HE IS HERE: Tim Tebow waves briefly to fans who turned out to the Jets’ facility in Florham Park to witness the backup quarterback’s arrival. (
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Tebow Time officially began for the Jets around 3:20 yesterday afternoon when Tim Tebow’s private jet touched down at Morristown Municipal Airport, just a few miles from the team’s Florham Park headquarters.
A day after swinging a trade for the quarterback, the Jets welcomed Tebow to the New York area. He was greeted by a Jets employee and whisked away in a black SUV.
Two hours later, he arrived at the team’s training center in Florham Park, where about a dozen college students from nearby Fairleigh Dickinson University greeted him.
It is more attention than ever has been lavished on a backup quarterback, and it’s just the beginning. The Jets sent a fourth- and sixth-round pick to Denver on Wednesday to bring Tebow here, knowing the circus would come with him.
Besides the fans waiting for Tebow in Florham Park, three high school girls from the Academy of St. Elizabeth held vigil at the airport to catch a glimpse of their hero. TV stations filmed Tebow’s arrival from helicopters and interrupted their regular programming to show the plane touching down.
In Louisiana, Jets coach Rex Ryan attended LSU’s pro day and fielded questions about the newest Jet. The main question is how this will affect starting quarterback Mark Sanchez.
The Jets insist that Tebow is not here to take Sanchez’s job. Tebow will be his backup and the team will tailor specific sets of plays for him out of the Wildcat formation.
“Mark’s a great competitor,” Ryan told CBSSports.com. “I know that about Mark. Mark is our starting quarterback. There’s no doubt about it. Will we have some things for Tebow each week? Absolutely.”
Ryan is enamored with the idea of what Tebow can do out of the Wildcat. Despite the formation’s decreasing popularity around the NFL, the Jets feel Tebow can bring an added dimension because he is a threat to throw the ball. Offensive coordinator Tony Sparano liked what he saw of Tebow when he coached him at the 2010 Senior Bowl.
The problem will come when a quarterback controversy ensues and people are clamoring for Tebow to start, which seems inevitable.
Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum made his first stumble in this area yesterday. In an interview on ESPN Radio, Tannenbaum admitted Tebow could play significant time if the Sanchez offense is struggling.
“If our offense is sputtering, and we have, say, three three-and-outs, and we roll this out there and it’s successful, who knows,” Tannenbaum said. “I think it will just depend on the game and the situation.”
In Baton Rouge, Ryan danced around the question of a quarterback competition.
“I look at it this way, we’re incredibly fortunate to have a couple of quarterbacks with playoff wins,” he said. “Obviously, both have been fairly successful. … I think [Sanchez is] going to be a tremendous quarterback. He is our quarterback. … What Tim gives us is another great competitor.”
The man who popularized the Wildcat liked the Jets’ idea of using Tebow. Arkansas State coach Gus Malzahn made the formation popular in 2006, when he was the offensive coordinator at Arkansas. He faced Tebow when he was at Florida.
Malzahn said despite what people think of Tebow as a conventional passer, he will force defenses to prepare for him to run or throw.
“I think that’s where people lose sight with him,” he said. “He’s such a dynamic runner in short yardage and in the red zone. … I believe utilized the right way that’s a huge weapon. It’s just one other thing defenses will have to prepare for.”
* The Jets will introduce Tebow at a press conference Monday at their Florham Park headquarters.
The press conference was delayed by a technicality in Tebow’s contract, according to a source. He has to sign a rewritten contract today, and that will leave him on Denver’s salary cap for 24 hours after he signs it.
So, even though Tebow is already in New Jersey. He won’t technically be a Jet until tomorrow afternoon.
Additional reporting by Justin Terranova, Tim Bontemps