FOUR BITS: Tebow, Wambach, Beal, Johnson

1 » A rash of quarterback injuries has shaken the NFL over the first half of the season, and there are also a number of floundering teams in serious need of a boost, but former Florida Gators signal caller Tim Tebow nevertheless remains a free agent. Sunday night, NFL.com‘s Mike Silver reported that the St. Louis Rams had “at least internally discussed the possibility of signing” Tebow though nothing was imminent and it was unlikely to happen. This report came after starting QB Sam Bradford was knocked out of Sunday’s game with a knee injury (he will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL). CBSSports.com‘s Jason LaCanfora later tweeted that the Rams have “no desire” to bring in Tebow and that head coach Jeff Fisher “would not consider it.” Instead, St. Louis will go with Kellen Clemens, a career 51.8 percent passer with seven passing touchdowns and 13 interceptions over eight seasons (including 12 starts). The biggest news story involving Tebow over the last few weeks included some shirtless pictures taken while he was on vacation with his family in Hawaii.

As Tebow hopes to have a future in football, it may be another sport entirely where he can make the greatest impact. According to TheMMQB.com, USA Rugby is extremely interested in having Tebow join the program and compete on behalf of the United States in the Olympics (assuming he picks up the sport well). Writer Jenny Vrentas crunches some numbers, with some help from a company named Atlantic Standard, and notes that Tebow’s athleticism is simply off the charts, which makes him a player the rugby community would covet.

Check out three more Florida Gators news BITS…after the break!

2 » Striker Abby Wambach was at it again on Sunday, scoring an incredible touch goal, the 162nd of her career, for the United States against Australia. Check it out below.

Wambach, who recently married her long-time girlfriend and current teammate on the Western New York Flash, spoke candidly with the Associated Press about the union. “I know that I’ll end up being a role model for many, many people out there for all kinds of reasons,” she said. “My first hope is for being a genuine, honest and good person, then a great soccer player and then down the line, the choice I’ve made to marry not only my best friend and teammate, but the love of my life.” But Wambach also noted that her sexuality does not define her as a person or athlete, which is why she has not gone out of her way to speak up about it during her career. “I’ve never been asked a question in my soccer world about my relationship, rightfully so because it shouldn’t matter because it doesn’t have anything to do with soccer,” she said. “But I realize I’m a public figure and people are curious about my private life. I’m honestly not the kind of person who wants to step up to a podium, test the microphone and be like, ‘Hey, I’m homosexual and this is who I am, hear me roar.’ That’s not who I am.”

3 » Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal went on a bit of a hot streak last week, combining to go 30-for-51 over a three-game span. He averaged nearly 27 points per game and was especially dominant against New Orleans, hitting 3-of-5 shots from downtown and finishing with 30 points, three assists, three rebounds and two blocks. There may be no other second-year player receiving more hype heading into the 2013-14 NBA season than Beal.

As it turns out, he recently visited Rupp Arena and watched the Kentucky Wildcats during Midnight Madness, something he was aware Florida fans would not like, though he noted that he was there along with a friend who is being recruited by Kentucky.

4 » Former Gators offensive lineman Carl Johnson signed with the Tampa Bay Storm of the AFL last week, returning to football after failing to catch on with an NFL team. Johnson had signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2011 but was let go by the team before the season. He received a tryout this past summer with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but was not signed to the contract.