Courtesy of washingtonpost.com
New York Jets backup quarterback Tim Tebow had a quiet debut against the Buffalo Bills this weekend, despite all the hype that the Jets’ new (and secretive) Wildcat offense received. At the same time, starting quarterback Mark Sanchez ended the day with a 123.4 passer rating, making the matchup one of his best ever.
Let’s look at what was wrong with Tebow’s performance. To begin with, he ran the ball for a mere 11 yards on five touches. At his lowest point, he was stuffed on a second-and-six run off of the left tackle for no gain.
Furthermore, Tebow lined up as a slot receiver. It’s possible this was meant to confuse the Bills’ defense, but instead it just limited Sanchez’s options. After this game, it would appear that the Wildcat is tamer than Jets head coach Rex Ryan thought.
Tebow is good at one thing, though, and not just recovering onside attempts by Bills kicker Rian Lindell. He is good at getting media attention directed toward him and the Jets. Whether he throws a pass or runs shirtless in the rain, he is on the back page of what seems like every newspaper (a good thing in the sports world), at least in the Tri-state area. Hell, this may be more interesting than the New York Giants, who just lost their rematch against the Dallas Cowboys and became the first Super Bowl Champions since 1999 to start the new season 0-1.
Compared to Sanchez, Tebow is a joke. Sanchez threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday, Sept. 9 with just one turnover. Sanchez was never in danger of losing his starting job due to Tebow’s accuracy issues, but his 48-28 win over Buffalo underscored the disparity in skill between him and Tebow.
Rex Ryan doesn’t even trust Tebow to throw against the Bills, limiting his involvement to that of a rusher. Sanchez is going to start for the rest of the season, barring a serious injury.
From last week’s game, we learned that the Jets’ Wildcat was not too effective, that Tebow is only valuable for media attention and that Sanchez is the better quarterback. Audiences may see a little of Tebow to keep fans happy and mix up the offensive play calling, but for the most part, Sanchez should be the only quarterback on the field in coming weeks.
Ondo is a member of the class of 2014.
