Tim Tebow

Heisman Hopeful: Tim Tebow, Florida, Sr., QB Tebow has made the trip to New York in each of the past two seasons, winning in 2007 and finishing third in 2008 despite receiving the most first-place votes. Another Heisman and another title might cement Tebow as college football's most decorated player. Looking Down on the Rest: Two national championships in three seasons makes Florida the nation's top program and not just the conference's elite. The Gators must fend off Alabama, Ole Miss and LSU. On the...

PRO FOOTBALL FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tim Tebow was back on the field with an NFL team — the New England Patriots. The Patriots announced the signing of the former Jets quarterback on Tuesday, six weeks after he was cut by New York and just in time for the start of the three-day Patriots minicamp that runs through Thursday. Tebow practiced with veteran New England starter Tom Brady and backup Ryan Mallett. The newest Patriot wore No. 5, not his familiar 15 — which belongs to Mallett — on his shorts and helmet.

In her Jan. 1 Sports column, "What is so threatening about Tebow?," Sally Jenkins failed to consider this point: Sports fans don't want politics and religion in the arena. Remember when Rush Limbaugh brought politics to the NFL by complaining that Donovan McNabb wasn't a good quarterback and was being heralded only because he was black? He didn't last long on ESPN television after that. Like Mr. Limbaugh, Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow has brought a topic to sports that doesn't belong there.

Tim Tebow and Tom Brady took turns, zipping passes over the middle and lofting tosses toward the corner of the end zone. On his first day with the Patriots, the New England newcomer was just a backup quarterback, No. 5 on his helmet and number three on the depth chart. And when practice ended Tuesday in Foxborough, Mass., Tebow talked — for all of 40 seconds. "First and foremost, I just want to thank the Patriots for giving me an opportunity," Tebow said. For now, that's all it is. No promises of trick...

Tim Tebow might have lost the winning streak that brought the Broncos to the cusp of a playoff appearance, but his performance and leadership are still winning converts inside Denver and beyond. As Cindy Boren reported : John Elway and John Fox, the leaders of the Denver Broncos, haven't exactly been true believers in the legend of Tim Tebow. Elway, the executive vice president of football operations and Hall of Fame quarterback, famously answered "no" last month when asked if Tebow were closer...

Brian Magee [ letters , Jan. 5] wrote that Tim Tebow offends him for breaking the unwritten rule that you are not supposed to bring religion into sports. First, I've never heard of such a rule — but it has been many years since I was a college athlete. Second, athletes routinely express their religious faith — some cross themselves as they enter the batter's box in baseball, for instance, or point to heaven after hitting a home run. There are many other examples to be had at a glance.

Can Tim Tebow do no wrong? Michael Butterworth of Bowling Green State University has turned his attention to sports media coverage of Tebow, an evangelical Christian and New York Jets quarterback. The author of a forthcoming article in the journal of the National Communication Association, Butterworth talked about how Tebow coverage seldom treads beyond a "nice guy" image to delve into his faith. Some answers have been edited for length and clarity. Q: It's an understatement to say a lot has been written about Tim Tebow and his...

Tim Tebow continues to confound critics and delight fans as he guides the Denver Broncos to win after win, moving them ever closer to a playoff spot. One victim of Tebow's success has been the statistics-driven metrics that are supposed to define success at quarterback. As Joel Achenbach wrote : Obviously, football has needed a way to recalibrate passing excellence over the course of many decades and changing rules. We need a new algorithm. This was...

Tim Tebow, the Denver Broncos quarterback who has become a national phenomenon due to his unconventional production and outspoken religious faith. As AP reported : Having won the Denver Broncos' starting job and the AFC West title by default, Tebow heads into his first playoff game mired in the worst slump of his life. "The three losses haven't shaken my confidence," Tebow said after the Broncos backed their way into the playoffs at 8-8. The results and his language on the football field suggest...

So much for turning the other cheek. After evangelical icon Tim Tebow canceled his scheduled appearance at First Baptist Church in Dallas because of controversial remarks made by senior pastor Robert Jeffress, the pastor appeared to fire back at the New York Jets quarterback in his sermon Sunday (Feb. 24). In the 10-minute speech, which the church made available on YouTube under the heading "Dr. Jeffress Responds to Tebow Controversy," Jeffress addresses the attention he had received without mentioning Tebow...

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — One day of practice wasn't enough for Patriots coach Bill Belichick to share his thoughts on new backup quarterback Tim Tebow. Two days? Not a lot to go on there, either, as Tebow spent much of Wednesday's session watching Tom Brady and Ryan Mallett run drills while he tried to absorb the new system he was thrust into when he signed with New England this week. "We're not going to get into a minute-by-minute evaluation of a player," Belichick said. "I don't...

So the New England Patriots now have a left-handed quarterback with a scatter arm, a flair for the dramatic and a feel for leadership. Yep, Tim Tebow. He might as well be Frankenstein's monster, with Patriots coach Bill Belichick in the role of visionary doctor (or mad scientist). Tebow certainly isn't going to unseat Tom Brady as the starter, and he probably won't challenge Ryan Mallett as backup. Hey, Tebow couldn't even get his favorite number — 15— for New England's three-day...

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tim Tebow and Tom Brady took turns, zipping passes over the middle and lofting tosses toward the corner of the end zone. On his first day with the Patriots, the New England newcomer was just a backup quarterback, No. 5 on his helmet and number three on the depth chart. And when practice ended Tuesday, Tebow talked — for all of 40 seconds. "First and foremost, I just want to thank the Patriots for giving me an opportunity," Tebow said....

The Sacramento Kings finally appear to be staying put in California's capital city, possibly ending an emotional saga that has dragged on for nearly three years. The NBA's relocation committee voted unanimously Monday to recommend that owners reject the application for the Kings to relocate to Seattle, the latest — and by far the strongest — in a long line of cities that almost landed the franchise. The 12 league owners on the committee made the decision over a...

NEW YORK — Manti Te'o is headed to San Diego. Geno Smith is a Jet. Radio City Music Hall was relatively silent for five second-round picks Thursday night. Then the theater shook with two selections within minutes of each other. The Notre Dame All-America linebacker was chosen sixth in the second round by the Chargers, drawing a loud roar from the fans at Radio City Music Hall. One spot later, the Jets took the West Virginia quarterback, drawing a raucous reaction of cheers and boos.

So much for turning the other cheek. After evangelical icon Tim Tebow canceled his scheduled appearance at First Baptist Church in Dallas because of controversial remarks made by senior pastor Robert Jeffress, the pastor appeared to fire back at the New York Jets quarterback in his sermon Sunday (Feb. 24). In the 10-minute speech, which the church made available on YouTube under the heading "Dr. Jeffress Responds to Tebow Controversy," Jeffress addresses the attention he had received...

I "Tebowed" for the first time Sunday evening — actually, I was cleaning up after the cat — but it was around the same time the (yes, I'm going to say it) miraculous quarterback Tim Tebow led Denver to a 29-23 overtime victory over Pittsburgh , and I certainly was grateful to whoever was responsible for finally giving us a game worth watching this weekend. I'm speaking from a disinterested observer perspective, of course. If you had a team in the mix, of course your game was the most fascinating of all time, and I...

NEWARK, N.J. — Tim Tebow is Howdy Doody in a helmet. No, he is Opie Taylor running for touchdowns — while reciting Bible verses, stopping to find a lost dog, visiting sick children in a hospital and helping a little old lady across the street, all before he reaches the end zone. Now that Tebow has been traded to the Jets, New Jersey is about to experience a dose of wholesomeness it hasn't seen since milk trucks stopped delivering to your door. Tebow is the God-fearing, All-American evangelical hero —...

A bill to allow home-schooled students to play public school sports cleared the Virginia House on Thursday. By a 56 to 43 vote, the chamber approved a measure known as the Tebow bill , after Tim Tebow, the New York Jets quarterback who was home-schooled in Florida but allowed to play football at his local high school. A similar measure cleared the House last year but died in a Senate committee . The bill now heads to the Senate.

When a press conference starts with "you're not going to believe this one," as the one New York Jets coach Rex Ryan led Thursday did, that's never a good sign. Ryan told a stunned group of reporters that he would again be switching quarterbacks, going back to Mark Sanchez after it was announced third-stringer Greg McElroy was being evaluated for a possible concussion. The announcement caps a string of disappointments for Tim Tebow, the pop culture phenom who reportedly held the backup...