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Walking through Newark Airport on Monday, I glanced at the Ben and Jerry’s in Terminal C and smiled. Not because I was in the mood for a cone, but I thought that a plaque should be put up there.
“This is where the 2012 Jets season went all wrong.”
It was there Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum and coach Rex Ryan say they first discussed trading for Tim Tebow over milkshakes in March.
Jets fans have had indigestion ever since.
The move for Tebow has made no impact on the team’s offense, but it did create a major distraction that has derailed Mark Sanchez’s progress, created a media minefield for Ryan to navigate and left everyone around the Jets feeling sorry for Tebow, who has not seen the field in four weeks.
The Jets have not set many records this season, but here is one: mismanaging not one, not two but three quarterbacks. Has any team ever done that before?
The latest development came Sunday when Ryan decided to keep backup quarterback Greg McElroy inactive a week after he led the Jets to victory. The story after the game was that running back Joe McKnight had a migraine and they needed to keep Kahlil Bell active to have an extra running back. That led to McElroy being inactive. Bell played two snaps in the game and was waived yesterday.
McElroy probably got the same head-scratching feeling Sanchez and Tebow have felt in the last nine months.
When the Jets made the trade for Tebow, they were either delusional about what they were going to do with him or full of it. Ryan promised creative packages and 20 snaps in a game. He talked about his throwing ability (seven attempts this year) and how offensive coordinator Tony Sparano would have a field day creating new Wildcat wrinkles.
On Monday, Ryan admitted on ESPN radio that it hasn’t worked and that Tebow probably is disappointed he is here.
You think?
The Jets are fortunate in this regard. Tebow and Sanchez both have bit their tongues about their true feelings on the situation. Neither player wants to upset the team dynamic by complaining about it. Both have every right to complain.
Sanchez clearly has regressed this season. Is that because of Tebow? Probably not. But having the most popular player in the NFL behind him has not helped. Sanchez had his comfort zone ripped away in the offseason when the team dumped offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and backup Mark Brunell. Both moves were the right call for the organization but took a toll on Sanchez.
Then, instead of just having Drew Stanton or Chad Henne behind him, he got Tebowmania and everything that comes with it. Sanchez told friends that he was stunned by the move and initially was upset. He never has expressed that publicly, though.
Tebow came to the Jets believing he would get a chance to run 10-15 plays a game, perhaps a series at the beginning of the second quarter or late in the game if the Jets were struggling. He also thought if Sanchez stumbled, he could become the starter.
Instead, he has been glued to the bench. He has not played an entire series all year. The Jets then embarrassed him further by benching Sanchez in the one week Tebow was not active. Teammates were quoted anonymously trashing Tebow earlier this season. Now? They just feel bad for him. He is one of the most well-liked players on the team.
Ryan has been left answering questions about Tebow after the last three games, even though he did not play a snap in any of them. The coach clearly was annoyed in Jacksonville on Sunday after a win dealing with questions about his backup quarterback situation.
The Jets enter the home stretch with a decent chance at finishing 9-7 and an excellent chance at 8-8. Those records probably will be enough to save the job of Tannenbaum. Ryan seems to be safe barring an epic embarrassment in the final three weeks.
Job No. 1 this winter for both men is to figure out the quarterback situation. Ryan, a defensive lifer, has shown he has little feel for quarterbacks. Last week, he compared deciding on a starting quarterback to whether to play cornerback Kyle Wilson on the inside or outside.
Sanchez almost is guaranteed to come back because of his contract. Tebow most likely is gone.
It’s up to Ryan and Tannenbaum to figure out how to fix the position in 2013. Jets fans can only hope they don’t do it over airport milkshakes again.
Moore leadership than perceived
One of the more common knocks on the Jets the past two years has been that the team lacks leaders. That’s way off.
Guard Brandon Moore showed his leadership again Sunday when he gathered the offensive line at halftime in Jacksonville and exhorted it to start playing with attitude and take over the game. That’s exactly what it did in the third quarter, and the Jets won because of it.
Moore is one of the most respected voices in the Jets’ locker room. He also gives back to the community. Yesterday, Moore and his wife Regina hosted their third annual Moore Family Christmas Carnival for 150 children at the Boys and Girls Club in Newark, a great event with tons of games and food for kids who might not have great Christmas memories without it.
Moore is an athlete who gets it. He made his first Pro Bowl last year and has made 134 consecutive starts, the longest active streak in the NFL among offensive linemen. Moore will be a free agent this winter. He will be 33 next year and has bad hips, but he has shown no decline in his skills.
The Jets would be wise to keep him around.