Joe Namath
BIG APPLE: Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez should not worry about competition from Tim Tebow, says legend Joe Namath (inset). (AP; UPI)
Jets legend Joe Namath thinks Mark Sanchez has nothing to worry about with Tim Tebow looking over his shoulder.
Namath said if he were Sanchez, he’d be “tickled to death.”
“Mark knows he’s a better quarterback, and bring on the competition.” Namath said last night at United Way’s annual Gridiron Gala at the Waldorf-Astoria. “Mark is sensational. He’s going to be much better.”
Namath said he’s a fan of both quarterbacks, but there is no question in his mind that Sanchez is the better of the two.
“There’s no doubt about it at all, at this point, certainly,” said Namath before referencing his famous Super Bowl III victory. “[Sanchez is] going into his fourth year. Golly, I remember a team that won a championship with a quarterback in his fourth year. Let’s hope that happens again.”
The 68-year-old Namath has been critical of the Jets over the past year, and the trade for Tebow provoked one of his harshest criticisms.
“I’m baffled,” Namath said on ESPN Radio after the trade. “I just think they’re kind of mixed up over there, and I’m talking about the folks that are making the decisions. Come on! This is crazy. … It appears the Jets are trying to grab headlines once again.”
Last night, he sounded like he had come around on the trade a bit.
“The Jets have something up their sleeve,” Namath said. “At any rate, Tebow is a positive. In any way you add him to the organization, he’s a positive.”
Namath was one of a number of former and current football stars at last night’s event. The United Way honored Jets guard Brandon Moore and Giants guard Chris Snee.
Though Namath said he does not think Tebow will be much of a challenge for Sanchez, he acknowledged all of the questions about Tebow could wear on Sanchez.
“That’s going to be sensitive,” Namath said. “That’s going to be tough. We’ll wait to see what’s happening. When things aren’t going well, we’re a little bit touchy. It’s easy to get upset with some things. Things can get on your nerves.
“As a quarterback, I’d like to take every snap in practice that I can get. It’s going to remain to be seen how they share the snaps in practice come regular-season time.”
Namath said he’s not sure if he will be at Jets training camp this summer. He acknowledged his constant criticism of the Jets has damaged his relationship with the organization.
“It’s rough,” Namath said. “None of us like to be critiqued or criticized in a negative way. It gets bent sometimes. I don’t like feeling the vibes that I get back whenever I cross [owner] Woody [Johnson’s] path. [Head coach] Rex [Ryan] and I have been getting along well when we bump into each other, but I know there’s an underlying sensitivity there that the Jets have.”
* The Jets signed sixth-round pickRobert T. Griffin, a guard out of Baylor, to a four-year contract.