Terrible franchise's experiment with Tim Tebow ends predictably

After drafting Geno Smith in the second round last week, they ended up with six quarterbacks — really — on the roster. The worst one had to go. Don’t think of it as the Jets losing a sixth-stringer, though. Think of it as arena football gaining a second-stringer.

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How predictable was this? March 21, 2012:

In practice, what’ll happen is (a) as soon as Sanchez starts to play mediocre, and he will, Jets fans will torment him with “we want Tebow” chants and that’ll create tension; (2) Tebow will be miserable dealing with the famously nasty Jets locker room (the backbiting has already begun, believe it or not); and (3) the team will struggle offensively anyway because the wildcat is lame, especially now that it’s been four years since it came into vogue and pro defenses have better adapted to it.

They ended up 30th in the league in offense last year. The “we want Tebow” chants started three minutes into the first game. Another prediction from March 23 of last year:

Best-case scenario: A newly motivated Sanchez buckles down and finally learns how to complete a pass longer than six yards. Worst-case scenario: He crumbles under the pressure of Jets fans chanting “TE-BOW, TE-BOW” every time he misses a receiver and they end up platooning to the bitter end of a glorious 6-10 season.

Final 2012 record: 6-10. I blew it, though, on the platoon. Both Sanchez and Tebow were so terrible that Greg McElroy ended up getting a start late in the season.

Three options now for Tebow. One: Try to catch on with another team, even as a second-stringer, and hope the starter struggles. No one seems to want him, though. According to Rich Cimini, the Jets have spent months trying to trade him with no luck. The best place for him would probably be Jacksonville, where at least he’d have a hometown crowd, but the Jags don’t seem to want him either. Two: He could take the advice everyone’s been giving him for years and switch to another position, likely fullback. He’s resisted that at every turn; faced with the end of his career, maybe he’ll finally reconsider. Anyone need a failed QB turned something-else-to-stay-in-the-league? Three: He could hang it up and focus on faith-related work, like the charities his family has developed. That’s what’s made him a cultural phenomenon; he’ll end doing that eventually, whether 10 years from now or tomorrow. Why not start early?

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David Strom 6:40 PM | April 18, 2024
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