NOTE: This post proceeds off of the assumption that the Jets have Tim Tebow, rather than trying to justify trading for him in the first place. Given that they traded for him, we all knew this day would come.
Lest ANYONE be confused, I don't like Tim Tebow. The hype is all sorts of misplaced, as he's not good at the one thing that, ostensibly, he's supposed to be good at in his capacity as an NFL quarterback: throwing a football. He's a perfectly good running back; if he was to be installed at that position, he'd be the best white running back since Mike Alstott (one good season from Peyton Hillis, who has been singlehandedly trying to kill my fantasy team, notwithstanding). So why am I about to expend serious time and energy arguing that my beloved Jets should immediately install Tim Tebow as their starting quarterback? The answer is twofold:
1. He's not Mark Sanchez
An informal poll of my friends has informed me that this is generally a good thing for an NFL quarterback. While Sanchez was at the helm for two trips to the AFC Championship, I don't think anyone can really make the argument that he was the reason for the Jets' success in those seasons. In the first of these seasons, 2009, Sanchez threw for less than 2500 yards, and threw 20 picks to only 12 TDs. The 2009 team was good because of Thomas Jones' 1400 yards rushing and 14 TDs, and a defense that allowed the fewest yards in the league. In the second year, 2010, Sanchez upped his yardage to almost 3300 yards, and added 17 touchdowns to 12 picks. Again, this was a season where the Jets combined a top 5 running game with a top 3 defense, Sanchez was an asset without being the engine.
In 2011, Sanchez's numbers grew again, to nearly 3500 yards and 26 touchdowns, though still with 18 picks. This might seem like an increase in stats based on maturation as a QB, but the non-counting stats don't bear it out. To pick the obvious one, here are Sanchez's completion percentages by year, with his rank among qualifying QBs in parentheses:
2009: 53.8 (28th)
2010: 54.8 (27th)
2011: 56.7 (23rd)
2012: 49.2 (30th)
He'd have to look up pretty far to even see league average in accuracy. And it's not like he's a mad bomber who will make you pay with the deep ball: he's only finished in the top 15 in completions of 20+ yards once. But its the stuff that doesn't show up on the scoresheet that really drives you nuts as a Jets fan: missing open receivers, making bad decisions, and the even worse body language on the sidelines. He's a poor man's Tony Romo-- you can tell when he's going to have a meltdown, but he doesn't have Romo's ability to pull out otherworldly 400 yard, 4 TD games.
This only gets us halfway there. Greg McElroy is also not Mark Sanchez. Neither am I, for that matter. So why Tim Tebow?
2. Denver's Tebow Offense Is A Better Fit For The Jets' Personnel.
As I see it, the Jets have two major issues with their personnel, both of which could be minimized by installing the Tebow offense.
A. The Wide Receivers
Now that Santonio Holmes is out for the year, the Jets might well have the worst WR corps in the league. Stephen Hill and Jeremy Kerley are going to be a great deep-threat/slot-guy combo, but the key words there are "going to be." Putting too much of the season on them will end in disappointment. Other than that, there's Chaz Schillens and some guy named Clyde Gates who I had legitimately never heard of before looking it up just now. When your team is legitimately looking into options like Chad Johnson (formerly Ochocinco, even more formerly Johnson), there are problems.
With the Tebow offense in place, the playbook is simplified for the receivers. Hill, who is used to not being the focal point of an offense after playing in the triple option at Georgia Tech, just needs to focus on going deep; basically, he'd be a poor man's Demaryius Thomas (which makes him a destitute man's Calvin Johnson). Kerley can play the Eric Decker role, going short and keeping possession. Plus, both Dustin Keller and Shonn Greene are improvements as receivers at TE and RB, respectively, over their Denver counterparts. Counting on this receiving corps is a recipe for disaster, so why not deemphasize them as much as possible?
B. The Defense
This feels weird to say. The Jets have been one of the best defenses in the league every year since Rex became coach, but right now they look nothing like that defense. The Jets give up 370 yards of offense per game, including 4.9 yards per rushing play. By comparison, last year's defense gave up 312 yards per play, and less than 4 yards per rush. Given that other teams can run on the Jets, the best plan is to make sure that the defense gets as much rest as possible, and that means WAY less passing. Keeping the ball on the ground will drive up the time of possession, and will keep the defense fresher. And its not like the Jets O-Line can't block. While Shonn Greene has been nothing short of atrocious, averaging less than 3 yards per carry, Bilal Powell has averaged almost 4 yards per carry and Tebow has averaged over 4.
It's pretty clear that the Jets need to start over at QB, so why not see what the Tebow offense can do? Let me know exactly why not in the comments.
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