Here's a scary thought: Tim Tebow can get better.
After the wave of attention and praise that was heaped on UF's junior quarterback after his first year as a starter, it may be hard to imagine that some areas of his game need a little sprucing up.
But Tebow has spent his offseason determined to make some changes that might not result in gaudy statistics, but could make an impact in a different, more important area - the win column.
"I definitely don't think I have peaked, that's for sure," Tebow said. "I still have a lot of room for improvement in a lot of different areas that I can get a lot better at. My main focus is just decision-making.
"You look at great quarterbacks and you see what separates them from the rest of the quarterbacks. You look at Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, guys like that. What separates them is their decision-making."
It's hard to poke holes in Tebow's sophomore season when he became the youngest winner of the Heisman Trophy and slapped his name on more records than The Rolling Stones, but a loss to Michigan in the Capital One Bowl was not how the Gators envisioned their season winding up.
Tebow and the offense had chances to score late and win games against Auburn, LSU and Michigan but failed.
The inability to connect with a game on the line is the only doubt left for Tebow to erase, but making believers is his specialty, both on and off the field.
The Family Business
The big news surrounding Tebow in the offseason revolved around an unlikely topic - circumcisions.
No one could have blamed him for wanting to take a break, but that's not his style.
Instead of lying low at home for a while when the eyes of the college football world weren't on him, Tebow spent his three offseason breaks on mission trips.
He had to do his other job, one that's bigger than football.
He preached in prisons, schools, hospitals and other public places in Croatia and Thailand, as well as America, and he made headlines for assisting doctors performing circumcisions and other minor surgeries in the Philippines.
"It's something I enjoyed doing, and that I love doing," Tebow said. "It's something I'm very passionate about. Doing those things, taking my platform as a football player and using it for good, using it to be an influence and change people's lives, that's more important than football to me."
You probably know about Tebow's devotion to Christianity, and it is often viewed in a separate realm from his on-field accomplishments. But what fuels his faith is the same thing that drives him through pile-ups at the line of scrimmage, and makes him dive to finish a practice sprint a millisecond faster or play with broken bones.
Competitive is the first word that comes to mind, but Tebow sees it differently.
"The better word for it might be passion," he said. "People know that football is No. 4 on my list of priorities behind faith, family, and school. I think if you watch me play you can see how passionate I am about football. With that in mind, you can imagine how passionate I am about my faith."
His religious message is one that nearly his entire family has been devoted to, and he is bringing it to a bigger stage.
His parents, Bob and Pam, run the Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association and promote Christianity in the Philippines; his oldest sister, Christy Allen, is a missionary in Asia; and his two brothers, Robby and Peter, are involved in ministry in Florida.
He has his own long-term goals as well, and they include starting a ministry similar to that of former UF quarterback and Heisman winner Danny Wuerffel. Wuerffel runs Desire Street Ministries, a group that aims to rejuvenate impoverished areas through spiritual and community development.
"If I can change a kid's life for the better, that's much more important to me than going out there and beating Georgia or Florida State or whatever team it is," Tebow said. "That's very special to me too, but it doesn't come close to having the ability to put a smile on a kid's face or go to a hospital and see a girl who is about to die, see her smile because you're there to see her."
And he makes more than just the little ones smile.
"I don't think I've ever coached a guy like Tim," coach Urban Meyer said. "He really uses his position as a platform for things that he believes in."
The Price of Fame
Pam Tebow can remember a time when her youngest son wasn't as used to his fame.
Then he was still Timmy, and he had just finished his first semester at UF after enrolling in the spring.
Pam and Timmy traveled to Washington, D.C., to collect an award for being the nation's top high school quarterback, but when they couldn't check the trophy on the flight home, Tebow had to carry it around through the airport. It wouldn't fit in storage compartments or under the seat either, so he had to keep it with him during the flight.
"He was so embarrassed because he doesn't like to draw attention to himself," Pam said. "It was hysterical. We tried to wrap things around it, but there was nothing we could do because it wouldn't fit in any kind of shopping bag."
He has since adjusted to his high-profile lifestyle, but there are few places he can go without incident.
His trips overseas offered a rare glimpse of anonymity - he said he's approached in Asia simply for being white - but there were a few admirers along the way.
Tebow said he was recognized in a German airport and in the Philippines by two people who spoke only enough English to sound out his name.
His fame has been a blessing for his job as a role model, but it also puts him in a vulnerable position. One picture could bring his whole image crashing down, a problem some of his counterparts dealt with this offseason.
Georgia quarterback Matt Stafford was criticized during the summer when pictures surfaced on the Internet showing him lifting a keg of beer, and photos that appeared to show Notre Dame signal caller Jimmy Clausen drinking prompted an investigation by the university.
"It definitely makes you think about it, and you have to think about it because people are always trying to take advantage of you," Tim said. "Someone could say, 'Will you take a picture?' and you're trying to be a nice guy, so you say, 'Sure.'
"But if they do the wrong thing in that picture or take advantage of you, or as the picture is about to be taken they take something off, a picture says a thousand words, even if it's not true. Unfortunately, people try to do stuff like that."
Not Done Yet
Tebow's junior season will be watched closely by most around the country to see if he can join former Ohio State running back Archie Griffin as the only players with more than one Heisman Trophy.
But that's the last thing on the minds of Tebow and his coaches and teammates. What they need from him, aside from his usual solid performances, is to take the team down the field in the clutch.
It's the only thing he hasn't done yet, and if history is any indication, it's a safe bet Tebow will accomplish his goals.
He slapped down critics' claims that he wouldn't be able to run through college defenses in his freshman year by posting eight touchdowns and 5.3 yards per carry. Then, in his sophomore year, he threw for 3,286 yards, 32 touchdowns and just six interceptions to quiet those who said he wouldn't be a productive passer.
But what made him such a deadly threat - his ability to run and throw - sometimes posed a problem for the Gators when time was a factor. With the clock ticking down, defenses didn't have to worry about Tebow taking off downfield and instead dropped into coverage.
That left the offense out of sync, and it wasn't as effective.
In the LSU loss, Florida took the ball with 1:09 on the clock needing a touchdown for the win. Tebow broke off a 21-yard run, but he was 1 for 5 passing with an intentional grounding penalty on the drive, which ended when the clock ran out after a desperation heave.
Sequences like that are all that Tebow's naysayers have left to cling to, and coach Urban Meyer and offensive coordinator Dan Mullen have made it a focus this offseason.
"I think pocket presence and obviously to be able to win a game in a two minute drill (are what Tebow can improve)" Meyer said. "We have worked extremely hard on the pocket presence, and that comes from experience. Whenever I talk about Tim I say that he has pretty good personnel around him, so you can bet that he's going to be able to throw the ball down the field. People can criticize a quarterback all they want, but Tim can throw."
One of the people who criticized Tebow last season was Hawaii coach June Jones, who, while promoting his own Heisman Trophy candidate, quarterback Colt Brennan, called Tebow a "system quarterback" and said he wasn't a natural passer. Jones has since moved on to coach Southern Methodist University, but it's clear the comment has stayed with Tebow. He said it would be nice if Jones were in The Swamp for Saturday's season opener, and then took a shot at the coach when asked if he wished he could play against SMU.
"That wouldn't be bad either," he said with a laugh. "I'm sure they have a great system there."
Call it passion, competitiveness or whatever you want, Tim Tebow just wants to play. A summer away from the excitement of football games is an eternity for him, and the pent-up energy leaves him like a caged animal.
Running back Emmanuel Moody and lineman Phil Trautwein have waited a year longer than Tebow for Saturday's game because of a transfer and injury, but Tebow said the time off is harder to stomach for him.
"I'm sure [Moody] wants to get out there, but I don't know if anyone can't wait to get out there more than me."
