*Through a very hectic summer that concluded with an unexpected yet welcome job change, the time to write about football, TV, wrestling, anything at all absolutely eluded me.
Nothing about the current NFL season is more maddening to me than the Jets' illogical use of Tim Tebow. I believe in Tebow, which is to say that I believe he should be a starting quarterback in the league. I believe that, if placed with a creative coach willing to develop an offensive system that spreads the field horizontally in order to attack the defense vertically, he can be a successfully quarterback in the NFL, one that wins a lot of games in both the regular and postseasons.
Despite my disappointment that Tebow did not enter the season as the Jets' starting QB, I was still excited about the prospect of his situational usage on the team's offense and special teams. Based on the rhetoric supplied by Rex Ryan and the rest of the Jets organization, I envisioned something similar to his role as a freshman on Florida's national championship team, led by an oft-undervalued Chris Leak, similar to the role Blake Bell currently fills for the Oklahoma Sooners. Sanchez would be the quarterback, but the offense would be bolstered by Tebow's presence in the redzone and short-yardage situations. Additionally, Tebow would be a weapon for the Jets to deploy during "Tebow Time" - situations in which the outcome of a game hangs in the balance, and Tebow's ability to perform at his highest level in the most crucial moments shows its awesome value.
But neither of those wishes have come true. Gaining possession of the ball down six points with a little over three minutes left in a Monday Night Football game against the Houston Texans, the Jets sent Mark Sanchez back out on to the field. Down by a field goal in overtime last week against the New England Patriots, the Jets again sent Mark Sanchez back out on the field. The Jets have the quarterback on their roster who was inarguably** the best in the league in similar situations last season, but they refuse to play him when he can make the greatest impact - just as they refuse to play him when Mark Sanchez appears completely overwhelmed facing a pass rush, as he did today against the Dolphins.
**Okay, maybe it is arguable, but that argument is between Tebow and Eli Manning, and no one else.
At this point, Jets fans are angry - angry that their favorite team is struggling mightily on offensive, angry that the team is wasting a remarkable effort by its defense, and angry that they're being lied to about how the team is making progress and going to find new, creative ways to surprise its opponents. And Jets fans have every right to be angry.
As a Tebow fan, I'm just disappointed.
Other notes:
- The Patriots are as few as three plays away from being 8-0. They're also as few as two plays away from being 3-5.
- Peyton Manning's arm strength looked awful at the start of the season, but is progressively getting better.
- The Rams and Rams' fans have to be kicking themselves for trading away the opportunity to draft Robert Griffin III to the Redskins.
- Cam Newton's regression should not be so shocking to the "experts" considering that aside from a handful of games featuring large accumulations of passing yards last season, he was a oft-inaccurate quarterback who produced turnovers at an alarming rate.
- The Bears are giving life to the notion that the best offense is a good defense.
- Ben Roethlisberger is heralded as one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL, yet continues to be under-appreciated.
- The Cowboys must be the most frustrating team to watch in the history of sports (okay not really, but they're in the top five).
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