So when Peyton Manning was cut by Indianapolis a few weeks ago and ended up signing a five-year/$96 million deal with the Broncos, the Tale of Tebow seemed to be coming to an end. Fear not, fans. The Tebow Circus will now make its way to the big city thanks to a stunning trade made by the New York Jets yesterday that saw the them send their fourth and sixth round picks in the upcoming NFL Draft to Denver for Tebow and a seventh rounder.
You have to wonder what exactly the Jets are thinking. They pursued Manning, but dropped out early on, and handed incumbent quarterback Mark Sanchez and three-year contract extension. Now, Tebow comes to town and is anointed the backup. My guess is that Tebow is there to push Sanchez since he really hasn't had to worry about being benched the last few years, seeing as how the 40-something Mark Brunell has been his backup. Jets' brass has said that Tebow will be used in various game situations. New offensive coordinator Tony Sparano ran the "Wildcat" formation with success in Miami, so expect plenty of Tebow in those sets, some goal line situations, but very little else. Sanchez is the starter. He's been to two AFC championship games in his first three years in the league. He's "The Sanchise" until he falls on his face and gets run out of town. If that happens, we can talk more about bringing Tebow to New York being the wrong or right move. Right now, he's just the highest profile backup in the NFL.
Tebow's leadership has never been questioned and there's no questioning winning. Football is a team game and he has had plenty of help on both sides of the ball as both a Gator and then a Bronco. Look for Tebow to help the Jets look good and mend the discord that haunted the locker room last season, while the Jets make him look good when he's under center.
