CORTLAND — Tim Tebow is lucky yesterday’s practice wasn’t full contact.
If it had been, Tebow surely would have left the practice field in worse shape than running back Joe McKnight and defensive back D’Anton Lynn, the participants in yesterday’s sideline melee during practice.
Tebow finished team drills 3-for-8, but also would have been sacked six times, including several where defenders came free and would have had a clean shot at him in the backfield.
“Sometimes that’s so hard,” Tebow said. “When you’re doing a pressure period like that … sometimes those plays are going to bust and sometimes you’re going to have a few sacks in there.”
Tebow can’t take advantage of his style of play at quarterback — mainly his ability to take a hit and keep on running — during practices and scrimmages where the quarterbacks can’t be hit. That showed itself to be the case in Saturday’s Green and White scrimmage, where defensive coordinator Mike Pettine dropped two safeties into coverage because Tebow couldn’t be hit when he scrambled.
Tebow finished Saturday’s scrimmage 0-for-3, including one drop by wide receiver Eron Riley and a 50-yard pass he nearly completed downfield to wideout Dexter Jackson that hit his fingertips before falling out of his reach.
But Ryan has liked what he’s seen from Tebow through his first 10 days of training camp, and is looking forward to seeing Tebow in live game situations. He’ll get his first chance to see Tebow in such a spot Friday in Cincinnati in the Jets’ first preseason game.
“He did make a couple of nice throws that were dropped,” Ryan said before yesterday’s practice. “When you make a couple of big throws, it gets you going. It gets you on track.
“[But] I have not been disappointed with Tim at all. His play, once you go to a live situation, that’s gonna elevate his play. It’s not that he’s just throwing the ball and all that, because he’s such a weapon when he takes off, as well.”
One thing Ryan wasn’t happy with, though, is Tebow’s two fumbled exchanges with backup center Caleb Schlauderaff during Saturday’s scrimmage. But Ryan doesn’t think Tebow, who spent much of his celebrated collegiate career at Florida and his first two years in the NFL at Denver operating in the shotgun, is specifically having trouble taking snaps under center with the Jets.
“He’s taken plenty of snaps out here, but it just happened there, for whatever reason,” Ryan said. “Clearly we’ve got to get it fixed. Is the quarterback pulling out, is he not in there deep enough, is the center not getting the ball up, I’m not sure … but there’s no excuses. We have to get the quarterback-center exchanges.”
Tebow also took a shot from former Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason yesterday, who didn’t mince his words about how he thinks Tebow fits with the Jets.
“I’m telling you right now, I would [cut Tebow], and I’ll tell you why I would,” Esiason said. “It’s not in any way, shape or form, I think, benefitting this team.”
For his part, Tebow took the high road when told of Esiason’s comments.
“I’ve heard nothing but great things about Mr. Esiason,” Tebow said. “I know he was a great player here, and I just wish him nothing but the best in his announcing and God bless him.”
tbontemps@nypost.com