You won the Heisman Trophy in your sophomore year of college and helped your team to two national championship victories. You broke school and conference records, and even turned down an early shot at the NFL to come back for your senior year at the University of Florida. You’re Tim Tebow, and everyone wants to know what is going on inside your head. Luckily, funny-man Kenny Mayne got a chance to sit down with the Gators quarterback for an offbeat Q&A in the new issue of ESPN The Magazine, on sale today, Tebow discusses his missionary trips to the Philippines, what Jesus would tweet, and of course, his future as an NFL quarterback.

Quotes:

• Tebow on handling the pressure: “I get asked all the time about pressure… But pressure is when you’re fighting for your life in the hospital or for your next meal. There are millions of people who haven’t eaten in three days. Me? I’m playing a game I love, and people happen to be watching. That’s not pressure.”
• Tebow: “My goal ever since I was a little kid has been to play quarterback at the next level. And I’m going to work as hard as I can to do that.”

Plus, in every quarterback’s career, there’s the make it -or-break it year: That year when the franchise, its fans and the quarterback determine whether they are meant to be together for the long haul. For Tony Romo that year is now. Coming off a 12-month stretch in which he failed to lead the Cowboys to the playoffs, and had a messy celebrity breakup, give fans reason to question his focus. What matters is winning—and if Romo can’t lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl run in his fourth year as starter, could there be another kind of messy breakup in his future?

Quotes:

• Romo: “The quarterback and the head coach are the only ones who get a win-loss record attached to their name. The defensive end doesn’t deal with that. You get way too much credit when you win, and when you don’t, well…”
• Romo: “I’m able to decipher the difference between things that can affect me and those that can’t. I don’t put much stock in the tabloids because I realize 80% of it is made up. I don’t talk about my personal life: I think I’ve talked about it twice in three years.”
• Roy Williams, Cowboys wide receiver on Romo: “He’s done everything he’s supposed to do, and everything they’ve asked him to do, but he hasn’t won a playoff game. That means a lot here. Right or wrong, it falls back on the quarterback.”

PLAYER X:

In his second column for The Magazine, “Player X,” an anonymous NFL star who will write a bi-weekly column during the football season from a pro-player’s perspective, tackles the issue of welcoming back Michael Vick to the NFL – he thinks there’s no debate.

Quotes:

• On any given day, I and other players in the NFL could tell you where to find a dogfight in our old neighborhoods.
• From our perspective (NFL players), he paid dearly for it. He went to prison and was publicly shamed. He lost millions of dollars and the respect of the fans he’ll never get back. I’m hoping things die down, and people just allow him to play football. But because of his fame, that probably won’t happen: he’ll never live this down.

 

2009 CHASE PREVIEW:

AHEAD OF THE CLASS. Who’s the greatest driver ever – Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty or Jeff Gordon? Well, if the 48 car wins a fourth straight title this fall, the answer will be Jimmie Johnson. Ryan McGee reports.

 

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

IT’S A DIRTY JOB. Every base runner must master the slide. And down the stretch run, sliding can make the difference between being safe – or out of the playoffs. Jeff Bradley reports.

PROJECT END ZONE. Who says QBs are unpredictable? Not The Magazine. Our innovative QB predicator tells all. Peter Keating reports.

 

SAFETY FIRST. Tennessee defensive back Eric Berry was already the best defender in college football. Coaching legend Monte Kiffin just might make him the best ever. Bruce Feldman reports.

 

6BRs, 4BAs, 3 CAR GAR, RIM VUS. Just when Trevor Ariza thought he’d found a home in LA, suddenly he was hitting open houses in Houston. Sam Alipour reports.

 

THE DUMMY’S GUIDE TO PEDs. When the next steroids scandal breaks, this handy guide will tell you what’s what. Shaun Assael reports.

 

MAKING THE BEST OF BAD. Shannon “The Cannon” Ritch has never entered a cage fight thinking he’d lose. He’s been wrong a record 67 times. Jeff MacGregor reports.

 

BIG MEN ON CAMPUS. Beyond the ivy-covered walls sit powerful men who often know long before anyone else does when a major college coach will be hired or fired. Chances are they had something to do with it. Seth Wickersham reports.

 

 

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