Tim Tebow

The Tim Tebow phenomenon has caused me to scratch my head so often, I've actually carved out a tiny road in my hairline. I used to have a free-flowing mane. In my many years of covering sports, I have never seen such a marginally talented athlete so overhyped. With Tebow routinely falling to his feet on a playing field, the sporting public has fallen to its feet. The ESPN poll this week revealed the Broncos' QB to be America's favorite active pro athlete. Only 11 athletes total, in the 18 years of this poll, have reached No. 1 status and most of them were in the stratosphere of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Tiger Woods.

The Broncos are 6-1 since Tim Tebow took over for Kyle Orton at quarterback. Four of those victories have come by either four or three points.   For the record San Francisco's Frank Gore passed Hall of Famer Joe Perry (7,344) for the most yards rushing in franchise history. Gore now has 7,395 yards. The 49ers are wearing No. 34 helmet decals this season in honor of Perry, the first player with back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons. He died in April at age 84. Ben Roethlisberger set a Steelers record for completed passes with 2,026 in his career, one more than the old club record of Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw .   Weird stat Rookie Jeremy Kerley muffed a punt deep in his own territory for the Jets' NFL-high sixth special-teams turnover this season.

By Jonathan Gurwitz Charles Barkley may have said it best: "I am not a role model. " Anyone who looks to famous athletes for moral guidance is almost certain to end up disappointed. There have been notable exceptions - athletes whose success in sports was matched by personal and professional integrity and decency. But behind every amazing dunk, every game-winning touchdown, and every spectacular home run is a fallible human being just like the rest of us, prone to make mistakes, break laws, and sin. Few athletic stories are more inspiring than that of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, who fulfilled an improbable dream of playing football at Notre Dame with faith and perseverance.

Besides sports, I can't think of anything as universally polarizing as religion. Yes, I'm making this observation as a believer. Just look at history. Wars waged because of it. Slavery condoned in its name. Lunatics carrying out unspeakable acts for the glory of God - or so they claim. Even now, religion plays a part in our political and cultural consciousness like never before. Heck, Republicans - and religious conservatives - would have anointed Mitt Romney as their presidential candidate a long time ago if he wasn't so, so Mormon.

DENVER - Peyton Manning stood next to John Elway, holding up a bright-orange jersey with the No. 18 on it. Yes, that could take some getting used to. And now, if Manning's surgically repaired neck cooperates, these two quarterbacks - one in the Hall of Fame, the other headed there one day - think they might be taking a similar photo together, only next time they will be holding a Super Bowl trophy. Manning was introduced as the new quarterback of the Denver Broncos on Tuesday, the four-time MVP taking the spot once held by Elway, who as Broncos vice president engineered the deal to bring the NFL's most sought-after free agent to town.

QUESTION: Tim Tebow to the Eagles? Answer: Why not? Which is not saying that it will happen, or even that it should happen. But now that Peyton Manning is headed to the Denver Broncos, it makes total sense for the Broncos to make a trade in order to keep the carnival sideshow to a manageable level. And if the Broncos are going to make a trade, well, again: Why not? If, after last season, Tebow is now viewed throughout the NFL as a player around whom a team can build a winner, he is not coming to the Eagles and it isn't worth talking about - not unless the Eagles would be willing to throw Michael Vick over the side, which certainly does not seem likely.

Chillin' Wit' is a regular feature of the Daily News spotlighting a name in the news away from the job.   FORMER PHILADELPHIA Common Pleas Judge Renee Cardwell Hughes sits in the breakfast room of her 1893 house, watching the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Denver Broncos. She's rooting for the Steelers, but will give credit to their opponents. When she realizes that Tim Tebow, the Broncos' quarterback, has run for a touchdown, she says: "Way cool, and he took a hit, too!

PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Eagles triumvirate of owner Jeff Lurie, general manager Howie Roseman and president Joe Banner have yet to be spotted in the hallways of the Breakers Resort where the NFL will open its 3-day March meeting Monday morning. But Jets owner Woody Johnson offered his first public comments on his team's acquisition last week of Tim Tebow. Nothing earthshaking. But he did speak, which puts him one step ahead of Lurie, who already has put out word through the team's public relations department that he is much too busy to talk to reporters down here.

HE HAS BEEN lampooned on "Saturday Night Live" and lambasted on sports radio, but Tim Tebow is getting the last laugh. The Broncos quarterback, who isn't shy about publicly professing his love for Jesus, has been voted America's favorite active pro athlete, according to the monthly ESPN Sports Poll. In December's poll, Tebow beat out the likes of Kobe Bryant, Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. According to ESPN, only 11 athletes have been No. 1 in the poll's 18-year existence, among them Michael Jordan, Tiger Wood and LeBron James.

Ed Barkowitz   1. Texas 2. Florida 3. Penn State 4. Oklahoma 5. Mississippi While it feels a bit like tugging on Superman's cape by not picking Florida, I'm going with Texas to redeem last year's snub. The Longhorns in Week 3 get Texas Tech and a chance to avenge last year's upset, which cost them the Big 12 title on a dumb tiebreaker and a shot at Florida in the BCS title game. Sure, Florida returns St. Tim Tebow and is the overwhelming choice of the Associated Press voters, but bear in mind that only 10 of the AP's preseason No. 1s since 1950 went on to win the championship.

NEW YORK - The nation won't have to wait long to see Peyton Manning in a Broncos uniform. Manning's first game as Broncos quarterback will come in prime time as Denver hosts Pittsburgh on the opening Sunday of the NFL season. The four-time MVP was released by Indianapolis after missing the 2011 season following neck surgery. After conducting a four-city lottery for his services, Manning landed in Denver, which hasn't won a Super Bowl since his new boss, John Elway, was behind center.

THE ODDEST STORY in sports this past year went from the football field to an Easter Sunday pulpit. Tim Tebow, newly minted New York Jets backup quarterback and previously anointed savior of anything he touches, attracted 15,000 people to an outdoor church service in Georgetown, Texas. "In Christianity, it's the Pope and Tebow right now," pastor Joe Champion said in an Associated Press report. "We didn't have enough room to handle the Pope. " Tebow is deeply religious and doesn't hide it. Quite the opposite.

Serena Williams capped a week of powerful performances with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Lucie Safarova to win the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, S.C., on Sunday. It was Williams' 40th WTA title and first on clay in four years since capturing this championship in 2008. With her 40th title, Williams moved one away from Kim Clijsters among active players on the career list. Venus Williams leads with 43 titles. NFL: New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow drew a crowd of about 15,000 to an outdoor Easter church service in Georgetown, Texas, telling the gathering it's important to be outspoken about faith and admonishing professional athletes about not being better role models.

THE SAN FRANCISCO 49ers added another member of last season's Super Bowl-champion New York Giants on Wednesday, agreeing to terms with veteran running back Brandon Jacobs on a 1-year contract. Jacobs was released March 9 by the Giants after he failed to reach agreement on a restructured deal. He is expected to play behind Frank Gore and could share the backup role with second-year pro Kendall Hunter. Jacobs spent seven seasons with New York, winning two Super Bowls and beating the 49ers, 20-17, in overtime of the NFC Championship Game at Candlestick Park on Jan. 22. The 29-year-old Jacobs ran for 571 yards and seven touchdowns last season as a backup to Ahmad Bradshaw.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - New York got Tebowed. Never in the history of sport has the arrival of a backup player generated the sort of fascination that Tim Tebow did when his trade from the Broncos to the Jets was completed Monday. The spectacle of the NFL's most compelling bench-warmer provoked such a crowd of press types that, for his introductory news conference, the Jets abandoned the normal interview room and reconfigured the end zone of their indoor practice facility.

PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Eagles triumvirate of owner Jeff Lurie, general manager Howie Roseman and president Joe Banner have yet to be spotted in the hallways of the Breakers Resort where the NFL will open its 3-day March meeting Monday morning. But Jets owner Woody Johnson offered his first public comments on his team's acquisition last week of Tim Tebow. Nothing earthshaking. But he did speak, which puts him one step ahead of Lurie, who already has put out word through the team's public relations department that he is much too busy to talk to reporters down here.

NEW YORK - Just another crazy day for the New York Jets. Hours after the Jets announced they had agreed in principle to acquire Tim Tebow from the Denver Broncos on Wednesday, the deal hit a snag. A few hours after that, the deal was completed, but not before rumors of trades to Jacksonville or St. Louis had swept the NFL. The deal was delayed when the Jets balked at repaying Denver more than $5 million for a salary advance due Tebow. ESPN reported that the two sides had agreed to split that cost, which closed the deal.

DENVER - Peyton Manning stood next to John Elway, holding up a bright-orange jersey with the No. 18 on it. Yes, that could take some getting used to. And now, if Manning's surgically repaired neck cooperates, these two quarterbacks - one in the Hall of Fame, the other headed there one day - think they might be taking a similar photo together, only next time they will be holding a Super Bowl trophy. Manning was introduced as the new quarterback of the Denver Broncos on Tuesday, the four-time MVP taking the spot once held by Elway, who as Broncos vice president engineered the deal to bring the NFL's most sought-after free agent to town.

WHAT WILL happen to Tim Tebow now that Denver has signed Peyton Manning? There are no shortage of scenarios. Yesterday, John Elway, the Broncos executive vice president, said the team will consider trading Tebow. "It is a possibility," Elway said, "and he knows that's a possibility. " There are, reportedly, up to five teams interested in acquiring Tebow. The Eagles aren't one of them, but Tony Dungy thinks they should be. Dungy, a former NFL coach and pro football analyst for NBC, played a large role in bringing Michael Vick to the Eagles.

PEYTON MANNING stood next to John Elway, holding up a bright orange jersey with the No. 18 on it. Yes, that could take some getting used to. And now if Manning's surgically repaired neck cooperates, these two quarterbacks - one in the Hall of Fame, the other headed there one day - think they might be taking a similar photo together, only next time they'll be holding a Super Bowl trophy. Manning was introduced as the new quarterback of the Denver Broncos yesterday, the four-time MVP taking the spot once held by Elway, who as Broncos vice president engineered the deal to bring the NFL's most sought-after free agent to town.