Broncos vets haze Tim Tebow

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DENVER -- Tim Tebow was all the buzz Saturday night at the Denver Broncos' practice.

The rookie quarterback stood out not only for his play at practice but for his shaved locks, the top of his head completely sheared to leave a ring of hair that made him look like a monk.

The pranks the veterans will play.

Ron Chenoy/US Presswire Tim Tebow got a taste of rookie hazing in the NFL on Saturday when his Broncos teammates decided to give him a new look.

Tebow and the other rookies had their heads decorated with wacky haircuts before the workout and they had to show them off during warm-ups when they couldn't hide underneath their helmets.

"I think all the rookies had a good time with it," Tebow said. "It was something to give everybody a laugh, something also to build chemistry."

Tebow wasn't the only one to get a bad haircut. Receiver Eric Decker was outfitted with lines carved into his 'do and left guard Zane Beadles sported a reverse Mohawk.

Offensive lineman Eric Olsen was able to save his long, flowing dirty blond locks in the back, but he's now bald on top, and tight end Nathan Overbay had half a haircut, his left side sheared and his right side left alone.

Tebow's new look was hard to miss, especially with his thick facial hair. When his image was shown on the big screen at Invesco Field before practice, the crowd broke into laughter.

He said linebacker Wesley Woodyard was the barber responsible for his cut, taking out some of his college frustrations with the razor (Woodyard went to SEC rival Kentucky).

"He was getting a few blows back from the college days," Tebow said, laughing.

Tebow didn't stand out just for his bad haircut. The first-round pick out of Florida looked good in front of the home crowd, too, tossing about a 25-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas into the corner of the end zone. Tebow then sprinted down the field to celebrate with his fellow rookie.

"He went up there and got it," Tebow said. "Great job by D.T."

Later in the practice, Tebow made a play with his feet, scoring a short TD on a QB keeper.

"To go out there and play in the stadium for the first time was really exciting," Tebow said. "To be able to have a drive and try to run the offense was fun."

After practice, fans excitedly took pictures of Tebow's bad haircut, which quickly circulated around the Internet.

But it wasn't all smiles Saturday, as Thomas and Eric Decker joined the Broncos' walking wounded.

Thomas limped to the locker room with the trainers after injuring his left foot or ankle when he came down awkwardly after catching a touchdown catch from Brady Quinn.

Thomas broke his left foot during a pre-draft workout.

"So, obviously, yes, that would be a concern because it was the same foot. But we're hopeful that it won't be anything serious," coach Josh McDaniels said. "If we miss him for a little while, it would be normal for this team."

The Broncos have been hit with several injuries in training camp, beginning with sack-leader Elvis Dumervil. Dumervil may be out for the season after tearing a pectoral muscle and offensive tackle Ryan Clady injured a knee while playing pickup basketball in the offseason. Clady ended up needing surgery. Special teams star Darrell Reid had radical knee surgery this year, too.

Midway through the first practice of training camp, tailbacks Knowshon Moreno (hamstring) and Correll Buckhalter (back) went down minutes apart.

Decker, whose senior season at Minnesota was cut short by a torn ligament in his left foot, walked off the field Saturday after injuring his left leg in a goal-line drill Saturday night and went inside for medical tests.

Decker limped much more gingerly than Thomas.

Not counting Clady and Reid, 13 players, including star linebacker D.J. Williams and Pro Bowl safety Brian Dawkins, have missed time at camp so far for medical reasons and two players -- wide receiver Kenny McKinley and safety Josh Barrett -- have suffered season-ending injuries.

Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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