Today the New York Jets will announce their new backup quarterback. Yes, a NFL team is hosting a press conference to show the No 2 guy behind the center hold up his new Jets jersey. A big show for a quarterback who is supposedly going to take about 20 snaps per game seems a bit much. It is. However, the quarterback is Tim Tebow, so it is necessary.
Tebow is not your average QB and he certainly will not be treated like a backup. This is not because of his arrogance or his skill. It is because of his fans. Tebow has a strong following. To say that they are zealous is an understatement. Fans in Denver forced the club to make him the starting QB. It is not uncommon for fans to express their desire for change, but Tebow’s fans purchased advertising to make their point.
“Tebowing,” the act of getting on one knee and bowing your head, has spread around the nation. Rex Ryan, the Jets head coach, has already experienced fans coming up to him and “tebowing” and Tebow has not been announced as a Jet yet. A person with this type of appeal coming to the largest media market had to have a press conference.
The Jets will get some great publicity and jersey sales will increase, but I think that this was a horrible move for the Jets’ locker room. For the past two years, I picked the Jets to go to the Super Bowl. They came close in 2011, losing in the AFC championship game to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Last year they did not make the playoffs. The problem was not talent. The team lacked direction and trust in leadership. Some publicly criticized their quarterback, Mark Sanchez, albeit anonymously, it shows the chaos in the locker room.
Tebow’s presence is going to make this worse. Who is the real leader of the team? When teammates and fans are bashing Sanchez what will happen? Do player’s believe that Tebow was really brought to New York to be the backup? Does Sanchez?
The Jets have said that they plan to use Tebow in their wildcat offense. He can run and would be a threat to defenses in that type of offense. I just don’t see two quarterbacks being co-starters working well for the Jets. Especially, after the season they just had. Tebow worked some miracles with the Broncos, so maybe he will do so with the Jets. I like Tebow, but I am not a buying the Jets having a young, developing quarterback backup another young, developing quarterback.
Watch the press conference live online at noon ET on nfl.com
Ciao!
Heels & Helmets®