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Tim Tebow: Is he the NFL equivalent to Kim Kardashian? [Poll]

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Tim Tebow hasn’t done a whole lot for the New York Jets so far this season, rushing just six times for 33 yards, attempting no passes and recovering an onside kick. That may be more work than a lot of the backup quarterbacks in the NFL have gotten up to this point, but for a guy who receives as much attention as Tebow, it doesn’t seem like much.

So does that make him football’s version of Kim Kardashian or any other member of the reality-TV family that seems to be famous just for being famous? Miami receiver Brian Hartline seems to think so, based on his comments in the locker room Wednesday, four days before the Dolphins face the Jets in the first of two meetings this season.

“That’s you guys, how much you love [him],” Hartline said of the media attention Tebow receives. “Everybody loves him, but the same people go with the Kardashians. I don’t know what they did, either.

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“They’re on [magazine] covers everywhere. I mean, honestly. I know they’re really good people, do a lot of charity work. I just don’t know how they got started.”

Hartline did end up acknowledging Tebow’s past successes with both the University of Florida and the Denver Broncos. It seems two national championships, a Heisman Trophy and an NFL playoff victory are mere afterthoughts these days.

Or at least they are when you’re talking about your next opponent’s backup quarterback ... and Hartline isn’t the only Dolphins player sick of talking about him.

“Don’t make more of it than it is,” linebacker Kevin Burnett said. “Please, come on. Tebow is going to come in for maybe five plays.”

When Tebow’s name was mentioned to defensive end Jared Odrick, he replied: “Who’s the starting quarterback of the Jets?” He was informed it was Sanchez. “We’re going to prepare for him. And we’ll be ready for whoever’s under center,” Odrick said before walking away.

The Tebow/Kardashian comparison has been made before. Former Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theisman told the Washington Post earlier this month: “Tim Tebow has become like a Kardahsian. She was a closet organizer. ... He had a little bit more than a half-season of success. It’s almost not what you do on the field anymore, but how people want to promote you, how people look at you.”

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One reason Tebow’s name may be coming up even more this week in the Miami locker room is because Jets offensive coordinator Tony Sparano is the former head coach of the Dolphins. And Sparano’s specialty is the wildcat offense, which is run by Tebow when employed by the Jets.

But there’s just something about the mere mention of Tebow’s name that rubs some people the wrong way. So, in that way, he really is just like a Kardashian.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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