Tim Tebow to the Jets: Needed Locker Room Presence Or Unnecessary Circus?

Tim Tebow and a 7th round pick has been traded to the Jets for a fourth and sixth round pick in the 2012 N.F.L. draft. Reports surfaced yesterday that the Jets could be interested in acquiring Tim Tebow, much to the confusion of many, but it made sense when considering that the Jets new offensive coordinator is Tony Sprano, the man who made the wildcat famous in the N.F.L, and that the Jets had used the wildcat with great success (or Seminole as they called it in their offense) in 2010 with Brad Smith. It also made sense because the Jets were losing their best red-zone threats with Plaxico Buress and Ladanian Tomlinson- though towards the end of his career has always had a nose for the end-zone.

Tim Tebow to the New York media-sounds like a match made in Hell to me. I have nothing against Tebow and wished him all the luck in Denver, but as a man who had a complete indifference to how Tebow played out in the A.F.C. West I would get annoyed with the extreme coverage of Tebow. The constant 24/7 mentions on Sportscenter and the over-reactions both positively and negatively from ESPN, Tebowites, and the naysayers alike. But now he’s in New York. Fuhgeddaboutit.

On the field this move does not seem like it will have significant impact either way. The team has professed their allegiance to Sanchez and it’s likely that Tebow is used as a short yard specialist with the Jets at least for the 2012 NFL season. The question is will Tebow be useful off the field. Tebow, if nothing else is a great locker room guy. He’s entering a locker room that is considered one of the N.F.L’s worst, a locker room that is devoid of leaders on offense and defense. Can Tebow help this team rally?

Or does Tebow’s presence cause more problems for the Jets and, Mark Sanchez than he’ll be worth. Signing a guy like Mark Burnell won’t cause fans to scream “put in the backup” when Sanchez has a bad game, but Tim Tebow? Tebow has the sports world’s biggest following across the country. One bad game for Sanchez and the whispers could become obnoxious. In Denver before the season fans rallied around to get a billboard for Tim Tebow, I don’t know if that will happen in New York, but there will clearly be Tebow supporters, is that what the Jets need. Is that what Sanchez needs? Does he need a presence like Tim Tebow to push him for his job.

Then there’s the head coach and Tebow-two people who could not be more different to outside observers? If Tebow does end up taking serious snaps on the field, can the two mesh? Nothing suggests that they can’t, but it’s something to be considered.

That’s the question now facing the Jets. What will Tebow bring to the team off the field. On the field it will probably be three to five carries a game, perhaps a pass or two, and a lot of chances in goal line situations. Unless the Jets are willing to tailor their offense to Tebow and give him a legitimate chance at winning the starting quarterback position, which seems unlikely at this moment in time.

My question to Jets fans and Tebow fans alike is the media attention of Tebow worth making the move with the expectation that he won’t see the field much in 2011 barring injury?

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