Rapid reaction: A logic-defying move
March, 21, 2012
3/21/12
12:56
PM ET
By
Rich Cimini | ESPNNewYork.com
A quick take on the Jets' acquisition of Tim Tebow:
UPDATE: The Jets sent fourth- and sixth-round picks to Denver in exchange for Tebow and a seventh-rounder, according to a league source.
1. The circus is coming to town, and the Jets just love a circus, don't they? Is this their "Little Brother" response to the Giants winning the Super Bowl?
2. The attention-seeking Jets couldn't get Peyton Manning, so they take the next-best quarterback in terms of generating buzz. Sometimes you wonder if they're more concerned with back pages than victories. Hey, if we can't get a phenomenal quarterback, let's grab a quarterback phenomenon.
3. The risk far exceeds the potential upside. At best, the Jets get a change-of-pace quarterback who can run the Wildcat a few times per game, gain 20 or 30 yards and cause a small headache for the defense. At worst, they get a divisive quarterback controversy that undermines incumbent Mark Sanchez.
4. The Jets just gave Sanchez a three-year contract extension, affirming their faith in a quarterback whose stature in the locker room took a hit last season. The Tebow acquisition is counter-productive because all it does is re-open a can of worms that should've been buried. At the very least, they will be taking the ball out of Sanchez's hands a few times a game to let Tebow do his thing.
5. As soon as Sanchez has a bad game, the Tebow-maniacs -- and the converts -- will be screaming for a quarterback change. It won't be an every-so-often thing. It will become the soundtrack of the Jets' season. Sanchez will have to be Tom Brady to keep the crowd on his side. Change isn't a bad thing if the new guy is better, but Tebow doesn't have the passing skills to be a long-term answer. Just ask John Elway. This will put a lot of pressure on Rex Ryan, who will be in charge of trying to manage the madness.
6. After all the locker-room problems they experienced last season, the Jets should be focused on coming together and re-building the chemistry they enjoyed in 2010. Tebow is a polarizing presence that will split the fans, and judging from Antonio Cromartie's recent tweets, could split the players.
7. It doesn't make sense from a salary-cap/roster management standpoint. First of all, they just gave Drew Stanton a $500,000 signing bonus to be the No. 2 QB. If they were interested in Tebow -- and they had to know he'd be available if Manning landed in Denver -- why not hold off a few days? They just wasted $500,000 that could've been spent elsewhere.
More waste: They gave up fourth- and sixth-round round picks, and they're paying $1.1 million in salary, for a specialty player that doesn't play special teams and probably won't be on the field more than a dozen snaps per game. At least Brad Smith, the Jets' old Wildcat, contributed in other roles.
8. The luster of the Wildcat has worn off. Teams have caught up to it, and it's no longer the offensive weapon it used to be.
9. You can't help but wonder about the role of Jimmy Sexton in this move. Sexton is Tebow's agent and he also represents new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano. And he's also good friends with GM Mike Tannenbaum. Hmm. "Don't under-estimate that connection," one league source said.
10. Tannenbaum said after the season that the QB depth chart would have a different look in 2012. Man, he wasn't joking.
UPDATE: The Jets sent fourth- and sixth-round picks to Denver in exchange for Tebow and a seventh-rounder, according to a league source.
1. The circus is coming to town, and the Jets just love a circus, don't they? Is this their "Little Brother" response to the Giants winning the Super Bowl?
2. The attention-seeking Jets couldn't get Peyton Manning, so they take the next-best quarterback in terms of generating buzz. Sometimes you wonder if they're more concerned with back pages than victories. Hey, if we can't get a phenomenal quarterback, let's grab a quarterback phenomenon.
3. The risk far exceeds the potential upside. At best, the Jets get a change-of-pace quarterback who can run the Wildcat a few times per game, gain 20 or 30 yards and cause a small headache for the defense. At worst, they get a divisive quarterback controversy that undermines incumbent Mark Sanchez.
4. The Jets just gave Sanchez a three-year contract extension, affirming their faith in a quarterback whose stature in the locker room took a hit last season. The Tebow acquisition is counter-productive because all it does is re-open a can of worms that should've been buried. At the very least, they will be taking the ball out of Sanchez's hands a few times a game to let Tebow do his thing.
5. As soon as Sanchez has a bad game, the Tebow-maniacs -- and the converts -- will be screaming for a quarterback change. It won't be an every-so-often thing. It will become the soundtrack of the Jets' season. Sanchez will have to be Tom Brady to keep the crowd on his side. Change isn't a bad thing if the new guy is better, but Tebow doesn't have the passing skills to be a long-term answer. Just ask John Elway. This will put a lot of pressure on Rex Ryan, who will be in charge of trying to manage the madness.
6. After all the locker-room problems they experienced last season, the Jets should be focused on coming together and re-building the chemistry they enjoyed in 2010. Tebow is a polarizing presence that will split the fans, and judging from Antonio Cromartie's recent tweets, could split the players.
7. It doesn't make sense from a salary-cap/roster management standpoint. First of all, they just gave Drew Stanton a $500,000 signing bonus to be the No. 2 QB. If they were interested in Tebow -- and they had to know he'd be available if Manning landed in Denver -- why not hold off a few days? They just wasted $500,000 that could've been spent elsewhere.
More waste: They gave up fourth- and sixth-round round picks, and they're paying $1.1 million in salary, for a specialty player that doesn't play special teams and probably won't be on the field more than a dozen snaps per game. At least Brad Smith, the Jets' old Wildcat, contributed in other roles.
8. The luster of the Wildcat has worn off. Teams have caught up to it, and it's no longer the offensive weapon it used to be.
9. You can't help but wonder about the role of Jimmy Sexton in this move. Sexton is Tebow's agent and he also represents new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano. And he's also good friends with GM Mike Tannenbaum. Hmm. "Don't under-estimate that connection," one league source said.
10. Tannenbaum said after the season that the QB depth chart would have a different look in 2012. Man, he wasn't joking.

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