Just My Type
The Interview
Tim Tebow
HEISMAN INCUMBENT
Florida's juniorQB, the son of Christian missionaries, had quite the spring break.
Dan Patrick: Yourcoach, Urban Meyer, referred to you as the greatest player of our era. Yourreaction?
Tim Tebow: It'svery humbling, and pretty cool.
DP: Do you haveroom for more improvement this season?
TT: There's a lotof room for improvement. All the awards were a huge honor. But we still lostfour games last year, games we should have won.
DP: What do youneed to improve on?
TT:Decision-making. That's why Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are good, not becausethey're the best athletes, but they make the best decisions.
DP: You decidednot to take part in the Playboy magazine preseason All-America team. Howcome?
TT: Having successand winning the Heisman, you're a role model. I don't want kids to say, Oh, TimTebow is part of that, and I look up to him, so I want to be a part ofthat.
DP: Are youstaying for four years, Tim?
TT: I'll ask CoachMeyer and [offensive coordinator Dan] Mullen and get their opinion. I'll listento them and do what they think is best for me.
DP: What if CoachMeyer starts begging you to stay?
TT: I love beingat Florida, so it's not like it's a punishment.
DP: You spentspring break in the Philippines with your father, performing medical services.I saw that you got around to doing circumcisions.
TT: How did I knowthat you were going to ask about this? When we're over there we do a lot ofspeaking at schools, hospitals, market places, prisons. We also do medicalclinics. We'll bring doctors and medicine into a village where there's nodoctors, where most have never seen a doctor in their lives. We only have aboutfour doctors, and when there's 1,000 people there, the doctors get tired. Sothey teach young people like me to do things.
DP: Could youdeliver a child right now?
TT: [Laughs.] Idon't think so. I need a bit more practice.
DP: Would youcircumcise Florida State's defense?
TT: [Laughs.]Sure, why not?
Army Runs theReverse
THE ARMY HADDECIDED to let Caleb Campbell pursue his NFL dream with the idea that he couldalso recruit and generate publicity. I think that publicity did him in.Campbell, a safety drafted by Detroit, was told on the eve of training campthat in fact he must give two years to the military. Campbell, who will coachat West Point's prep school this fall before a possible deployment, told mewhile driving from Detroit that a three-star general had unsuccessfully lobbiedfor him to play. Campbell doesn't know what caused the reversal. I'm guessingthat it was the very news coverage he was supposed to generate. Campbell becamea huge story. I'd bet it was the hype that drew the attention of a higher-upwho didn't like an exception being made and shot it down.
Coin Flips: So HotRight Now
FIRST THERE wasAaron "Two-Face" Eckhart in The Dark Knight, and then Rex Grossman wonthe right to start with the first team in training camp with a coin flipagainst Kyle Orton. Cool! The Bears should do this every week and make a TVshow out of it. Some possible special guest flippers:
• TERRY BRADSHAW. He could have been a Bear, but for a 1970 predraft coin flipthat gave Pittsburgh the top pick.
• JEROME BETTIS. He might call both heads and tails—like he once did at thestart of an OT.
• MIKE DITKA. Though if Ditka calls heads, would the coin be afraid to land ontails?
• JAVIER BARDEM. Speaking of fear....
• ADAM JONES, né Pacman. Does flipping a coin count as "making itrain"?
Bad Weather inOklahoma
OKLAHOMA CITY'Sshort list of nicknames for its new NBA team includes Energy, Wind, andThunder. Come on. I'm tired of names like this. Just wondering: How exactlywould you personify those names in a mascot? If it's Thunder, would the mascotbe a lifeguard whistling everyone out of the pool? Dan Majerle? Enough with theweather already. I feel like we're just a step away from seeing team names likethe New Orleans Humidity, the San Diego Temperates and the Seattle LightMist.
THE FINE PRINT:Did you see that the Eagles played a concert in Washington, D.C., last week?They dedicated Already Gone to Manny Acta.
Go toDANPATRICK.COM for more from Tim Tebow, and hear live audio of Dan's radioshow, 9 a.m. to noon, Mon.-Fri.
PHOTO
ERIC SEALS/DETROIT FREE PRESS (CAMPBELL)
PHOTO
MIRAMAX FILMS/PHOTOFEST (BARDEM)
PHOTO
JASON PARKHURST/US PRESSWIRE (TEBOW)
ILLUSTRATION
ILLUSTRATION BY KEITH WITMER