snagging a Heisman, and Tebow is hearing the critics once again.
He’s no prototypical NFL quarterback – some don’t think he’s a quarterback at all – and his projections for April’s draft range between late in the first round to somewhere in the fourth.
The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder is an unquestioned physical specimen and supreme competitor, but he’s also mechanically challenged, some scouts say, especially under center. He ran strictly out of the shotgun at Florida, which bodes well in the increasingly popular wildcat formation, but not much else.
To all of it, Tebow smiles politely, makes no apologies and largely draws on his humble high school beginnings.
“I can’t control the naysayers,” he during Super Bowl week while testing at the Gatorade Performance Lab. “I can control my attitude and work ethic and determination and that’s what I’m focused on now.”
Still, the negativity does seep through time to time. And a little pinch can go a long way.
“I’m a pretty motivated person, but it doesn’t hurt to add a little fuel to the fire,” he said. "I don’t really watch much TV or read many newspapers. But you still hear things and it can definitely be motivating. It’s part of the challenge.”
Tebow is tested in the tank at the Gatorade Performance Lab.
Photo courtesy of Jon Kirn
He enjoyed the Gatorade lab, which was a good precursor to what he’ll face Wednesday with his scheduled NFL combine workouts. The lab measured various levels of his fitness, which figures to be one of his plusses when the NFL comes calling.
Tebow also tested the GSeries, a new product line from Gatorade that is supposed to benefit athletes before, during and after athletic endeavors. Tebow feels his endurance will translate well throughout the long and rigorous NFL season.
“I think I’ll be better later in the season than most because of my conditioning and the work I put in the weight room,” he said. “It was fun doing all those tests, to see how your body works, how it works under pressure.”
He said he can’t wait to go through the mental and physical rigors of the NFL testing.
“I enjoy practice, I love football and I love competing,” Tebow said. “The more people get the chance to know me and know what I’m about and what I can do, the better I see the process being.”
No matter where he lands, he'll always take strength from his days at Nease.
“I still talk to Coach Howard about every other week,” Tebow said. “I’m constantly in touch with assistants on the team and players. I know we’ll be close for a long, long time.”
BLEACHER REPORT. Is Tebow or Clausen a greater draft risk?
