SCOTT on:

   Tim Tebow

Did you see where ESPN.com named Kentucky's André Woodson its pre-season All-American quarterback?

My hat's off to the network for not going with the cheesy sentimental choice of Colt Brennan from Hawaii who racks up huge numbers against irrelevant opponents, but if André Woodson is the best QB in college football, we're all in for a long, ugly year of offense.

Fortunately, he's not.

Louisville's Brian Brohm is the best quarterback in America, West Virginia's Pat White is far more dangerous, and in the SEC, I think Florida's Tim Tebow will prove more difficult to defense.

Woodson is an outstanding talent, I just don't look at him as the kind of guy who puts fear in a defense, Tebow does.

Tim Tebow's ability to run, which was well established last year, combined with his ability to throw, which I think he'll show this season, makes him the toughest guy to defend behind center in the league.

Before my friends at Tennessee and Georgia lose their minds completely at that last statement, I will freely admit Erik Ainge and Matthew Stafford are better passers than Tebow, but when it comes to pressuring a defense, Tebow is more challenging.

Imagine how much more dangerous a runner Tebow becomes this season with the real threat of him now throwing the ball mixed in?

Tim Tebow didn't pass last year because he didn't need to. Florida had its passing quarterback with Chris Leak, so all Tebow had to do was run and he did that effectively against EVERYBODY, even when they knew it was coming.

LSU, Alabama, Ohio State, no one could stop Tebow from peeling off five, six, seven yards a carry last year and that was with defenses stacked along the line specifically to stop him from doing that. Having to play him honest this season will only open up more holes. That Tebow was so effective last year when there was almost no possibility of him passing only makes me more certain he'll be doubly dangerous this year with that part of the playbook open to him.

Tim Tebow at quarterback and Urban Meyer's offense were made for each other.

Tebow is the most athletic QB in the SEC and Meyer's offense demands an athlete behind center. An athlete like Alex Smith who he coached at Utah who is equally comfortable tucking the ball under his arm and running off tackle as he is throwing the 15-yard out. Tebow is that guy. What separates him from Smith, who was the top pick in the NFL Draft, is that Tebow is bigger, faster and stronger with a livelier arm.

Tim Tebow will be the kind of quarterback that keeps defensive coordinators awake at night biting their nails and reaching for the Pepto.

Woodson, Ainge, Stafford, they're all good, but they don't give you near the stress or number of problems Tebow does. They drop back, they pass, they have good arms and they're accurate, but this is the SEC and quarterbacks like that are not all that special.

Tebow is special. Tebow is a 240 pound freak of nature. He's a unique athlete with a tailback's speed, a fullback's power and a quarterback's sense of the game. He's a natural leader and he has a rare ability to rally and energize his team with his mere presence.

I am continually reminded of Tebow's "jump pass" for a TD vs. LSU last season. While it looked goofy and lucky, to me it spoke volumes.

That jump pass to me said Tebow has "it." That indefinable quality that allows some athletes to thrive in the biggest moments where others fail.

Think about the circumstances surrounding that moment. Two Top-10 teams, 27 seconds left in the first half, close game, national TV, 95,000 fans, 1-yard line.

That's moxy. That's Joe Montana. That's something you're born with.

As a true freshman, Tim Tebow was a team leader, he was impossible to defend and he was a key component of an SEC and national championship team. And you question how hard he'll be on defenses with a year's more experience, a year's more confidence and the full Urban Meyer playbook at his disposal?