National Football League

Revis says Tebow has 'it' factor

Published May. 16, 2012 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Here's some food for thought: Tim Tebow has unmatched passion — even in the cafeteria.

At least that's what Darrelle Revis thinks.

When it comes to lunch partners, the All-Pro cornerback says there's no one like the New York Jets backup quarterback. Sure, Tebow has had his share of game-winning drives and incredible comebacks during his football career. But just watch him chat over a turkey sandwich.

''Some people have it and some guys don't,'' Revis said Wednesday. ''I just think the passion, it's the passion within, of him wanting to be a leader, wanting to win. You see it all the time — eating lunch you see it. Walking down the hallway you see it.''

Revis has been impressed with how Tebow has fit right in with his new teammates after being acquired from Denver in March. He has also noticed that Tebow has ''the gift'' of being able to lead and does so by example all the time.

But, eating lunch with passion? Really?

''He's into stuff, like when you're talking to him, he's like, `Yeah!''' a smiling Revis said, making believe he's leaning into a conversation. ''I'm like, `All right, buddy, we're not competing.' Nah, he's very passionate. When he talks about things and during conversations, he's really into it.''

While neither Tebow nor starting quarterback Mark Sanchez was made available to discuss their approaches to eating lunch, Revis compared his newest teammate to Zeus.

''He's just one of those guys,'' Revis said. ''He's just very positive. He has passion for what he does and you can see it. You can see it when you have a conversation with him. He's just a leader. He wants to win and everything is positive about him.''

It certainly appears Tebow has settled in nicely with his Jets teammates, taking — and giving — razzings from them, just like one of the guys.

At the end of locker room availability for the media, Tebow noticed Bart Scott sprawled out on the floor and joked that he's getting old and should head to the cold tub. The veteran linebacker didn't miss a beat, playfully asking Tebow, known for his strong religious beliefs, if he'd baptize him.

Revis thinks having Tebow and Sanchez on the same team can only help the Jets, especially because of the potential to confuse defenses.

''My initial (thought) to the play would be a trick play, something tricky,'' he said. ''Tim is dangerous and Mark is dangerous as well. So, to have them both on the field at the same time, you wouldn't be able to prepare for it because no one has ever seen it. You've just got to be cautious, where maybe on the defensive side, you're like, `Hey, back up,' and it could be a trick play or a double-reverse trick play or something up their sleeve.''

Revis last season commented that he didn't think Tebow, then with the Broncos, would be able to sustain a level of success as a starting quarterback in the NFL because of his deficiencies. He thinks Tebow's in the right place to maximize his talents.

''You respect the guy,'' Revis said. ''He's a playmaker. He makes plays and wins games, that's it. Him being a teammate is kind of different because you get to see him every day, you get to talk to him every day, you get to eat lunch with him every day and get to know him as a person. It's totally different. When you're competing against somebody and you don't know that person, you only see what you see on film.''