Tim Tebow is a New York Jet. In a semi-blockbuster trade from the Denver Broncos, everyone's favorite controversial quarterback moved to the east coast and into even more media scrutiny. Tebow has presumably lost his starting role and will possibly be used as a short-yardage specialist or even on special teams. Is this the end of Tebowmania? Or just the beginning?
Jets starting quarterback Mark Sanchez has endured plenty of scrutiny himself. He has struggled to play consistently well, and the New York media is not known for its kindness to athletes. He still makes many mistakes and never really seems to light up opposing defenses. Still, with Sanchez under center, the Jets reached the AFC championship game twice and beat very good teams. But the fact remains that in a city that wondered if Super Bowl-winning coach Tom Coughlin would be fired in the middle of the season, no one can really be called secure in his job.
Enter Tebow. In Denver, he dethroned Kyle Orton and kept Brady Quinn in obscurity. Then he beat Pittsburgh in the playoffs. His late-game heroics are the stuff of legend, despite only one season of action. Surely he's what the Jets need, surely he can put them over the top and claim that coveted championship title with his sheer will.
At least, that's what fans might think. And if Sanchez starts to struggle again, we could have fans buying billboards demanding that Tebow start. Again. Tebow's fanbase is more or less irrespective of what team he's actually on, so it would come as no surprise that the same fervor he garnered in Denver would follow him to the Big Apple.
Suppose it happens. Suppose Sanchez gets pulled or gets injured and Tebow steps in. Can he succeed? Denver upped its defense and running game to support Tebow. The Jets are known for their defense already, and have expressed a desire to run a smash-mouth ground offense. From a systematic standpoint, it seems plausible that Tebow could repeat and even build on his success in Denver.
The locker room is what stands in the way. Cornerback Antonio Cromartie publicly wondered why the Jets traded for Tebow when they have other needs, and the Jets aren't particularly known for being a team of angels. Receiver Santonio Holmes was accused of quitting. Rex Ryan is a trash-talker who can't always back it up. Tebow is the kind of person who can get along with anyone, but it's easy to wonder if there might be too many personality clashes. Can the humble, soft-spoken Tebow be the face of the big-mouth Jets? It's hard to say.
Tebowmania hits the big city. On with the show.
