Friday, December 28, 2012

THE TEBOW TEMPEST

Why Tim Tebow Doesn't Start for the Jets

Let's take a dispassionate look at Tim Tebow, the quarterback.
- he took a floundering 1-4 Broncos team to the playoffs LAST YEAR with an end of season record of 8-8, and beat the Steelers in the first round of the playoffs.
- because the Broncos acquired Peyton Manning, he was traded to the Jets.  The Jets immediately announced that Tebow would be their second string quarterback.
- the Jets starter Mark Sanchez this season has a remarkable pass completion record, if one counts the number of his passes caught by players of the opposing teams.  The coach of the Jets has started a third-stringer a couple times to try to find a way to get some completions to his own team's receivers.  That hasn't worked.  So what does the coach do?  He announces that for the last game of the season, it'll be Mark Sanchez again.

One has to wonder: why not Tebow?  Why was the third-stringer started over the second stringer (Tebow?)

Oh, wait a moment.  There is one other item that wasn't listed above: Tebow is a Christian.  Worse, he's evangelical - meaning he lets people know he's Christian and does his human best to live up to the teachings of his faith.  He has a strong and faithful fan following.

Dispassionate analysis of Tebow's demonstrated football record would seem to indicate that he should have been starting at least a few games.  Why not give a proven winner a shot?

I think you, my faithful reader, can figure it out.  Yes, it's looking more and more like he isn't being given the opportunity his demonstrated football performances would seem to indicate he should be given because of his religiosity.  It would be unseemly, I suppose, to hear post-game quarterback interviews where the words 'God' and 'Faith' came up regularly.  Better, it would appear, to have those interviews with a losing quarterback who says something else - excuses, reasons, apologies for ineptitude, all the interceptions and losing, etc.  Yes, that's better.

Don't get me wrong here, o gentle reader.  I am not a Jets fan.  I'm not especially a Tebow fan.  But I am a fan of good football, and good football requires putting the best you have on the field.  I don't think anyone can honestly say that Sanchez and the third stringer are the best the Jets have.  But week after week, loss after loss, they have been on the field while Tebow - a proven winner in his first season with the Broncos - sat on the sidelines getting paid to do nothing.

This season I have watched more than my usual number of Jets games just to see how terribly Sanchez does.  And he has never failed to disappoint.  Morbid fascination drew me to watch game after game, wanting to see how long it would take for coach to pat Tebow on his head and tell him 'go out there and kick some ass, son.'  But no.  Never happened.  And it clearly should have.

Even usually diplomatic football broadcasters and commentators are aghast at the folly of the Jets misuse - or more accurately non-use - of Tim Tebow.  A weekend doesn't pass without most of them shaking their heads and wondering what is wrong.

What a waste.  And what a statement about at least the Jets coaching staff, if not football in general.  

Jets fans are right to be offended.  They spent good money to see the games, and what do they get?  Anyone but Tebow.  Ask a Jet fan sometime if they'd like to have seen Tebow start a few games in place of the inept Mark Sanchez.