Is Tim Tebow hurt?

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Tim Tebow (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Jon Gruden once famously called Tim Tebow “250 pounds of concrete cyanide.”

Even that Terminator-like level of conditioning might not have been enough to prepare the world’s most famous rookie for his first professional football pounding.

Tebow jogged off the football field during practice Wednesday shortly after conversing with Denver Broncos head trainer Steve “Greek” Antonopulos, the Denver Post reports. Tebow was seen wearing extra padding around his ribs before leaving the practice field.

In addition, on Tuesday, Tebow didn’t run sprints with the rest of his teammates (which was particularly notable since he always finishes first).

It’s enough to suggest that Tebow has suffered some sort of rib injury, or at least has lingering side pain, and isn’t 100%.

We all can surmise how the Tebornator received such rib pain — performing this fleet-footed feat to propel himself into the end zone as time expired as two opponents crashed into him in his professional preseason debut Sunday.

Hopefully Tebow will return soon lest his throng of female camp-followers have nothing to scream at. But in seriousness, the Broncos’ home preseason debut is this Saturday. It wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t Tebow’s home debut, too.