Coordinates	58°03′″N38°50′″N
Name	Chris Leak
Width	200
Alt	Photo depicts a smiling Chris Leak, a 22-year-old African-American man, together with his Florida Gators football teammates, coach Urban Meyer, and U.S. President George W. Bush, who is holding a Gators football jersey and commemorative football.
Currentteam	Free Agent
Position	Quarterback
Birth date	May 03, 1985
Birth place	Charlotte, North Carolina
Heightft	5
Heightin	11
Weight	206
Highschool	Independence High SchoolCharlotte, North Carolina
College	University of Florida
Undraftedyear	2007
Debutyear	2009
Debutteam	Montreal Alouettes
Pastteams	Chicago Bears () Hamilton Tiger-Cats () Montreal Alouettes (–) Saskatchewan Roughriders (*
Highlights	Hall Trophy (2002) Pete Dawkins Trophy (2003) SEC Championship (2006) BCS National Championship (2007) BCS National Championship MVP (2007)
Cflstatlabel1	Passing attempts
Cflstatvalue1	59
Cflstatlabel2	Completions
Cflstatvalue2	36
Cflstatlabel3	Passing yards
Cflstatvalue3	296
Cflstatlabel4	Touchdowns
Cflstatvalue4	1
Cfl	1905 }}

Christopher Patrick Leak (born May 3, 1985) is an American professional football quarterback, currently unsigned. Leak played college football for the University of Florida Gators, and has played professionally for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Montreal Alouettes of the CFL.

As a college senior in 2006, Leak led the Florida Gators to a 13–1 record and a 41–14 win over the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game.

Early years

Leak was born in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1985 He attended Independence High School in Charlotte, where he played for the Independence Patriots high school football team. In three years as the Patriots' starting quarterback, Leak led his team to three consecutive North Carolina 4-A state championships and losing only once as a starter under head coach Tommy Knotts. He set North Carolina state records for passing yards in a career (15,593) and completions in a career (1,013), as well as the national record for touchdown passes in a career (185). He was recognized as a ''Parade'' magazine All-American as well as ''Parade'''s Player of the Year in 2003. The Scout.com recruiting service ranked Leak as a five-star prospect and the third-best quarterback in the 2003 recruiting class.

College career

Leak received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Ron Zook and coach Urban Meyer's Florida Gators football teams from 2003 to 2006. Leak was known for his quiet leadership as a quarterback, and was elected a team captain by his teammates two of his four years as a Gator.

Leak began his career at Florida as a freshman, seeing playing time in the first few games, and taking over as the starter in the game against the Kentucky Wildcats. Leak finished his freshman year with a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record for a freshman, posting a 6–3 record as a starter, including wins over the eventual national champion LSU Tigers and the rival Georgia Bulldogs. Leak was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team and Rivals.com's Freshman All-America Team.

During his sophomore season in 2004, Leak's quarterback skills progressed, transforming him into one of the notable quarterbacks in college football. He started all of Florida's games, including a memorable school record-tying six-touchdown performance against the South Carolina Gamecocks. However, following a disappointing loss to the unranked Mississippi State Bulldogs and an on-campus confrontation with fraternity members, head coach Ron Zook was fired. After Zook was fired, Leak was rumored to be considering a transfer.

In December 2004, Urban Meyer replaced Ron Zook as Florida's head coach and introduced Meyer's spread offense to the Gators. Dan Mullen was introduced as the new offensive coordinator— Leak's third offensive coordinator in three years. Heading into his 2005 junior season, Leak had to learn his third offensive scheme in as many years, but was touted as a possible Heisman Trophy candidate. Leak won his first five games, including a big win over the SEC East rival Tennessee Volunteers, but struggled in the option portion of the Meyer's offense. Since Leak was a drop-back passer and not the ideal choice to run Meyer's spread option offense, Meyer tweaked the offense to tailor it to Leak's abilities after the Gators struggled midway through its schedule. The result was successful with the team winning its last two games against ranked competition.

Before the beginning of his 2006 senior season, there was speculation that Leak might not be the Gators' starting quarterback due to the emergence of talented freshman Tim Tebow. Instead, Meyer publicly endorsed Leak as the starting quarterback and confirmed Tim Tebow would be the back-up. Preseason analysis projected that Florida would have the hardest schedule in the country, including back-to-back games against Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, LSU, Auburn and Georgia. The 2006 season proved to be a redemption year for Leak: leading the Gators to their first SEC Championship since 2000, and a spot in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game against The Ohio State University (the Gators' first championship game appearance since 1996). Leak also broke many Gators' passing records set by Heisman Trophy-winner Danny Wuerffel, including Wuerffel's record for career passing yards set during the 2006 SEC championship game.

Leak led the Florida Gators to their second consensus national championship with a 41–14 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes on January 8, 2007, taking home the offensive Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the game. His performance was solid throughout the BCS championship game, completing his first nine passes at the start of the game, and finishing with twenty-five completions in thirty-six attempts for 213 yards and one touchdown.

Leak was listed on the SEC Academic Honor Roll each year he attended Florida, and was a finalist for the Draddy Trophy, also known as the "Academic Heisman" for college football players. He graduated from the University of Florida College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with a bachelor's degree in sociology, with honors, in December 2006, and was a keynote speaker during the graduation ceremony.

Leak is remembered for volunteering with children in the Goodwill Gators Program, encouraging them to put school first and avoid drug use. At home in Charlotte, North Carolina, he also worked with the Boys and Girls Club and the Steele Creek Youth Athletic Association, served as an inspirational speaker with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and spoke at area middle schools encouraging students to stay focused on their goals.

Professional career

NFL

Leak was not selected during the 2007 NFL Draft. The Chicago Bears signed him immediately after the draft. He spent the summer of 2007 working with the team, and training under former Gator Rex Grossman. However, Leak only saw playtime during the final game of the preseason, where he completed eleven of sixteen passes for eighty-eight yards, an interception and touchdown. He was eventually cut from the Bears roster on September 16, 2007.

For the 2008 season, Leak tried out with the Kansas City Chiefs.

AAFL

In November 2007, Leak announced his intentions to play for Team Florida in the All American Football League. He was later drafted in the 6th round by Team Florida. Lacking start-up capital, the AAFL's first season was postponed until 2009 (and later canceled). Leak, like all AAFL players, was released from his contract.

CFL

On June 3, 2008, Chris Leak signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. He was claimed by the Montreal Alouettes on June 9 after being released a day earlier. With backup quarterback Adrian McPherson injured, Leak was on the active roster for the August 21, 2009 match against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, in which he threw his first CFL touchdown pass on his first play. Leak was part of the Montreal Alouettes who won the 2009 Grey Cup.

On August 19, 2010, in a game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Montreal starting quarterback, Anthony Calvillo, got taken out with an injury which gave way to Leak to finish off the game. Leak would lead the Alouettes to a 39-17 win over the Bombers. Leak made his first CFL start at quarterback on September 3, 2010 against the BC Lions. However, he was on the short end of a 38-17 score, going 15 for 27 for 135 yards with two interceptions and a fumble. Leak suffered an apparent injury early in the fourth quarter and did not return.

On May 5, 2011, Leak signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders as a free agent.

On June 25, 2011 Chris Leak was cut from the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

See also

2006 Florida Gators football team

Florida Gators

List of Chicago Bears players

List of Florida Gators football players

List of University of Florida alumni

References

Bibliography

Carlson, Norm, ''University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators'', Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0794822983.

External links

Florida Gators bio

Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:African American players of Canadian football Category:American football quarterbacks Category:Canadian football quarterbacks Category:Chicago Bears players Category:Florida Gators football players Category:Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Category:Montreal Alouettes players Category:Saskatchewan Roughriders players Category:Parade High School All-Americans (football) Category:People from Charlotte, North Carolina Category:U.S. Army All-American football players

tl:Chris Leak

Coordinates	58°03′″N38°50′″N
Name	DeMeco Ryans
Currentteam	Houston Texans
Currentnumber	59
Currentpositionplain	Linebacker
Birth date	July 28, 1984
Birth place	Bessemer, Alabama
Heightft	6
Heightin	1
Weight	252
Debutyear	2006
Debutteam	Houston Texans
Highlights	AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (2006) PFWA Defensive Rookie of the Year (2006) 2× Pro Bowl selection (2007, 2009) 1× All-Pro selection (2007) College awards and honors
College	Alabama
Draftyear	2006
Draftround	2
Draftpick	33
Pastteams	Houston Texans (–present)
Statseason	2010
Statlabel1	Tackles
Statvalue1	572
Statlabel2	Sacks
Statvalue2	8.5
Statlabel3	INTs
Statvalue3	2
Nfl	RYA781990 }}

DeMeco Ryans (; born July 28, 1984 in Bessemer, Alabama) is an American football linebacker in the NFL for the Houston Texans. He played college football at the University of Alabama.

High school career

Ryans attended Jess Lanier High School in Bessemer, Alabama, where he was coached by Willie T. Ford. In his senior season, he had over 135 tackles, 11 sacks, two caused fumbles and two interceptions.

Considered a three-star recruit by ''Rivals.com'', Ryans was listed as the No. 39 inside linebacker prospect in the nation from the class of 2002. He picked Alabama over Mississippi State.

College career

Ryans played outside linebacker at the University of Alabama. Ryans started out his career by earning a role on special teams and back up linebacker in his first season. By making great improvements every year in his college career, Ryans went on to become the SEC's Defensive Player of the Year for his performance in 2005. Later on, Ryans attributed much of his college success to his defensive coordinator at Alabama, Joe Kines. He was named the 2006 Cotton Bowl Classic defensive MVP in their 13-10 win over Texas Tech. Ryans also received the 2005 Lott Trophy for his combination of athletic excellence and off-the-field achievements.

College awards and honors

2006 NCAA Top Eight Award (Class of 2006)

2006 Cotton Bowl Classic – Defensive MVP

2005 Consensus All-America

2005 SEC – Defensive Player of the Year

2005 First Team All-SEC

2005 Lott Trophy

2005 Bednarik Trophy Semifinalist

2005 Butkus Award Finalist

2005 Draddy Award Finalist

2005 Nagurski Award Finalist

2005 Lombardi Award Semifinalist

Professional career

2006 NFL Draft

Ryans was selected with the first pick of the 2nd round (33rd overall) in the 2006 NFL Draft by the Texans.

!Ht	!Wt	40 yard dash>40-yard dash	!10-yd split	!20-yd split	20 yard shuttle>20 ss	3 cone drill>3-cone	Vertical jump>Vert	Broad	Bench Press>BP	!Wonderlic

(''* represents NFL Combine'')

Houston Texans

Ryans began his NFL career in 2006 with the Houston Texans. Though he had been an outside linebacker in college, he earned the starting middle linebacker position due to his excellent performance in the preseason. In his first game he recorded a league-high 12 solo tackles. Ryans had an overwhelming impact as a rookie linebacker for the Texans, leading the team in tackles in the first half of the 2006 season. Many Texans fans began nicknaming him “D-Wreck” for his toughness and hard hits; another popular nickname is D-ROY, intended to promote Ryans for the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Today, most fans refer to him affectionately as "Cap'n Meco," due to his status as a Texans team Captain and in reverence of his tremendous professionalism and leadership both on and off the field.

On January 3, 2007, Ryans was awarded the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award after finishing second in the league with 155 total tackles (Zach Thomas 165), 31 more tackles than the next rookie (Detroit Lions linebacker Ernie Sims). He received 36 of 50 votes by a nationwide panel of sports writers and broadcasters. Chicago Bears defensive end Mark Anderson, who was Ryan's teammate at Alabama, finished second with five votes. On December 18, 2007 DeMeco Ryans was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time. Ryans wore the Texans' defensive transmitter to relay plays from the sideline into the huddle. This meant he was an every down player. On March 30, 2010, Ryans signed a 6 year $48 million extension, including $21.75 million guaranteed.

Career statistics

{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center; " ! rowspan=2|Season !! rowspan=2|Team !! rowspan=2|GP–GS !! colspan=5|Tackles !! colspan=6|Interceptions !! colspan=1|Fumbles |- ! Total !! Solo !! Ast !! Sack !! Safety !! Pass Def. !! Int !! Yards !! Avg !! Long !! TD !! Forced |- | 2006^ || rowspan=4|Houston Texans | 16–16 || 156 || 126 || 30 || 3.5 || 0 || 5 || 1 || 16 || 16.0 || 16 || 0 || 1 |- | 2007^†‡ | 16–16 || 128 || 99 || 29 || 2.0 || 0 || 7 || 1 || 1 || 1.0 || 1 || 0 || 1 |- | 2008 | 16–16 || 112 || 86 || 26 || 1.0 || 0 || 4 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 2 |- | 2009^† | 16–16 || 123 || 93 || 30 || 1.0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 1 |- ! colspan=3|Career Total ! 519 !! 404 !! 115 !! 7.5 !! 0 !! 18 !! 2 !! 17 !! 8.5 !! 16 !! 0 !! 5 |- ! colspan=15| |- | align=left colspan=15| ^ Named Rookie of the Year.† Named to the Pro Bowl.‡ Named to the All-Pro team. |}

References

External links

Official Houston Texans bio

Official bio at Alabama

DeMecoRyans.net

Category:American football linebackers Category:American football middle linebackers Category:Alabama Crimson Tide football players Category:Houston Texans players Category:National Football League Defensive Rookie of the Year Award winners Category:American Conference Pro Bowl players Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:People from Bessemer, Alabama Category:Players of American football from Alabama

fr:DeMeco Ryans nl:DeMeco Ryans

Kerry Watkins (born May 16, 1979 in LaPlace, Louisiana) is a wide receiver with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He was named CFL East All-Star in 2005, 2006 and 2008, and a CFL All-Star in 2005.

Statistics

{| BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="0" width="65%" style="text-align:center" |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="2" | Receiving ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |   ! colspan="6" | Regular season ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |   ! colspan="6" | Playoffs |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Year ! Team ! Games ! No. ! Yards ! Avg ! Long ! TD ! Games ! No. ! Yards ! Avg ! Long ! TD |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2004 | MTL | 4 | 4 | 36 | 9.0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |- ALIGN="center" | 2005 | MTL | 17 | 97 | 1,364 | 14.1 | 75 | 9 | 3 | 15 | 143 | 9.5 | 28 | 0 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2006 | MTL | 17 | 86 | 1,153 | 13.4 | 68 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 118 | 19.7 | 47 | 0 |- ALIGN="center" | 2007 | MTL | 15 | 76 | 1,092 | 14.4 | 70 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 158 | 31.6 | 65 | 1 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2008 | MTL | 16 | 107 | 1,178 | 14.0 | 36 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 85 | 12.1 | 21 | 0 |- ALIGN="center" | 2009 | MTL | 18 | 89 | 1,243 | 15.3 | 71 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 132 | 26.4 | 90 | 1 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2010 | MTL | 13 | 56 | 970 | 17.3 | 54 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 99 | 16.5 | 24 | 0 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | CFL totals ! 100 ! 484 ! 7,036 ! 14.5 ! 75 ! 45 ! 12 ! 44 ! 735 ! 16.7 ! 90 ! 2 |}

External links

KerryWatkins.com Official Website

Category:1979 births Category:Living people Category:African American players of Canadian football Category:American players of Canadian football Category:Canadian football wide receivers Category:Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football players Category:Montreal Alouettes players Category:People from St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana

fr:Kerry Watkins

Coordinates	58°03′″N38°50′″N
Name	Tim Tebow
Width	225px
Currentteam	Denver Broncos
Number	15
Position	Quarterback
Birth date	August 14, 1987
Birth place	Makati City, Philippines
Heightft	6
Heightin	3
Weight	245
College	Florida
Draftyear	2010
Draftround	1
Draftpick	25
Debutyear	2010
Debutteam	Denver Broncos
Pastteams	Denver Broncos (–present)
Status	Active
Highlights	2× SEC Championship (2006, 2008) 2× BCS National Championship (2007, 2009) 2× First-team All-American (2007, 2008) 1× Second-team All-American (2009) 3× First-team All-SEC (2007, 2008, 2009) AP Player of the Year (2007) Davey O'Brien Award (2007) 2× Maxwell Award (2007, 2008) Heisman Trophy (2007) NCAA QB of the Year (2007) Manning Award (2008) William V. Campbell Trophy (2009) Other awards and honors
Statweek	17
Statseason	2010
Statlabel1	TD–INT
Statvalue1	5-3
Statlabel2	Passing yards
Statvalue2	654
Statlabel3	QB Rating
Statvalue3	82.1
Statlabel4	Rushing Yards
Statvalue4	227
Statlabel5	Rushing Touchdowns
Statvalue5	6
Nfl	TEB603856 }}

Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow (; born August 14, 1987) is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida.

Tebow played quarterback for Nease High School in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida and was ranked among the top quarterback prospects in the nation as a high school senior. He ultimately chose to attend the University of Florida. Tebow was a dual threat quarterback, adept at rushing and passing the football. As a college freshman, the Gators' coaches largely used him as a change of pace to the team's more traditional passing quarterback, Chris Leak. Tebow contributed to the Gators' 2006 college football season as a key back-up, helping the team win college football's national championship game for the first time since 1996.

During the 2007 season, Tebow was Florida's starting quarterback and became the first college football player to both rush and pass for 20 or more touchdowns in a single season and the first college sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy. In addition to winning the Heisman Trophy, his 2007 performance earned him the Maxwell Award as the nation's top football player, the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's best quarterback and the James E. Sullivan Award as the nation's most outstanding amateur athlete in any sport. In 2008, Tebow led Florida to its second national championship in three years. He was named the offensive MVP of the national championship game.

Early years

Tebow was born in Makati City in the Philippines, the son of Pamela Pemberton Tebow, daughter of a U.S. Army colonel, and Robert Ramsey Tebow, a pastor, who were serving as Christian Baptist missionaries at the time. While pregnant, Pam suffered a life-threatening infection with a pathogenic amoeba. Because of the drugs used to rouse her from a coma and to treat her dysentery, the fetus experienced a severe placental abruption. Doctors expected a stillbirth and recommended an abortion to protect her life.

Tebow is the youngest of five children, with sisters Christy and Katie, and brothers Robby and Peter. All of the Tebow children were homeschooled by their mother, who worked to instill the family's Christian beliefs along the way. In 1996, legislation was passed in Florida allowing homeschooled students to compete in local high school sporting events. The law specifies that homeschooled students may participate on the team of the local school in the school district in which they live. The Tebows lived in Jacksonville, Florida, and Tim played linebacker and tight end at the local Trinity Christian Academy for one season. Tebow's preferred position was quarterback, but Trinity football team's offense did not rely on passing the football, so he began to explore his options to play for a new high school. He decided to attend Nease High School, which under head coach Craig Howard was known for having a passing offense. With the rest of his family living on a farm in Duval County, Tim and his mother moved into an apartment in nearby St. Johns County, making him eligible to play for the football team at Nease. His performance soon turned heads and led to a minor controversy regarding the fact that he was a home-schooled student having his choice of school to play for.

As a junior at Nease, Tebow gained prominence as he became a major college football quarterback prospect and was named the state of Florida's Player of the Year. He would repeat as Player of the Year in his senior season. One of his highlights as a high school athlete was finishing a game on a broken leg. During his senior season he led the Nease Panthers to a state title, earned All-State honors, was named Florida's Mr. Football and a ''Parade'' magazine high school All-American. Tebow finished his high school career with 9,810 passing yards, 3,186 rushing yards, 95 passing touchdowns and 62 rushing touchdowns. He played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas which features the top 78 senior high school football players in the nation and is shown nationally on NBC television.

Tebow was considered one of the nation's top recruits and was the subject of an ESPN "Faces in Sports" documentary. The segment was titled "Tim Tebow: The Chosen One", and focused on Tim's homeschool controversy and missionary work in the Philippines, as well as his exploits on the field of play and the college recruiting process. Tim Tebow was also featured in ''Sports Illustrated'' on the "Faces in the Crowd" page. In 2007 he was named to FHSAA's All-Century Team that listed the Top 33 football players in the state of Florida's 100 year history of high school football.

Despite having family ties to the University of Florida, where his parents first met as students, Tebow remained open-minded during the recruiting process and became very close to Alabama coach Mike Shula. After careful consideration he decided to play for Urban Meyer's Florida Gators. One of the reasons he chose Florida was because of Meyer's spread option offense, an offense for which Tebow was deemed an archetypal quarterback.

Tebow spent the last three summers before enrolling at the University of Florida in the Philippines, assisting with his father's orphanage and missionary work.

In answer to a 2009 interview question, Tebow stated that he was a virgin. The statement was subject to much discussion about whether the question was necessary, including criticism of the reporter who originally asked.

Effect on homeschooling movement

On January 7, 2007, Tebow was featured prominently in an ESPN "Outside The Lines" feature on homeschooled athletes seeking equal access to high school athletics in other states. Because a homeschooler's access to public and private school athletic functions vary by state, Tebow and New York Jets defensive end Jason Taylor (who was allowed to play at his local high school in Pennsylvania) argue in favor of extending the right to play for local teams to more states.

Upon becoming the first home-schooled athlete to be nominated for the Heisman Trophy, Tebow remarked, "That's really cool. A lot of times people have this stereotype of homeschoolers as not very athletic – it's like, go win a spelling bee or something like that – it's an honor for me to be the first one to do that."

Tebow's example inspired equal access supporters in Alabama to name their bill in the Alabama Legislature "The Tim Tebow Bill". The bill, which is pending in the Alabama Legislature, will allow Alabama homeschool athletes to play for their local high school teams just as Tebow did in Florida.

In January 2009, the "Tebow bill" was introduced in the Kentucky General Assembly. This bill, which is still pending, is also modeled after Florida state law, allowing homeschool athletes to play for their local sports teams.

Tebow received the 2008 Quaqua Protégé Award as an outstanding home-education graduate.

College career

As one of the most highly recruited quarterback prospects in the nation, Tebow received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Urban Meyer's Florida Gators football team from 2006 to 2009. From his freshman season in 2006, when he was a backup behind the Gators' career passing yardage leader, Chris Leak, to his Heisman Trophy-winning sophomore season in 2007, to his BCS Championship-winning junior season in 2008, to his 13–1 senior season, Tebow left an indelible legacy on the Florida Gators football program. The Gators coaches selected him as a team captain in 2008 and 2009, and he is the only three-time recipient of the Gators' most valuable player award, having been chosen by his teammates in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

2006

Tebow started his career at Florida in the 2006 "Orange and Blue" Spring scrimmage, where he completed 15 of 21 pass attempts for 197 yards and one touchdown. Coach Urban Meyer declared that Leak would remain the starting quarterback despite the expectations and performance of Tebow in the game. Prior to the 2006 season, Tebow was listed by ''Sports Illustrated'' as college football's future top mobile quarterback. Although Tebow remained the freshman backup behind senior Chris Leak throughout the season, Tebow was a significant contributor to the Gators' 2006 success.

Tebow made his college debut coming off the bench behind Chris Leak in a goal line situation against Southern Miss. He rushed for a touchdown on a designed quarterback scramble on his first play. In his next game, he led the team in rushing yards against UCF.

Tebow made his SEC debut against the Tennessee Volunteers on September 16. His performance included a ten-yard run on his first carry and converting a critical fourth down near the end of the game, which led to the Gators' go-ahead touchdown.

Tebow's biggest game in the season came against the LSU Tigers on October 7, where he accounted for all three of the Gators' touchdowns, passing for two and rushing for another. Tebow had a one-yard run on the goal line for his first score, a one-yard "jump pass" to tight end Tate Casey, in which he jumped in the air and double-pumped his arm before releasing the ball, and a 35-yard play-action pass to wide receiver Louis Murphy.

Tebow played a role in the Gators' victory in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game against Ohio State. He threw for one touchdown and rushed for another, finishing with 39 rushing yards. He finished 2006 with the second-most rushing yards on the Gator team.

2007

Tebow was named the starting quarterback for the Florida Gators for the 2007 season and was tipped by ''Sporting News'' to be one of college football's "Breakout Players of 2007". The Gators' offense in 2007 was expected to be similar to what Urban Meyer used at Utah, since Meyer viewed Tebow as being "very similar to Alex Smith." Smith had been a highly effective dual threat quarterback for Meyer's last team at Utah in 2004, and led the Utes to play in and win a BCS bowl game, the first team from outside the BCS conferences to do so. He went on to be the top overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft.

Questions loomed as to whether or not Tebow was skilled enough as a passer to be able to carry the responsibilities of a starting quarterback, but he opened the year 13-of-17 for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns in his starting debut against Western Kentucky University. Tebow finished the regular season with 217 completed passes in 317 attempts for 3132 yards gained and 29 touchdowns with six interceptions—giving him the second highest passing efficiency in the nation with 177.8. Additionally, he rushed 194 times for 838 yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground through 11 games. Tebow's 51 touchdowns were more than 87 Division 1-A Teams scored.

In week 4 of the season, when the Gators faced Ole Miss in an SEC match-up, Tebow broke the school record for rushing yards by a quarterback in one game, with 166 yards. On November 3, against Vanderbilt, Tebow rushed for two touchdowns to break the all-time SEC quarterback TD record in a single season. Against LSU, leading by 10 in the 4th quarter, Tebow was largely ineffective and had a turnover as he was unable to lead his team to any score, and LSU came back to win the game. LSU went on to win the 2007 National Championship.

In a game versus the South Carolina Gamecocks on November 10, Tebow broke the school record for rushing touchdowns in a season and set a career high with 5 rushing touchdowns. This brought his season total to 19 rushing touchdowns, which tied him for the SEC record for any player in a season (shared with Shaun Alexander, Garrison Hearst, and LaBrandon Toefield). He also broke Danny Wuerffel's conference record for touchdowns accounted for in a single season with 42.

On November 17, Tebow had a record day against Florida Atlantic, he scored his 20th rushing touchdown to set a new conference record for most rushing touchdowns in a season. He also became the only person ever in NCAA History to score 20 touchdowns rushing and 20 touchdowns passing in the same season.

On November 24, against the Florida State Seminoles, Tebow threw for three touchdowns and rushed for two in a 45–12 rout of the Seminoles. It was later revealed that Tebow fractured his right hand during the third quarter but played the rest of the game. He had to wear a cast for the next three weeks.

After the 2007 season was over, Tebow was recognized as a first-team All-SEC selection and a consensus first-team All-American, and became a favorite for the Heisman Trophy, given to the most outstanding college football player of the year, which he won on December 8 in New York City. He also received the Davey O'Brien Award, annually given to the best quarterback in the nation, on February 18 in Fort Worth, Texas.

While the Gators finished the season in Orlando, Florida with a 41–35 loss to Michigan in the 2008 Capital One Bowl, Tebow maintained his record for both rushing and passing for at least one touchdown in every game played, and he raised the record for total touchdowns accounted for in a single season to 55. He played with a soft cast on the hand he broke in his previous game.

Heisman Trophy

On December 8, 2007, Tebow was awarded the Heisman Trophy, finishing ahead of Arkansas's Darren McFadden, Hawaii's Colt Brennan, and Missouri's Chase Daniel. He was the first underclassman to have ever won the Heisman Trophy. He garnered 462 first place votes and 1957 points, 254 points ahead of runner-up Arkansas running back Darren McFadden. He finished the regular season as the only player in FBS history to rush and pass for at least 20 touchdowns in both categories in the same season. He had 32 passing touchdowns, and 23 rushing touchdowns. Tebow's rushing TD total in the 2007 season is the most recorded for any position in SEC history. The total also set the record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in FBS history. Tebow became the third UF player to win the Heisman Trophy, joining Steve Spurrier and Danny Wuerffel.

2008

Before the 2007 season had even come to a close, Florida coach Urban Meyer stated that he would likely use two quarterbacks during the 2008 season to take some of the workload off of Tebow's shoulders. Tebow led the Gators in rushing in 2007 but also had to play through a bruised shoulder and broken non-throwing hand.

Before the 2008 season even started, Tebow had his name pulled from consideration for the Playboy Preseason All-American team because it conflicted with his Christian beliefs. In doing so, he joined a growing list of athletes, coaches and universities to make the choice not to accept this dubious honor.

On November 1, 2008, playing against the Georgia Bulldogs, Tebow ran for his 37th rushing touchdown, breaking the school record previously held by former Florida running back Emmitt Smith.

Tebow led the Gators to a 12–1 record in 2008. After clinching the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title, the team played for and won the SEC title in the 2008 SEC Championship Game against the Alabama Crimson Tide. The win secured the #2 ranking in the final BCS standings, which earned the Gators the chance to play the #1 ranked Oklahoma Sooners in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game, which they won 24–14.

On December 13, 2008, Tebow finished third in the 2008 Heisman Trophy voting, with Oklahoma's Sam Bradford taking the top spot followed by Texas' Colt McCoy, despite Tebow receiving the most first-place votes. Tebow also won the Maxwell Award in 2008, becoming only the second player to win the award twice.

On January 11, 2009, at a national championship celebration held at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Tebow announced that he would not make himself eligible for the 2009 NFL Draft, but would instead return for his senior season at Florida. One day later, he had surgery on his right shoulder to remove a bone spur in an effort to reduce chronic inflammation.

+2008 Heisman Trophy Finalist Voting	! Finalist	! First place votes(3 pts. each)	! Second place votes(2 pts. each)	! Third place votes(1 pt. each)	! Total points
Sam Bradford	300	315	196	1,726
Colt McCoy	266	288	230	1,604
Tim Tebow	309	207	234	1,575

2009

Tebow opened the 2009 season continuing a streak of throwing and running for a touchdown in blowout wins over Charleston Southern and Troy. He ran for a touchdown in the third game, a win against Tennessee, but failed to throw for a touchdown for the first time since his freshman season.

Tebow started against Kentucky despite suffering from a respiratory illness and taking two bags of intravenous fluids before the game. He ran for two touchdowns to put him in 2nd place on the all-time SEC touchdown list and he also threw for a touchdown. Late in the third quarter he was hit in the chest by Kentucky defensive end Taylor Wyndham and then in the back of the head while falling by knee of Florida tackle Marcus Gilbert. Upon impact, he briefly displayed a prominent Fencing Response with his left arm, indicating that a concussion had taken place. He lay motionless for several minutes before being helped to the sidelines. Once there, he vomited. He was taken by ambulance to the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center. A CT scan showed no bleeding in the brain, with the injury described as a mild concussion. Coach Urban Meyer stayed the night in the hospital with Tebow, who was discharged in the morning.

On October 31, 2009, while playing against the Georgia Bulldogs, Tebow ran for his 50th and 51st rushing touchdowns, breaking the SEC career record previously held by former Georgia running back Herschel Walker. His penultimate collegiate game, the 2009 SEC Championship saw him once again facing the University of Alabama. After a poor performance from the QB, the game ended in a Florida loss with Tebow on the sideline in tears. In the 2010 Sugar Bowl, Tebow's last college game, he had 533 yards of total offense—a record for a Bowl Championship Series game—and accounted for four touchdowns in a 51–24 Florida win against Cincinnati.

Tebow graduated from the University of Florida in December 2009 with a bachelor's degree in family, youth and community sciences.

Statistics

				Passing									Rushing
Season	Team	GP		Rating	Att	Comp	Pct	Yds	TD	INT	Sack		Att	Yds	TD
2006	Florida Gators	14		201.7	33	22	66.7	358	5	1	0		89	469	8
2007	Florida Gators	13		172.5	350	234	66.9	3286	32	6	13		210	895	23
2008	Florida Gators	14		172.4	298	192	64.4	2747	30	4	15		176	673	12
2009	Florida Gators	14		155.6	304	213	70.1	2895	21	5	25		217	910	14
	Totals	55		176.0	985	661	67.1	9286	88	15	53		692	2947	57

"The Tebow Rule"

In 2010, a new rule for the next NCAA football season, dubbed "The Tebow Rule" by media because it would have affected him, banned messages on eye paint. During his college football career, Tebow frequently wore biblical verses on his eye black. In the 2009 BCS Championship Game, he wore John 3:16 on his eye paint, and as a result, 92 million people searched "John 3:16" on Google during or shortly after the game. Additionally, later, when Tebow switched to another verse, there were 3.43 million searches of "Tim Tebow" and "Proverbs 3:5-6" together. Tebow stated of the searches "It just goes to show you the influence and the platform that you have as a student-athlete and as a quarterback at Florida".

The NFL already has a rule like this in prohibiting players from wearing messages on eye black; so, Tebow would not be able to continue the practice in the NFL. Despite the media labeling it as the Tebow rule, the NCAA denies the rule was influenced by Tebow particularly, since many other notable players (Reggie Bush and Terrelle Pryor for example) wear or have worn messages on eye black. An NCAA spokesman said "When this rule was proposed the committee did not focus on any one team or student athlete. That measure reinforces what the intended use of eye black is, which is to shade the eyes from the sun."

Professional career

Pre-draft

After passing on the 2009 NFL Draft for his senior season at Florida, Tebow went on to enter the 2010 NFL Draft. Despite his college success, Tebow's NFL potential was much debated. According to former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden, he could "revolutionize" the pro game. Says Gruden: "Tim Tebow is 250 pounds, and he's the strongest human being that's ever played the position. He can throw well enough at any level." Former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy said he would pick Tebow with a top 10 pick, and would take him over any quarterback in the 2010 draft. On the other hand, NFL analyst Mel Kiper, Jr. believes Tebow does not have the intangibles to play quarterback in the NFL. "I don't think he can be a fulltime quarterback. I don't think he can be the quarterback of the future for you, but I do think in the third round, maybe the second round, he'll be the same as Pat White", said Kiper.

Tebow was particularly mentioned as a potential third round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars, his hometown team. Some, including Florida governor Charlie Crist, believe that Tebow could be the remedy for dwindling Jaguars ticket sales at EverBank Field. Early in the 2009 season, Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver stated: "He (Tebow) clearly is an outstanding football player and would be an asset to any football organization. Clearly there's going to be a groundswell for Tebow, and we'll have to make that evaluation if we have a draft pick that's going to be anywhere near him." Not everyone in the organization agreed, as Jaguar lineman Uche Nwaneri posted doubts about Tebow's potential NFL success on his team's website message board. {{nfl predraft | height ft = 6 | height in = 2¾ | weight = 236 | dash = 4.71 | ten split = 1.55 | twenty split = 2.66 | shuttle = 4.17 | cone drill = 6.66 | vertical = 38½ | broad ft = 9 | broad in = 7 | bench = | wonderlic = 22 | note = All results from NFL Combine }}

Denver Broncos

2010

Tebow was drafted by the Denver Broncos 25th overall in the 2010 NFL Draft. The Broncos received the pick from the Baltimore Ravens for draft picks in the second, third and fourth rounds of the 2010 NFL Draft. Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels said about his two first-round selections, which included Tebow, "We want players who are tough, smart, have great character, love football and are passionate about coming here and helping the Broncos win a championship. I think both players fit that role, and I think that's something that we're looking for in all of our players. What we're trying to build here is team chemistry and a team that cares about winning and winning a championship, and that's it." He also added specifically about Tebow, "He has all the traits you look for. It's a good pick." Tebow responded in an interview, saying, "My greatest joy in Denver is going to be to repay Coach McDaniels for believing in me." Tebow also said of his critics, "I just have a passion to play football. When you do things different than other people sometimes do them, and you don't settle for just being average, you open yourself up for criticism. But, I'm ready for it. I've learned to live with it. I never just wanted to do things the same way everybody else does."

ESPN's Bill Williamson said, "Josh McDaniels' legacy ''is'' Tim Tebow."

When asked how Tebow will be used, McDaniels commented that Tebow probably won't start at QB as a rookie; although, he said he'll "play when he's ready." He also said that there could be some packages custom-made for Tebow right away and indicated that he could initially contribute to Denver's variation of the wildcat formation, called the wild horse formation.

''The Denver Post'' columnist Woody Paige praised the pick, saying "Tim Tremendous may be high risk, but he will be a Mile High Reward...Tebow has become the most celebrated fourth-string rookie quarterback in NFL history, the most controversial quarterback pick by the Broncos since Tommy Maddox was chosen in exactly the same spot in the first round in 1992, the most decorated player and the most determined quarterback, and the most puzzling dichotomy, in the entire draft."

Tebow wore number 15 on his jersey for the Broncos, the same number he wore in college. He set an NFL Draft record for jersey sales. He also had the best-selling jersey in the entire NFL each month since being drafted. The Broncos, as a whole, led the NFL among all teams in jersey sales as well.

On July 29, 2010, Tebow signed a five-year contract with the Broncos that had a base value of $11.25 million (he can make as much as $33 million through certain performance-based incentives). The contract also included $8.7 million guaranteed.

On October 17, 2010, Tebow scored his first NFL touchdown, which was a five-yard running play against the New York Jets. On November 14, 2010, Tebow threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Spencer Larsen on his first career NFL pass attempt, as part of a 49-29 home victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. He also added a one-yard rushing touchdown in the game. His performance against the Chiefs earned him his first Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week honor.

Tebow started his first NFL game on December 19, 2010, which was a 39-23 road loss to the Oakland Raiders. Tebow completed eight of 16 passes for 138 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown pass. He also rushed for 78 yards, 40 of which came on a touchdown run in the first quarter of the game. It was the longest touchdown run for a quarterback in Broncos history and the longest touchdown run in NFL history for a quarterback in his first start. Tebow became just the third quarterback in NFL history to throw for a touchdown of 30 or more yards and run for a touchdown of 40 or more yards in the same game. He finished the game with a 100.5 passer rating, the highest ever in team history for a professional debut.

Tebow's first career victory came in his second start on December 26, 2010. The Broncos defeated the Houston Texans, 24-23, in Denver. Tebow helped rally the Broncos from a 17-0 deficit at halftime, as he finished the game with 308 passing yards and one touchdown pass. He also added a fourth quarter rushing touchdown, which capped the comeback. Tebow received his second Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week honor following his performance.

Tebow finished his rookie season playing sparingly in six games as a back-up (primarily on plays involving the wild horse formation, which is Denver's variation of the wildcat formation) before starting the last three games of the Broncos' season. He threw for a total of 654 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. He also rushed for 227 yards and six touchdowns. Tebow became the first quarterback in NFL history to rush for a touchdown in each of his first three career starts.

Statistics

{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center;" ! rowspan=2|Season ! rowspan=2|Team ! colspan=3|Games ! colspan=8|Passing ! colspan=2|Sacks ! colspan=4|Rushing ! colspan=2|Fumbles |- ! GP !! GS !! W–L ! Comp !! Att !! Pct !! Yds !! Y/Att !! TD !! INT !! Rating ! # !! Yds ! Att !! Yds !! Avg !! TD ! FUM !! Lost |- ! 2010 !! Denver Broncos | 9 || 3 || 1–2 | 41 || 82 || 50.0 || 654 || 8.0 || 5 || 3 || 82.1 | 6 || 26 | 43 || 227 || 5.3 || 6 | 1 || 0 |}

In the media

Tebow appeared on the September 2008 cover of ''Men's Fitness'' magazine.

On April 8, 2010, Tebow was announced as the cover athlete for all three game platforms of the video game NCAA Football 11.

Tebow is a spokesperson for Nike, Jockey International and FRS Health Energy.

Tebow was the first quarterback featured in ESPN's "Year of the Quarterback" series in 2011. The documentary, entitled "Tim Tebow: Everything in Between," followed him from the 2010 Sugar Bowl to the 2010 NFL Draft. It premiered on January 6, 2011.

On May 31, 2011, HarperCollins released ''Through My Eyes'', a conversational autobiography that Tebow co-wrote with author Nathan Whitaker. Tebow details his early life growing up in Jacksonville and the Philippines, as well as his college football experiences, in the book. By June 1, 2011, the book had risen to No. 22 on Amazon.com's bestseller list.

Super Bowl Ad

A nationwide controversy surrounded Tebow's decision to appear in an ad funded by the socially conservative organization Focus on the Family that was broadcast during Super Bowl XLIV on CBS. There were two 30-second commercials, which included Tebow's personal story as part of an overall pro-life stance. The abortion issue was not specifically mentioned in the ad. Pro-choice groups condemned the ad, while pro-life groups rallied around Tebow.

Awards and honors

College

2006 season

SEC All-Freshman Team SEC Freshman of the Week

2007 season

Walter Camp Foundation National Offensive Player of the Week Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week, three times Davey O'Brien Award winner

Heisman Trophy winner

Maxwell Award winner Walter Camp Award finalist

Sporting News Player of the Year

Harley Award winner

NCAA QB of the Year First-team Academic All-American Manning Award finalist Rivals.com National Offensive Player of the Year Rivals.com SEC Offensive Player of the Year First-team All-SEC (Associated Press, Coaches, Rivals.com) Associated Press SEC Offensive Player of the Year Associated Press Player of the Year

First-team All-American by: Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, Walter Camp Football Foundation, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, CBS Sports, College Football News, Rivals.com, and Scout.com

James E. Sullivan Award, awarded to the Nations top amateur athlete Roy F. Kramer SEC Male Athlete of the Year. Third Florida Gator to win this award, Danny Wuerffel (won twice) and Ryan Lochte. ESPY for Best Male College Athlete

2008 season

First-team All-America by College Football News.

Disney Spirit Award

ESPY for Best Male College Athlete

Heisman Trophy finalist

Manning Award winner

Maxwell Award winner

Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week

2008 SEC Championship Game Most Valuable Player

First-team All-SEC (AP, Coaches, Rivals.com)

Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Year

Southeastern Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Wuerffel Trophy winner

First-team Academic All-American

2009 season

William V. Campbell Trophy (formerly the Vincent dePaul Draddy Trophy, "The Academic Heisman") winner

First-team Academic All-American

Lowe's Senior CLASS Award

Heisman Trophy finalist

First-team All-SEC (AP, Coaches, Rivals.com)

Second-team All-America (Walter Camp Foundation)

Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Year

Sugar Bowl Most Outstanding Player ''Sports Illustrated'' College football Player of the Decade

Professional

2× Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week - Weeks 10 and 16 (2010)

See also

2007 College Football All-America Team

2008 College Football All-America Team

2009 College Football All-America Team

2006 Florida Gators football team

2008 Florida Gators football team

List of Denver Broncos first-round draft picks

List of Florida Gators football players

List of Heisman Trophy winners

List of SEC Most Valuable Players

List of University of Florida alumni

References

Bibliography

Carlson, Norm, ''University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators'', Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0-7948-2298-3.

External links

Official website

Tebow's Profile on the University of Florida website

Player bio on the Gator website

SI Player Card

Category:1987 births Category:Living people Category:All-American college football players Category:American Christians Category:American football quarterbacks Category:Denver Broncos players Category:Florida Gators football players Category:Heisman Trophy winners Category:James E. Sullivan Award recipients Category:Maxwell Award winners Category:Parade High School All-Americans (football) Category:People from Jacksonville, Florida Category:People from Makati City Category:People from St. Johns County, Florida Category:Players of American football from Florida Category:U.S. Army All-American football players

da:Tim Tebow de:Tim Tebow es:Tim Tebow fr:Tim Tebow it:Tim Tebow fi:Tim Tebow tl:Tim Tebow

Coordinates	58°03′″N38°50′″N
Name	Chad Jackson
Width	150
Currentteam	Oakland Raiders
Currentnumber	3
Position	Wide receiver
Birth date	March 06, 1985
Birth place	Birmingham, Alabama
Heightft	6
Heightin	1
Weight	215
College	Florida
Draftyear	2006
Draftround	2
Draftpick	36
Debutyear	2006
Debutteam	New England Patriots
Pastteams	New England Patriots (–) Denver Broncos (–) Buffalo Bills ()* Omaha Nighthawks ()* Oakland Raiders (–present) :*Offseason and/or practice squad member only.
Status	Active
Highlights	First-team All-SEC (2005) Honorable mention All-American (2005) Biletnikoff Award semifinalist (2005)
Statweek	17
Statseason	2008
Statlabel1	Receptions
Statvalue1	14
Statlabel2	Receiving Yards
Statvalue2	171
Statlabel3	Touchdowns
Statvalue3	3
Nfl	JAC060374
Pfr	JackCh00 }}

Chad Watson Jackson (born March 6, 1985) is an American football wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots of the National Football League in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida.

Jackson has also been a member of the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, and Omaha Nighthawks.

Early years

Jackson was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1985. He was a three-year starter at football powerhouse Hoover High School in Birmingham, Alabama, where he recorded 202 receptions for 3,553 yards and forty touchdowns. Jackson also found time to pass and run for twelve more touchdowns and try his hand at free safety. His high school career ended with a 41–3 record and two Alabama Class 6A championships, and he was recognized as a ''Parade'' magazine prep All-American.

Jackson also played basketball and ran track before concentrating on football as a senior.

College career

Jackson received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Ron Zook and coach Urban Meyer's Florida Gators football teams from 2003 to 2005. As a junior in 2005, Jackson started eleven games and appeared in all twelve. He tied the Gators team record for receptions in a single season with eighty-eight, and led the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Jackson was a first-team All-SEC selection, honorable mention All-American, and was one of fifteen semi-finalists for the Biletnikoff Award in 2005. His eighty-eight catches went for 900 yards and nine touchdowns, and he also ran for two more rushing touchdowns. Following his junior season, Jackson declared that he would forgo his final year of NCAA eligibility and enter the NFL draft.

Professional career

Pre-draft

{{nfl predraft | height ft = 6 | height in = 0⅞ | weight = 213 | dash = 4.32 | ten split = 1.51 | twenty split = 2.56 | shuttle = 4.03 | cone drill = 6.74 | vertical = 38½ | broad ft = 10 | broad in = 2 | bench = | wonderlic = | arm span = | hand span = | note = All results from NFL Combine }}

New England Patriots

On the first day of the 2006 NFL Draft, the Patriots traded draft picks with the Green Bay Packers to move up sixteen places (from the Patriots' 52nd to the Packers' 36th) in the second round to select Jackson, giving up a third-round pick (75th overall) acquired in a trade. Jackson played for the Patriots in and .

Jackson missed the entire 2006 preseason with a hamstring injury; his first NFL game was in Week 2 of the 2006 season against the New York Jets, in which he caught two passes for a total of 42 yards; one of those was a 13-yard touchdown.

In Week 4 he caught two passes for a total of nine yards against the Cincinnati Bengals. His performance was limited due to his nagging hamstring injury. In Week 7, at Buffalo, Jackson recorded his fifth catch of the season, a 35-yard touchdown reception from Tom Brady in the third quarter. A few weeks later, Jackson suffered a groin injury and missed back-to-back games in December. Jackson finished his rookie season with 13 catches for 152 yards, six first downs and three touchdowns, and a hamstring injury.

In the 2006 AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts, Jackson suffered a torn ACL and was placed on the Patriots' Physically Unable to Perform list prior to the 2007 season. He was activated from the PUP on November 7, 2007, but was active for only four of the Patriots' remaining games, finishing the season with one catch for 19 yards. Jackson was active for the Patriots' first playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but was a healthy inactive for their next two games, the AFC Championship and Super Bowl XLII.

On August 31, 2008, Jackson was released by the Patriots a day after the deadline for cutting rosters down to 53 players.

Denver Broncos

Jackson was signed by the Denver Broncos on October 27, 2008. During the 2008 season, he played in four games, making one catch for 19 yards and returning 8 kickoffs for a combined 162 yards.

As in 2008, Jackson made the Broncos' 53-man roster as of September 5, 2009, but was released by the Broncos two days later.

Buffalo Bills

Jackson signed with the Buffalo Bills on March 31, 2010. He was released on September 4, 2010.

Omaha Nighthawks

Jackson was signed by the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League on June 29, 2011.

Oakland Raiders

On August 6, 2011, Jackson signed with the Oakland Raiders.

See also

Florida Gators

History of the Denver Broncos

List of Buffalo Bills players

List of Florida Gators football players

List of New England Patriots players

References

External links

Denver Broncos bio

New England Patriots bio

Florida Gators bio

Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:American football wide receivers Category:Buffalo Bills players Category:Denver Broncos players Category:Florida Gators football players Category:New England Patriots players Category:Oakland Raiders players Category:Omaha Nighthawks players Category:Parade High School All-Americans (football) Category:People from Birmingham, Alabama