Despite what you see on Saturdays or hear in jokes, Tim Tebow is still only human.
Just like everyone else, he can feel pain.
And yes, the pain does affect him, but that doesn't mean it will limit him come kickoff.
After having surgery on his shoulder, Tebow said he now smiles instead of grunting when he gets hit.
Even with the pain, he continued to play, which not only shows his strength and determination, but also the willingness of most football players to play with pain.
While Tebow has without question played through his share of injuries, probably even when he shouldn't have, he is just like most other football players in that aspect.
Just because he has a sore back, it doesn't mean that it is time to worry for Gators fans.
Football is a violent game, resulting in large quantities of bumps and bruises.
Rarely does a player feel good all over heading into game day.
Most players will have their share of sore spots, tweaked body parts and aching muscles.
But come game day, things start to feel better. The knee that limited you in practice all week suddenly feels ready to go. The bad back and stiff neck that made it tough to get out of bed each morning now can bend any way necessary if that means helping the team win.
With only 13 - or 14, if you're lucky - games a year, this makes football players different from most other athletes.
They can't afford to sit out a game to refresh their legs or miss one just to get over a cold because that one game could determine their team's chance at a championship.
This doesn't mean they are all willing to risk a serious injury in exchange for a national championship, but it does mean those smaller injuries don't seem that painful.
Tebow has shown throughout his career he has no problem playing through pain if it means another victory for the Gators.
He is the first to admit that he will never take himself out of a game, but then again, most players won't as long as they can stand up and hold their arms up without excruciating pain.
Is that a healthy attitude? Absolutely not, but in the mind of a football player, everything can wait until after the season.
All that matters is that your hurt shoulder or bum knee can last until offseason surgery.
My senior year of high school, I played the entire season with a torn labrum in my left shoulder. It was not fun, and even after surgery, my shoulder is still not right, but I never thought about calling it quits that year, even on a 3-6 team.
I have a feeling Tebow may have a slight lead on me in the toughness department, so if I can play hurt, I'm sure he has no problem with it.
Tebow will have some new injury that limits him in practice this season, but there is no need to worry because come Saturday he will be out there lowering his shoulder into the chest of defenders along with the 21 other people on the field playing with pain.
