For a few days in April the Jets had six quarterbacks on their roster: Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith, David Garrard, Matt Simms, Greg McElroy and Tim Tebow.
Only one of those guys is the best fit for the Jets offense as it is currently configured — Tebow.
I know saying something positive about Tebow has become as popular as canceling Christmas. I know he is the most limited passer among those six limited passers. And I know the Jets and Tebow had to part ways after the disaster that was 2012.
But hear me out on this.
The Jets have no weapons at wide receiver or tight end. That has been well established. They struggle in pass protection. They have a pretty good defense, and they have a running game that is strong when it has a chance to get going.
So what is the best offense for a team constructed like this? The one the 2011 Broncos built around Tebow for the final two months of the season. It’s hard to remember now, after all the Tebow bashing of the last two years, but it worked. If the Jets had Tebow lined up in the backfield with Chris Ivory, they could run a zone-read offense that would wear other teams out, and they could play a ball-possession game that would complement their defense.
They would have to hope to win a lot of games 13-10. They would not be a Super Bowl contender. But they would have a better offense than what we’ve seen from them over the past three weeks.
I’m not arguing the Jets should have kept Tebow or they should call him up now. I know the Jets had to release Tebow in April. They had to move past 2012, and getting rid of Tebow was getting rid of one of the tents in the circus. I also know they can’t bring him back now, even though he is a free agent. But from a strictly football perspective — just on the field — Tebow would fit this current team really well.
The problem for Tebow with the Jets in 2012 was the team never committed to him. Former general manager Mike Tannenbaum and coach Rex Ryan wanted Tebow, but did not want to upset Sanchez. Former offensive coordinator Tony Sparano had no idea how to use him and ended up putting him in for a play here or there and running him into the middle of the defense every time.
Tebow’s effectiveness in Denver came with time, too. The reason he was great in the fourth quarter was not magic. It was because he wore down a defense, and then the Broncos could spring a play.
This year’s Jets, with Marty Mornhinweg at offensive coordinator and David Lee as quarterbacks coach, have shown creativity with the Wildcat and zone-read offenses. The best drive the Jets have had in recent weeks was one in Baltimore that featured a lot of Josh Cribbs running the Wildcat.
One of the biggest frustrations the Jets have with Smith is his resistance to using his legs. Smith has had some good moments this year scrambling and a few on designed runs (a touchdown against the Saints comes to mind). But those instances have become as rare as ahi tuna. Most of the time Smith looks hesitant to take off, and he does not have a good feel for when to keep the ball in the zone-read looks.
Smith has gone four games without completing at least 10 passes, and the Jets are 1-3 in those games. Tebow went three straight games in 2011 with fewer than 10 passes completed and the Broncos won all three games. He won a game when he completed two passes.
As the Jets look at options A) Geno Smith, B) Matt Simms and C) David Garrard right now, none of them are appealing.
Tebow never is going to make it on a team with a good quarterback because he does not throw well enough. But right now, the Jets don’t qualify for that category. A Tebow offense would not be pretty, but the Jets might actually score some touchdowns and win some games.