Image from Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Image.
Christian QB learning the dangers of the Big Apple
By Eric Wilkins, Staff Writer
You can’t get through more than a month or two of football without hearing about Tim Tebow. It’s just a fact. The guy has done nothing in New York, and yet here I am tapping away at my laptop with yet another article solely devoted to him. Love him or hate him, he’s an influential figure. Who else can grab headlines while doing zip? Ryan Lindley can’t even get a sniff. Who’s that, you ask? Point proven.
So what miniscule thing has he done this time? Been photographed with an ample-bosomed female? Been traded? Single-handedly come up with a solution for world peace? No. Instead, it’s on his unbelievably calm and composed demeanour throughout his ordeal as the Jets backup quarterback.
Mark Sanchez is a terrible quarterback. He’s got 2,339 yards through the air with 12 touchdowns, 10 picks, and a miserable 55.4 completion percentage. And the Jets are 4–7. Bravo, Sanchez. Bravo. With such a terrible signal-caller, you’d figure Rex Ryan wouldn’t mind having a look at his other options. Tim Tebow, perhaps? You know, that guy who led the Broncos on an improbable playoff run last season? But no. Instead, through some inexplicable continuous brain fart, Ryan has ignored his saviour on the bench and stuck with one of the worst QB’s in the league.
It really makes you wonder why the organization ever brought Tebow in. Was it just to sell jerseys? It’s sure looking like it. We all know that they said Sanchez was going to be the starter, but when did they decide to eternally etch his name at number one on the depth chart? It seems like no matter what Sanchez does, he gets to keep the starting gig. There have been plenty of occasions this season where the Jets are well out of the game, but Sanchez has always stayed in. I would love for someone to explain this one to me. If Sanchez is your franchise QB, what is he doing playing in garbage time? And if he isn’t your guy, why not give another fellow a shot? And no, I’m not talking about the Thanksgiving game against the Patriots; Tebow had broken ribs and he shouldn’t even have been dressed. It’s just another testament to his character though that he wanted to be there for his team, even in his condition, if they desperately needed him to play.
In keeping with that last line, Tebow has said, and done, all the right things this year. He’s never questioned his position as number two on the depth chart, he’s never spoken out against Ryan for his baffling crashed train of thought, and he’s been a supportive teammate in every situation. My hunch is that either the top brass has told Ryan he has to start Sanchez (because of the money tied up in him), or Ryan never wanted Tebow/isn’t a fan of his, and doesn’t want to give him a shot. It’s probably a combination of the two. Ryan knows that Tebow can’t possibly do any worse than Sanchez. As a result of this, playing Tebow would immediately be viewed by the fans as a step in the right direction, and thus, make it impossible for Sanchez to ever start again.
There’s no doubting the fact that Tebow would be able to do something with the Jets offense if given the keys. Shonn Greene is a serviceable, if unspectacular, running back, and Jeremy Kerley, Stephen Hill, and Dustin Keller form an adequate receiving corps. If one recalls, Denver’s wideouts weren’t considered anything special when Tebow led them past Pittsburgh, but they got the job done. Hill is in a similar mold as Demaryius Thomas; Tebow could do some damage. This is all a moot point though. Tebow is never going to see the field as the starter, and the club will continue to employ him solely for fake punts and other gadget plays. Settle in for another losing season, Jets fans.
