In the past, I’ve been accused of being a Tim Tebow hater, and that’s not simply not true. He’s a dynamic player, but I’m not sure he can be successful in a long term capacity as an NFL starter. Regardless of your personal feelings on Tebow as a starting quarterback, it’s a proven fact that he can excite a fanbase like no other player in the NFL, and for the Jets, that may not be a great thing.
The problem the Jets are setting themselves up for is the Tebow effect. That is, the Jets’ fanbase is already at a level of impatience with starter Mark Sanchez. Metlife Stadium is a big place, and at the first sign of trouble, there will be tens of thousands of fans all chanting for Tim Tebow to be put into the game.
When asked about the possibility of a two-quarterback system being effective in the NFL, Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes told the NFL Network,
“No, I don’t think so. You have to allow one quarterback to get into the rhythm of the game. It starts from the preparation in practice, knowing the first couple of plays that he’s going to take these reps. It’s getting a feel for coming onto the field with the crowd awaiting you. It’s the making the mistakes early in the game to finishing the games at the end. You don’t just change a guy out just because he has a few mistakes early in a game.”
It’s not often that I completely and wholeheartedly agree with Santonio Holmes on anything, but this is one of those few instances. Two-quarterback systems barely work in college, and even then it’s only in very rare cases. The problem is that a quarterback needs to maintain a rhythm throughout the game, and constantly cycling someone else into the game breaks that rhythm.
The real issue here is whether the Jets front office and coaching staff are so naive (or arrogant) to think that they can make such a system work for their team. My gut feeling is that they know only one of their top two quarterbacks will survive the entire season with the Jets. At some point, there will be a decision from Red Ryan, and if the loser is Mark Sanchez, he’ll be sent packing. If on the other hand the loser is Tim Tebow, he may become a simple backup quarterback.
In my years of watching pro football, few quarterback controversies intrigue me as much as the Jets’ current conundrum. Rex Ryan doesn’t appear to be showing his full hand just yet, and I think he realizes the two-quarterback system won’t work on a grand scale. The situation has the feel of the beginning of the end of Mark Sanchez in New York. It’s his job to lose, but if he doesn’t step up his game, I don’t see a scenario in which he remains with the Jets through the entire 2012 season.
