Tebow shrugs off OU potshots, talks about competing for the championship, and more
Q. How is this going to be different than the last time you played in the title game?
TIM TEBOW: Well, I think my responsibility and my role is a little bit different, and so my preparation has been different in the time leading up to the game. So as far as that, it will be different. But the atmosphere, the excitement, the media hype, that’s all pretty much the same.
Q. I know people talk about how fast the SEC is. What is it about the pride factor in the SEC?
TIM TEBOW: I don’t know, I think it’s just the guys you go against every week and representing for your conference and representing for your schedule and how tough it can be all year long, I think there’s just pride in that.
Q. You got to meet Sam at the Heisman in New York. You spent some time together. What did you learn about him?
TIM TEBOW: I think he’s a good guy. I think he’s a good leader for their team. I think he runs the offense really well and does a good job for them.
Q. Do you think you’re the fourth best quarterback in the Big 12?
TIM TEBOW: Who knows? Maybe. That might have been a compliment, we’ll see.
Q. Do you take umbrage with those comments? Were you insulted at all?
TIM TEBOW: We don’t really need to talk about that. We need to talk about our team.
Q. Did you tell the CBS guys that you would like to go against Big 12 defenses?
TIM TEBOW: I didn’t say it like that. I dream of playing teams like Texas, Oklahoma, but also the Penn States, USC. So when I was talking about it, I was talking about it in a way like that, not like we’re superior to them. That wasn’t what I meant.
Q. As a competitor, is this stuff okay with you, though? Do you mind the back-and-forth?
TIM TEBOW: You can say whatever you want, that’s fine. We still get to go play.
Q. Does it provide you some motivation?
TIM TEBOW: I like it. It’s fun. It makes it more competitive, and I’ll enjoy it.
Q. How did you hear about it?
TIM TEBOW: I actually think one of our assistants walked up to me and showed me a text in our quarterback meeting yesterday.
Q. Is any of the motivation is the fact that you didn’t get the Heisman, Sam got it?
TIM TEBOW: I have enough to be motivated about. I think number one is holding that crystal ball up.
Q. Do you have any superstitions? Sam has quite a few.
TIM TEBOW: I don’t think they’re superstitions. I call them more routines that I like to get into before a game, pre games, the night before, the things that I do, just because I like doing the same thing over and over again.
Q. What are some of those?
TIM TEBOW: Well, you know, just in our pregame walk-through I always walk through everything we do, and then I’ll sit down, Coach Meyer will talk just about regular stuff and go to sleep and wake up the next day and kind of do everything the exact same, eat the exact same thing, and right before the game I always do my run right before and stuff like that.
Q. Give us a couple specifics. Sam has socks that his toes are coming through and he doesn’t care, he still wears them.
TIM TEBOW: I’m not that bad. I always have my milk the night before I go to sleep before a game. I have to do a run right before a game to be totally loose, just things like that.
Q. We’ve heard about all the criticisms of the Big 12 defense, but what do you see on film? What do you see in comparison to some of the SEC defenses?
TIM TEBOW: You know, I think they’re a really good defense. I think Oklahoma has got a lot of good players, they’re coached really well. I think this year when they needed to step up and make plays, they have, they’ve made some defensive stands and they’ve caused a lot of transfers.
I think some of the defenses we’ve played this year were also really good and they can compete and play really well, but I think Oklahoma has got a good defense, and I haven’t said anything bad about them.
Q. Do you enjoy this type of event that goes on? Is it a burden? Is it enjoyable?
TIM TEBOW: Yeah, I think I’ve enjoyed it. I think I’ve had fun. I think it would be a lot more fun if we win. But I’m having fun. I’m enjoying the moment, and I’m going to remember it.
Q. You and Sam actually aren’t that similar on the field, but off the field it seems like you’re sort of similar guys, you’re both religious and modest guys. Do you see that?
TIM TEBOW: I think in some ways, yeah, I guess. You know, I don’t know if our personalities are exactly alike, but in a few manners I think we are similar.
Q. When you were there, what was the talk like knowing that you were probably going to play each other for the national title?
TIM TEBOW: Well, we knew we were going to play each other, but there was really no trash talk or anything. I think we were both very nice and cordial to each other and wished each other good look.
Q. (Inaudible.)
TIM TEBOW: He’s fun. He’s a great roommate to have. He’s a funny guy, so he’s always going to be cracking jokes and you’re always going to have a good time with him.
Q. Is he clean?
TIM TEBOW: He’s a lot cleaner that are me, that’s for sure.
Q. Have you gotten a chance to connect with Russ Sowers? Do you have any memories of playing high school football with him?
TIM TEBOW: No, I haven’t talked to him in a while or seen him this week, but yeah, I do remember my freshman year a little bit, and he was a big part of our state championship team and everything.
Q. You talked the other day about being nervous before the very first mission trip that you took. Do you remember the very first time you had to talk in front of people on one of those trips, what the circumstances were, how long you had to talk, how many people?
TIM TEBOW: That’s tough. I mean, I’ve talked quite a few times. The first time I don’t really remember on one of those trips. There’s been so many they all kind of blur together. I remember some stories about the first trip but not necessarily my first speaking engagement.
Q. Is there one that sticks out where you were kind of nervous beforehand?
TIM TEBOW: Yeah, I was actually preaching to a school of 10,000 kids and I was pretty nervous in that one, 10,000 high schoolers, and I had never seen an audience quite that big when I was 15 years old.
Q. Do you remember how long you had to talk and what you said?
TIM TEBOW: I probably talked about 15 or 20 minutes.
Q. The statement at the end of the Ole Miss game, how much did that fuel you? And do you feel like your teammates embraced that and took your words to heart?
TIM TEBOW: I think they really respected what I said and my attitude towards it, but even more so than that, my approach the next week and the weeks after that, how I approached the game. I think the rest of my team how they approached it that Sunday we came out, we had a great practice, and I think you could really see the team, the momentum change, because of our effort, our enthusiasm, and everything we went out there and we played for. I think you could really see a big change then.
Q. How does your experience from two years ago help you in preparation for this week?
TIM TEBOW: I think it helps the preparation as far as knowing how to handle yourself, what to look forward to. But it’s still a football game, and I don’t think there’s a big difference in us playing two years ago and this game. I don’t think there’s too much you can learn from it.
Q. Were you surprised Utah handled Alabama like they did? And do you think they have any sort of claim to the National Championship?
TIM TEBOW: I think they came out and they were coached very well. They had a great scheme against Alabama. I don’t think that Alabama was ready for this type of scheme because Coach Wittingham is a great defensive coordinator and he came out and had a great plan. They came out and shocked Alabama a little bit to tell you the truth, and you’ve got to give them a lot of respect. They went out there and they played and they played hard, and I don’t know that Alabama was totally ready for that.
Q. Number one turnover margin is Oklahoma, you guys have the number two. What do you think that means for the tone of the game? It’s kind of intriguing.
TIM TEBOW: It is. I think probably who wins that battle will probably win the game. I think that’s probably true any time two teams play, whatever wins the turnover battle wins the game, and that’s something we’ll really focus on.
Q. Tell us the strengths of Gainesville as a college town. We joked around with their guys about Norman a little bit, and some of them even admitted the scenery is better than Florida, but tell us what’s great about Gainesville?
TIM TEBOW: There’s a lot great about Gainesville. It’s a great university, but also, it’s not a big town so there’s not overwhelming stuff to do. I guess that’s a pro or a con depending on how you look at it. I really like it because it’s similar to how I grew up, and I really enjoy that. But there’s also a lot of people and a lot of things to do even though it’s a pretty small town.
Q. Can you give us a couple examples of what there is to do in Gainesville so people who are looking to coming to maybe Florida or Norman —
TIM TEBOW: A lot of people talked about, the scenery isn’t too bad, and that is one thing that’s nice about it. But also it’s in the state of Florida, beautiful weather, you can go out there and on Christmas Day practice in 85 degrees (laughing), which is nice, and something we enjoy. I think the guys kind of enjoy how much Gainesville supports them, and when they go out to eat, people are really supportive when they’re out at the mall or wherever, people are really supportive of them, and I think it means a lot to our players.
Q. Talk about the speed of your team and how that puts pressure on their defense.
TIM TEBOW: I think it does. I think our speed really, when we get our fast guys in the open field, I think it really good create some big plays. I think it has for us this year. We got some guys that are very dynamic and that can make some explosive plays. I think that always helps.
I think Oklahoma has similar type guys, and I think that’s probably the reasons that we’re both here.
Q. What do you see in the Oklahoma defense?
TIM TEBOW: I think they’re very well coached. I think they have a lot of good athletes. I think they’re probably underappreciated right now by a lot of people, and I know that we respect them and we’re looking forward to the challenge of playing them, and I know we’ve got to be prepared.
Q. What has your off-the-field work done to teach you about the game of football?
TIM TEBOW: Oh, I mean, so much. I mean, I think it gives me a totally different perspective than most people. I think it gives me a sense of purpose of how to handle things that knowing that football is not the most important thing, and people always ask me, how do you handle the pressure, and how do you handle this or that, and being places where I’ve been with people who are there trying to fight for their next meal, I think that’s pressure, not trying to win a football game. And I think that’s what we have to remember is that it is a game and it’s not the most important thing, and I think for a lot of people it can become the most important thing, it can become the world and their God, and for me it’s something that I hope never happens.
Even though I love it, the game of football, and I work extremely hard at it, it still is not my God, it still is not my No. 1 priority.
Q. Can I ask about Tate and how he gets clowned around about being an elder statesman? Did you say something about Emmitt Smith with him?
TIM TEBOW: Yeah, we were joking on the bus. Everybody was giving each other a hard time the other day and guys were clowning on him and saying that he caught a pass from like Shane Matthews and Rex Grossman he’s been here so long (laughter). But we have fun with it, and I think he really enjoys it, too.
When we had Senior Day a lot of guys give him a lot of trouble about, this is the third time you’re out for being a senior and whatnot. He had a lot of fun with it. It’s something we can joke about and laugh about, and he doesn’t really get too offended by it.
Q. Some of your perspective you were just talking about, some people listen to that and say, he can’t be that good, it can’t be true that the Tim Tebow we see—does that bother you or disappoint you that some people think that?
TIM TEBOW: You’re always going to have naysayers, that’s something I learned a long time ago from my parents. There’s some people that are going to say bad things whatever you do. You can’t worry about it. You have to try to do the best thing and do what’s right, and if some people aren’t supportive, you can’t let that bother you. You can’t lose sleep over that. You just have to do what you think is right and do your best, and if you did that, then you’ll be okay.
Q. That’s easier said than done sometimes —
TIM TEBOW: It is.
Q. Did you have to learn that lesson?
TIM TEBOW: Absolutely. You know, I’m a people pleaser. I want to please people and I want to do the right thing and everything, but sometimes people, they’re not going to see it for that, they’re going to see it as, oh, you’re faking, you’re just trying to make people like you and whatnot. So that sometimes can be hurtful. But at the same time my parents have really helped me with that. They’ll say if you know that’s the right thing to do and you’re happy with it, then you shouldn’t let those people say that.
No matter what you do there’s going to be people who are going to try to bring you down, so that’s human nature and that’s what people try to do.
Q. How disappointing was the Heisman vote? And how do you view going up against the guy that did win the Heisman?
TIM TEBOW: You know, I think the Heisman was an unbelievable award, great experience, and it’s something that I’ll always remember, and congratulations to him for winning it. I’m excited about getting a chance to play against a Heisman winner, and it’ll be fun.
Q. What was your reaction when you heard the Oklahoma players say that you would be one of the top four quarterbacks in the Big 12? You’ve heard it, right?
TIM TEBOW: Yes, I did hear it, a few times. Just take it and try to use it as motivation and just have fun out here Thursday night.
Q. How do you use that as motivation?
TIM TEBOW: I don’t think it’s very hard, just go ahead and play as hard as I can. I think it’s something regardless of what they said I was going to do in the first place.
Q. Having Percy back, just talk about the significance of that.
TIM TEBOW: Yeah, it’ll be nice. I mean, personally he’s probably the most dynamic player in college football, and just having him back on the practice field I think gives a lot more people more confidence. I think it just makes everybody even more excited to know Percy is back, and I think he’ll do a lot for our team on Thursday night.
Q. Do you think he really noticed the second half of Florida State-Alabama that he wasn’t out there?
TIM TEBOW: You can’t replace a player like Percy Harvin, but I think guys know on our team if someone goes down someone else has to pick up a rival and get it going. We really preach that, and I think guys took that to heart. Those guys really stepped up when Percy went down, and I think that’s the sign of a great team and chemistry is guys, they’re not jealous of one another, they want to support one another and just do what matters for the team.