Transcript of quarterback Tim Tebow's informal news conference outside the Jets' SUNY Cortland dorms on Thursday afternoon:
On how it feels to get started…
It kind of feels like my first day of college, showing up to Florida. No, it's exciting, you know it will be fun to get away. I think it will be good for the team to just be here and isolated and kind of be together 24/7. I think that's good bonding time for the team.
On D'Brickashaw Ferguson's comments that he sees greatness on this team…
Yes, I think there are a lot of great players on this team. I think for a team to be great you have to come together and play for one cause and play together. I don't think there are any teams out there that have done that yet. Yeah, I think that starts tomorrow and every day in practice in coming together and playing for the same cause and playing for each other and hopefully we'll get there.
On the possibility of having to tackle on kick coverage…
I'll do whatever I'm asked to do.
On his relationship with Mark Sanchez…
Well, I think my relationship with Mark is great. We've been friends since he hosted me at USC. We kept in contact over the break, we worked out several times together, spent some time together. So, [we] had a lot of fun besides just working out or besides just football stuff. He's a great guy and everything. I know that I'll support him and he'll support me.
On his time at Jets West…
It was good, it was fun. It was something. It was just good to be around the guys after a few weeks of kind of being on our own to get with the guys and the receivers and some of the tight ends and some of the running backs. It was just fun, we had a good time.
On what he would say to people that think he and Sanchez will not work well together…
I don't really have to say anything. You have to go out there and work hard and try and do whatever they ask me to do and improve every single day, learn this offense and just try and contribute to this team. I'm not worried about what other people are going to say and what other people have said, that's not my job. They don't pay me to weigh in on that.
On if he thinks it is challenging to have a relationship with another quarterback…
It depends on the relationship, for sure. I think more than anything, your No. 1 goal has to be how can we win games and how can we make this team better. And I think if that's your No. 1 goal, I think it can definitely work out.
On if he has a clear sense on how he will be used…
I mean, we haven't even started training camp so I don't think there's a clear sense on anything. I think we all just go to work and try to get better every day. There's a lot of stuff that can happen in training camp. That's why we have training camp. It's officially the beginning of the year. So it will be fun.
On if he is entering camp thinking he will have a certain amount of snaps per game…
I don't know. I don't have any preconceived notions of anything. Just whatever I get I want to earn in camp and try to get better every single day and just try to help this team win football games.
On if he's interested in installing Wildcat plays…
I'm just excited about getting out there, and just running practice, just going through drills. Having extra time to work with Coach Cav [Matt Cavanaugh] and Coach [Tony] Sparano. In OTAs, just everything was so quick. Now you really have time to work, and work on the little things and go over the little things. That's what I'm excited about.
On the biggest adjustment he's had to make playing in New York…
I don't know. It's hard to say. I think probably one of the biggest things is getting used to all the new relationships with everybody on the team. I feel like that's something that's gone really well so far. But, you know, I've never played a game with everybody here and that's a big adjustment, so I think the preseason will help with that. Getting used to seeing how guys react in good situations and bad situations, how you come together through adversity. I think those are all huge things that will be big for me.
On if he's talked to QB Greg McElroy about SEC memories…
All the time, all the time. That was probably one of the first things he said to me, was talking about the SEC Championship Game. It's just fun. We have a fun quarterback room. Just from Coach Cav to Greg to Mark and myself. Everybody comes from a little bit different background and Cav is probably the biggest bragger in the room because he won a national championship at Pitt and three Super Bowl rings, so he always gives us a hard time that none of us will ever have as many championships as him.
On having a wrap on his ankle…
Yeah, it's nothing.
On how it feels to be at training camp…
It feels like my first day of college. It's exciting, it's fun. I think it will be good for our team to get away, for us to kind of be isolated, be around each other 24/7. I think that will bring us closer together, which is a good thing.
On the bonding experience of going away for camp…
I think you put your guys in more of a position to bond with each other when there's no family to go see, when there are no other obligations, when you can't leave, when you're always together. I think it makes it more like college in that way which is a good thing because you're around each other, you're forced to hang out with each other beyond football, when you're having fun, when you're just hanging out and I think that's a good thing, and I think it could either bring your team closer together or farther apart, and I think for this team, it will bring us closer together.
On his approach to training camp…
One day at a time, trying to get better every single day, trying to improve, and as far as learning this offense, every day I try to chug a little more, understand it a little bit better, try to be a little bit better of a coach on the field for all these young guys and rookies. It's new for all of us, and being someone who can really understand it and share with the rest of the guys what someone might not know.
On working with Tom House…
Well, he's just someone who has great fundamentals, and just knows the game very well, so it was fun. I was out in L.A. anyway working with Coach [Noel] Mazzone, and he's just always been great so he's just someone that I went out there to work with for a few days.
On what he learned…
More than anything, it was just a lot of drills for shoulder stability, shoulder strengthening, just a lot of stuff pitchers do. It really is good for shoulders and stability and good for quarterbacks to do.
On what players have told him about their past experiences at training camp…
They said they had good times out here. They said they spent a lot of time together.
On how much he knows what to expect coming into camp…
I don't think I'm going to know exactly what's going to happen. I feel like every day I'll be learning how Coach Ryan handles camp. I feel like I have somewhat of an idea of how practice is going to go, but you still are learning, seeing what happens - when are we going to run our two-minute drills, how are we going to practice, what's our conditioning - everything like that you're learning for the first time which is exciting, but sometimes you kind of want to know what to expect.
On the media attention…
To be honest, I really try not to worry about it. I try to be who I am and live my life and not let it affect me. It's how I try to focus and handle it. I feel like I learned early on at Florida to not worry about what I can't control, and I can't control what everyone here says with their report, what they say I'm wearing when I walk in the building, who the last guy I worked out with, what type of training I do, so I really try not to let that affect my life, and just be who I am and not change at all.
On his relationship with Mark Sanchez and his experience at Jets West…
Well, my relationship with Mark is great. I feel like we're friends. I feel like whether we were on the same team or not, we would continue to be friends. I feel like we support one another, on and off the field. It was fun getting a chance at Jets West to meet all his family, and his aunts. He has a huge family so that was fun. They are very sweet people. Jets West was a lot of fun, getting a chance to see a lot of the guys, and have a good time, and going to the ESPYs with some of them was fun as well, and I feel like we really enjoyed it.
On the new offense…
Yes, it is an adjustment. It's something that is exciting because everyone's on the same page. We're all learning it. We're going through the installs together. You're working with teammates to try to get it down, especially some of the new guys who might have just signed and are a little behind the eight ball, so you help them learn and helping the rookies. I think it's good because we're all on the same page.
On the possibilities for him in the offense…
I think just understanding Coach Sparano and everything that he's done in the past, and his ability to coach offensive football, and his passion for the game. I think that's what is really exciting. You know he's someone that is extremely creative and he's someone that is very passionate and he's not afraid to do anything. I think when you put that combination together it's pretty exciting.
On essentials to bring to camp…
Enough underwear, that's always key, so I brought my Jockeys [laughter]. I think the big thing is just bringing enough clothes so that you don't have to do laundry, so I brought enough for hopefully the whole time. I'm not the greatest packer. I'm pretty organized, but not the greatest packer. A TV, made sure to bring my Bible, an iPad helps, of course you can download a film on that, so that's pretty handy. But I don't know, I don't really worry about it too much. We'll be playing ball so much so if you have a new pair of Jockeys and the Bible and enough clothes, you should be good.
On if one of his goals is winning the starting quarterback job…
I feel like my goal is just to get better every single day and improve every single day and just continue to develop a relationship with Coach Sparano, Coach Cav, Coach Ryan, and just find out my role every day and how that role expands and just continue to develop and get better.
On if he would not be satisfied if he wasn't the starter this year after the success he experienced last season…
I don't think you can ever compare one year to another. I think every year is a new situation, it's a new time, and I'm not going to look back on the past. I'm just going to live in the present, just one day at a time, one play at a time, one meeting at a time, and that's how I'm going to stay focused on it.
On being a first-string quarterback somewhere down the road…
Like I was just saying, for me it's not about living in the past or in the future, it's about living in the present, and that's right now. That's being ready mentally for practice, going out there and having a great practice, and not worrying what the future holds, but just worrying about how I can get better every single day.
