In towns like Cleveland, the backup quarterback has always been one of the most popular players. At least more popular than the starting quarterback. Perhaps the rare exception is this past year. Skilled as Seneca Wallace is, he hasn’t exactly endeared himself to the fanbase.
Frankly, neither has the front office as of late, especially in regards to Holmgren’s reaction to the Robert Griffin trade.
But one quarterback who no one expected to available was Tim Tebow. After Peyton Manning signed with the Broncos, Tebow suddenly became available. Realistically, he was a quarterback with more starting experience than the now-signed Matt Flynn. I’ll even admit that Tebow helped lead the Broncos to the playoffs (let’s be clear here though, the defense was the majority factor in that equation).
He was a wild success in Denver, and the crowd had him backed up from the beginning. So why did he come so cheap?
Because Tebow is a disease in the locker room, the stands, and in the media. Tim is a great guy and has probably spent more time helping people than most people even think about doing that. That has nothing to do with the fact he will ruin nearly every football franchise he is a part of.
Tebow will always have the unwavering support of the fanbase. Especially after his season in Denver, “Tebowmania” will be impossible to avoid wherever he goes. The fans clamored for him to start in Denver and they got it despite the fact that Tebow was the “fourth-best quarterback in training camp” that year. That worked when the front office had no faith in him and was just trying to ride his contract out.
In New York, where the media is as sensationalized as it gets, there will be Tebow stories popping up every day. As soon as Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez hits a losing streak or the playoff hopes look dashed, the fans in the stands will start the “Teeeebow. Teeeeebow,” chant.
Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum has only made the situation worse by saying Tebow will the “backup quarterback” and used in “wildcat formations.” You already signed Sanchez’s ticket out of town by trading for Tebow, but by admitting you’re going to put him on the field, you’re paving the way for Tebow to become starting quarterback.
Some of you may ask, just what’s wrong with that though? Why can’t Tebow be a starting quarterback? The fact is, Tebow is inconsistent and inaccurate as a quarterback. Being a gimmick is the only option he has in the NFL. Brad Smith and Pat White are two examples of gimmick quarterbacks who didn’t pan out. They were never good enough as quarterbacks, just as Tim Tebow isn’t.
The difference is Tim Tebow will always the support and people clamoring for him to be a starting quarterback despite his lack of skill at the position. Wherever he goes, he will be a sickness in the locker room. He will undermine the quarterback when the quarterback fails, only because of the simple fact that Tebow is in the locker room. Tebow will undermine the coach when the coach doesn’t put him in. And even worse, if the coach does put him in and Tebow fails, the coach looks even worse.
Even in St. Louis, Tebow would have eventually cost Sam Bradford his job.
Really, New York is the worst place for him to be. Jacksonville would have been better for Tebow, as there is no quarterback cemented into the role of starter. There is no fanbase that’s really excited about the Jaguars. It would have energized the fanbase beyond belief.
But know this now: The Tebow experiment in New York is destined to fail and will be just another sideshow to the circus like atmosphere of the Jet’s locker room.
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