Transcript of quarterback Tim Tebow's news conference in front of his locker after the Jets' Wednesday afternoon practice at the Atlantic Health Training Center:
On his health…
I'm getting better.
On what he was able to do in practice today…
Pretty much whatever they asked me to do. I got a few reps here and there, so just taking it slowly.
On if he feels confident that he will be active on Sunday…
It's their decision. I'm going to do whatever I can to heal up and get better every day.
On if he feels well enough to play on Sunday…
I hope so.
On if he would be able to play if the game was today…
I would love to play.
On the team's confidence…
I think we definitely still have confidence with this team. You have a lot of veterans on this team that have played a lot of football games, had a lot of wins, had a lot of losses, they know how to handle it.
On how his ribs feel…
They're getting better.
On if he feels there's a good chance that he will play…
That's going to be up to them. Hopefully I will.
On moving past a tough game…
Hopefully you use it as motivation. Something to get better on, something to improve on, and hopefully something that doesn't happen again.
On the Cardinals…
They've got a good defense and they have some good playmakers on offense so they're a good football team. They won four in a row to start the season which shows just how talented they are.
On if he sees the remaining schedule as an opportunity to make a run at the playoffs…
I just think that you have to take it one day at a time, not looking at any runs, or five in a row, or anything like that. Just look at it as one game. We practiced first and second down today, let's get better at it. Let's do third-down tomorrow, let's go red zone on Friday and let's get better one day at a time and let's worry about Arizona.
On if he would be able to take a hit right now…
It might not feel the best, but I could manage.
On how he evaluates whether he can or can't play…
That won't necessarily be me. That would be them [the medical staff].
On how he would assess his readiness to play if he's cleared…
That's something that I don't really have to worry about. They do it. They have all the examinations. They worry about it and make sure that it couldn't get worse. That's an option and they'll do the smart thing for me.
On Coach Ryan considering his opinion on whether or not he could play…
I definitely appreciate that. It was a big game and definitely something that I didn't want to miss if needed to help the team. I'm glad they got my input but ultimately, it's their decision.
On if he has ever been able to petition to play in a game while he was hurt…
Yes.
On if he played in high school with a broken leg…
Yes.
On how his rib injury compares to a broken leg…
That wasn't good. That one hurt.
On how he feels compared to last Sunday…
Getting better every day. Slowly getting better. It's good.
On if he worries about being effective while playing with broken ribs…
I don't know if you worry about being ineffective. You just worry about setbacks and having to continue to take longer to heal. That's the only frustration.
On Byron Leftwich playing with broken ribs and missing passes short…
I don't know.
On if he's worried about the risk of playing with the ribs…
I trust our doctors and trainers and they do a great job. I listen to their opinion.
On if can worsen…
I don't think so but that's something that I'll definitely listen to what they say.
On if he's able to throw during practice…
I'm not doing too much of it. A few reps, but obviously limited stuff.
On if it hurts to throw…
Sometimes it can.
On if he's had any other tests since last week…
No, not any MRIs or X-rays or anything. I'm trying to keep all that radiation out of my body [laughter]. I've had enough of those. But they examine me every day.
On when his injury got worse…
I don't think we did anything to make it worse except just playing and continuing to practice. We couldn't tell in the first one that it was fractured. Then it got a lot worse. We just continued to do everything the same.
On if he was surprised it was such a big deal…
Most things right now tend to be that way [laughter].
On if he'll wear any additional protection if he plays…
Yeah, I'll wear a rib cage protector and whatever other pads that they want me to wear.
On not taking painkilling injections before the game…
I didn't think that playing with the pain was going to be an issue. It was just whether it was going to make it worse or not. Obviously it's hurt. I was not trying to be a hero with the pain.
On if Coach Ryan told him before the game that he was planning on not playing him…
Yeah.
On how he felt about it…
I understood. He was being completely real and honest with me and I understood it. You have to appreciate a coach that does that.
On if he would have been able to play if he was the only quarterback option…
Yes.
On if he evaluates what's best for the team when deciding whether to play or not…
Yeah, I think it's what's best for the team but also you don't want to do anything that would severely hurt you or anything like that. If it's too close to the lung, you think about stuff like that.
On if he measures his ability with broken ribs versus his replacement when deciding whether to play or not…
No, you focus on helping the team and you believe in yourself that you can help the team. That was my mindset.
On if the trainers approached him saying that he was cleared with restrictions…
Sort of, yeah.
On if he was surprised that Greg McElroy wasn't activated…
No, they let me know that was the decision and I went out there and did a workout beforehand. I did well enough that they were going to let me go.
On if a broken leg was the worst thing that he had ever played through…
Probably, yeah.
On if he had played with a broken collarbone before…
Yes.
On what that was like…
It wasn't fun.
On what game he played with a broken collarbone…
That was verse the Patriots last year.
On what his pain threshold is…
I mean if you can go out there and have a good team, just the adrenaline, that's part of football. It's a fun game. It's a different game than other things. It's just part of it.
On if he thinks about his long-term health…
Of course I want to be healthy. That's definitely something that will heal. It's not like a brain, or concussion, or something like that.
On playing with the broken leg threatening his long-term health…
I don't know. Not with that. It's already broken, it's just your fibula and go play. We were losing, that's what I was worried about in that game.
On if he's able to be objective in terms of helping the team while injured…
I think to a certain extent you know your body well enough.
On if he could be effective if he had to be used…
I think if the doctors and the trainers evaluate me and they feel that it's something fit to go for me and everything, then you definitely believe in your abilities for sure.
