Gator Country

Florida senior quarterback Tim Tebow warms up before the Gators' 29-19 win against Mississippi State on Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss. / Gator Country photo by Tim Casey

When he first arrived in town, his face was the epitome of happiness, adorned with a perpetual smile. He yessired and nosirred his elders to death, spoke in glowing terms of playing for The Mighty Gators and brought a joie d’ vivre to the game the likes that had never been seen in these parts.

Tim Tebow felt lucky to be playing football and made you feel lucky to be among the number to watch him. In our wildest imagination, even if he had been computer-enhanced by Hollywood, we never dreamed we should behold such a football player in a Gator uniform.

For 48 games he has toiled fearlessly and tirelessly, his remarkable feats ratcheting up the fortunes of Gator football, lifting the spirits of The Gator Nation to soaring heights and raising expectations to a Disney-like fantasy.

Only I don’t see that boyish smile we have come to know nearly as much. And as Tebow is winding down his final days in orange and blue, playing four of his last five regular season games on state soil, what a shame it is that the player who has brought us all so much joy doesn’t seem to be harvesting the fruit that he has seeded so spectacularly and that he so richly deserves.

We all want to see Tim Tebow smiling again, especially on his farewell tour.

His biggest problem is that he is chasing his own ghost --- a ghost that just may be impossible for anybody to catch, including Tim Tebow himself.

Winning 17 straight games, a national championship, a conference title and a Heisman Trophy inspires all those around him, but getting his arms around the command performance of those feats of immortality is nigh impossible.

Tim, himself, seems to have regressed in recent weeks if you take into consideration the level he is playing. Coming off his worst game as a starter in Starkville, Mississippi in which he threw two pick-sixes, Tebow stood before the media Monday to talk about his Saturday night performance --- he had chosen not to do after the game --- and tried to explain without making excuses..

Even though one interception wasn’t all his fault because it bounced off a receiver’s hands, the fact is that Tebow gave up two turnovers and was sacked three more times, continuing to balloon those season totals to staggering heights by his standards. But he never makes excuses and, typically, didn’t on Monday at his press conference.

Just as is the case on the football field, Tebow is having a little problem getting in is groove these days.

He gripped both sides of he lectern, as he usually does, sometimes tapping his left one as if playing a piano, feet spread apart stance-like, warming to the questions one by one, then finally jousting a bit with friendlier media types. In a few minutes, Tebow was back on stride, but I never did notice that infectious wide grin that he usually brandishes.

There are a dozens of theories why Tim is struggling, none of them necessarily with one ounce of validity, including the one that Tebow has never recovered from his concussion. He denied that rumor, along with others --- such as the suggestion that he might not be able to handle all the pressure on him. He says he puts it all on himself and can deal with it.

We don’t need Tim to tell us that he hast struggled lately, because we can see it with our own eyes. He is struggling for a myriad reasons, not the least of which he is trying too hard, often aiming his passes and, and interrupting the reading of his progressions. This is partly due to his protection is breaking down, partly because he hasn’t found but two reliable receivers he can trust and partly because not all of his running backs know how to pick up the blitz.

There is also certain unfamiliarity with this version of the offense, partly because the braintrusts are still smoothing out the wrinkles and the staff is still working on its own chemistry.

And, finally, there is no question Tebow is dinged up, not necessarily from a head injury, but just from four years of taking and delivering thunderous hits. His 22-year-old body has some mileage on it now and there is almost nothing Urban Meyer can do to keep him off the field when he is sore and bruised. In fact, I would venture to say that in his three years as a starter, he probably hasn’t played a third of the games with a healthy body. It goes with being a warrior.

Maybe there is another good reason Tebow doesn’t smile as much: It’s not nearly as much fun being the hunted as it was the hunter for Tim, Urban and the entire cast. At least until the end comes and the desired result is achieved.  There is an enormous amount of pressure when you’re sitting on the pole position. Maybe they’ve been under caution for a few laps, but stay tuned, because there’s a long way to go in the race and help is on the way. (Really, at 7-0 and ranked No. 1 by everybody, how much help do they really need?)

The good news is that is the defense continues to play lights out while the offense catches up. Meyer has put the offense under a microscope, revisiting every play in the red zone this season to see what is breaking down. Being one of the four main tenets of Meyer’s Plan to Win --- “Score in the Red Zone” --- this is a troublesome problem for the nation’s top team, for however long it lasts.

However, I think Meyer, Steve Addazio and the other offensive coaches will soon resolve this riddle. Among other things, they have decided to stop freelancing on calls that were not part of the game plan and sticking to the call sheet, something that will no doubt increase confidence. These are smart guys and they have eyes, too. They know how to coach ball.

The other good news is that this time of the year, defense usually wins more games than offense. With Georgia coming to Jacksonville this week and Brandon Spikes likely to return to the starting lineup, the Bulldogs are going to have their hands full trying to crack Charlie Strong’s talented defensive forces.

Expect Tebow to rally his spirits for this game against a rival he has had on his radar since he was in grade school. He grew up disliking the Bulldogs intensely. There is a reason Florida is a 16–point favorite to beat the Bulldogs for the third time in Tebow’s four years at Florida, with a big part out of it being the guy wearing the No. 15 jersey.

If so, expect that smile to return to Tim Tebow’s face soon, just the way we all remember it. And just the way this story ought to end.

About the author

BuddyShow

Buddy Martin is the author of seven books, including Urban Meyer's authorized biography, and was a recipient of an Emmy while working for CBS Sports on "The NFL Today." The native son of Ocala and Florida-educated journalist is the former sports editor of the New York Daily News, Denver Post, St. Petersburg Times and Florida Today. He has won more than 165 state and national awards for writing and editing. "Urban's Way" (St. Martin's Press) is now out in paperback. It can be purchased at all major book stores or by writing Buddy at buddyshow@aol.com.

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