Urban Meyer doesn't bother asking Tim Tebow if he's hurt anymore.
The answer has almost always been yes, but Florida's senior quarterback participated in all of Monday's practice after he recovered from a sore lower back that held him out of contact drills during practice last week.
"He's not going to tell me," Meyer said. "[Strength and conditioning coach] Mickey [Marotti] is the guy he talks to. I'll get all the inside scoop from Mickey.
"Don't ask me because I don't know."
This was just the latest in a long list of injuries Tebow has played through in his career.
He revealed Monday that he played most of 2008 with an injured non-throwing shoulder, the same one he hurt against Kentucky in 2007. He reaggravated it during last year's season opener against Hawaii and took painkilling injections for the remaining 13 games. This was in addition to the three games last season that Tebow played with a hyperextended knee as well as the broken right hand he suffered in the 2007 FSU game.
He underwent surgery in January to remove a bone spur and to reduce chronic inflammation in his shoulder.
"It's more comfortable than it was last year or the year before," Tebow said. "It's just so much easier now. I can take hits and smile, not grunt. That will be nice."
Tebow guessed his latest back injury simply came from overtraining for the season, which opens Sept. 5 against Charleston Southern.
Now he's happy with how he feels.
"I will never pull myself out of a game," Tebow admitted. "I just love playing too much. Some could say it's probably just being hard-headed."
