The nicest thing the New York Jets ever did for Tim Tebow was cut him, and even that was done at the worst possible moment and with the level of interest that goes with throwing a bag of trash by the curb.
This morning the former Heisman Trophy winner showed up at the Jets’ training facility and was told to turn around because he wasn’t a Jet anymore. OK, so everybody knew this was coming sooner or later, but you couldn’t give the guy a phone call and save him both the trip and the paparazzi dodge?
On top of that, by waiting until after the NFL draft was completed, the Jets left Tebow in the position of having nowhere to go in the league if he still means to prove himself at quarterback. No less than eight teams have already signed undrafted quarterbacks to free-agent contracts since the weekend. Add that on top of the quarterbacks who were drafted and there’s not even a job left for a third-string clipboard holder.
All this because the Jets hoped to get, what, a seventh-round draft pick in trade for Tebow and didn’t want to let him loose without playing out that pitifully poor scenario to the bitter end?
The whole thing has been impossibly petty, and that should be evident to Tebowphiles and Tebow haters alike.
Getting booted out of Denver because Peyton Manning was available is something any young player could understand and accept, though it’s worth pointing out that Tebow still has one more playoff win as the Broncos’ quarterback than Peyton has.
The Jets’ experience, however, was utterly pointless. If owner Woody Johnson wanted to utilize the ticket-selling power of Tebow as a media sensation, how was that supposed to happen with the big lefty on the bench?
If Rex Ryan meant to mix things up by throwing both Mark Sanchez and Tebow at opponents, why did the former Florida Gator All-America get to throw only eight passes all season?
If the Wildcat is specifically mentioned as the way to get the most out of him, why limit the vital variety of that attack by allowing Tebow only to hand off or plow straight ahead into the line?
If Tebow’s pile-driving style as a short-yardage rusher is more of a plus than his suspect passing skills, why didn’t he ever get the ball near the goal line, not even in first-and-goal at the 1?
The only Jets operative who ever showed Tebow any respect, or at least tried to get some use out of him, was special teams coach Mike Westhoff, now retired. Westhoff saw an athlete rather than an icon. He put Tebow in as a punt protector and got a few first downs out of him on direct snaps, including one against the Dolphins. Tebow gave it all he had, as usual, and for whatever it’s worth, Rex gave Tebow credit Monday for working hard and coming to offseason workouts lighter and ready to go.
What it’s worth, of course, is nothing at all.
If a team had set its entire agenda toward the express goal of dousing Tebow’s potential and portraying him as damaged goods to the rest of the league, none could have done a better job than the Jets did in 2012. Their actions did nothing to help their cause, and now that the Jets have drafted Geno Smith, the whole ridiculous exercise has done nothing to preserve and protect Sanchez either.
Hard to imagine Tebow quitting, though he has the contacts and the charisma to achieve success in a multitude of fields outside football. The Canadian Football League option isn’t all that promising, though, for a couple of reasons.
The playing field is wider there, which serves to open up the game and encourage more passing than ever. Tebow’s accuracy would be put to an even greater test there.
Also, Tebow’s not the force of nature that he used to be, thanks to the Jets experience, and fans in Canada are not as tied to his legend in the first place. There is no certainty that a CFL team would get sellouts to watch him play, or that Tebow would rather play in Saskatchewan than not to play at all.
The Arena Football League option takes this story from the circus level to a small-town carnival. Too sad to contemplate.
If there is punishment for the Jets it is in knowing that many of the same people are in charge there today who dragged Tebow through the mud and teased him with a level of interest that obviously never applied.
Even new Jets general manager John Idzik, who was not around when the Tebow trade was made, talked last month about potentially keeping Tebow around through training camp in an open competition at quarterback that could benefit him. Again, it was a thinly-veiled deception aimed at pumping up whatever trade value Tebow might have had.
J-E-S-T, that’s the way to spell it. In playing this bad joke on Tebow, the Jets have made utter clowns of themselves.
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